Importantly, that's a report from 2020 of their recollection of the events of 1995, not a contemporaneous report. But I'm sure the events described could be verified and cross referenced to check it. I'm also thrown by that last bit, someone tried to set this person up as the OKC bomber?

Zach was a lot funnier before he thought he was qualified to have thoughts on anything. I understand he did a bunch of research for his book on Mars that I'm told isn't too bazinga brained, but I think him getting into that mindset combined with the rise of AI (and it being the only other thing he seems to think about) aligns perfectly with SMBC going to shit over the last couple years.

He strikes me as one of those guys who assumes he can't possibly be falling for propaganda (political, tech hype, you name it) because he knows how to spell it, so you couple that with a smug belief I can only describe as "if you're making any kind of definitive statement about history you must be oversimplifying", a belief that we can't simply "know" things, I think that's how you get to where he is now.

Which is mostly sad bc he put out a lot of bangers in the past and now he's boring

I can't wait for them to completely deplete all the nitrogen bc if they can't sell the soy what's the point in growing it (the point is it makes the soil not fucking dead when it's time to grow corn)

You may enjoy this talk/blog post: https://ianwrightsite.wordpress.com/2020/08/24/marx-on-capital-as-a-real-god/

I had a specific sandwich the morning of an infusion, 5+ years out I genuinely can't think of that sandwich without getting nauseous and I haven't been back to that restaurant since

Genuinely might be my favorite scene in the movie. One conversation and it lays out everything so perfectly and precisely while never leaving the metaphor of the Matrix. Especially the comment about these people being the very people they are trying to save - but until they are, they can't see through the system. It's how I feel every time someone tells me I'm being hyperbolic about capitalism or idealistic about socialism.

The phrase "South Korea has no first graders" had such "the west has fallen (mom took away my PSP)" energy I had to do a little digging to see if the numbers were being fudged - 157 elementary schools is about 2.5% of the elementary schools in ROK assuming this data from the ROK Ministry of Education is accurate. Not an insignificant percentage for something this crazy, but I'd like to see this data over time. I worry I sound like I'm awarding Pinocchios but it irks me to see that headline presented as if it's the majority of schools

There's another layer of really disgusting chauvinism in this I can't totally articulate. Dude clearly views Palestinians/probably any Arab American as being motivated by emotion, but the rational white people can rise above and observe the facts and logic of the situation. Infantilizing Palestinians but dressing it up in this "I hear you" language, but still genuinely believing they're stupid for being against being genocided.

You definitely don't have to hand it to him but I will grant that him just replying to that with himself through the same AI is extremely funny

My policy of shoving anyone who talks too seriously about AI into a locker continues to be vindicated by history

Are you scared of Roko's basilisk? Right in the locker. Alignment problem keeping you up at night? Enjoy the locker. Writing editorials about how your cleverbot clone is sentient? Step right this way, the locker awaits.

Kamala Harris secret account

burgers when they hear the word "base":

Did you read the rest of that section? Keroman was literally the "base of aces." This isn't burgers misconstruing stuff, this is someone noticing a bit too many coincidences in a band lead by a straight up neo Nazi