Does this apply to suggestibility in work situations? because I work phone support, and occasionally customers ask me direct questions like "You do agree the company you work for is evil incarnate, don't you?" I can't agree (mainly because management listens to our calls) but rather than outright disagreeing I usually…

To meditate, I just sit quietly and count my breaths (breathe in, one, breathe out, one...breathe in, two, breathe out, two...etc.) for fifteen minutes or so, focusing on the numbers. I prefer this method because I can tell pretty easily when my mind starts wandering, since I'll lose count when that happens. It also…

One thing meditation has shown me is that I was almost completely unaware of my own thought processes, and I suspect many other people are similarly in the dark. You'd certainly notice a stranger following you around criticizing everything you tried to do, but when it's your own brain keeping up a negative running…

I thought this one from Dishonored was not too bad (spoilers ahead, of course:)

Nobu's death is probably one of my favorite death scenes in just about any movie. Also, Chiaki Kuriyama (Gogo Yubari) is in this film, and she kills a boy by stabbing him repeatedly in the crotch. An all-around winner.

I think Bowie's admitted that he had some major drug issues around the time of the filming. Fortunately him being spaced-out wasn't out of character (and the fact that the alien protagonist also develops an addiction doesn't hurt either.)

And David Bowie as a vampire, lest we forget.

I'm curious how the "evolution sez gays are useless" camp would attempt to explain why homosexuality is still around, then, in spite of the fact that the majority of gay people never reproduce. (The answer, of course, is kin selection.)

The beautiful thing is that you can spin that ending two different ways. To look at it from one angle, as far as Sam's concerned he's gotten a happy ending. (Still not much consolation for the viewers, but hey.)

Agreed, but it kind of seemed like horrible tragic things happened to everyone in Gunnm.

I must be the only one who can't deal with audiobooks. I'm sure there's nothing objectively wrong with them, but they ruin my immersion. All I can think about is the person talking to me — what do they look like? what do they think of the story? why do they pronounce that word like that? etc.

That's true, and unsurprisingly the same thing happened in the movie industry. Once it became "okay" to depict gay characters in films you pretty much had to choose between shrieking queens and creepy gay predators. It's better now, but not a whole lot better.

Ocelot. No indication whatsoever that he likes women. And then he kisses Snake during the climactic boss fight at the end of MGS4.

Those were meant to be angels? Dang, that makes me wish I had a Wii. When I think of angels-as-cosmic-horrors I usually think of Evangelion. (Orphan from FFXIII might also count too.)

Yeah, the winged-humanoid sort of angel isn't even mentioned in the Bible. Some angels choose to resemble humans, and the seraphim/cherubim are described as having wings, but the modern concept of an angel as a winged person in a robe comes from much more recent medieval/Byzantine artwork. I'd like to see more…

Did you ever notice how in the Bible, when ever God needed to punish someone, or make an example, or whenever God needed a killing, he sent an angel? Did you ever wonder what a creature like that must be like? A whole existence spent praising your God, but always with one wing dipped in blood. Would you ever really…

This guy! if I remember correctly, he involved his teenage son in the cocaine smuggling business. Last I heard his son was still in jail somewhere in South America.

My Taiwanese friend says the fireworks scare away demons and bring good luck for the New Year. The traditional lion dances are meant to have the same effect. And my friend thinks it's no more risky than the running of the bulls, but she says people do die at this thing occasionally.

To me, it seems like a lot of conventional morality is stuck in attitudes that made more sense back when homo sapiens was not at the top of the food chain. For example, "moral" stances against homosexuality, contraception and abortion could stem from a time when there was a much higher infant mortality rate and a…

My friend's parents are like this. Apparently his mother likes to call him into the bathroom while she's bathing to discuss whatever's on her mind and he's all "Can't this wait?" He did say it'd be far more embarrassing for him to see a stranger naked than his own relatives, which is pretty much the opposite of how I…