- Welcome to Principia Discordia.
News:
PD.com: Worse than that time when I conjured a handkerchief from that deaf kid's ear.
Recent posts
#61
Principia Discussion / Re: Is Our POEE Calendar Missi...
Last post by Abbot Mythos - August 11, 2026, 05:07:01 PMI had been feeling pretty good about my calculation for the date of the epochal response of our Blessed Goddess Eris to The Original Snub. So, I decided to review it, polish it up a bit, and possibly submit it to some Discordian sites where a few members might actually be interested in this sort of thing. But, I soon realized that my timeline contains an obvious flaw.
The problem is that given the reluctant bride's chaste reputation, it is extremely unlikely Achilles was conceived any earlier than the night of the Wedding Feast of Peleus and Thetis. And so, given that Achilles should have been, at least in stature, a powerful adult by the time he landed at Troy, something close to twenty (20) years should have passed between the Wedding Feast, and Achilles' beachhead landing. (By way of explanation, I believe something close to twenty years old is a realistic age estimate for a mortal, given that that is the age Spartan young men had to have been to have completed their long training, and be formally accepted into the active duty ranks of the Spartan army.) Now, of course, being that Achilles' mother was immortal, it could be argued that Achilles matured to manhood much sooner than a child born of mere mortal parents. But, even if this argument is acceptable, there is a limit to the number of years that can be realistically shaved off of Achilles' age between his conception, and the time Achilles arrived at Troy.
Much has been lost from the eight Epic Cycle poems that make up the Trojan War saga. Still, it requires a lot of imaginative contortions to fit a believable age for Achilles into a short time span between the Wedding Feast of Peleus and Thetis, and the start of the Trojan War. I then realized that thousands of scholars, over more than two thousand years, had to be aware of this glaring problem. And so, a surprisingly little additional research led me to Pseudo-Apollodorus and his Bibliotheca.
Now, according to Pseudo-Apollodorus, The Library and Epitome, E3.16:
Agamemnon himself was commander of the whole force, while Achilles, at fifteen years of age, took command of the fleet.
Well alrighty then. Taken at face value, that seems reasonable enough. But, it also means that Pseudo-Apollodorus accepted that there was a significant delay between the birth of Achilles, and the beachhead landing at Troy. And, Pseudo-Apollodorus accepted this in spite of Homer having never even hinted that any significant delays had occurred. And, to make matters worse, Pseudo-Apollodorus stated, in the same document, that there was yet another very long delay.
Anyway, I have been reminded that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." Still, I suspect Pseudo-Apollodorus included references to some popular "classical era fan fiction," meaning stuff that was not part of the original eight Epic Cycle poems, in his writings. But, if I can sort out the "fanfic," I just might be able to salvage the original concept, rework the timeline, and find another acceptable new moon date that occurred about a decade earlier.
This may take a while.
Hail Eris!
All Hail Discordia!
The problem is that given the reluctant bride's chaste reputation, it is extremely unlikely Achilles was conceived any earlier than the night of the Wedding Feast of Peleus and Thetis. And so, given that Achilles should have been, at least in stature, a powerful adult by the time he landed at Troy, something close to twenty (20) years should have passed between the Wedding Feast, and Achilles' beachhead landing. (By way of explanation, I believe something close to twenty years old is a realistic age estimate for a mortal, given that that is the age Spartan young men had to have been to have completed their long training, and be formally accepted into the active duty ranks of the Spartan army.) Now, of course, being that Achilles' mother was immortal, it could be argued that Achilles matured to manhood much sooner than a child born of mere mortal parents. But, even if this argument is acceptable, there is a limit to the number of years that can be realistically shaved off of Achilles' age between his conception, and the time Achilles arrived at Troy.
Much has been lost from the eight Epic Cycle poems that make up the Trojan War saga. Still, it requires a lot of imaginative contortions to fit a believable age for Achilles into a short time span between the Wedding Feast of Peleus and Thetis, and the start of the Trojan War. I then realized that thousands of scholars, over more than two thousand years, had to be aware of this glaring problem. And so, a surprisingly little additional research led me to Pseudo-Apollodorus and his Bibliotheca.
Now, according to Pseudo-Apollodorus, The Library and Epitome, E3.16:
Agamemnon himself was commander of the whole force, while Achilles, at fifteen years of age, took command of the fleet.
Well alrighty then. Taken at face value, that seems reasonable enough. But, it also means that Pseudo-Apollodorus accepted that there was a significant delay between the birth of Achilles, and the beachhead landing at Troy. And, Pseudo-Apollodorus accepted this in spite of Homer having never even hinted that any significant delays had occurred. And, to make matters worse, Pseudo-Apollodorus stated, in the same document, that there was yet another very long delay.
Anyway, I have been reminded that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." Still, I suspect Pseudo-Apollodorus included references to some popular "classical era fan fiction," meaning stuff that was not part of the original eight Epic Cycle poems, in his writings. But, if I can sort out the "fanfic," I just might be able to salvage the original concept, rework the timeline, and find another acceptable new moon date that occurred about a decade earlier.
This may take a while.
Hail Eris!
All Hail Discordia!
#62
Aneristic Illusions / Re: Clacton By-Election
Last post by Pope Mome Apocrypha - August 11, 2026, 03:41:08 PMThe ads have been particularly enjoyable, a novel experience across the board on that account
#63
Featured / Re: The Subtitle Says This Is ...
Last post by Doktor Howl - August 11, 2026, 03:08:14 PMWell, these sailors have been eating spam and canned beets 3 meals a day for a few months.
I am sure morale is high.
I am sure morale is high.
#64
Aneristic Illusions / Re: Clacton By-Election
Last post by Doktor Howl - August 11, 2026, 03:04:01 PMI have been following this with interest. His political ads are on point.
Especially the Clacton tourism ones.
Especially the Clacton tourism ones.
#65
Apple Talk / Re: Dispatches from the Bone Y...
Last post by Doktor Howl - August 11, 2026, 03:01:04 PMOh, wait.
"Task Manager Not Responding."
"Task Manager Not Responding."
#66
Apple Talk / Re: Dispatches from the Bone Y...
Last post by Doktor Howl - August 11, 2026, 02:59:59 PMMy computer at work is just a little old.
I tried to open another tab to check the weather and it locked up solid for 5 minutes, and apparently, I cannot be trusted with task manager.
I tried to open another tab to check the weather and it locked up solid for 5 minutes, and apparently, I cannot be trusted with task manager.
#67
Apple Talk / Re: Open Bar: Subpoenaed by Co...
Last post by MMIX - August 11, 2026, 11:49:13 AMQuote from: Doktor Howl on August 10, 2026, 03:51:06 PMQuote from: Faust on August 08, 2026, 09:25:44 AMYep, people have voted with their wallets.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we got him"
The problem is I dont agree with the court of public opinion on this, and think the end result is stupid, and shit.Quote from: MMIX on August 09, 2026, 08:39:00 AMYep. I love how we have become societies where we demand higher standards of personal behaviour from people who write comic books than from politicians and presidents or attorneys general . . .
Is anyone surprised?
The obscenely wealthy own the ball and the ballpark. You will not worry about billionaire pedophiles, you will follow the thundering herd of tumblristas against George Takei and Warren Ellis.
Never mind that Takei was exonerated when the person who complained basically admitted he was trying to make money off of the notoriety.
I don't see a problem with believing the victim first. But eventually, I have to see some evidence. If that evidence isn't forthcoming, then I start questioning the narrative.
I am told this makes me part of the problem, etc, etc, and why can't I wear a safety pin in my lapel to show my commitment to Sparkle Motion™?
Yep. The proof of the pudding is in the evidence
#68
Discordian Recipes / Cooking Regretcipes.
Last post by DishpitDipshit - August 11, 2026, 10:11:20 AMOnce I tried mixing sweetened tropical kool-aid powder into scrambled eggs. Turned out far worse that expected. It an almost sandy texture, bright pink/orange color, and a flavor between sulphury water and Hi-C. Might try finding a picture. (If I still have the picture around)
#69
Featured / Re: The Subtitle Says This Is ...
Last post by Abbot Mythos - August 11, 2026, 07:03:53 AMOne of the consequences of my boat's "extended deployment" was the following:
This is a very short article, so I'm not posting any quotations from it.
And, to put this in prospective, the last of our combat troops had left South Vietnam on March 29, 1973. So, there was little chance that my boat would have to endure another "extended deployment" at the end of our "normal" six month Mediterranean cruise scheduled for 1973-74. And, the next cruise was not extended, even though it was memorable in its own right.
But, those of us who had nothing to do with instigating those "Two Days of Racial Unrest" called it exactly what it was: A mutiny.
Now, back in the day, aircraft carriers should have been equipped with revolving doors, as sailors going AWOL from them was a common occurrence. And, given the high crew turnover, and a carrier's very high demand for warm bodies, many of the dregs of the fleet eventually found themselves assigned to aircraft carriers. Still, we seemed to have had a lot more serious troublemakers coming aboard in the summer of 1973 than we had had before the previous "extended deployment." There was also a lot of grumbling, and fear, in the ranks about the possibility of yet another "extended deployment" in 1973-74. But, "racial unrest?" No, not so much.
I don't remember the exact day, but walking through the hanger deck in the early afternoon I saw that the weather was near perfect, the hanger deck was near empty, and the ship was barely moving. And, that meant nothing was landing or taking off, which is definitely not normal for an aircraft carrier steaming in broad daylight, in good weather, during Carrier Qualifications. Then an acquaintance approached me and said he had heard that something was going on up on the flight deck. As neither of us knew what was happening, we decided to go up to the flight deck and see for ourselves.
When we got up there, we saw a tight cluster of about 400 people standing in the middle of the catapult launch area, just forward of the island structure. When we asked people watching from the sidelines what was going on, all anyone could tell us was that the group had stopped flight operations. Now, the watching group was less than half the size of the group blocking the flight deck. But, members of the masters-at-arms force were among the watchers, and doing nothing.
While my acquaintance and I watched in stunned silence, we heard a voice behind us say something to the effect of, "I can't believe this. I'm going to take a picture, or no one will believe me when I tell them about it."
Turning to look at the photographer, my first acquaintance and I both recognized him as being a mutual acquaintance. (On a ship with over 4,000 people aboard, you have your circle of friends, a larger circle of acquaintances, and a big boatload of strangers.) But, as soon as the photographer raise his camera, a master-at-arms rushed towards him, and demanded that he hand it over.
And, without even thinking about it, those of us nearest the photographer closed ranks, blocked the master-at-arms, and opened a path for the photographer to run to the back of the island structure to take the crew's ladder back down to the hanger deck. This particular master-at-arms was smarter than most, in that he did not try to force his way through us. And, when he tried to go around, he was told, "Lay a hand on him and you're going over the side. The mutineers are over there. Deal with them." And, as the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is a long way above the water, he wisely gave up the chase. But, nether that master-at-arms, nor any of his cohorts made any move to break up the mutineers.
After that, the mutineers broke into smaller groups, and rampaged through the ship for two days looking for sailors to beat up who were foolish enough to be walking around alone. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, while the officer corps walked around with marine guards, and did nothing.
When the violence finally petered out, we pulled into port, and the mutineers disappeared from the ship. A couple of weeks later, while out at sea again, I heard that the above little article about the mutiny had appeared in The New York Times, but I never thought I'd ever be lucky enough to get a copy of it.
Oh, and after the mutineers disappeared from the ship, the officer corps came down on those of us who didn't mutiny like a ton of bricks. But, they quickly got tired of being told that those of us left aboard were not the ones who had mutinied, and they wisely backed off.
The aftermath of all of this came the following year when the ship had to go into dry dock in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, for repairs to damage sustained in the North Atlantic during our return to the states from the Mediterranean. It was then that we learned, from some of the mutineers themselves, that the US Navy's punishment for mutiny was shore duty at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and not being allowed to reenlist.
One of the oldest jokes in the Navy is to ask someone, "Do you know the difference between a fairy tale and a sea story?" If the answer is the usual, "No," they are then told, "Well ... a fairy tale begins, 'Once upon a time.' But, a sea story begins, 'This is no shit!'" And, the above is a rare thing, being that it's a sea story that's 100% true. But, if you don't believe me, I don't give a shit.
This is a very short article, so I'm not posting any quotations from it.
And, to put this in prospective, the last of our combat troops had left South Vietnam on March 29, 1973. So, there was little chance that my boat would have to endure another "extended deployment" at the end of our "normal" six month Mediterranean cruise scheduled for 1973-74. And, the next cruise was not extended, even though it was memorable in its own right.
But, those of us who had nothing to do with instigating those "Two Days of Racial Unrest" called it exactly what it was: A mutiny.
Now, back in the day, aircraft carriers should have been equipped with revolving doors, as sailors going AWOL from them was a common occurrence. And, given the high crew turnover, and a carrier's very high demand for warm bodies, many of the dregs of the fleet eventually found themselves assigned to aircraft carriers. Still, we seemed to have had a lot more serious troublemakers coming aboard in the summer of 1973 than we had had before the previous "extended deployment." There was also a lot of grumbling, and fear, in the ranks about the possibility of yet another "extended deployment" in 1973-74. But, "racial unrest?" No, not so much.
I don't remember the exact day, but walking through the hanger deck in the early afternoon I saw that the weather was near perfect, the hanger deck was near empty, and the ship was barely moving. And, that meant nothing was landing or taking off, which is definitely not normal for an aircraft carrier steaming in broad daylight, in good weather, during Carrier Qualifications. Then an acquaintance approached me and said he had heard that something was going on up on the flight deck. As neither of us knew what was happening, we decided to go up to the flight deck and see for ourselves.
When we got up there, we saw a tight cluster of about 400 people standing in the middle of the catapult launch area, just forward of the island structure. When we asked people watching from the sidelines what was going on, all anyone could tell us was that the group had stopped flight operations. Now, the watching group was less than half the size of the group blocking the flight deck. But, members of the masters-at-arms force were among the watchers, and doing nothing.
While my acquaintance and I watched in stunned silence, we heard a voice behind us say something to the effect of, "I can't believe this. I'm going to take a picture, or no one will believe me when I tell them about it."
Turning to look at the photographer, my first acquaintance and I both recognized him as being a mutual acquaintance. (On a ship with over 4,000 people aboard, you have your circle of friends, a larger circle of acquaintances, and a big boatload of strangers.) But, as soon as the photographer raise his camera, a master-at-arms rushed towards him, and demanded that he hand it over.
And, without even thinking about it, those of us nearest the photographer closed ranks, blocked the master-at-arms, and opened a path for the photographer to run to the back of the island structure to take the crew's ladder back down to the hanger deck. This particular master-at-arms was smarter than most, in that he did not try to force his way through us. And, when he tried to go around, he was told, "Lay a hand on him and you're going over the side. The mutineers are over there. Deal with them." And, as the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is a long way above the water, he wisely gave up the chase. But, nether that master-at-arms, nor any of his cohorts made any move to break up the mutineers.
After that, the mutineers broke into smaller groups, and rampaged through the ship for two days looking for sailors to beat up who were foolish enough to be walking around alone. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, while the officer corps walked around with marine guards, and did nothing.
When the violence finally petered out, we pulled into port, and the mutineers disappeared from the ship. A couple of weeks later, while out at sea again, I heard that the above little article about the mutiny had appeared in The New York Times, but I never thought I'd ever be lucky enough to get a copy of it.
Oh, and after the mutineers disappeared from the ship, the officer corps came down on those of us who didn't mutiny like a ton of bricks. But, they quickly got tired of being told that those of us left aboard were not the ones who had mutinied, and they wisely backed off.
The aftermath of all of this came the following year when the ship had to go into dry dock in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, for repairs to damage sustained in the North Atlantic during our return to the states from the Mediterranean. It was then that we learned, from some of the mutineers themselves, that the US Navy's punishment for mutiny was shore duty at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and not being allowed to reenlist.
One of the oldest jokes in the Navy is to ask someone, "Do you know the difference between a fairy tale and a sea story?" If the answer is the usual, "No," they are then told, "Well ... a fairy tale begins, 'Once upon a time.' But, a sea story begins, 'This is no shit!'" And, the above is a rare thing, being that it's a sea story that's 100% true. But, if you don't believe me, I don't give a shit.
#70
Or Kill Me / Re: Fuck you.
Last post by Pope Mome Apocrypha - August 11, 2026, 01:11:03 AMQuote from: trix on August 10, 2026, 09:12:25 PMGroup grief counseling sounds like a good idea, actually. I might look into that. Less generic TV-therapy bullshit and more actual pain sharing with other hurting people might really help.
Groups for shit like this have always left me better off than anything 1-1, kind of gives you a place that automatically acknowledges that yeah, it was real, and it fucked me over.
Also makes it easier to think about, cause you talking helps the others talk and vice-versa. It's easier to work on things when other people are working on things too, and all that.