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Topics - Flee

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61
The Flood / Public speaking
« on: August 18, 2017, 05:24:15 PM »
Like it? Hate it? Any good at it? If not, what do you do to help yourself out?

I'm a pretty good public speaker, but have an important presentation at a major conference coming up and am feeling the nerves. Never used any tricks or anything for it.

62
Serious / Good guy Donny
« on: August 14, 2017, 05:46:06 PM »
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/14/donald-trump-charlottesville-response-washington

Quote
Donald Trump has bowed to overwhelming pressure and directly condemned the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and white supremacists, two days after violent clashes left one woman dead.

“Racism is evil,” the US president said at the White House. “And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.”

Analysis Trump's failure to condemn Virginia neo-Nazis is shocking but not surprising
The president’s refusal to properly condemn the attack in Charlottesville is consistent with past comments and a divisive campaign that stoked hatred. The explicit remarks came after a storm of criticism – some from prominent figures in his own party – over Trump’s decision not to criticise head-on the white supremacist groups that targeted Charlottesville, Virginia, at the weekend.
Shame that it took him so long, but genuine props to Trump for doing the right thing.

63
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/12/virginia-unite-the-right-rally-protest-violence
Quote
A car rammed into a group of people peacefully protesting against a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, killing one person and injuring 19.

It came at the end of a day marked by violent clashes between far-right nationalists and people who had come to protest their occupation of a downtown park containing a statue of the Confederate general Robert E Lee.

Donald Trump condemned the “violence on many sides”, but faced criticism for failing to directly denounce the far-right demonstrators.

Witnesses said those hit by the car were people peacefully protesting the planned white supremacist rally and footage showed the vehicle crashing into another car, throwing people over the top of it.
Civil war when?

64
Gaming / Quakecon 2017 (FINALS)
« on: August 04, 2017, 05:21:41 PM »

What a wonderful time to be alive, as this year's Quakecon is coming up soon. For those who are not familiar with Quakecon, it's Bethesda and id Software's yearly gaming convention. For those attending, there'll be a lot of events and things to do, such as a massive BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) LAN tournament of heaps of games with cash prizes. The convention will also showcase some of their new games, as well as teasers, trailers and first footage of new games. If you're interested in the likes of Wolfenstein, DOOM, Elder Scrolls and, of course, Quake, this is a very interesting event.

Spoiler
Quote
QuakeCon is an annual celebration of games and the people who play them. Founded in 1996 by a group of friends on IRC, QuakeCon has grown to become one of the most distinguished festivals in gaming, welcoming thousands of gamers from around the globe to participate in the annual four-day event. QuakeCon features North America’s largest BYOC (Bring-Your-Own-Computer) LAN Party, tournaments, exhibits, workshops, sneak peeks of Bethesda’s upcoming games, and more. QuakeCon is free and open to the public thanks to the support of id Software, Bethesda Softworks, the QuakeCon volunteer staff, and its event sponsors and exhibitors.



Of course, there is one Quakecon activity to rule them all. And that is of course the pro Quake tournament. Last year, the future of Quake seemed pretty glim. As Quake is a notoriously hard game to get into and the developers have not supported esports the way many others have, the community had shrunk and competitive events were limited to small monthly online tournaments and one "big" LAN a year with prize pools of up to $50k. When last year's Quakecon picked an unconventional format and several big names didn't end up attending because they had started playing other games, many feared that Quake was almost done for. But then, Quake Champions was revealed.


The game is currently in open beta and free to all (tons of fun to play, you can join Challenger, Banjo, myself and others in the game) and will be this year's Quakecon's main event. For the first time ever, the developers are investing big in their own competitive scene by hosting the official Quake World Championships with a massive $1million prize pool.

Spoiler

There's two competitive game modes that are being played now. The first is the classic Duel. It's a 1v1 mode where both players pick 3 Champions / stocks each and fight until one is left standing. Three rounds to win a map, three maps to win the game. The second is Sacrifice. This is the 4v4 team mode where players must capture an orb that spawns in the middle of the map and take it back to one of the bases to gather points. While the one team defends and increases its score, the other must take back the orb, bring it back to their own base and turn things around.

So what does the tournament look like? Over the past two months, there have been regular qualifiers held in the US and Europe. For Duel, up to 256 players could sign up every two weeks for a qualifying tournament with a single elimination bracket. The best 8 players of every stage qualified for the next part, and all those who didn't could just try again two weeks later. That stage wrapped up this July, meaning that 32 American and 32 Europeans qualified for their respective Regionals that take place this weekend. With a double elimination bracket, the top 12 players of each group are accepted for the final part of the Quakecon tournament at the end of this month. Same story for the Sacrifice team games, but here 8 teams qualified for the Regionals and 4 of each continent will advance to the full finals at the convention.

Spoiler

Players and matchups
EU

Xron vs Luminos
noctis vs Sephis
clawz vs kRoNic
Vo0 vs prox1mo
Cooller vs evil
Nitrino vs Karwik
Agent vs zoot
Cypher vs Luke_ie
witchL vs smoke
toxjq vs Sl1p
fazz vs inz
Av3k vs strenx
stermy vs k1llsen
base vs Pikawa
GaRpy vs Nofear
dem0n vs Brejk

NA

chance vs latisdavis
erebux vs gloat
malvoe vs Ruleth
lavak3 vs discoRyne
Necrophag1st vs tomservo
gellehsak vs jso
griffin vs zar
CLAMP vs ScizR
DaHang vs sane
Vedmedik vs mdo
rapha vs hoyt
horsedoodoo vs deathr0w
whaz vs Stone
pit vs carnage
dooi vs id_
snipereyes vs futile

So what's about to happen now? Tomorrow (this Saturday), the Regionals will kick off. At 10am CEST / 4am ET, the Europeans will start playing. Later that day at 9pm CEST / 3pm ET, the American duelers will conclude the day. On Sunday, the schedule is more or less the same but for the Sacrifice mode instead. Once this concludes, the best teams and players will advance to the Quakecon finals held in Texas later this month, where they will be joined by the winners of the "amateur" league BYOC players.

Pretty hype event if you're into esports, both because this is great to watch and because it might signal the revival of one the greatest competitive games of all time. All of the biggest names in Quake are playing, with the inclusion of some that left the scene and have now returned, and there's some good matches planned for tomorrow. Evil and Rapha (last year's finalists), as well as Cooller, Cypher, Strenx, Tox, Clawz, Av3k and Dahang are all there.

Livestream:
https://www.twitch.tv/quakechampions

Players, brackets, full details:
https://play.eslgaming.com/quake/global/quakechampions/major/quake-world-championship-2017

Other useful links
Official Bethesda thread on the tournament:
https://bethesda.net/community/topic/79062/quake-world-championships-regionals-august-5-6

Quakecon attendance information (for the lucky ones who live nearby):
http://www.quakecon.org/blog/category/about/news-about/

The Esports Reality site (dedicated to Arena FPS and Quake with news and updates):
http://esreality.com/

Quake Champions and Quakecon Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/QuakeChampions/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Quakecon/

I'll keep this thread updated when things kick off and if anything interesting happens. Hopefully someone else finds this interesting and others with an interest in Quake or esports in general might join in and watch a few games.

65
The Flood / Recruitment game on point
« on: August 03, 2017, 04:44:47 PM »


I already managed to get Wookie Crackhead back. I deserve a medal or something.

66
Serious / UK Porn restrictions to start in 2018
« on: July 25, 2017, 02:45:33 PM »
Porn ID checks set to start in April 2018 - BBC

Quote
A nine-month countdown to the introduction of compulsory age checks on online pornography seen from the UK has begun. The April 2018 goal to protect under-18s was revealed as digital minister Matt Hancock signed the commencement order for the Digital Economy Act, which introduces the requirement. But details as to how the scheme will work have yet to be finalised. Experts who advised ministers said the targeted date seemed "unrealistic". The act also sets out other new laws including punishing the use of bots to snatch up scores of concert tickets, and mandating the provision of subtitles on catch-up TV.

Credit cards

The age-check requirement applies to any website or other online platform that provides pornography "on a commercial basis" to people in the UK. It allows a regulator to fine any business that refuses to comply and to ask third-party payment services to withdraw support. The watchdog will also be able to force internet providers to block access to non-compliant services. Ministers have suggested one of several ways this might work would be for pornographic sites to demand credit card details before providing any access, since in the UK consumers typically have to be over 18 to have a card of their own.

But the specifics are being left to the as-yet unappointed regulator to determine. While it has been proposed that the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) will assume this role, a spokesman for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said the appointment would not be formalised until the autumn. "We are already working closely with DCMS to ensure the effective implementation of the act," a spokeswoman for the BBFC told the BBC, but added that it was too early to say more about what guidance it might issue.

'Premature date'

The measure has been welcomed by child protection charities including Childnet. "Protecting children from exposure, including accidental exposure, to adult content is incredibly important, given the effect it can have on young people," said its chief executive Will Gardner. "Steps like this help restrict access." Mindgeek, which operates several of the world's most popular porn sites, has also previously indicated support.

But two experts who advised the government on its plans have expressed reservations about both how quickly the scheme is being rolled out and its wider implications. "It seems to me to be a very premature date," commented Dr Victoria Nash, lead author of a report commissioned in the run-up to the law being drafted. "The idea you can get a regulatory body up and running in that timeframe seems extraordinary to me. "And while I don't have a problem with asking these companies to act responsibly, I don't see it as a solution to stopping minors seeing pornography." This, she explained, was because the act does not tackle the fact that services including Twitter and Tumblr contain hardcore pornography but will not be required to introduce age-checks. Nor, she added, would teens be prevented from sharing copied photos and clips among themselves. "It may make it harder for children to stumble across pornography, especially in the younger age range, but it will do nothing to stop determined teenagers," Dr Nash concluded.

One cyber-security expert on the same advisory panel was more critical. "The timeline is unrealistic - but beyond that, this is one of the worst proposals I have seen on digital strategy," said Dr Joss Wright from the Oxford Internet Institute.
"There are hundreds of thousands of websites where this material can be accessed and you are not going to catch all of those. "There's privacy issues - you're requiring people to effectively announce the fact they are looking at this material to the credit card authorities. "And there's serious security issues from requiring people to enter their credit card details into untrusted sites. "They may well say there will be other magical ways to do the age check, but I very much doubt they will be non-discriminatory [against adults without credit cards], transparent, privacy-preserving and secure for end-users."

67
Gaming / Would anyone watch me stream?
« on: July 21, 2017, 05:16:04 PM »
I like playing games, providing commentary and explaining stuff. It's pretty damn fun to do. What I like less is managing a all of the clips, editing everything together and rendering it all. Streaming seems like it would cut that part out of the process and allow for more direct interaction.

Thoughts?

68
The Flood / Vapid
« on: July 21, 2017, 07:50:38 AM »
Is apparently pronounced vep-pit. Not vay-pit. I had no idea. You learn something new every day.

69
The Flood / Wimbledon 2017
« on: July 12, 2017, 10:59:09 AM »
Damn, Murray just lost. The Queen will be unhappy.

Watching Federer Vs Raonic, TBlocks?

70
Gaming / Mouse settings
« on: July 10, 2017, 04:19:05 PM »
PC people, what settings do you run your mouse at?

Specifically (for shooters of course) your cm/360, DPI and acceleration, because that's what's most important.

71
The Flood / I'm in Ireland (Dublin)
« on: July 03, 2017, 04:35:52 PM »
What do? Already had Guinness at a local pub.

72
The Flood / Should I get one?
« on: June 26, 2017, 12:23:39 PM »
At the store right now, can't make up my mind.



Fluttershy best pony, but the Rarity looks good too. 

73
Gaming / Dark Souls Ninja Run (with voice)
« on: June 24, 2017, 05:30:33 PM »
The beginning is quite loud, so mind that.

YouTube

Be gentle friends, it's my first time doing this and I'm not the biggest fan of voice chat. I realize I sound a bit grim and unenthusiastic for much of this, but I'll do better next time around. Editing / sound levels aren't perfect either, but I'll try to improve in my next video (if anyone is interested in a follow up, that is).

Hope you guys enjoy.

74
Serious / Wow I hate the EU now
« on: June 20, 2017, 08:30:58 AM »
Chips are down for Belgian frites as EU acts on 'unsafe compound'

Quote
The European commission has been accused of a crime against the people of Belgium for what local politicians say amounts to an attempt to ban the national dish, the frite – or frieten, as they say in the Flemish-speaking north of the country.

Whether eaten with mayonnaise or taken au naturel, the Belgian chip is up there with chocolate, beer and the national football team in the nation’s psyche. No public square is complete without a frietkot, or chip stand, where sellers swear by double frying bintje potatoes in beef or horse fat to achieve the ideal combination of a succulent centre and crispy exterior.

In a move that appears to demonstrate a dazzling lack of common touch on the part of EU officials in Brussels – which is both the capital of Belgium and the home of the union – the commission is proposing that the potatoes should be blanched first to prevent the formation of acrylamide, an allegedly hazardous compound that can form in the frying process when certain foods are heated to a temperature above 120C.

Belgium, which claims to have invented frites, says the move will spoil the taste and destroy the country’s “rich gastronomical tradition”.

Ben Weyts, the tourism minister and a member of Belgium’s ruling coalition, has beseeched the commission to think again for the sake of his country’s cultural integrity. “It is important to be mindful not to take measures that have unintended and far-reaching consequences for our rich gastronomic tradition,” he wrote in a letter to the food policy commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis.

“Our fries owe their flavour to the craftsmanship of our chippies, who fry chips raw and then fry them a second time. I understand that outside our country they have different cultures. But we have our own cultural tradition. It would be a shame if the European Union prohibited it.”


The double-frying process – once for the soft inside, then again at a higher temperature for the crunchy outside – is regarded as the key to making the perfect chip. Belgian chips are not thick and hearty like the English variety, nor thin and elegant like the French. Belgians regarded theirs as a cut above.

To add insult to injury, the consultation paper refers to chips as French fries, a term to which some Belgians take great exception. It is believed American servicemen in the second world war coined the phrase after eating chips in Belgium, where they were confused by being in French-speaking Wallonia.

While Belgian politicians are railing against the move, the commission’s proposal would only recommend the blanching of potatoes rather than enforce a ban.

A commission spokesman said they were consulting on how best to reduce the intake of acrylamide. A similar risk to that posed by the Belgian frite is found in roast potatoes, biscuits, porridge, coffee, crackers and bread. The European Food Safety Authority has said children are most at risk.

“The commission has no intention whatsoever to ban Belgian frites or any other frites for that matter,” the spokesman said.

“Instead, the commission is preparing a new regulatory measure to oblige food business operators to apply a code of practice to reduce acrylamide in food, as it is carcinogenic.

“President [Jean-Claude] Juncker is particularly attached to the culinary heritage of Europe and its member states.”

Peaces of SHIT eurocrats. Belxit fucking when?

75
Gaming / Dark Souls ninja challenge run
« on: June 19, 2017, 03:01:08 PM »
Haven't played DS1 in ages but Turkey's thread got me interested in giving it a go again. I intend to play through the game with Challenger's ninja limitations, only a bit more challenging.

- Starting class: Thief
- No shields
- Only weeb weapons (katanas in both hands, for example)
- No ranged or any magic
- No leveling up health
- Must wear ninja-esque armor
- Kill every enemy at least once (no speedrunning)
- Try to kill each boss without taking a hit



I'll update this thread as I go along if anyone's playing themselves or just interested.

76
Gaming / Anyone up for some Quake?
« on: June 12, 2017, 10:26:00 AM »
The Quake Champions beta just added custom games, a new champion, spectator mode and all sorts of neat stuff. Anyone up for giving it a go tomorrow or some other time? I'll happily take you all on in Duel.

Get your free beta key here:
https://quake.bethesda.net/en

77
The Flood / Looking to buy headphones
« on: June 03, 2017, 10:19:06 AM »
I'm going to buy some new headphones. Portability and quietness matters. Currently looking at these. Opinions?

https://en-us.sennheiser.com/wireless-headphones-bluetooth-noise-cancelling-hd-4-50-btnc

78
Serious / Pathway to Extremism
« on: May 29, 2017, 03:37:14 PM »
Pathway to extremism: what neo-Nazis and jihadis have in common - The Guardian

I don't agree with all of this (such as the immigration policies being the reason for terrorist attacks), but it's an interesting read nevertheless. Nothing all that new though. Underlined some key parts.

Quote
When 18-year-old Devon Arthurs burst into a Florida smoke shop with a pistol and took customers and an employee hostage, he told them that he was upset about America bombing Muslim countries. After Tampa police officers talked him into releasing his hostages and got him in handcuffs, Arthurs made references to “Allah Mohammed” and told the officers: “This wouldn’t have had to happen if your country didn’t bomb my country.” He said he had already killed several people.

Arthurs directed police to an apartment, where two men he described as his friends were found dead, both of them shot multiple times in the head and upper body. A third friend, Brandon Russell, was standing outside the apartment in army camouflage, weeping, according to court documents.

The path to radicalisation

Arthurs described to the police after his arrest last Friday was an unexpected one. Originally, he said, he and his three friends had all been neo-Nazis. But at some stage, Arthurs had converted to Islam. According to police and court documents, he told officers that he killed his friends for disrespecting his new religion. His behavior had a dual motivation, Arthurs explained, according to an affidavit from Tampa police: to raise awareness about anti-Muslim sentiment and “to take some of the neo-Nazis with him”.

Terrorists motivated by far-right extremism and by Islamist extremism share similar tactics, a similar brutality, and a similar desire to remake the global democratic order. But they are usually considered enemies at opposite ends of the political spectrum. Far right terror attacks in Europe have been motivated by opposition to Muslim immigration. But Arthur’s switch in allegiance raises a key question for analysts looking at the process of radicalisation: to what extent the factors that attract people to extremism are specific to a particular ideology at all.

At least two neo-Nazi sites denounced the murders, mourned the victims, and described Arthurs as a former commenter who had eventually been banned for his comments about Islam and terrorism. Both sites described the murders as “a Muslim terror plot” against a neo-Nazi group. However, officials at the FBI and at the UK’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, say little distinguishes the “pathways to violence” taken by extremists following different ideologies. One UK official said “the mechanics of radicalisation” were broadly similar in all cases. “Our studies on both jihadis and rightwingers, and also school shooters and such like, found very little difference in terms of … pathways. It’s like when your immune system is down. You can guess you’ll get sick, but what sickness you contract depends on what you are exposed to,” said Paul Gill, an expert in extremism at the University College London.

Though it is almost impossible to create a typical terrorist profile, some research shows that “seekers” who are looking for a particular form of “brotherhood” or cause that can give their lives meaning are particularly prone to radicalisation. There is also evidence that a sudden destabilising event – or even a minor incident that has a powerful emotional impact – can make an individual vulnerable. But ideology can be secondary to a “propensity for violence”. “This guy [Arthur] has only changed the T-shirt [of] what his violence is about,” Gill said.

Arthurs also accused Russell, his surviving friend and a member of the army national guard, of visiting online neo-Nazi chat rooms, where he discussed killing people and bombing infrastructure, according to an FBI complaint. Russell confirmed to police that he had neo-Nazi beliefs and said he was part of a group called AtomWaffen, according to the FBI complaint against him. But he said the explosive materials in his apartment had been used for a university engineering club, according to the complaint. AtomWaffen, according to a thread on the online fascist forum Iron March, claimed about 40 members across the country, and had gained publicity in the past year for posting racist and neo-Nazi recruitment posters on university campuses – a tactic common in recent months among several American extremist youth groups, including Identity Evropa and Vanguard America.

On Tuesday, Iron March posted a statement mourning Arthurs’ alleged victims, Jeremy Himmelman, 22, and Andrew Oneschuk, 18, and offering support for Russell, who they said was being unfairly targeted by law enforcement and the media. They described the attack as a “Muslim terror plot” and said Arthurs’ three friends were “completely innocent of any accusation that the group conducted or advocated, or planned for terrorist acts”. Alyssa Himmelman, the sister of Jeremy, told the Associated Press her brother had been staying with a neo-Nazi because he needed a cheap place to live, not because he shared those beliefs. Russell’s lawyer Ian Goldstein declined to answer specific questions about the case, but in an email said: “There is a large amount of misinformation being circulated about my client right now.”

Although neo-Nazis and Islamist militants may follow similar paths to extremism, studies have revealed significant differences in their behavior once radicalised. Recent research has showed Islamic militant attackers are more likely to tell friends or family or other associates about their plans of violence: 71% of jihadis “leak” such information, compared with 53% of rightwing extremists. Experts said that while there were obvious ideological elements that both neo-Nazi and radical Islamic extremism shared – such as a virulent antisemitism – there were also clear differences.

“If you are looking at racist extremists and religious extremists, one thing that is striking is that religions allow entry and exit from the group – through conversion or apostasy – but you can’t change what the extremists consider as your ‘race’. They offer competing absolute visions,” said JM Berger, author of Jihad Joe, a study of Islamic extremists in America. Berger has also studied rightwing militancy.

“If someone has a profound identity crisis, you can see how they might not find the certainty they are looking for with neo-Nazism and look to the Islamic State for something even more absolute,” Berger said. Such cases are rare, but they do occur. Joseph Jeffrey Brice once idolized Timothy McVeigh – who killed 168 people with a truck bomb in Oklahoma City in 1995 and was “a self-declared, conservative, rightwing Christian”– but became interested in radical Islamic extremism after a homemade bomb nearly killed him in 2010. He was later jailed for terrorist offences including sending detailed instructions for “open source” bombmaking to an undercover FBI agent who he thought was an Islamic militant. In February, a 26-year-old suspected Islamic militant was arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning a terrorist act, storing “items and chemicals” for manufacturing explosives and spreading Isis propaganda online. Local media reported that “Sascha L” supported a neo-Nazi group, called Muslims “cockroaches” and posted videos calling for attacks on immigrants in Germany before his conversion to Islam some time in 2014.

A disproportionately high number of militants involved in plots in the west have been converts. In the UK between 2001 and 2013, 12% of “homegrown jihadis” were converts, but less than 4% of the overall Muslim population were. Meanwhile, as many as 41% of US-born alleged militants are converts, while just 23% of the Muslim population as a whole are converts. “With lone actors, they tend to jump around,” said Gill. “They are often looking for something to give their lives meaning. Many are converts [who are] looking for identity and answers.”

79
The Flood / How do you deal with stress?
« on: May 29, 2017, 10:08:56 AM »
My job can be pretty damn stressful at times, so to spark some decision on a forum which didn't even last a week before it died: how do you personally deal with stress, whether it is at work, in school, personally? Will post for myself later.

80
The Flood / If anyone's still in high school.
« on: May 14, 2017, 06:24:58 PM »
If anyone's still in high school or middle school. Have your friends ask if you want to smoke a joint when a teacher walks by. You guys walk to back of the school and blow bubbles as seen in this clip. The teacher comes by thinking your smoking some weed but it's bubbles.

YouTube

10/10 prank, post results

81
The Flood / I'm leaving for the US tomorrow
« on: May 03, 2017, 03:26:13 PM »
Anyone here in Georgia? What should I do when I get there?

82
Serious / So this is why Trump's presidency is such a failure
« on: May 01, 2017, 11:32:36 AM »
Of course, it all makes sense now. It's those pesky, archaic and no good "checks and balances" and, ugh, "constitution" that's preventing him from making America great again. After all, what have democratic safeguards and human rights keeping the government in check ever done for us?

As per The Guardian:

Quote
On his 100th day in office on Saturday, facing historically low popularity ratings, a succession of intractable foreign crises and multiple investigations of his links with Moscow, Donald Trump reminded the nation that 1 May was Loyalty Day.

The day is a US tradition dating back to the cold war, when it was a bolster to stop May Day becoming a rallying point for socialists and unionised workers, but for an embattled president learning politics on the job it has an added resonance.

In an interview with Fox News to mark the 100-day mark, he declared himself “disappointed” with congressional Republicans, despite his many “great relationships” with them.

He blamed the constitutional checks and balances built in to US governance. “It’s a very rough system,” he said. “It’s an archaic system … It’s really a bad thing for the country.”

The Loyalty Day announcement came amid a flurry of other proclamations to mark the milestone at which the early stages of American presidencies are traditionally measured. The coming seven days were named both National Charter Schools Week and Small Business Week. May has been burdened with being simultaneously: National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Older Americans Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, National Foster Care Month, as well as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Such announcements help a president look busy, especially at such heavily scrutinised milestones as the 100-day mark, and particularly for an inexperienced politician rapidly learning the limits of presidential power, even with a solid Republican majority in Congress.

He has failed to get any of his priorities turned into legislation in the face of party disunity, and his attempt to rule by executive order has been largely hollow. His decrees have been either meaningless, like his one-page, detail-free tax reform plan, or have been blocked by the courts, such as his travel ban for Muslim countries and refugees.

Trump’s approval ratings have remained mired at historic lows for a presidency in what is supposed to be a honeymoon period, hovering around – and frequently below – the 40% mark, well below his recent predecessors at this stage in their presidencies.

But his core supporters have remained faithful, choosing to believe that the mainstream media are purveyors of fake news, rather than accept that the Trump presidency has not been the unrivalled success the president has claimed. They have also accommodated Trump’s affinity for Vladimir Putin. The percentage of Republicans who see Russia as an unfriendly state has fallen from 82% in 2014 to 41% now, according to a CNN/ORC poll.

On his 100th day, Trump turned to this loyal base to sound off on the issue that bonds them most tightly – economic nationalism. On an otherwise leisurely Saturday, during which his only other engagement was a call with the CIA director, Mike Pompeo, the president was due to attend an evening rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where disenchanted workers defected from the Democrats in droves in the 2016 election. While visiting the town, he was also due to sign an executive order to establish an office of trade and manufacturing policy, which will help push his drive for import substitution.

In his weekly presidential address, he also focused on jobs, pointing to evidence of an economic revival that has been previously contested as a result of corporate decisions made before Trump came to office. He claimed that car companies were “roaring back in”, an apparent reference to General Motors’ plans and Ford’s decision to expand in Michigan, which both appeared to be part of their long-term strategy.

Trump also claimed that his approval of the Keystone oil pipeline from Canada would create tens of thousands of jobs. That will be true in the short term, during the construction phase, but after that keeping the pipeline going is expected to employ 35 people on a permanent basis.

The gap between the extreme bravado of Trump’s claims and the daily realities of governing has deepened public cynicism. In a new Gallup poll, just 36% declared him honest and trustworthy, down from 42% in early February. His general approval rating stood at 40%.

here is strong evidence, however, that the fact-checking of presidential claims is having a small and dwindling impact on true Trump loyalists. His support remains strong in traditional blue collar areas and evangelical strongholds, where there is more trust in the president than the mainstream media. The president has relentlessly assaulted the media, launching an attack per day on average since he took office, denouncing negative news as fake news, and there are signs the relentless offensive has inflicted wounds. One poll released on Friday found that more people trusted the White House than political journalists.

Against that background there were reports yesterday that Steve Bannon, the champion of economic and ethnic nationalism, was making a political comeback in the White House, and that he remained a bulwark of Trump’s strategy to secure his core support and win again in 2020.

His hand has been seen behind the rapid-burst issue of protectionist moves in the run up to the 100th day, picking fights with Canada over milk and softwood imports, and measures to shield the aluminium industry from foreign competition.

“All of these people who say the president doesn’t have an ideology, they’re wrong,” one unnamed Bannon ally told political news site The Hill. “He does have an ideology, and it’s Bannon’s ideology. They are just now figuring out how to implement it.”

Bannon was also said to have drafted an executive order withdrawing the US from the North American Free Trade Area (Nafta), but on Thursday Trump decided simply to issue a call for its renegotiation reportedly after having been shown a map showing it would cost the most jobs in states that had supported him in the election. The battle between countervailing factions in the Trump White House continues to ebb and flow, but the president’s reflexes in times of adversity lead him to fall back on the “America First” narrative that got him elected in the first place.

Daily reminder that people actually voted for this man and still support him to this day.

83
The Flood / Speedtest time
« on: April 28, 2017, 10:41:59 AM »
How fast is your internet? Who has the best internet connection on sep7agon? Let's find out! Go to Speedtest.net, give it a go and share the results.

My speed (slightly slower than usual because of other programs being on, but whatever):


84
The Flood / Like Sandtrap
« on: April 05, 2017, 04:21:47 PM »
I'm not much of an emotional or sappy guy so I'm not looking to turn this into a tribute or anything similar, but I figured it could still be nice.

A common theme in Psy's thread about Sandtrap is how many regret not having done enough, shown more interest or engaged with him before it was too late. Obviously it's too late for Sandy himself, but not necessarily the rest of us. After all, life is short and can end very suddenly. People you take for granted might at some point just stop being around. This thread, I thought, can serve as a reminder of that.

In real life, you might want to remember to give that (grand)parent a call. Drop a Facebook message to that one friend that you've fallen out with. Tell your loved ones that you care.

On here, you can do what Sandtrap did. Vent a little and tell the rest what you're struggling with right now. Or just as well, listen (actually and genuinely so too) to others and give them honest advice and support. Give the person above you (or anyone else for that matter) a compliment and tell them why you think they're a good person or valuable member of the site.

tl;dr: don't let genuine compassion and human interaction be a regret when it's too late. Tell others about how you're doing, give and receive advice, hand out a few compliments. Come and be a great guy like Sandtrap for a bit. Or don't post at all and let this thread die, but spare a thought for those you care about.

85
Gaming / PC games to buy
« on: March 26, 2017, 08:21:49 AM »
Now that I finally have a PC capable of running games without terrible screen tearing or low FPS, I can catch up on games I've been missing out on. All suggestions are welcome.

The ones I've installed so far are Quake Live, Overwatch and CS:GO.

86
The Flood / Justice League Trailer
« on: March 26, 2017, 04:31:14 AM »
Not usually the one to make these threads, but no one else is. Trailer looks alright, but looks can be deceiving (as we all know). Let's hope they don't mess this up with how good their cast is. Gadot is great, Momoa looks like he was born for the role and Ezra Miller seems just right for it too.

YouTube

87
Gaming / Wish me luck, family
« on: March 25, 2017, 03:49:01 AM »
Slightly nervous about this but here goes nothing.

Spoiler

Edit: It's finally complete and all working well. Final parts list:

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI Z270 SLI PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive 
Video Card: GALAX GeForce GTX 1080 8GB EX OC Video Card
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Cooler Master 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow (Red) 69.7 CFM  120mm Fan 

Monitor: Asus VG248QE 24.0" 1920x1080 144Hz 1ms Monitor

Keyboard: Logitech G810 Orion Spectrum
Mouse: Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum
Mousepad: Steelseries QcK+

Headphones: Sennheiser HD 595 Audiophile and Sennheiser PC 360 Pro
Speakers: Logitech X140
 
Thanks to all of you who helped me pick parts and put this together, especially Aria, Pepsi, Weebspeak (Banjo?), Ian, Husky and Coco. Much obliged.

Still looking very bare, but it's working. Can't see the bitching red fan at the top of the case from this angle, but oh well. Gotta add second monitor, hide cables better and put up some decorations still.

Spoiler

88
The Flood / Giving interviews
« on: March 22, 2017, 07:46:26 AM »
Have you ever had to give an interview for a newspaper, magazine or TV? I was just approached by a journalist who wants to interview me about my work for a news outlet, so I'm preparing what I'm going to say for my first media appearance.

Anyone here have any experience with that?

89
The Flood / Tornadoes
« on: March 20, 2017, 06:12:25 PM »
Does anyone else share a kind of strange fascination with them? I saw a small one in a field a few years ago in Montana, but really would love to go to Tornado Alley and see some more. I obviously know they're dangerous and destructive as hell, but there's just something mesmerizing about them.

YouTube

90
Serious / Robots / AI and Jobs - what about yours?
« on: March 20, 2017, 06:01:46 PM »
New York Times: A.I. Is Doing Legal Work. But It Won’t Replace Lawyers, Yet.
Quote
Impressive advances in artificial intelligence technology tailored for legal work have led some lawyers to worry that their profession may be Silicon Valley’s next victim.

But recent research and even the people working on the software meant to automate legal work say the adoption of A.I. in law firms will be a slow, task-by-task process. In other words, like it or not, a robot is not about to replace your lawyer. At least, not anytime soon.

“There is this popular view that if you can automate one piece of the work, the rest of the job is toast,” said Frank Levy, a labor economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “That’s just not true, or only rarely the case.”

An artificial intelligence technique called natural language processing has proved useful in scanning and predicting what documents will be relevant to a case, for example. Yet other lawyers’ tasks, like advising clients, writing legal briefs, negotiating and appearing in court, seem beyond the reach of computerization, for a while.

Dana Remus, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, and Mr. Levy studied the automation threat to the work of lawyers at large law firms. Their paper concluded that putting all new legal technology in place immediately would result in an estimated 13 percent decline in lawyers’ hours.

A more realistic adoption rate would cut hours worked by lawyers by 2.5 percent annually over five years, the paper said. The research also suggests that basic document review has already been outsourced or automated at large law firms, with only 4 percent of lawyers’ time now spent on that task.

Looks like I'm pretty safe. How do you guys fare? McKinsey has a pretty good report on it and discusses many jobs / sectors and their risk of automation.

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