"Show Me."

What Texting Does to the Spine - The Atlantic: "Sixty pounds is roughly the weight of four adult-sized bowling balls. Or six plastic grocery bags worth of food. Or an 8-year-old. It is also, according to a new calculation published in the journal Surgical Technology International, the amount of force exerted on the head of an adult human who is looking down at her phone...

According to Nielsen, Americans spend about an hour on their smartphones each day. Unless you train yourself to stare straight ahead into your iPhone screen, you could be continually stressing your spine. "These stresses," Hansraj writes, "may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration, and possibly surgeries." Of course, physical therapists have been howling about the scourge of "Text Neck" for years. But it's certainly eyebrow-raising to learn that looking at Twitter in the supermarket checkout line is the equivalent of giving an aardvark a piggy-back ride."

R2 gets it. 

A Letter to My Future Wif—, Er, Girlfrie—, Er, Fuckbuddy: "...we’re not calling you creepy because you wrote a letter to your future husband. We’re calling you creepy because that letter is filled with remarks like this: Or after berating you for years to get rid of your favorite ratty t-shirt I’ll steal it from where you finally relented and threw it in the trash so I can have it framed for above your desk or made into a pillow for our bed. What’s more, you apparently think this makes you cute and/or endearing, instead of sending men screaming for the nearest exit. You could have just saved some time and copypasted “I’m a stalker with borderline personality disorder” a few dozen times and it would have had the same effect...  If I need to explain why prioritizing anything over the actual people in your life is wrong...

On the plus side, if you ask me I what I think of what you’re wearing, I’ll always give you an honest answer..."

The country really has progressed to nuttily-insane political caricatures in my lifetime.  This was the height of conservative-ness 30 years ago.  In Texas.  It's almost as if the politicians and media know that polarizing the citizenry over what's essentially meaningless will keep them all distracted and keep the coffers flowing.  Nah, that can't be it.  Friday A/V Club: Ronald Reagan Says 'Open the Border Both Ways' - Hit & Run : Reason.com: "AUDIENCE QUESTION: Do you think the children of illegal aliens should be allowed to attend Texas public schools free, or do you think that their parents should pay for their education? [...] BUSH: Look, I'd like to see something done about the illegal alien problem that would be so sensitive and so understanding about labor needs and human needs that that problem wouldn't come up. But today, if those people are here, I would reluctantly say I think they would get whatever it is [that] society is giving to their neighbors. But it has— the problem has to be solved. The problem has to be solved. Because as we have kind of made illegal some kinds of labor that I'd like to see legal, we're doing two things, we're creating a whole society of really honorable, decent, family-loving people that are in violation of the law, and secondly we’re exacerbating relations with Mexico. The answer to your question is much more fundamental than whether they attend Houston schools, it seems to me. If they're living here, I don't want to see...six- and eight-year-old kids being made, one, totally uneducated, and made to feel like they're living outside the law. Let's address ourselves ot the fundamentals. These are good people, strong people. Part of my family is Mexican.

REAGAN: Could I add to that? I think the time has come that the United States, and our neighbors, particularly our neighbor to the south, should have a better understanding and a better relationship than we've ever had. And I think that we haven't been sensitive enough to our size and our power. They have a problem of 40 to 50 percent unemployment. Now this cannot continue without the possibility arising—with regard to that other country that we talked about, of Cuba and what it is stirring up—of the possibility of trouble below the border. And we could have a very hostile and strange neighbor on our border. Rather than talking about putting up a fence, why don't we work out some recognition of our mutual problems? Make it possible for them to come here legally with a work permit, and then, while they're working and earning here, they'd pay taxes here. And when they want to go back, they can go back. They can cross. Open the borders both ways."

» Kill Uncomfortable Whitey - Unleash The Beef: "“…but I gotta tell you man, I felt uncomfortable as a white guy to see you even print the n-word, nevermind post a video of someone saying it…” And I gotta tell you, man, how uncomfortable I feel as a human being knowing that: a) Words typed by people that have no association with you can make you uncomfortable b) You would express this to another person as though there exists some chance that person would give a fuck c) You don’t feel uncomfortable actually using phrases like “n-word” and “I felt uncomfortable.” You’re an adult male. Finding a grizzly bear in your home should make you uncomfortable – not words on the internet...

"N-word" is the most patronizing term in the entirety of the English tardicon. While I normally rail against the childish stupidity of anyone offended by words, the inherent stupidity of “n-word” is so inhumanely stupid as to be legitimately offensive. Saying “n-word” is like spelling in front of your kid so he doesn’t know what you’re saying – “Honey, don’t go p-o-t-t-y quite yet, I want you to s-h-i-t on my c-h-e-s-t tonight” – only your kid is 30 years old and a former Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. Why is he rolling his eyes? Because he hates you. Because he’s smarter than you. Because he resents having been treated like his intellect is on par with that of Mr. Potato Head for the past 30 years. Because you say things like “n-word.” Say the fucking words! There is no discussion regarding usage, context, intent, or interpretation."

This is awesome.  The Last Starfighter Re-Cut Into A Modern Trailer Is Totally Badass: "What if The Last Starfighter came out today? Well the trailer would probably recut from its awesome '80s glory into this re-cut badassery. Watch a trailer for The Last Starfighter, retooled for modern times."

Vulnerability |: "In an era when men are raised from birth to be “in touch with their feminine sides”, and in touch with their emotions, we get generations of men trying to ‘out-emote’ each other as a mating strategy... What they don’t understand is that the voluntary exposing of ones most vulnerable elements isn’t the sign of strength...  A reflexive exposing of vulnerability is an act of submission, surrender and a capitulation to an evident superior. Dogs will roll over almost immediately when they acknowledge the superior status of another dog. Vulnerability is not something to be brandished or proud of. While I do believe the insight and acknowledgement of your personal vulnerabilities is a necessary part of understanding oneself (particularly when it comes to unplugging oneself), it is not the source of attraction...

From the comfort of the internet and polite company women will consider the ‘sounds-right’ appeal of male vulnerability with regard to what they’re supposed to be attracted to, but on an instinctual, subconscious level, women make a connection with the weakness that vulnerability represents...

To explain this second problem it’s important to grasp how men are expected to define their own masculine identities within a social order...  For the greater part of men’s upbringing and socialization they are taught that a conventional masculine identity is in fact a fundamentally male weakness that only women have a unique ‘cure’ for. 

...over the past 60 or so years, conventional masculinity has become a point of ridicule, an anachronism, and every media form from then to now has made a concerted effort to parody and disqualify that masculinity. Men are portrayed as buffoons for attempting to accomplish female-specific roles, but also as “ridiculous men” for playing the conventional ‘macho’ role of masculinity. In both instances, the problems their inadequate maleness creates are only solved by the application of uniquely female talents and intuition...

At some point in any long term relationship you will show your vulnerable side, and there’s nothing wrong with that. What’s wrong is the overt attempt to parlay that vulnerability into a strength or virtue that you expect that woman to appreciate, feel endearment over or reciprocate with displays of her own vulnerability for."

#It'sAllConnected. 

  

#Winning.