Daniel Dvorkin @medigoth@qoto.org

Lots of people posting pictures of themselves in #uniform today. Smiling, mostly. I remember many of them when they looked like that, and the ones I don't—well, I still remember *being* them.

Photographic evidence of my #service is oddly thin on the ground. That sounds like it should be much more cool and mysterious than it actually is! "His paperwork says he was in the service. But there are no details. Not even a snapshot."

What it really means, of course, is that I just didn't draw enough attention to get people to want to take many pictures of me, and in the pre-camera-phone era, that was easy. The one picture I have of myself in uniform that I really like is already posted in my Facebook photos, and it's deliberately goofy. As for the rest, there just wasn't usually anyone with a Polaroid around when I was [REDACTED].

No objection to anyone else posting their photos, to be clear. I like seeing us when we were young and strong and pretty.

I also haven't posted my usual annual series of Siegfried #Sassoon poems. There's no reason for that except distraction and exhaustion, which I think he would understand very well. "For the world's events have rumbled on since those gagged days / Like traffic checked while at the crossing of city-ways" ... yes indeed. Life keeps happening, for most of us. Beats the alternative.

Next year the poems will be back, most likely. There's a reason I keep posting them. Sassoon captured the sheer insanity like no one else, which is why #McCrae and #Brooke and yes, even #Owen, are more popular. Cleaner. More palatable.

Those pictures. Sassoon *also* gave voice to the thoughts we're ashamed to admit. Not shame over weakness in the face of overwhelming #horror: that was revolutionary a century ago, but a cliche now. *Craving* the horror, that part is still hard to face. Smiling faces and pressed uniforms and red dreams.

#Binyon: "Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn." That's in every young #soldier's head, and anyone who tells you it's not is a liar. Young and strong and pretty forever. Unlike most of the fantasies, it doesn't go away, after years back on civvie street. I know it's more on my mind with every passing decade, and I bet I'm not alone.

I'm glad I'm still here, and a lot of other people are too. We're not ready to throw the torch from failing hands just yet.

So I won't wish a happy day, nor offer thanks for service. *Congratulations* to all of us for making it this far. Food and showers and beds are just over the next rise. One foot in front of the other. Follow me.

Because #MURICA, that's why!

https://www.quora.com/Americans-are-Europeans-All-of-them-have-European-ancestors-Despite-having-European-touch-why-do-Americans-think-they-are-different-from-Europeans-Why-do-they-have-difference-in-all-sector-of-daily-life/answer/Daniel-Dvorkin-3

Of course I'll give it a chance, because, well, new #Alien movie. But at this point it's difficult to understand why we're supposed to care what #RidleyScott has to say about ... anything, really.

I've seen #movies you people wouldn't believe. Supposedly brilliant #scientists acting like idiots. Synthetics smirking about blowing and fingering. All those scenes will be lost in time, like celluloid in acetone. Time to watch #Aliens again.

https://screenrant.com/ridley-scott-review-disney-new-alien-movie-good/

I can't argue with this, really.

Not posted for approval, if you share from my post please leave my commentary intact ... you know the drill.

"A #darkness in the world you're simply not ready to accept."

I think it's the other way around. The world can be very dark, no question—but that darkness is messy and chaotic and caused by a million different things. #Conspiracy theorists desperately want a single explanation for all of it. They feel like if they can identify and name it, that knowledge gives them a measure of control.

What they're not ready to accept is that there *isn't* a single source for all the pain and suffering, and even if you get rid of one, there will always be more to take its place.

The rest of us understand this. We know we'll never solve all the problems, or even most of them. Just do the best we can, with our own little corners of the world, and try to make things a bit better. Accepting that is a lot tougher, but it's worth the effort.

#IYKYK

I’m sure more than one #SEAL has posed for the last picture, but hopefully not on a mission.

Hopefully.

https://www.quora.com/What-knife-do-Navy-SEALs-use/answer/Daniel-Dvorkin-3

Tens of millions of #Americans are absolutely convinced that the multiple prosecutions of #Trump et al. are politically motivated, with no basis in actual crimes, and should be thrown out immediately on that basis. Many of them affect to believe that *any* #prosecution of a former #President should be off the table, because it's "bad for #democracy" or "like something out of a third-world country" or some other content-free criticism. Most would of course cheerfully see #Biden thrown in prison for no provable #crime—but we know expecting consistency from them is a mug's game.

Anyway. These people are enemies of the #United #States of #America. We owe their opinions no more consideration than we do the viewpoint of a #malaria-infected #mosquito.

It's kind of cute to watch people around my age carefully parsing the differences between early, middle, and late #GenerationX while talking about #Boomers and #Millennials as undifferentiated masses. And by cute, I mean in the same way as, say, a baby slug.

Human biological #generations are around twenty-five years. Cultural generations are more like five years, ten at most. #Strauss & #Howe have a lot to answer for.

These people have no idea how badass they're making #Biden look. This may be the best #DarkBrandon meme yet. Keep up the good work!

If I hadn't already decided #Xitter was the best name for the former #birdsite, I'd be tempted to nominate #Troller. Really all it's good for at this point.

#Philosophy students who fail to answer this question correctly are in danger of having their #livers devoured by #eagles.

Some answers etc.

https://www.quora.com/For-self-defense-against-looney-liberals-if-they-are-up-close-is-it-better-to-go-for-the-head-shot/answer/Daniel-Dvorkin-3

It's well worth blowing up the picture to read the #poster text.

This is horrifying but not surprising. We've always known "#plagiarism #detection" #software was crap, but schools keep using it anyway. "#AI detection" software is almost guaranteed to be even worse. I have no idea what to do about this, but I hope the student can get some kind of redress.

#Internet pet peeve #8,467: exchanges of #knowledge that turn into dick-waving contests.

Like most people, I know a lot about a few things, a fair amount about a fair number of things, and a little about a lot of things. When I encounter someone who knows more about a particular thing than I do, I try to #learn from them. When I encounter someone who knows less about a particular thing than I do, and who wants to learn from me, I'm happy to babble at them. You may have noticed.

When I encounter someone who knows a lot about one aspect of a thing we're both interested in, and l know a lot about another aspect ... at its best, that's when magic happens. We each share our specialized knowledge, using it to fill gaps in the other's knowledge, and both walk away knowing much more than when we started.

All too often, though, it turns into an attempt to show which one knows more overall. Never mind that you may know more than I do about one particular part of this thing: I know more than you do about the thing as a whole, so your job is to sit at my feet and learn #wisdom! Or maybe I really don't, but I'm going to make sure I tell you I do, and mock you if you question my superior knowledge in any way.

For all its sins, the internet is the best medium ever invented for people all over the world to share what they know, and to learn what others know. I've lost most of my idealism about it, as has anyone with sense, but there are times when it still sparks that old wonder. When I think I'm in the middle of one of those pure meetings of minds it was always supposed to promise—well, it's no fun to find out I'm wrong.

And yes, it's mostly men doing this. Not completely, but 90% or more in my experience. Dude, just sit at home with your tape measure if that's what makes you happy. There's really no need to tell everyone else about it.

Wonderful!