Zompist Bboard Again

alice wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2026 2:37 pm I can remember the adjective "Jurassic" being used in a number of advertising campaigns, where it was supposed to mean "awesome" rather than "pertaining to the Jura region of France".

Down here there's a fibre-optic company called Jurassic Fibre. I assume it's a reference to the Jurassic Coast, but it's always struck me as funny, since Jura¹ doesn't seem like a place with particularly good internet, and the geologic era probably wasn't either².

¹ Of which the only things I know are that it has mountains and Jurassic-era rocks, to be fair
² Citation Needed

alice wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2026 2:37 pm And I can remember the adjective "Jurassic" being used in a number of advertising campaigns, where it was supposed to mean "awesome" rather than "pertaining to the Jura region of France".

So English speakers use the French j in Beijing, where it doesn't belong, but not Jurassic, where it does. Where is the UN?!

zompist wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2026 5:03 pm

alice wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2026 2:37 pm And I can remember the adjective "Jurassic" being used in a number of advertising campaigns, where it was supposed to mean "awesome" rather than "pertaining to the Jura region of France".

So English speakers use the French j in Beijing, where it doesn't belong, but not Jurassic, where it does. Where is the UN?!

I wonder how many Americans even realize that Beijing and Peking are the same place.

zompist wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2026 5:03 pm

alice wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2026 2:37 pm And I can remember the adjective "Jurassic" being used in a number of advertising campaigns, where it was supposed to mean "awesome" rather than "pertaining to the Jura region of France".

So English speakers use the French j in Beijing, where it doesn't belong, but not Jurassic, where it does. Where is the UN?!

This is Britain. You don't think we'd be that obvious, do you?

zompist wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2026 5:03 pm

alice wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2026 2:37 pm And I can remember the adjective "Jurassic" being used in a number of advertising campaigns, where it was supposed to mean "awesome" rather than "pertaining to the Jura region of France".

So English speakers use the French j in Beijing, where it doesn't belong, but not Jurassic, where it does. Where is the UN?!

I for one insist on pronouncing Beijing with /dʒ/ just for the sake of being contrarian and/or pedantic.

Random question: did any arrogant people who thought that they were better than others ever actually, literally, physically turn up their heads or their noses?

Raphael wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2026 9:00 amRandom question: did any arrogant people who thought that they were better than others ever actually, literally, physically turn up their heads or their noses?

For that matter, was anyone ever really stinking rich?

I considered posting this to the German Politics Thread, but I think it is not a problem specific to German politics - we have an example of it in this very thread, after all.

I am on a German progressive politics forum, and there a quite a few people over there who take a defeatist stance on the climate crisis and the rise of the far right, uttering things like "The nations of the world will never agree on reducing carbon dioxide emissions" or "If the AfD doesn't win this election, they will win the next". This is very objectionable because it leads to frustration and demotivates people who'd otherwise do something about the problems. I don't know whether it is not indeed too late, but as long as you could do anything about it, you should do something, and not declare the cause lost.

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2026 4:41 am I considered posting this to the German Politics Thread, but I think it is not a problem specific to German politics - we have an example of it in this very thread, after all.

I am on a German progressive politics forum, and there a quite a few people over there who take a defeatist stance on the climate crisis and the rise of the far right, uttering things like "The nations of the world will never agree on reducing carbon dioxide emissions" or "If the AfD doesn't win this election, they will win the next". This is very objectionable because it leads to frustration and demotivates people who'd otherwise do something about the problems. I don't know whether it is not indeed too late, but as long as you could do anything about it, you should do something, and not declare the cause lost.

Ah, yes, the pessimism is a global trend.
To counter this, it's worth pointing out that CO2 emissions have plateaued and will certainly decrease in the coming years. Climate change is still going to hurt a lot (here, we've had temperatures in the 35°-40° range and close to no rain for two months now) but we're not headed towards the apocalypse.

The current popularity of the far right is worrying and is, or (depending on the country) will be causing untold damage but they're also not going to be there forever, and it's not like nothing can be done about them before or after they take power.

I'm not talking about pessimistic or anxious individuals (there is reason to feel depressed)... But when it comes to politicians or media personalities, I think doomerism is a comfortable niche.

Ares Land wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2026 5:31 am

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2026 4:41 am I considered posting this to the German Politics Thread, but I think it is not a problem specific to German politics - we have an example of it in this very thread, after all.

I am on a German progressive politics forum, and there a quite a few people over there who take a defeatist stance on the climate crisis and the rise of the far right, uttering things like "The nations of the world will never agree on reducing carbon dioxide emissions" or "If the AfD doesn't win this election, they will win the next". This is very objectionable because it leads to frustration and demotivates people who'd otherwise do something about the problems. I don't know whether it is not indeed too late, but as long as you could do anything about it, you should do something, and not declare the cause lost.

Ah, yes, the pessimism is a global trend.
To counter this, it's worth pointing out that CO2 emissions have plateaued and will certainly decrease in the coming years. Climate change is still going to hurt a lot (here, we've had temperatures in the 35°-40° range and close to no rain for two months now) but we're not headed towards the apocalypse.

The current popularity of the far right is worrying and is, or (depending on the country) will be causing untold damage but they're also not going to be there forever, and it's not like nothing can be done about them before or after they take power.

I'm not talking about pessimistic or anxious individuals (there is reason to feel depressed)... But when it comes to politicians or media personalities, I think doomerism is a comfortable niche.

Yes - doomerism is easy. And partly the progressives' fault due to miscommunication: they tend to warn of the dire consequences of "business as usual" but neglect developing an attractive positive vision of the future. Most science fiction writers who deal with the issues write dystopias. The majority of the people now seem to believe that the future would be worse than the present, from where it is not a large step to assuming that the past was better. Believing to be faced with the choice between a restoration of the 50s and a Blade Runner-like future, they (as I already said a few days ago) of course opt for bringing back the 50s, and that's precisely what the far right promises them. Hence, I once said that "dystopias are reactionary".

And of course, the issues cannot be dealt with separately. The far right denies the climate crisis, and in a far-right dictatorship, climate action would be mortally perilous; but if we don't avert the climate chaos, democracy will disintegrate. These issues can only be addressed together, or not at all!

Ares Land wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2026 5:31 amThe current popularity of the far right is worrying and is, or (depending on the country) will be causing untold damage but they're also not going to be there forever, and it's not like nothing can be done about them before or after they take power.

The last time the far right took power, it took a world war to dislodge them, though. They are also rising pretty much everywhere which makes it less likely that a coalition against them will form to fight them. That's partly what makes the current situation feel so bleak. That doesn't mean that we can't stop them, of course, but the path definitely looks much harder than stopping the Nazis since there were multiple superpowers willing to fight them.

malloc wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2026 8:29 pm

Ares Land wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2026 5:31 amThe current popularity of the far right is worrying and is, or (depending on the country) will be causing untold damage but they're also not going to be there forever, and it's not like nothing can be done about them before or after they take power.

The last time the far right took power, it took a world war to dislodge them, though. They are also rising pretty much everywhere which makes it less likely that a coalition against them will form to fight them. That's partly what makes the current situation feel so bleak. That doesn't mean that we can't stop them, of course, but the path definitely looks much harder than stopping the Nazis since there were multiple superpowers willing to fight them.

I admit that the situation is very serious, but giving up is not an option because it only helps the far right. Things looked much worse still in 1941, but in the end, the Nazis lost their war. And I even hope we don't need a world war to get rid of Trump, Putin and their cronies this time. I still believe in human progress, even if it currently appears to be in reverse. This is the reason why I stand up against doomerism and defeatism, and also against dystopias.

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2026 3:47 am I admit that the situation is very serious, but giving up is not an option because it only helps the far right. Things looked much worse still in 1941, but in the end, the Nazis lost their war. And I even hope we don't need a world war to get rid of Trump, Putin and their cronies this time. I still believe in human progress, even if it currently appears to be in reverse. This is the reason why I stand up against doomerism and defeatism, and also against dystopias.

Personally, I'm not very optimistic about Russia.
A lot more so about Trump (even though I get the frustration, are we at the midterms yet? how about now?) and more generally First World democracies.
I think it'll eventually get better - I do wonder how bad things will have to get until people react.

Ares Land wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2026 4:25 am

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2026 3:47 am I admit that the situation is very serious, but giving up is not an option because it only helps the far right. Things looked much worse still in 1941, but in the end, the Nazis lost their war. And I even hope we don't need a world war to get rid of Trump, Putin and their cronies this time. I still believe in human progress, even if it currently appears to be in reverse. This is the reason why I stand up against doomerism and defeatism, and also against dystopias.

Personally, I'm not very optimistic about Russia.
A lot more so about Trump (even though I get the frustration, are we at the midterms yet? how about now?) and more generally First World democracies.
I think it'll eventually get better - I do wonder how bad things will have to get until people react.

I am not very optimistic about Russia, either. I am also not very optimistic about the United States. I am more optimistic about Europe, especially Western Europe, though. But I believe that things will generally get better in the long run.

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2026 4:45 am

Ares Land wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2026 4:25 am

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2026 3:47 am I admit that the situation is very serious, but giving up is not an option because it only helps the far right. Things looked much worse still in 1941, but in the end, the Nazis lost their war. And I even hope we don't need a world war to get rid of Trump, Putin and their cronies this time. I still believe in human progress, even if it currently appears to be in reverse. This is the reason why I stand up against doomerism and defeatism, and also against dystopias.

Personally, I'm not very optimistic about Russia.
A lot more so about Trump (even though I get the frustration, are we at the midterms yet? how about now?) and more generally First World democracies.
I think it'll eventually get better - I do wonder how bad things will have to get until people react.

I am not very optimistic about Russia, either. I am also not very optimistic about the United States. I am more optimistic about Europe, especially Western Europe, though. But I believe that things will generally get better in the long run.

Putin isn't immortal - who knows what happens after him?

In a similar vein... Trump is 80, not in good health, and I just don't see MAGA carrying on without Trump.

Ares Land wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2026 5:05 am

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2026 4:45 am

Ares Land wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2026 4:25 am

Personally, I'm not very optimistic about Russia.
A lot more so about Trump (even though I get the frustration, are we at the midterms yet? how about now?) and more generally First World democracies.
I think it'll eventually get better - I do wonder how bad things will have to get until people react.

I am not very optimistic about Russia, either. I am also not very optimistic about the United States. I am more optimistic about Europe, especially Western Europe, though. But I believe that things will generally get better in the long run.

Putin isn't immortal - who knows what happens after him?

In a similar vein... Trump is 80, not in good health, and I just don't see MAGA carrying on without Trump.

True. Indeed, I expect Putin to be overthrown by his own cronies if the war in Ukraine drags on, and Trump is old and in bad health and can't run again in 2028. Which doesn't mean that who will follow them will be much better, but probably at least not worse.

https://www.youtube.com/live/NBEDS_4Evk ... YOP6KzfAdx

Going live @ 8pm EST!

Cicadas: nature's leaf blowers

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2026 6:43 am ... Trump is old and in bad health and can't run again in 2028.

I believe he can run again. It's just that, constitutionally, he can't be re-elected. If the electoral college can't elect a president, then Congress elects the president. I think it's the outgoing congress that does the election, not the incoming one.

Richard W wrote: ↑Fri Aug 21, 2026 2:29 am

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2026 6:43 am ... Trump is old and in bad health and can't run again in 2028.

I believe he can run again. It's just that, constitutionally, he can't be re-elected. If the electoral college can't elect a president, then Congress elects the president. I think it's the outgoing congress that does the election, not the incoming one.

I don't know about such details of the US constitution. At any rate, Trump is not the cause of the current troubles, only a symptom - which is something many people miss in the discussion.