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[Flying Dice]

Another debate, this time about moral responsibilities and corporations. Like blood diamonds or sweatshops.

One person made a thread on why weed should be legal. A few people shouted "COMMUNISM" and that profit is all we need in a capitalist society, and that our own laws are harsh and unnecessary on corporations. Some people blame the citizens of third-world countries for not having any human rights, and thus are letting themselves be abused.

There are reasonable posts, though. There are also posts I can barely read because English is not the first language of these students.

No one's even debating. Everyone just made their own separate thread. Barely any even have replies.

Isn't it a requirement of assignments like that to reply to two other threads with the presumption that it will encourage discussion? I took a jazz survey class like that, what counted for most posts was "i liked xyz and feel that xyz showed good use of $thischapter'sjazzconcept," with responses in line with "i agree with you that xyz did $thischapter'sjazzconcept well." It was dumb, but I suppose it was the cost of taking a jazz course online for university.

Or maybe this is just another forum somewhere, I might be projecting. Bit jarring to know they're your peers, huh.

Pretty sure inter-forums drama isn't allowed by the rules. These are classmates.

I wasn't trying to kick anything up nor implying that you were doing such, I just recall such class discussion assignment happening in the class's own semi-forum thing happening in a topic-and-response format (ala forum), and the assignments being dreadful. I remark 'these are your peers' the same way I think on the average Youtube commenter.

Maybe I've misread the whole thing?

Ah. Yeah, it's a pseudo-forum hosted online by the school. I wouldn't count those as proper forums, as they will eventually be completely erased, and hold no anonymity.

People aren't responding though. There's more than a dozen threads with no replies whatsoever, and people are either off-topic or extremist. Or nonsensical.

Welcome to class forums, where 95% of posts are keyword signalling "yes professor I did the reading see I know the words and phrases from it".

[BlackFlyme]

Except for weed guy. Weed guy wants houses made of the stuff. Says hemp rope would make better roads than concrete.

I wish I was joking.

[Rolan7]

I'm kinda surprised "Make 2-3 posts" is still a thing, but maybe it often works.  I mean...  Having someone reply to your post, with a slightly wrong opinion?  Surely some part of you wants to reply...  And for once, it's actually constructive, in that you'll please the teacher and get a higher participation score (or whatever other arbitrary part of the grade, by playing along with the lesson plan).

Oh and I guess you might learn something, too.  That possibility is largely understated due to cynicism

In the very few online classes I was fortunate enough to take (being 30), I was happy to try and spark discussion in my fellow classmates.  And then, as now, I was wickedly good at it (;

[martinuzz]

Except for weed guy. Weed guy wants houses made of the stuff. Says hemp rope would make better roads than concrete.

I wish I was joking.

He's probably right, with concrete being one of the worst things to build roads out of. The cracks. The wear.
WHich is why most roads aren't made of concrete, but of asphalt (which is mostly recycled car tires). Adding hemp fibres to the asphalt might actually strenghten it.

[Silverthrone]

On the subject of downstairs barberwork. It is a trend that does disconcert me, somewhat. The end result looks quite odd. It is a feature all adults have, and its absence is rather glaring and seems strange to me, and I do not like it. That is not to say that housekeeping is not in order, by all means, that is simply orderly. It is those occasions where it is gone entirely that discomforts me. I would not be happy if it did become the norm.

_{Perhaps it is me being repressed... No. The public is wrong.}

Ah. Yeah, it's a pseudo-forum hosted online by the school. I wouldn't count those as proper forums, as they will eventually be completely erased, and hold no anonymity.

People aren't responding though. There's more than a dozen threads with no replies whatsoever, and people are either off-topic or extremist. Or nonsensical.

I remember a few old and ill-fated experiguments with those sort of pseudo-online school networks. The teachers could not log in to do their work and us wild, savage pupils defiled it within weeks. They thought screen-savers and desktop backgrounds served hot from the freshly started shocker image sites were a disaster, but that was in a league of its own.

I took to the challenge. My little page was so long, confused and stuffed full with lumber that it started crashing browsers. Somehow.

[BlackFlyme]

Except for weed guy. Weed guy wants houses made of the stuff. Says hemp rope would make better roads than concrete.

I wish I was joking.

He's probably right, with concrete being one of the worst things to build roads out of. The cracks. The wear.
WHich is why most roads aren't made of concrete, but of asphalt (which is mostly recycled car tires). Adding hemp fibres to the asphalt might actually strenghten it.

Maybe. There was also the idea to burn it as a replacement for coal and firewood. Also probably a decent idea, what with bio-fuels. Likely not in his line of thinking though.

It's just annoying because we are supposed to respond in the teacher's specific debate threads, and not go off creating our own.

[overseer05-15]

Except for weed guy. Weed guy wants houses made of the stuff. Says hemp rope would make better roads than concrete.

I wish I was joking.

He's probably right, with concrete being one of the worst things to build roads out of. The cracks. The wear.
WHich is why most roads aren't made of concrete, but of asphalt (which is mostly recycled car tires). Adding hemp fibres to the asphalt might actually strenghten it.

Maybe. There was also the idea to burn it as a replacement for coal and firewood. Also probably a decent idea, what with bio-fuels. Likely not in his line of thinking though.

It's just annoying because we are supposed to respond in the teacher's specific debate threads, and not go off creating our own.

But where's the fun in that?

[Emma]

People who put a rubbish bin onto your bed because you moved it closer to their side of the room after you woke up one too many times with rotting food on your bed because they were too lazy to move and put their banana peels into the bin itself are incredibly, awesomely stupid.

[Edmus]

A quick tangent on concrete roadways: my brother is doing engineering and has done placement on a council repairing roads, he's told me a good concrete highway is better than asphalt, which can't handle the heavy trucks on it in too great a volume (especially when they turn). Asphalt roads are cheaper but still effective for anything that isn't a massive highway or in a cold climate where it's more likely to crack. Asphalt also doesn't last for as long(though should be cheaper to repair).
Another weird thing is that a lot of roads don't use asphalt because it is expensive so they use spray seal, bitumen, and aggregate.
Just gotta defend concrete here.

[martinuzz]

People who put a rubbish bin onto your bed because you moved it closer to their side of the room after you woke up one too many times with rotting food on your bed because they were too lazy to move and put their banana peels into the bin itself are incredibly, awesomely stupid.

The only sane thing to do at times like those is acknowledge their incredible stupidity with maniacal laughter, while emptying the rubbish bin over their heads. Bonus points if you get it on livestream.

If that's not possible, just rest easy with the thought that you're not as stupid as them.

[Lord Shonus]

A quick tangent on concrete roadways: my brother is doing engineering and has done placement on a council repairing roads, he's told me a good concrete highway is better than asphalt, which can't handle the heavy trucks on it in too great a volume (especially when they turn). Asphalt roads are cheaper but still effective for anything that isn't a massive highway or in a cold climate where it's more likely to crack. Asphalt also doesn't last for as long(though should be cheaper to repair).
Another weird thing is that a lot of roads don't use asphalt because it is expensive so they use spray seal, bitumen, and aggregate.
Just gotta defend concrete here.

If you're willing to put up with a relatively low load limit, the best road surface is brick.

[Ehndras]

Woke up to find out someone hit my car last night, utterly obliterating the driver-side mirror, scratching my brand new paint job, and now I can't really drive anywhere - much less down south to get that job I've been desperately needing.

Thank you, random asshole, because of you I may be homeless soon - and in the short term, PISSED!!!!!!

I WILL FIND YOU, MOTHERF******

[TheDarkStar]

Worst case, you can still drive and get that fixed somewhere. Or just drive in slightly less busy places so you don't get pulled over.

[Ehndras]

Nope. I have like 20 bucks to my name and am only working a crappy part time call-in job. I'm going to have to duct-tape it and hope it sticks. With the coming snow... Argh.

Also, I live in the heart of Newark, NJ, an extremely busy and congested city. I'm fawked.

[Solifuge]

Something like that happened to me. You can generally attach it with tape short term. Once you have a few more dollars, and if your car isn't a brand new model, you can find new mirrors at any junkyard, and reinstall them yourself. Look up the steps online for your car model, or pester a car savvy friend.

But... if your livelyhood and well-being is so fragile right now... consider ways to get into a better spot ASAP. That's no way to live. Been in similar spots, like I said, and know all about pinching pennies, making necessary compromises, and that kind of survival stuff. Your day to day basic level security is important. You can do it.