L@zzerot, Sunset Saboteur

Iqaluit, Nunavut, 2016

you are not out of paper

you have so much paper

it’s okay to function as intended

you are not out of ink

i just refilled that cartridge last month

you can connect to that computer you’re supposed to connect to

For the record my best estimate is that somewhere between 70% and 90% of all violent crime is "deterrable" by making consequences for that crime all but guaranteed, but that is a rough estimate, and you shouldn't take it as an assumption of the question as posed.

Imagine that this surveillance system really does eliminate all or virtually all violent crime that occurs in public where the offender can be deterred--it may not stop drunk guys starting fights or random terrorism, since the perpetrators of those crimes generally don't have consequences in view, but it will guarantee that they are caught if they try to flee. I am interested primarily about your intuitions on surveillance of public places and not second-order criminal justice issues like sentencing or prison reform, so if you like imagine that this system exists alongside a criminal justice system that is significantly better than the existing one in every respect, and the surveillance system is operated by a government you find on balance more trustworthy than untrustworthy.

Feel free to elaborate your thinking in the notes.

It’s only fitting that I would talk about my achievements of the year under this picture. 2025 was the year when I finally stopped waiting for life to begin and started living.

I moved out of the village, which I wanted to escape since birth, probably.

Traveled abroad for the first time.

Found a way to monetize my 3d skills.

Met my partner.

Helped save a kitten from my ex-neighbors (Very proud of this one).

Made my inner audiophile child happy by buying a sufficient quality headphones.

Didn’t die from a rocket or a drone, yayy.

This has definitely been made before but idc

And at the same time ...

From the perspectives of affect theory (e.g. Doty), star apparatus theory (e.g. Dyer), indexicality, etc., etc. the fact that Shatner had romantic feelings for Nimoy, and the fact that these feelings came across on screen, strongly informs and supports a queer viewing of Star Trek.

But because Shatner seemed genuinely sad when he spoke about these feelings and lack of societal acceptance decades ago, and because he hasn't brought them up since then, it kinda feels like an invasion of his privacy to do a deep dive into the implications of these feelings while Shatner is still alive. (You know, like, just because he said some stuff 40 years ago doesn't mean he wants that to be circulating now.)