This is good, very good. That reminds me, I wonder if r/HostileArchitecture is going to or has arrive(d) in the fediverse...
That's an interesting piece of internet history! It is within the scope of my lifetime--but I somehow was uninitiated to the cult... XD
TL;DR: Yeah, I 100% agree, if everyone had a strong safety net, we'd be much better off.
When it works it works. I mean I have met several people who've expressed a lot of sincere dissatisfaction with the VA's medical services, including limited access to mental healthcare among other things. Particularly of concern is the high degree of veterans who end up on the street--many with severe mental health issues, with some even self-medicating and/or dealing with addictions.
Of course, I'm sure there are more factors that contribute to homeless veterans than limited accessibility to medical care, mental healthcare, and other social services provided by the VA--but it is important to consider.
..and of course, as you are aware, it's better to have those social systems in-place than nothing at all. Even when run to a degree of mediocrity, socialist programs can and do tend to benefit a population. While not everyone may like the Supplemental Security Income and FAFSA programs: without them, I wouldn't be able to attend a university as a future job-seeking student.
Specifically without SSI, many who are unable to pursue a degree would end up homeless and hungry, becoming a greater burden on society. In my opinion, it's unfortunate that you have to have a disability in order to qualify for this safety-net program; as I know several people who turned to less favorable means of providing for themselves, because they were rock-bottom and didn't qualify for any programs.
So, yeah, the VA program, and many other programs in the US are great examples of both some of the harms, but also the significant positive benefits that socialist policies can have for a population. Indeed, the greatest harms done by socialist programs in the US seem to be caused by their limitations and inability to properly serve enough people. Providing a everyone access to a solid safety net would do wonders for us as a society and for our economy.
Not entirely true, I sort of jest when I make hyperbolic statements about socialism being the anti-CEO. I personally believe in mixed economies that are well regulated. I know a lot of people dismiss the successes in Norway and neighboring countries on ideas of "cultural/racial homogeneity" among other things, but they do quite well with a mixed economies.
In mixed economies, you have both the right and incentive to start a small to medium sized business; and if you become too big and ubiquitous, the government can step-in to help govern your company.
It's not a perfect solution (I'm not sure if that exists), but I think it's one of the best models we have--and a lot of the governing principles are derived from socialist criticisms of unregulated capitalism. Especially in the US I think we'd benefit from this sort of economic structure; but in-order for that to happen in a meaningful and positive way for the public, we will need electoral reform.
To be fair, it sounds like poetry that an AI model would spit out after being trained on text scraped from the internet...
Thanks, that is fascinating, I'm definitely gonna check that out. No microscope yet, but it is on my list of things to obtain, although a proper HEPA filter and fan/motor will come first though, haha! Kind-of wondering if I should switch majors, but I'm already in my 400 series engineering classes--oof.
I used the tip of a specialized tooth-brush, and I dipped it into water and then swiped-up spores from the sample. I wouldn't recommend it though, because it turns out the brush fibers are too stiff and caught on the agar, pulling the plate around. It's probably better just to stick to swabs and use the same method.
Side thought: a lot of people recommend the z-shape swabbing, but it seems kind-of counterproductive if you're trying to select for the apparent speed and strength of mycelium growth.
Well, for a redneck FFU I would probably just be shooting from the hip--because I'd be building the fan from scratch--meaning it would be easier to build then measure the airflow rate of the custom fan, and then modify the design of the fan or modify the filter size until I get something good.
As far as resources, this seems to be on-point if you want to just buy the parts outright in a less redneck manner: https://learn.freshcap.com/growing/keeping-it-clean-how-to-design-and-build-a-laminar-flow-hood/
Nice! Yeah, I mostly want it for convenience of working with agar--but the need just isn't there yet. I'm considering a redneck version using one of the 4" thick MERV 12 filters, which are rated to filter 0.3um particles, just not 99.99% of them. I know for a fact it would be much better than my SAB in terms of contamination risk, and I'm considering building my own wooden impeller fan, so if I can scrap an old high RPM motor--I may be able to finagle a basic FFU together for under $50.
Indeed, indeed! Diversity is one of the strongest traits of human life (and life in-general).
I don't recall that episode, I'll have to go watch it!
Vlad is just a global embarrassment at this point.
lightingnerd
joined 1 year ago
There are many successful and beneficial implementations of socialist policies that do more good than harm, especially outside of the US. Most government institutions in the US and abroad are fundamentally socialist in nature--and some of them work very well (especially outside the US).
While there was once some truth to what you've said, I think you're gravely over-simplifying the nature of what gives humans meaning and purpose in life. For one, it's an extremely subjective topic, but for example, what gives me meaning has very little to do with the relationship between non-action and risk. Rather, things that have meaning for me are things I enjoy doing, and things I enjoy seeing. I don't enjoy the thought of going out to hunt for food with hand-tools at the risk of hunger or death, maybe some people do--and if that gives them meaning, that's fine, but that's not how we need to live our lives. It's a carryover from an obsolete era.
Yes this I agree with, limits are everything. Where limits are designed is important. What I am discussing is not a program that would guarantee that everyone is capable of going out and buying a yacht. I am discussing social safety-net programs that ensure equal access to comfortable housing, enough food, good medical care, and the means to comfortably pursue a job, education, or business endeavor--and in addition, take care of those who are unable to care for themselves. At this point in our technological and social development as a species, these should be considered basics that can be guaranteed to everyone. To do this would not strip away the meaning of life, rather it would enable people to feel meaning in life and the foundation to build up greater meaning for themselves.
Some of the greatest threats to human health and life come from needs-based anxiety, and with the declining population growth rate, high degree of depression, and high rate of suicide, it's imperative that we re-frame how we think about and treat each other.