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TROPHY CASE


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    2011-11-08

    Three-Year Club

When we laid new carpet in my old house I wrote on the back of it "THIS PIECE OF CARPET IS CONDEMNED" in the case that someone lifted it up. What are some easter eggs you've left for others? by LordApocalypticain AskReddit

[–]NMW 1 point2 points ago

Well, good for them! I will freely admit that I might have appreciated it more myself had I been a different sort of person, so maybe your friends will end up having a nice time there regardless.

The floor was 8-Lower, anyway, should they choose to accept this fruitless quest. I no longer recall the actual room number - all I can say is that it was near the middle of the hall on the left-hand-side corridor when judged from the door leading to the floor itself.

What's the most degrading thing you've done for money? by theknightwhosays_neein AskReddit

[–]NMW 7 points8 points ago

True, but one of Ron Swanson's greatest attributes is his willingness to make very rare exceptions for people who he believes are worthy of the compromise, even though they haven't expressly lived up to his strict expectations.

If Leslie or Andy or April had bitten that fish in half, you know he would have given them a curt nod of approval.

Historians of Reddit, what is your favorite weapon in your area of study? by RandomCaucasianin AskHistorians

[–]NMW 2 points3 points ago

Oho, even better. My particular interest lies in material published during the war itself - that is, before everyone had agreed on how you should feel about it all - so this will be an especially welcome addition. Thanks again.

Historians of Reddit, what is your favorite weapon in your area of study? by RandomCaucasianin AskHistorians

[–]NMW 2 points3 points ago

The main focus of my research is actually WWI propaganda, so that makes it even more interesting. Thanks for following up.

Historians of Reddit, what is your favorite weapon in your area of study? by RandomCaucasianin AskHistorians

[–]NMW 2 points3 points ago

Thanks! I have not actually read that, but I'm always looking for more. I'll add it to my list.

When we laid new carpet in my old house I wrote on the back of it "THIS PIECE OF CARPET IS CONDEMNED" in the case that someone lifted it up. What are some easter eggs you've left for others? by LordApocalypticain AskReddit

[–]NMW 11 points12 points ago

Among many other things.

The place was a nightmare. The whole building (which housed something like 1300 students) had a reputation as an eight-month debauch for those fortunate enough to live there, and my floor was especially bad in this regard. I had signed up for it after having misremembered the name of another residence on campus that had a reputation of being much more hospitable to those who were there to quietly learn.

On that floor alone, I experienced two actual riots (one over a sports game in another country, one over a perceived scandal surrounding the distribution of a mini-fridge as an award in a draw), heard about three attempted rapes (one of which resulted in the perpetrator being arrested and the victim transferring to another university), and got to put up with the privilege of the student lounge on our floor being padlocked for a couple of months because my colleagues had destroyed two televisions and set a couch on fire. The forty people on the floor typically produced ten recycling boxes worth of empties a week, roughly half of them 40 oz liquor bottles - I did not drink, at the time. I only started counting the number of times the fire alarm was fraudulently pulled in November, but by mid-April we had reached thirty-six. The RA on my floor - nominally installed to maintain order - was a 4'9" Filipino girl who secretly moved into her boyfriend's house after two months without informing the dorm's staff.

It was absolute bullshit from start to finish. Every single person I met there - all of them, on my floor or elsewhere - was either a cretinous thug or a vapid ditz. A third of the residents of my floor did not make it through their first year. My roommate was someone who had been my best friend for ten years in my home town; we've barely spoken since.

Fuck you, Zoo.

Historians of Reddit, what is your favorite weapon in your area of study? by RandomCaucasianin AskHistorians

[–]NMW 2 points3 points ago

I wish. I would buy ALL of them.

Except one that I'd leave for you, of course >__>

Historians of Reddit, what is your favorite weapon in your area of study? by RandomCaucasianin AskHistorians

[–]NMW 4 points5 points ago

Yes! It only occurred to me after that I should have recommended that (and the book version too), but then I forgot about it entirely. Thanks for bringing it in.

When we laid new carpet in my old house I wrote on the back of it "THIS PIECE OF CARPET IS CONDEMNED" in the case that someone lifted it up. What are some easter eggs you've left for others? by LordApocalypticain AskReddit

[–]NMW 2 points3 points ago

The plan is certainly your own, but are the elements of it meant to be an oblique reference to The Stand?

Historians of Reddit, what is your favorite weapon in your area of study? by RandomCaucasianin AskHistorians

[–]NMW 65 points66 points ago

The trench knife. Beautiful in its simplicity, horrifying in its application. Here's an American version from late 1918.

For all that the Great War is (pretty much rightly) regarded as the first modern, industrialized conflict, it's important to remember that the grim reality of man-to-man combat was still an essential feature. It's true that much of the war was characterized by things like flame-throwers, poison gas, tanks, aerial bombardment and machine guns, but the far more primal efficiency of a blade and a blunt object could not be eliminated entirely.

Close combat during the Great War made use of a variety of things that might prove surprising to those viewing it these many decades later. Apart from the expected bayonets and the trench knives I noted above, there was frequent use of billy clubs, crude maces, and hatchets. Some Irish soldiers carried Shillelaghs; A.O. Pollard records in his memoirs that he once came across a dead German soldier armed with a blood-drenched bearded axe that would have been more at home in the Black Forest of the 10th century than in the French countryside of the 20th. Some experienced trench raiders even chose to train themselves in the use of the sling, as it could be employed silently and its ammunition - in the rubble-strewn hell of No Man's Land, at least - was functionally infinite.

Even these weapons weren't for everyone, though. Many men preferred the always-present simplicity of the entrenching tool (basically a very short spade) that they were required to keep in their packs, and made sure they kept its edges wickedly sharp.

The most terrifying clashes of all took place underground, and not just in the trench-based sense. Most combatant powers frequently attempted to dig tunnels under their opposite number's lines for the purpose of blowing them up with mines, and the delicate, awful nature of this process can scarcely be imagined. To the constant threat of cave-ins caused by accident or the explosion of artillery shells on the surface was added the amazing danger posed by the tunnels being dug by one's enemy counterpart.

These men had to work in as close to silence as could be achieved, to prevent their enemies from hearing where they were and digging over to collapse the tunnel. On those occasions where the tunnels met - whether by accident or design - the fights were just fucking brutal. The British, at least, tended to recruit heavily from Welsh mining villages for these details, so the men involved a) knew their business very well, and b) were huge and angry. Imagine sudden all-out fights to the death in near-total darkness fifty feet below the earth, with shovels, clubs, pick-axes and worse coming into play. It is not a cheering thought.

EDIT: As we're on the subject of strangely old-fashioned-seeming weapons in this period, I should mention that many of the cavalry corps deployed throughout the war (primarily at its outset, when things were more mobile) were literally armed with lances and swords. We may smile to think of it now, but they were still amazingly deadly at the time.

This went on a little longer than I had intended, and I apologize for that. I just find these things interesting :/

EDIT 2: HordeOfDoom, in a comment below, recommends a good Australian film about the war in the tunnels, if you'd like to check it out.

When we laid new carpet in my old house I wrote on the back of it "THIS PIECE OF CARPET IS CONDEMNED" in the case that someone lifted it up. What are some easter eggs you've left for others? by LordApocalypticain AskReddit

[–]NMW 149 points150 points ago

In the first year of my undergrad, I lived in a truly awful dormitory. To the things that are often bad about such places was added the fact that my roommate and I were forced to share a room that had initially been designed for one person. It wasn't great.

As the end of April rolled around and the time to move out arrived, I decided to leave a memento. They had forced every resident to buy an expensive dorm-branded t-shirt. I hated the place, and the shirt, and the fact that I owned it, and pretty much everything else involved in the situation. I got a black sharpie and wrote out a section of T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" (Lines 19-30) on the back of the shirt. I went out into the hallway, stood on a chair, removed the tile above my door, and stuffed the shirt into the ceiling. It was strangely unsatisfying, but the die was cast.

The twist: I went back to that floor a few weeks before graduating, four years later. The shirt was still there, but someone had added - in red sharpie, and with a much steadier hand - the first eight lines of W.B. Yeats' "The Second Coming".

I haven't been back since, but I like to think it's still there.

What is the earliest recorded joke? by toronadoin AskHistorians

[–]NMW 28 points29 points ago

"Something that has never occurred since time immemorial - a young woman did not fart on her husband's lap."

wat

The professor says, "Don't cry, I have freed you all in my will."

That one was actually pretty good.

What are some small, insignificant things that you judge people for? by WtfWhereAreMyClothesin AskReddit

[–]NMW 0 points1 point ago

Oh, I have no quarrel with them. I said in my post that it's based on ability; I'm quite happy to be patient with those who have to be slow or careful in their movement.

What are some small, insignificant things that you judge people for? by WtfWhereAreMyClothesin AskReddit

[–]NMW 78 points79 points ago

I am a furious proponent of efficient and focused walking. I walk on the right-hand side of any pathway I happen to occupy.

But this isn't always enough ಠ_ಠ

Sometimes, the people in front of you are just shambling along like the mobile fungi that they are, and it's as bad as having some actual, physical obstruction in your path. In such circumstances, I often find myself diverting into the left-hand stream - however momentarily - to push past whatever obstruction is in front of me.

I firmly and emphatically believe that the human being walking in public should be vigorously aware of his or her surroundings, absolutely aware of his or her destination, and moving as quickly as his or her body and circumstances allow. He or she should never present an obstacle to anyone. He or she should be moving like some program had determined that movement.

In short: I hate shamblers, shufflers, drifters, draggers, and so forth, as I hate hell, death, and damnation. It is trivially easy to walk with precision; those who don't are dead to me.

What child names make you instantly lose respect for the parent when you hear it? by KimJongUnoin AskReddit

[–]NMW 2 points3 points ago

I want to draw my sword, kneel, and swear fealty to a child with a name like that. The adventures s/he will have will be well worth whatever ridicule I have to endure at first. No question - no question at all.

What's the bleakest film you've seen? by vespoin movies

[–]NMW 0 points1 point ago

Oh, come on. Battleship falls somewhere squarely in the middle when it comes to "least meritorious" and "least well-executed" films that exist. There are many, many worse options.

What's the bleakest film you've seen? by vespoin movies

[–]NMW 0 points1 point ago

It could have been worse - you might have ended up watching it.

It's absolutely amazing, but in the same way that the heat death of the universe will probably be. Do not go into it lightly.

What's the bleakest film you've seen? by vespoin movies

[–]NMW 3 points4 points ago

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Thank you! This is one of the most disturbing films I've seen recently, but I just can't seem to get anyone I know to actually sit down and watch it. They just think it seems "dumb" because of the title.

But it's not ;___;

The 10 Biggest Changes Between 'Game of Thrones' and the Books (Spoiler ASOS) by sighlanderin asoiaf

[–]NMW 1 point2 points ago

I agree with you generally, but I'm trying to fit all of this into the reality that Ramsay Bolton:

  • has not been cast for this season, and yet
  • has to show up this season - and quite possibly in the next episode, if its title ("The Prince of Winterfell") is anything to go by

The only way I can see this happening is if he turns out to be someone we've already seen, and they've just been keeping it really close to the chest. The only character of whom this could reasonably be true is "Dagmer Cleftjaw," who:

  • is nothing at all like he's described in the books
  • has taken over a number of key Reek tasks

The important thing about Reek in the books is that he's Ramsay the whole time, manipulating Theon into doing things that will make his (Ramsay's) own assault on Winterfell relatively easy. The show-runners have moved Dagmer into this position instead, and I have to take that into account.

As I said before, I don't think this idea is a lock, but I do think it's worth considering and not especially convoluted. Ramsay's presence in Pyke could be easily rationalized with a single line of dialogue.

In any event, we'll likely know the truth, one way or another, three weeks from now.

Starburns by mthardisonin community

[–]NMW 10 points11 points ago

I'm honestly not sure I would have recognized him without them. Here's hoping season four has him lurking in the background from time to time...

The 10 Biggest Changes Between 'Game of Thrones' and the Books (Spoiler ASOS) by sighlanderin asoiaf

[–]NMW 5 points6 points ago

So prior to any announced hostilities towards the North, Reek infiltrated the Pyke to get on board Theon's ship just on the off chance he'd get involved with the real action?

Well, Ramsay's father is already secretly negotiating with the Lannisters even as he's publicly sworn to Robb. It wouldn't be hard to imagine him sending his son to meet with Balon Greyjoy as well, thus potentially giving him a third "king" in his pocket depending on how events play out.

As to his motives in getting on the ship, I'd have to rewatch the episode to see what he says about himself that could be reconciled with any of this.

I don't think it's a lock, but the theory is an interesting one.

I have a question about the pretext of a certain....situation by jonaldjuckin gameofthrones

[–]NMW 0 points1 point ago

You might want to edit your post to be clear WHICH book(s) is/are being spoiled. I've already read all of them, so no harm done here, but others might not be so lucky.

What are some examples of scams or crimes coming to light that would not have been revealed without freedom of the press? by Ambivalent_Fanaticin AskHistorians

[–]NMW 2 points3 points ago

In my own period, the major one would probably be the Marconi Scandal (1912-13), which saw a number of high-ranking British ministers in Herbert Asquith's government - including Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George, who would become Prime Minister in 1916 - implicated in a conspiracy to profit off of an imminent government contract with Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company. The then-current Attorney General and Marconi's managing director were brothers, and it seems a good deal of inside information was passed and exploited.

This matter was vigorously exposed and pursued by the staff of The New Witness - most notably Cecil Chesterton, who was eventually convicted of criminal libel for pointing out what was glaringly obvious to anyone. Happily for him, he did not have to long endure the shame of it - he died in France in the final year of the Great War ಠ_ಠ

Was there ever a time when the world was at relative peace? by ofthe5thkindin AskHistorians

[–]NMW 7 points8 points ago

Pax Britanica(British peace) The British after the Napoleonic wars are able to hold peace relatively until 1914 with WW1

While this is indeed a thing, it would be best to be explicit about just how "relatively" we're talking here. During this period the British alone were involved in the Crimean War, two Afghan wars, the Mahdist war, the Zulu war, the Indian mutiny, two Boer wars, and the Opium war in China - and this is not even close to an exhaustive list.

This is to say nothing of the Franco-Prussian war, the American civil war, the Russo-Japanese war, and the basically uninterrupted fighting that consumed Italy from 1820 through 1870.

And the Franco-Mexican war, and the Italo-Turkish war, and the Balkan wars, and Mexico's wars with both the United States and itself, and Bolivar's campaigns in South America, and the Greek War of Independence, and ongoing Mexican and American wars with various native tribes, and the Canadian rebellions of 1837, and the widespread European revolutions of 1848, and the Austro-Prussian war, and the Japanese civil war, and the Red River Rebellion in Manitoba, and the Spanish-American war, and the Boxer Rebellion, and, and, and....

"Relatively" is relative.

When I was a kid, I witnessed a woman burn herself to death. What is the most shocking/terrifying/traumatic thing you experienced? by laksaloverin AskReddit

[–]NMW 4 points5 points ago

If it's any consolation (and I realize it may not be), lots and lots of people die in agony comparable to his every single day. Nick Berg's murder was not novel, or even unusual, or even unprecedented. All of this was - and is - going on just beyond your awareness of it. This is how it is; this is the world, or at least a part of it.

The added awfulness in this situation is that you actually saw it. That can really fuck someone up, and no one should pretend that it can't, or shouldn't.

The key is to properly contextualize it. You've seen roadkill, and trees brought down by lightning, and buildings gutted by fire. Actual people command more sympathy than these situations by dint of being people, but for all our intellect and ability we're still just a part of a world in which joy and woe, glory and catastrophe descend upon everything in equal measure.

Good men die; bad men prosper. And also the opposite. Seeing either with our own eyes doesn't change any of it.

I'm sorry this happened to you. I hope you can come back from it.

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