Posts by Matthew Young35

We’ll build ourselves a cathedral more beautiful and far more ancient.

There was some mathematical debate happening over in the Champions League thread earlier. Rather than cluttering up that conversation with my thoughts, I figured I’d just start a new one right here.

Someone on my Facebook feed dropped a link today to something that was, quite frankly, absolute genius.
Is there any real difference between 3% of 50 and 50% of 3? Mathematically speaking, they are exactly the same. It’s one of those little numerical symmetries that feels almost too neat to be true, doesn't it?
It’s a simple matter of arithmetic, really. Is twenty-five percent of fifty not exactly the same as fifty percent of twenty-five? The math remains unchanged regardless of how you flip the equation. It's a small, elegant symmetry.

I honestly can't wrap my head around how I’ve managed to get by this far without knowing this. How did I even function?

It is truly remarkable how much easier calculating percentages becomes once you actually grasp the underlying logic. Isn't it strange how something that feels like an insurmountable hurdle one day suddenly becomes trivial once the concept clicks?
Well, I suppose I was unaware.

I’ve just stumbled upon what might be one of the most powerful mathematical shortcuts ever devised: the "rule" for multiplying two-digit numbers by 11. Honestly, why wasn't this taught in every American elementary school?
Well, damn... this is getting intense.

EDIT:
It all comes down to some incredibly basic math, really. But then again, who actually stops to think about that?

Well, they say you never stop learning as long as you're drawing breath.
Take me, for instance. Today, I finally learned what an Oxford comma actually is.
No joke—I had no idea. For the first time in my life, I’m hearing the term, despite having always considered myself somewhat of a connoisseur of style and, more importantly, semantics.
I’ve even used one before, yet the actual name had completely escaped me.

I feel more humbled than when the New York Jets managed to scrape together just two wins out of their first eight games of the season.

Paul Martinez73 said:I’m still trying to wrap my head around how these penalty points actually work... Sometimes I hit 30 and I’m banned from posting for three days, then other times I rack up 45 twice and I’m locked out for a whole day.
Once, I hit 500, which basically meant two chunks of 500—so 1000 total—and I couldn't post at all.
Does anyone actually understand the math behind this mess?

It’s actually quite straightforward.

To put it simply:
If you hit 30 points, you're sidelined for three days.
If you hit 45 points twice, you're out for one day.
If you hit 500 points in two installments, you won't be posting for a week.

What part of that is confusing?

Unbelievable. Some esteemed forum regular decides to call me an intellectual on another thread, and what happens? I get hit with a red card immediately after.

I guess now I finally understand why I don't get much praise around here.

Paul Sanders5 said:And the story gets even wilder because the Stones actually lifted the song, but they managed to settle things before anyone could sue.

It wasn't the entire song, though—just the chorus.
Besides, The Verve didn't actually rip off the Stones; they took from someone who had created an instrumental version that bears almost no resemblance to the Stones' original, aside from the title itself.
At least, I don't see any striking similarities.

Just wanted to share what we're looking at here:


To be honest, "Bittersweet" sounds like a blatant rip-off to me.

The comments under the video say it all:
"cool I found the karaoke track for bittersweet symphony".

"This is the first time I’ve heard this. I knew The Verve had borrowed from this song, but not to this degree—it's virtually identical... Mr. Ashcroft, you absolute fool!!"

Just so everyone is on the same page regarding what we're discussing here:


Honestly? To my ears, Bittersweet sounds like a blatant rip-off.

Nancy Sanchez31 said:I don't think I've ever actually seen anything besides "Bitter Symphony" play on MTV during their whole run.
Pretty useless band, I guess.

The Rolling Stones:
You basically lifted our song for your big hit "Bitter Sweet Symphony." How about a cut of the royalties?

The Verve:
Who do you think you are? You aren't getting a dime.

The Rolling Stones:
Come on, let's be reasonable. A percentage. We can work out a number.

The Verve:
Get lost. We aren't giving you anything. What are you going to do about it?

The Rolling Stones:
Fine.

Suds:
Every cent earned from "Bitter Sweet Symphony" should land straight in the Stones' bank account.

LOL

If there is one thing I absolutely cannot stand, it’s Britpop.

Walter Grant5 said:I respect them, but I can't stand listening to them. If it makes someone feel better, I can lie and say I enjoy it.

Look, it’s not as if you’re going to land the number four spot on the Republican primary ballot for Cleveland just by playing along.
And it isn't like they'll kick you off the ticket just because you disagree.

Patrick Martin said:Listen to these so-called "experts" spouting absolute nonsense about AC/DC and Queen 🤦

Look, guys, if you didn't know, we're talking about the damn pioneers here—the actual architects of entire genres and subgenres, in case you were oblivious.

They just don't get it. They have zero clue what people actually see or hear when they listen to them. 🙂

Man, there’s just nothing left in this world. ☕

If you're aiming that at me, you missed the mark. I love AC/DC. I'm not much for Queen, but I can certainly understand why people gravitate toward them.
Just because I enjoy AC/DC doesn't mean I think their lyrics are profound.

Walter Grant5 said:Yeah, but you jumped straight to black metal, which is how this whole thing kicked off. Look, you can't just start digging deep into that stuff looking for "energy" now. It ain't that complicated. You either feel it or you don't. And you? Based on everything I've seen, you definitely don't. Thank God. 🙂

Most people are obsessed with Queen, and I still can't wrap my head around what everyone finds so life-changing about them.

Or AC/DC. 🤷

Fair enough, I'll admit I steered John toward Black Metal.
But that wasn't born out of prejudice; it came from experience. I know the music and I know the types of people who gravitate toward it—and those who only flirt with it briefly before moving on.
It isn't about being judgmental.
And honestly? I don't get why so many people find Queen to be such a spectacular phenomenon either.
As for AC/DC, they're great for easy listening. Truly great. A high-quality "no-brainer" choice.

I learned a long time ago not to judge anyone by their playlist. I've met plenty of perfectly decent people who listen to nothing but mainstream pop or country radio.
That doesn't mean I don't have my own opinions on the music itself.

Walter Grant5 said:It’s hard to get anything out of it when you walk in with a chip on your shoulder. Just saying.

How are you even supposed to find any motivation in that? It doesn't work like that.

No, I don't hold any prejudices against metal.
Really.
I actually find thrash metal quite alright; I'll listen to a bit of it every couple of years or so.

ruggedjackal46 said:You're only talking about the lyrics, though. Musically speaking, those tracks don't actually have the heavy weight of metal or the raw fury of punk.

That is an interesting shift. How does one actually transition from heavy metal to Bruce Springsteen? Hmm.

That's just how it goes.
On the first listen, sure, the metal influence definitely carries more raw energy.
But once you actually sit with it? That bit about the guy vomiting and flushing the toilet over a background track of an industrial complex from Middle-earth—where the soundscape eventually settles the Uruk-hai—it becomes... well, it's almost comical rather than high-octane.

That’s an interesting pivot. How does one move from heavy metal to Bruce Springsteen? Hmm.

Look, I’ve seen even wilder shifts... going from metal straight into a rave, for instance.

The reality is that most of these people were always fine with Springsteen; he just wasn't their primary focus at the time.
Once they exhausted the novelty of the initial heavy stuff, they drifted right back to their roots.

Of course, this is strictly based on my own experience and my circle of friends (though, admittedly, that's a fairly large sample size from Chicago; perhaps things play out differently in other US cities).

ruggedjackal46 said:I have to agree. I think metalheads are great people; it’s just the music itself that isn't really my thing.

I was running in those circles back in the early nineties, and it’s been fascinating to watch how almost everyone transitioned into classic rock once the metal scene started to lose its momentum.
It isn't as if they all suddenly swapped their leather jackets for Beatles memorabilia or started obsessing over The Kinks. Instead, most of them leaned heavily into the staples—Queen, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, Dylan, Springsteen, and that whole legendary era.

At least half of these styles lean heavily on anger, rage, aggression, irony, cynicism, and varying degrees of political incorrectness—often just general provocations.
Punk, metal, and essentially everything born from the lineage of good old-fashioned rock.
It’s been this way since the era of those classic rock ballads.
Take Dylan’s "Knocking on Heaven's Door," where the man is lamenting his impending death because he can no longer kill. Or "Sympathy for the Devil," "Midnight Rambler," Neil Young's "Crime in the City"... the list goes on forever.
Then there is Leonard Cohen. The man has a song detailing how he’ll hunt down the dealers who sold drugs to his girlfriend after she overdosed. He describes her passing with startlingly vivid detail. He even has a cheerful little biblical tune about a father drowning his son on a hillside. Good grief. He even has a collection titled *Flowers for Hitler*.

Broadly speaking, everyone is just trying to shock the system and grab attention.
Naturally, some possess more substance (Cohen, for instance), while others fall somewhat short of the mark.

bluebison47 said:It’s highly probable. And I suppose that’s exactly what he was getting at regarding this whole situation—something I find myself recommending to just about everyone lately:
https://youtu.be/GHuCNq390j8

Now, this is good...
I sat through the whole video, and I have to say, I actually enjoyed it.
There’s just something about it.
It’s quite jarring to see how she walked away from him, only to end up in a messy situation with some guy in a small town in rural Ohio.

I suspect there might be a deeper layer to the lyrics.
How does an African American man wielding dual pistols connect to a sleepy suburb in the Midwest at the 1:25 mark? Perhaps I simply don't understand the local subculture well enough to make the link.

Robert Torres said:I don't see aggression or anger in Black Metal; I see strength and power. That's why it's always appealed to me, even if it comes with a bunch of childish idiots attached to it. For me, it's the kind of music that just crushes weakness right out of you...

You won't find those flashy stages or high-end concerts in BM very often. In other metal genres, sure, but Black Metal is different. Even then, the bands that actually sell out might polish their sound to fit the mainstream, but plenty of others just skip live shows entirely to stay anonymous.
Black Metal is supposed to be about isolation and staying far away from the spotlight and everything the mainstream stands for...

Is Black Metal just some small town in the Midwest?

Nancy Sanchez31 said:I mean, that segment at the 5:46 mark basically makes me want to grab a baseball bat, march over to my neighbor's house, and just start smashing through their front door and any other woodwork I can find.

Is this more like what you had in mind?