thanks to some combination of HIPAA and medical liability laws, I wasn’t allowed to say anything about it, even if asked point blank

Are you sure that you understood that right? In every study I’ve helped out with, and when I’m dealing with patients, rule #1 is that the participant/patient has access to their information produced from the procedures and gets counseled by a doctor involved in the process if anything is found. There’s a neuroscience professor who famously recorded his own experience in the textbook he wrote, where he participated in an MRI study because his insurance wouldn’t approve an MRI. The tumor was found in the study, passed over to his healthcare team, and they were able to use it to get the surgery approved.

Nuclear-Spearman: Huuuun, where’s my atl-atl?!?

Honey: I put it away! Don’t you think about running off doing no nuclear-do!

I can’t remember the name of the book now, but in high school we read a ‘true’ story of child abuse. I’m sure it was edited to both tone down and turn up certain elements, but it was pretty much a brutal shock to people who are mostly from decent families that love them. Whether the kids were rich, poor, or middle class in my school, just about everyone there could at least return home to parents that didn’t commit those horrors.

I remember the diapers, the exposure to the elements, and the way the other children were pitted against the abused kid, and honestly? It was the emotional abuse that was the worst to read.

Bird dogs don’t kill the game birds. They retrieve them. It’s why there are entire breeds called retrievers. Some other bird dogs flush the birds so you can shoot them in the air, preserving your so called “sportsmanlike” ways.

You’d be amazed how many people learn the hard way that they first need to head to a separate store to buy a gas container, then head to the gas station. Most places could care less about keeping a container on premises because it is both a rare situation these days, and storage is at a premium in most stores. If you saw the back room or manager’s office, you would see the floor-to-ceiling stacks of inventory (usually drinks or tobacco products).

Huh. The funeral isn’t far off from reality, but all I can hear for the other two are really weird sounding sad tracks.

I think it’s less “good jazz,” and more ‘jazz that fits the mood.’

I don’t want to listen to thrasher metal when I’m sitting in an italian restaurant, introducing my date to the family, and I don’t want to listen to jazz when it’s inappropriate.* I remember reading the blog of the Doom soundtrack, and he talked about the difficulty in creating soundtracks because you have to take music that was meshed to visual, auditory, and psychological happenings and create ‘just’ a piece. Going the other way, how difficult must it be to take musical compositions and match them well to gameplay… it blows my mind that there are people out there who do it so well, because there are definitely games that I loved because it was just a perfect combo, and others where they were saved from mediocrity with the addition of the right sound.

*Aside, I was trying to think an example of when jazz in a game was inappropriate, and couldn’t. Take from that what you will.

I still don’t know why people use the toilet and don’t close the lid. WTF is it there for it you ALWAYS leave it open?

I believe it. There once was a time, that may or may not be a memory, where the bartender would serve you if you could walk up to the bar and order. You also needed money, but a bit of bartering with scrounged flotsam from the quay could cover costs.

Yes, but if you listen to the ‘reviews’ now, all you’re getting is the regurgitated product description compared to the product description of the other contenders. Except instead of the two sentences that were the original description, you get a five sentence opening about the topic, Somewhere between 12-15 sentences about the product that don’t add anything relevant (repeat)^ (for each product), and then a conclusion that’s random, arbitrary, and probably influenced by money.

At least with the older models I can see real information if I can find real reviews. If I have to extrapolate from there to today, I’m still better off.

It’s because these are two idiots trying to sound smart. I have used pre-2015 searches, because sometime between 2009-2016 is when SEO in general started being used. The AI generation just kicked it into high gear. Stuff before 2015 at least appears to offer information that isn’t just reworded lists of advertisements.

Having just tried it, no. There are many instances of the word “school”, but I only saw a single one with “#school”.

Aye, but if that’s the case, if people suddenly started using #school as a ‘hashtag’ for their posts, you’d have the same issue with finding many instances of the word. It’s just unique right now.

I tried a while ago to get SC2 working, but didn’t have luck. Are there any tricks to it these days?

Aye, the first time a blue jay tore the head off of a smaller bird in its nest was a real head turner for me.

Maybe, but doors scare me.

I love the little aside about the rust. Some journalists still have fun.

It’s okay, we’re in this together. Though, my rig runs just about everything at medium graphics without issue. Elden ring ran on high settings without dropping my frames to a noticeable level.

I’d love an open world Icewind Dale. A really, really complicated, dense open world with true mountain exploring and ice plain pain. Or, shoot, let’s have an occult mystery in the city of Brass (Bronze? It’s been too long, don’t judge me).

I think my visit seeking prophylactics when I was exposed to HIV (and the doctor just said, “nah, don’t worry about it, I’m not prescribing you”) was $1500 for the doctor, $1500 to the hospital… God damn that was a shock.

Remove the historic paintings during renovation, at least. Surely it would be possible to rig up some sort of sprinkler system as well. Firefighter access to the roof may be difficult once the fire is blazing, but maybe some mitigation systems could be installed before the blowtorches and welders come out.