Posts by Jacob Morgan

My old rental was $533 (about 480 sq ft), but with the mortgage on this place, I'm looking at $600 (roughly 580 sq ft), plus that APN deal for 1100. So, I guess you'll have to crunch the numbers and see which one actually makes more sense.

Mind you, since I jumped in right before prices started skyrocketing, I can probably pull in about 30% more if I were to sell the place now.

ps. what kind of joke is this, honestly? 🤣

restlesssurfer97 said:thank goodness I don't have any luck when it comes to gambling

unfortunately, the casino owners certainly do.

urbanhawk17 said:As far as gambling goes, I’ve pretty much only ever messed with roulette.

What’s your take on gambling? I guess it depends on whether you view it as a way to pass the time or just a slow way to bleed your bank account dry, though maybe most people just see it as a losing battle from the jump. ☕

Texas can pull it off, I guess, but maybe we should just call it Toreador instead. 😬

So, after my first real brush with the high-stakes grind at the university, I basically dove headfirst into trying to build an online career. It felt like the obvious move, I guess. But after grinding through hundreds of thousands of hands and realizing I just can't seem to beat anything more profitable than a measly 3 big blinds per 100, I’ve come to the conclusion that I should probably just stick to my studies and some casual games with friends. Maybe that's just how it goes.

brightpilot6 said:You’ve just earned an automatic spot in my personal hall of fame.

I didn't touch a single word by Hemingway until I was thirty, and then suddenly, I stumbled upon his work.

Good grief.

That level of artistry, that profound window into the human psyche through a depiction of old-world Americana... it all flows through these stunning sentences, with a rhythm and vocabulary so vivid it feels like you're looking at a moving painting.

I’ve devoured his entire body of prose since then, likely more than once.

Perhaps I'm being a bit dramatic, but to me, Hemingway is the ultimate master of the craft.

If you're looking for more, I’d highly suggest checking out Steinbeck’s East of Eden, or sticking with Hemingway’s own The Old Man and the Sea and A Farewell to Arms. I could talk about this for days.

Exactly, especially that psychological depth; it kind of brings back those Dostoevsky vibes, at least in terms of how it felt while I was reading it. It's top-tier.

I'll probably end up picking up those recommendations too.

Good grief, what has the world come to?

Noah Perez2 said:Since I am editing this after the fact, let me clarify my position. I have no inherent issue with employees working on Sundays, Tuesdays, or Fridays, provided that these individuals are being compensated fairly for their labor, have voluntarily consented to such terms via their employment contracts, and those contractual obligations are strictly honored.

I fail to see how these bans will achieve anything meaningful, other than providing more fuel for endless, pointless arguments.

so we're basically giving it the green light then

Amanda Evans2 said:Then you run into that absolute specimen of a human being—the one who actually calls up the local Walmart just to ask if they’re open on Sunday. And why? Because he’s short on milk. Apparently, his kid managed to spill everything he bought on Saturday, leaving him completely unprepared for the next morning... honestly, some people just lack even a shred of basic foresight...

I guess as long as they stay vegan, they can be as quiet as they want.☕

Amanda Evans2 said:Honestly, I find Kundera to be absolutely brilliant. His work hits hard... truly profound stuff...
If you ask me, *Sapiens* is exactly the kind of material that should be mandatory reading in our school systems. It’s not just another book; it’s a fundamental shift in how one views the entire trajectory of our species. I honestly believe if we integrated this level of perspective into the curriculum, we might actually produce a generation capable of understanding the world they inhabit... instead of just memorizing dates and formulas like mindless drones.
I honestly don't understand why people think they can just skim the surface of a topic this massive and call it "knowledge." If you want to actually grasp the sheer magnitude of what we’re talking about when it comes to the history of *Sapiens*, you can't just settle for some shallow, plastic summary that lacks any real intellectual weight. You need to dig deep... if you have the patience for it. To truly understand our trajectory, you have to look at the fundamental shifts in how our species navigated the world. We aren't just talking about a timeline of events; we're talking about the cognitive revolution that allowed us to create myths, cooperate in large groups, and essentially invent the concept of shared reality. Without that leap in mental capacity, we would have remained just another unremarkable primate on the African savannah, likely outcompeted by other human species like Neanderthals. Then, of course, there is the Agricultural Revolution—which, if you ask me, was less of a "step forward" and more of a trap that tethered us to sedentary life, forced labor, and social hierarchies that we are still struggling to dismantle today. It changed everything about how we interact with the environment and each other. And don't even get me started on the Scientific Revolution, which provided the tools for modern dominance but also set us on this precarious path of technological acceleration that feels increasingly out of control... If you want a real explanation, you have to respect the complexity of the subject. You can't just provide a superficial overview and expect someone to walk away with an actual understanding of how we became the global superpower we are today. It requires a level of nuance that most modern discussions seem to completely ignore...
It all starts with that fundamental, almost primal need for something to believe in—that core set of convictions that shapes how we see the world. But once you move past those basic beliefs, you run headlong into the reality of a fundamental difference in mindset...

Look, once you actually get started, you’ll realize there isn't much else to it...

There are some great stretches in there, sure, but I have to admit it gets a bit tedious at times—especially when it starts leaning into those grand universal claims. They aren't necessarily wrong, but maybe the delivery just didn't sit right with me. I suppose it might be because I went in with such high expectations, especially since I've heard nothing but praise for it from people whose taste in literature I actually respect.

With Hemingway, it was almost the exact opposite; I practically had to force myself to pick up his work, and then, once I did, I was just completely floored.

Anyway, I'll give Sapiens a look soon enough, now that the local libraries are finally opening back up.

Amanda Evans2 said:Honestly, stop embarrassing yourself.
If you’re already stuck on vacation, do yourself a favor and actually read a book for once. Do something productive for your own development. Try to sharpen your perspectives because, frankly, you're constantly missing the mark.
I’d highly recommend Sapiens.
It actually challenges your intellect, trust me.
You aren't cut out for smooth talking, and you certainly aren't built for actual debate...

Socrates' defense isn't a bad read either.
No joke...

I’ve already had someone suggest this one to me, so maybe give me a few more details.

I actually stumbled upon it while browsing some book reviews on Goodreads, and honestly, I have no clue why I hadn't picked it up sooner; it seems right up my alley. I'm just finishing up The Unbearable Lightness of Being now, and I guess I can't say I'm particularly impressed, especially considering how much hype this thing always seems to get.

I guess they should all just retrain as electricians☕

I guess maybe out of those six bars, at least three would be spent just soaking up the sun on a boat somewhere.

I mean, forklift drivers and warehouse staff get Sundays off, obviously. But you see the cashiers over there trying to build some kind of human pyramid just to lift pallets? I guess if you didn't notice that, you weren't really looking.

Noah Perez2 said:It is because the masses require their daily dose of mindless repetition; they crave the familiar chime of the bells they have been conditioned to follow, and this particular outlet services that demand with industrial efficiency. Once one actually ventures beneath the surface of their reporting, the sheer superficiality of such journalism becomes glaringly obvious.

For the majority, it is more than sufficient—BuzzFeed provides the filler, while the sheep provide the numbers. It is a highly effective business model. 🤷

☕

wiredrider9 said:I haven't touched BuzzFeed in years—maybe ten, give or take. I'll only click a link if someone posts something actually interesting, but otherwise, I have zero desire to visit that shady little tabloid. It's owned by people who owe millions in taxes and probably belong in prison, along with a whole lot of others.

I guess that’s why you’re boycotting those corrupt news outlets like MSNBC too, huh?

That's just not true. If we're talking about religious organizations, they basically get dragged through the mud ☕

He’s only ever talking about hostile media outlets, you clearly missed the point. Why on earth would he bother reading "their" news when he knows they only push "his" agenda? He just hangs around BuzzFeed, waiting to whine about how the poor Catholic Church, its priests, and the believers are being targeted—it's just endless, predictable anti-Christian whining ☕

edit: there he goes, confirming it by using CNN as his prime example, good grief

I guess I'll just barge right ☕

wiredrider9 said:so then Germans are stupid and we're geniuses

If that's how you're playing it, I guess you're basically arguing that America should just open its doors to thousands of immigrants, right?

ZZ is practically standing guard at the gates of reason. I guess there’s this strange, beautiful ambivalence bubbling up inside me while I watch it all unfold, especially since we're talking about someone who seems to harbor such unhealthy preferences for an equally unhealthy subject in the absolute top tier of the universe. Maybe we should just chalk this anomaly up to those rare instances where the rules simply don't apply. ☕

Amanda Evans2 said:What really gets under my skin is how the response is identical to every other similar catastrophe; there’s zero dialogue and absolutely no room for an opposing viewpoint. We have these epidemiology experts constantly cranking up the panic levels while systematically dismantling the economy.
The go-to argument is always some moralistic lecture about how we can possibly care about money when people are dying.
It doesn't matter that for anyone under 65, the threat level of this disease is roughly on par with the risk of a fatal car accident. It doesn't matter that you aren't catching this thing just by walking into a grocery store. The only thing that matters is blindly following the "experts."
The whole approach is designed to stifle debate; if you don't fall in line, you're labeled morally bankrupt, and the personal attacks start immediately.

Why has this cold, calculated logic been completely ignored during this crisis? Why is the only narrative allowed to be one of pure catastrophe? For days on end, we were fed nothing but increasingly dire forecasts in the media, with scientists practically competing to see who could predict the most apocalyptic scenario. Even our own leaders and the international establishment have been flipping their stances constantly.
If you dare to ask even a single question, you're immediately met with condescension and moralizing references to the thousands of deaths in Italy.
We implemented lockdowns and brought the entire economy to its knees, and frankly, these quarantines will serve as the perfect excuse for economic stagnation for the next decade.
Politically speaking, it’s already obvious that this is being exploited; popularity is surging for almost everyone in power, with the notable exceptions of Donald Trump and Bolsonaro.

Vili and his crowd will spend years trumpeting how much they "saved" through lockdowns—a metric that is impossible to actually quantify. It will be much easier to measure the lives lost because of the fallout from these very restrictions once the economic depression truly hits.

I find this absolutist attitude from the experts infuriating. Aside from Sweden, most of the rest of the world played it safe in a way that feels downright cowardly.
Look, to achieve any significant goal—whether in life or in economics—you have to embrace risk and the uncertainty of success. Instead, by sticking to these "safety first" strategies, we are just digging ourselves deeper into trenches and hiding from an invisible enemy.

Even if there's a 100 percent chance that nothing happens at all, we'll still find ourselves being judged by these self-appointed moral saints who condemn anyone who refuses to follow their path... because apparently, seeing the bigger picture is a sin...

Maybe you just answered your own question, because realistically, there isn't much else to it. No politician is ever going to step up and shoulder the responsibility for potential victims caused by inaction during times like these. Nor does anyone actually have the legitimacy to say, "Screw it, we aren't doing anything, just look out for yourselves, and whoever survives can tell the tale." Or, more likely, they'll claim the economic benefits or the preservation of social comfort are worth sacrificing XY number of human lives—essentially offering up human sacrifice just to appease the gods of the economy. We can say that as private citizens, of course; personally, I find the idea that every single human life is sacred to be somewhat ridiculous, though I don't think I'd actually dare to act on that principle in a situation like this if I were in a position of power. I mean, you can only really gamble with your own life, not someone else's.