Stark Raving Sane

A large proportion of frustrating conversations—especially on social media—seem to occur simply because people have differing approaches to using language and, especially, different definitions of words. Besides simple misunderstandings of intent, which are inevitable, I'm constantly surprised by how often these interactions are defined by someone demanding that others to submit to using words—often, seemingly, even outside of the conversation itself, and with others—to mean what they demand, usually to match how they personally would use the same words. I find that to be a complete waste of time, as it doesn't reflect what I understand to be the ideal function of communication. [🧵 1/8]

Ok, now hear me out...

@aas_ker Nightmare.

Describe your current life in one word..

It depends on their personality, I suspect. For me the key question in situations like that is whether they are the sort to be more upset by coddling or hesitation. Some people feel cared about when someone hesitates, when someone delivers news gently, they like being thought about or worried about. Other people feel like that's just adding more tension to an already inevitably uncomfortable situation, or even that it's you prioritizing your feelings of discomfort about their situation over their own feelings of discomfort about their situation and how to minimize that. I suppose it's kind of like people who slowly peel the bandage off, and the people who rip it off quickly. If it's the former, be gentle and honest and caring, maybe explain your concern or hesitation in even sharing it. If it's the latter, don't make a fuss either way, just say it matter of factly and let them set the tone. If they're excited, then let loose. (This is broad strokes, of course. Everything can be more nuanced, people are nuanced.)

How do you tell someone who has experienced pregnancy loss, including a still birth, that you’re pregnant again? I know she’ll be happy for me, but I’m afraid no matter how I tell her, it’s going to stir up a lot of emotions.

@UnmitigatedAss Argument about what and acquiesce in what way? There is as yet insufficient data for a meaningful answer.

Hypothetical: You and I have an argument. I acquiesce. Were you right or wrong? Why? If I was just not into the battle, did I make your understanding of the world better? Are you more or less confident in your position? Did the reddit headline remain the same?

@CBHeresy I believe that's called "Okinawa". 🤓

My politics are whatever this is.

Sure, I'm not making an advocacy point, except maybe to advocate for charitable interpretation of what someone says. He said that coal leads. Most of these analyses, including the one you linked, will break it down with coal on the same level as individual renewable technologies like solar, or other fossil fuels like natural gas, or nuclear. So, charitably, I think it's fair to say he's probably working from similarly organized data, and with that in mind, he's right. Among sources of generation categorized thusly, coal still leads. If he had said "fossil fuels" as a class, I think a comparison to "renewables" as a class would make sense, but then he'd still be right if he said "fossil fuels" lead. It seems clear the choice to compare "renewables" to "coal" is careful framing by media to claim a subjective narrative victory beyond the objective gains in solar (which are remarkable, though I do like nuclear too). But it's not charitable to use that framing to call someone "incredibly stupid", IMO.

@aflickerofdoubt @DecodingFoxNews @atrupar Thanks. I was thinking of renewable sources as a class. Also, given careful regulation, we know how to build safe nuclear reactors now. "Clean energy meets entire global demand growth as renewables overtake coal" downtoearth.org.in/energy/clean-e…

This is incredibly stupid.

@gaiambassador17 They're so cute! I love germinating seeds. 🥰

🥰 moving Virginia Gold Tobacco to soil. After, I covered with cellophane and will put them back in my small cloner tent with 24h light. Then, in a few days, switch them to 18/6.

@hagdaughter In my experience, most artists seem to have a similar attitude, and are often trying out new things, and if a style emerges it's often over the long run. Especially, perhaps, in mediums where they have a lot of exposure to other artists, if commercial viability isn't foremost.

still don’t know how to feel about not having a style. I don’t think I care every piece has a different soul that needs to emerge. I can’t be constrained .. I just need to make this seemingly sentient idea manifest however it wants

My dream job—as in, only happening in my dreams, because I'm not trying for it—is Justice of the Supreme Court, since I was very young. That's the most realistic one, anyway, the one that I could plausibly work towards. My truest dream job may be guardian angel. What's yours?

If you're lumping "renewables" together, then "fossil fuels" might be the fairer comparison, no? Obviously it's a somewhat arbitrary classification problem, but if you're going to interpret what he said charitably, and he treated coal is its own category, I would think dividing renewables into wind, hydro, solar, etc. would be more typical? At least, most analyses I've seen do that.

@aflickerofdoubt @DecodingFoxNews @atrupar In the first half of 2025, renewables overtook coal's share in the global electricity mix for the first time on record.

@samvega @DecodingFoxNews @atrupar In a contest between more than two entrants, being the lead doesn't mean being the majority.

@aflickerofdoubt @DecodingFoxNews @atrupar "When do you expect coal to be overtaken?" Years ago; it's probably less than 1/3 of all energy produced now.

@aflickerofdoubt Both of our dream jobs would make people go "I wouldn't use your services even if they were free". 🤣

@inklight22 🤔

@inklight22 Oh, right, remuneration. 😅 Indeed, at least we can dream. 😭 Though, I admittedly have yet to try selling it as a service. I have considered that some might find value in it. If I figure it out, I'll let you know.

🥴

@hagdaughter @goblinodds Very nice. Do you plan to publish it?

@aflickerofdoubt @goblinodds no it functions i made all the art for it and run it on a local server

cute crescent moon & temperance on the dashboard ..

@AThinksAloud @SethDillon @josh_hammer x.com/aflickerofdoub…

@SethDillon @josh_hammer This warning from “Charlie” probably happened during a seance at his Camelot Castle of Horrors. Mappin is an occultist and a total freak boy who summons the dead, by his own admission. His castle hotel got bad reviews on Trip Advisor for being too creepy.

You’re a liar. Charlie valued my friendship, invited my insight, and encouraged me. Last thing he ever said to me was that he’d always be there for me. His wife — after he was murdered by Tyler Robinson, not the Jews — told me he “adored” me. What you’re doing is evil, John.

@nosoup4knowles One should be careful about indulging mania when it presents in others.

Of course Candace's Scientologist buddy doesn't see an issue with communicating with the dead

@hagdaughter @goblinodds Is it a mockup, then? It looks nice. I'm a software engineer so it looked like maybe a theme for some existing thing. Decades ago I made a custom software that would underpin a dashboard like this, and it reminded me of that, and I realized I missed it.

@aflickerofdoubt @goblinodds ummm i made it