That’s very fair, and the most thoughtful and sensitive people I know are increasingly “blackpilled” about the possibility of reform or that anything short of apocalyptic upheaval could change the course we’re on.

I often think about the “Pygmalion Effect” in that connection, where the outcome we expect to occur is in effect a self-fulfilling prophecy, because our expectations shape our actions and the choices we make, which brings about the expected outcome. (An experiment where teachers were told some children chosen at…

I started a month ago and it’s got that early Hearthstone level of addiction. I just hit Diamond and have three or four "meta" decks and more shards than I know what to do with, it's incredibly generous which is quite a change from other games. 

House of the Dragons and the Rings of Power had the same criticism leveled at them by fans opposed to the casting, but both those shows have a much more positive reception from purists and average viewers by hewing close to the spirit of the world they adapted.

Having some hundreds of hours between Crusader Kings II, 3, and Hearts of Iron IV and dipping into Victoria for the past week, this review definitely accords with my feelings about it.

If any country needs a reminder of the grim toll of war it’s the one that’s been engaged in it for roughly 226 years out of its 250 year existence with an arms industry that’s made literally trillions of dollars. 

Social democracy is not left wing.

Playing The Witcher 1 in 2011 just before 2 came out felt dated, I can’t imagine what it’s like going back to it in 2022. It somehow feels even older than going back to the old isometric Planescapes and Baldur’s Gates of yore. 

In general the way disco elysium portrays and labels centrists is pretty bad and makes no sense, to the point they had to label social Democrats as left wing

The studio assembled a secret writers’ room of TV writers to figure out why this movie thing isn’t working so well.

Or as it’s known in Westeros, Jonaeverys and Whalegar

Depending on how we’d define neoliberalism, in game Ultraliberalism has the laissez-faire free market above all ethos (libertarianism, Objectivism, fiscal conservatism), while the Moralintern adopts a status-quo favouring, don’t-rock-the-boat “both sides” Keynesian attitude.

Ultraliberal doesn’t mean “liberal”, it’s an ideology in Disco Elysium that equates to profit-above-all free market fundamentalism.

The Ultraliberals are at it again 

Sounds worth a spin. Anyone who enjoyed early Hearthstone and/or Arcane I would recommend Legends of Runeterra to, basically no cost or barrier of entry and a great way to kill 15 minutes.

Me too, and I generally like the guy overall so needing or wanting to feel that way I don’t judge too harshly 

I know

At the back of my mind was definitely the thought being famous might get extra attention or effort from medical staff, particularly in a celebrity obsessed culture. 

The experience inspired him to write the book. “There were five people put on an ECMO machine that night and the other four died and I survived. So the big question is why? Why was I the one? There has to be some kind of reason.”