Did you read A Deepness in the Sky too (also from Vinge's Zones of Thought)? I liked that one as well. Do you like Neal Stephenson? I quite enjoyed Anathem (and Cryptonomicon, though that's not set in the future or space)

Yeah. Early-mid 2000's for me and it was always implied or directly stated that eventually they would get bored if you just ignored it. Nope. They'd just rise to the challenge of a non response. I was too afraid to fight back lest it escalate, and "ignoring it" alone wasn't enough. That lead to actively hiding and…

They let the student body vote on whether to adopt uniforms when I was in middle school (I think I was 12 at the time) and the results were something like 85% in favour. Partly, no doubt, because of the way they were exoticized for us in films like Cruel Intentions - they represented being elite and rich and sexy and…

That is an amazing mental image.

Aren't kids just?

xkcd did a good comic on 'vaguebooking' http://xkcd.com/1085/

I recall delighting in that tactic upon discovering it as an 8 year old (but pre-internets so in person rather than text) "Some things are just not OK." -insert dramatic silence-

Augh, that was my first thought. I don't know if it was awful but it was pretty forgettable. The pacing was a bit inconsistent and the characters were pretty flat. Hunger Games is no grand work of art, but it's head and shoulders above Divergent.

My point exactly. ;)

I recall that being mentioned on CBC Radio (Cross Country Checkup) - that Canadians almost always favour Democrats despite Canada's economy generally fairing better under Republican rule. (My Democrat preference remains!)

Maybe then people who need/want to alter their minds for a good time, but for whom alcohol is clearly not their drug (become violent and combative), will see weed as a viable alternative. I know I'd rather deal with a bunch of mellow high people than with belligerent drunks. (This is probably unlikely given they've…

Still, would way rather have to wade through a crowd that has been 'abusing' weed than one that's been 'abusing' alcohol. Have to tell them the party's over and it's time to go home? One of those two groups is way more likely to start throwing punches.

Canadian too and I noticed Campbells Soup labels for the last couple of years all declare ' 25% less sodium'. Sadly, I much preferred the saltier tomato soup and adding it back in just doesn't taste the same. It was always only an occasional indulgence so it probably wouldn't have hurt me to have it so salty, but…

The same is true for not-from-concentrate orange juice like Tropicana. They reconstitute it and add 'flavouring packets' that differ depending on the market. The populace of different countries prefer different taste profiles in their orange juice. More acidic, more sweet, etc.

I understand this particular grammar point is slowing dying out and 'less' is being used for all things. But yes, 'fewer' is for countable things (How many boobs? Two? countable!) and 'less' is for general/uncountable things. (How much water? Less water!)

I love(d) this movie! In grade two we had an assignment to each teach our class a song and I elected to do the theme song. It was such a bittersweet film. Watching something that seemed so emotionally honest was such a revelation as an eight year old. That said, I did find the enchanted sexual tree rather…

Augh, this has been my difficulty too. I'm so curious to watch the movie generally and intrigued by the idea and so forth, but even the trailer made me feel really.. uncomfortable during the neo seoul part. I'm afraid I'll just be squirming in my seat for a big chunk of my viewing time. Just because asian actors…

I always find it interesting to inspect how much 'futuristic' clothing depicted in a particular film or tv show actually reflects fashion trends of the day (which of course only makes sense; as much as we try to show things no one's ever seen and make it look other, we also want it to look 'cool' or appealing...). …

Indeed.

This was a bit my modus operandi as well. Once one of the popular girls turned around in her desk during Spanish class and enthusiastically asked me if I was going to the dance and whether I wanted to meet up at her place with a few other girls to get ready and do hair and makeup. I was immediately fearful and…