Unfortunately, pianos come with strings attached.

I’m enjoying your posts, it’s really neat to see retro game tech from China; I really didn’t know what was available there since western journalists don’t really cover it.

I’ll try to douse the flames if it comes to it.

Relevant quote:

I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country’s most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.

During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.

On War, by U.S General Smedley Butler (1933)

Have you ever taken a class or tried following a tutorial?

But in my opinion the process is more important than the results. Learn to love the process and don’t focus so much on making something aestheticly pleasing at first. Just play around and see what you have fun with; you won’t progress technically until you get to where you can’t wait to do it every day.

Take a look at why you do art and make some achievable goals to strive for. Ask yourself what you like about a piece and see if you can do something similar. A “bad” drawing is not a failure, but instead a chance to examine what worked and what didn’t. Try doing 10 or 20 very quick gesture drawings to get an idea of what you want a more polished drawing to look like before you commit to a longer piece.

Above all: have fun with it.

This almost works as a cross-view 3d photo.

Oh, that’s absolutely what is happening. They want the advantages that living in a big city provides, but in the most antisocial way possible.

They’re actual leaches on society.

Highland Park is ridiculous; pay millions of dollars for a generic house just inches from your neighbors giant mansion.

I think people just like the prestige, because living there looks miserable for such an expensive neighborhood.

“I’m not gonna let him get to me today…”

My hair all day since I shower at night:

The fix for this should be simple: EBT funds should only be accessible in the state where the card was issued.

The solution to robbing from poor people should not be robbing them of more of their benefit.

I’d rather a hundred people get benefits they “don’t need” than have one person go without the support they require.

Not that it’s even happening, but even if it were I really wouldn’t care even a little bit. And furthermore, food stamp benefits are pathetic in the US.

Interesting, I was thinking it looked like we were on the way through Jupiter.

Absolutely. We’ve pretty much shown that having a nuclear weapon is the only deterrent that matters to the US. They’d be stupid if they didn’t rush to acquire them.

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I had more fun watching the women’s rugby 7s at the Olympics than I ever did watching American football or soccer. I wish they showed it over here more often.

I always thought that smells when sneezing were caused by a sinus infection.

I should really visit France sometime. Sounds fantastic.

Her podcast, Dungeons and Daddies, is pretty great if you’re into actual play.

I recognize the people who post their art. There are a few people in particular who I especially like seeing what they’ve made.