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Cake day: June 28th, 2023

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  • A research team in the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy at the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has conducted a pioneering study that found an association between walking speed and cancer risk. The researchers found that individuals who walk faster have a markedly lower overall risk of developing cancer, particularly lung cancer. This association was consistent regardless of whether walking speed was self-reported or objectively measured.

    As always, correlation =|= causation. Walking speed is almost certainly linked to like 15 other good health indicators. Exercise is good for you, and you should do it. But these results do not support the recommendation that fast walking will reduce your chances of lung cancer. These results say that if you already walk fast that you probably have a lower chance of lung cancer. Maybe it is the healthier lungs that allow you to walk faster? Maybe it’s a genetic component that makes you walk faster AND reduces your chances of lung cancer. Maybe they fucked up the sample and all of their slow walkers lived downwind of an asbestos plant.

    Again, exercise is good for you. Exercise as much as you can. Cannot stress that enough. The health value of exercise is unquestionable and universal, and a lack of exercise is bad for you in every way. Bad science is bad for everyone, though.






  • For what it’s worth, Vantablack isn’t a pigment, it’s a process for applying carbon nanotubes that absorb light. They don’t sell the “paint” part by itself because it requires special equipment and it finicky. They don’t sell it because then a bunch of social media influencers would try to spray their bathrooms with the stuff and make a bunch of videos about how it doesn’t live up to the hype.

    The owner of the exclusive license to use it for art might be a douche who uses the licensing to make himself feel powerful, but there is a justifiable explanation for why the licensing exists in the first place.



  • If he talked to you about it, you probably would have talked him out of it. Tells me deep down he knew it was stupid, but he wanted to do it.

    I would talk to him about that part of it, help him recognize the choice he made to ignore your voice of reason in his own head.

    I wouldn’t punish him for it, especially because he came to you to talk about it, but he’s getting closer to the age when he has to really pay attention to that voice in his head because you won’t be with him for every decision. Although, my kids often act like having to talk to me about things is punishment enough.



  • There’s a process within the law, and there’s a process where we replace the current law with something else. Within the law, we can vote for representatives who will impeach the current corrupt justices and approve new ones who are hopefully not corrupt. Let’s call that option A.

    Option B is the total overthrow of the government, which is ridiculous to even consider, but it’s the alternative you’re hinting at. Denouncing the SCOTUS doesn’t change the ruling government in any way. Society is built on the idea that we all more or less agree to be ruled in exchange for fair rules and national defense. In a democracy, you have the appearance of agency, but you cannot simply withdraw consent to be ruled. The difference between democracy and fascism is that fascism explicitly defines violence as the means of control, while democracy merely implies that violence will be used to keep order. Once a democratically elected ruler decides to become fascist, there is no remedy but violence.

    To wit, those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable.

    That said, I do not think we’re quite there yet. I have no doubt Trump will try to go all in to remain in power, but I don’t think he actually has enough followers to pull it off.




  • No, I’m sorry, the answe is “profit.” The US has a lot of natural gas, and the people who force it out of the ground bought enough politicians to build pipelines everywherr so we could sell gas to more people. Electric and heat pumps are far more efficient, but the cost per btu of heat is so cheap for natural gas that it doesn’t make sense to switch to electric even when the energy costs are low, and the cost to install a heatpump or geothermal might reduce monthly costs, but it would be decades before it pays for itself. Most people don’t expect to live in a house long enough to reap the benefits of more efficient investments.


  • “Effective” is a relative term. Going meatless won’t fix the underlying problems that allowed factory farming to destroy the world. Why aren’t electric cars mandated? Why do we pipe natural gas into homes? The same shortsighted, profit-motivated decision processes will still exist even if we make better personal choices.


  • A go bag is a bag you keep packed for when shit hits the fan. What’s in it depends on what shit you expect to hit which fan. Maybe it has survival tools and rations. Maybe it’s prescription medicine and warm clothing. Maybe it’s a map and some weapons. In theory, it should be only essentials, but being prepared for long stints of boredom is often a part of preparing for the worst (aka prepping). People frequently include a deck of cards or a harmonica to help pass the time, maybe a tennis ball to play fetch with their dog.

    And yes, preppers will often stock a “stay bag” although the priorities are different. Mobility and weight isn’t a priority, but it is still a factor. Preppers will stock water, weapons, ammo, and food, often in larger quantities, but keeping a small subset available for quick travel. For instance, they might keep 2 weeks worth of water in their home or bug out site, but the water will be in jerry cans they can throw in the trunk of a car, or carry to a stream for refills. If you plan to hunker down, then having a library of books or other low-tech forms of entertainment are recommended to help stave off the crazies.

    It sounds like OP is asking for a generic sling bag, aka a purse for daily use. Like “I’m going out the door for the day, and I might find myself with some spare time to read.” I haven’t heard anyone call that a go bag, but maybe it’s just the phrase expanding in use. I recently heard a 9 year old walking around a parking lot in bare feet say she was “out here raw dogging the pavement” and I seemed to be the only person fazed by it, so I just keep walking.