I was just pondering this on my way to work. Balzac’s “Behind every great fortune is a great crime.” (I’m doubtlessly misquoting it)

Whether it’s directly adjacent the monetary gain or displaced by distance and time, it always holds true.

I’m not talking about a cup of oil, just a tsp or so. Sometimes all our kindling etc is a little damp and stuff seems reluctant to get going. The oil or even an old tea-light paraffin candle helps it marvellously!

Scots take few prisoners, in humour.

I never liked U2 after they got all up themselves anyway.

And what… my work will still pay me???

I don’t think so.

Onanism my friend. Puttin’ the rhythm into algorithm.

Fuck yeah! And I’m cis-het!

Better than the wanking algorithm, that’s for sure.

FIR SOM REESEN GRAVATY REFUSES TO LET ME GO SO I CAN LEVATATE ON A CLOUWD OF MY OWN LEGUL GASEOUS EMMISSSIONS!
I SEND ISSAAC NEWTIN A CEASENDESIST BUT HOW CAN I GEY HIM DISSBARRF FROM PRACTISING THE PHYSICLE LAWS?!???

No shit. I can tell, By the pixels.

They probably need their own made-up ‘license to perpetuate stoopid’.

Weird

Ah ok. So where on that ranking does a sigma sit? Alpha, beta, …?, sigma?

WTF is ‘sigma’ in this context?

Oh that’s a bonus feature!

Wow! Cool. Thank you.

TIL

Smoking makes lots of money for the tobacco companies and for governments. Hence not wanting to ban it.

It’s a weird drug of choice; -Super addictive. -Doesn’t really do anything except briefly offset addiction withdrawl symptoms. -Very expensive. -Makes people smell really awful.

Sooooooo, let’s guess who has lots of shares in the industry?

Ok that’s fine, but please examine the differences in motivation.

Let’s say Plato etc are indeed made up. There’s little money to be made or social control gained via their fictitious being.

Let’s go further down that path.

The ideas and examinations of nature, and the basic sciences of understanding our universe, even if done by one or more people under the guise of some fictional characters are still incredible foundations for rational thinking over the next two and a half thousand years. Again: advancing understanding and what we know as ‘science’, not direct social control and making money off the punters.

Religion… well… That’s something else.

There are huge profits to be made from telling people stuff about how various magical creatures can inflict punishments, heal illnesses and forgive bad behaviour.

The motivations are clear. Humanity hasn’t changed a crumb in several thousand years.

Follow the money.

Ok I see that might be tricky. Are there statements from instances saying they defederated from X, Y and Z?

I mean, how is one supposed to know?