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Kobayashi Maru

Entertainment Weekly said the Kobayashi Maru test is one of the top ten elements of Star Trek with which non-fans are likely to be familiar;

is this true? what do the non-fans say?

i heard a senior managing director very causally make a reference to it a work on a trading floor once right before the credit crisis. she was probably a ST fan though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobayashi_Maru

The Kobayashi Maru is a training exercise in the Star Trek franchise designed to test the character of Starfleet Academy cadets by placing them in a no-win scenario. The Kobayashi Maru test was first depicted in the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and it has since been referred to and depicted in numerous other Star Trek media.

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I’ve certainly heard of it, and likely not from the movie, but I’m also a fan of the franchise.

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I’m a non-fan and had no clue.

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Never heard of it.

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It's a bit oblique of a reference - not something I would expect non-fans to know. You'd have to remember a very specific scene that not a central part of the plot and is only there to illustrate Kirk's "I'm built different" renegade attitude.

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No, no, no.

Kirk makes a reference and Spock makes his own reference in Wrath of Khan.

SPOCK: What do you think of my solution?

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i agree , i was surprised that someone seemed to think it would somewhat common knowledge ..

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I didn't remember it in the original Wrath of Khan, but I do remember it in the reboot.

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The leaches that went in Chekhov and Paul Winfield’s ears still give me nightmares…ugh.

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Ketchup - There was once a time in my life that I hated ketchup, but now I'm at the point where I acknowledge and enjoy its taste, even if just for the nostalgia.

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Compare and contrast UC Berkeley vs. Auburn University through comparative figures:

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Chick-fil-As: 0 vs. 5

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Heisman winners: 0 vs. 3

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Number of AVN top porn actress of the year: zero vs. 1

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National championships in football: 5 vs. 5

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Team national championships: 110 vs. 70

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Number of Nobel prize winners: 110 vs. zero

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US Marshalls caught caught a fugitive in Costa Rica by putting out an ad for a yoga instructor at various hostels. The suspect allegedly murdered someone, fled to Costa Rican expat communities, assumed a new identity, and got plastic surgery to change her appearance.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/killer-lured-arrest-phony-yoga-employment-ad-placed-authorities-rcna136182

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In my travels, I have absolutely met people that I had no doubt that they were fugitives. Tourists are easy to spot because they live large for a few days. Expats are easy to spot because they want to live there for the experience and are comfortable being there. But I have met people who clearly don't want to be there, are doing jobs where you can get around local employment regulations, don't speak the local language, and are evasive when talking. The last time was a guy who gave off major red flag vibes last April.

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[NSFW topic] The most Australian thing you'll read today - it's about a farrier from Humpty Doo who plead guilty to the magistrate after he showed his whopper at Hungry Jack's

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/darwin-australia-man-escapes-jail-for-exposing-his-penis-at-hungry-jacks-after-super-viagra-orgy/3SJODTXZQFDKTMH6J24CH3FEEI/

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Hmm, looks like it’s just standard otc supplements? https://passionx.ai/products/pit-bull-super-lasts-for-days

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unlucky, this has happened to me at least 3 times and I've never been arrested

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Name a town that changes name once you cross a state line, but is clearly part of the same city.

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Does Calexico-Mexicali count. Even diff countries!

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This one might be a stretch, but what the hell: South Lake Tahoe, CA/Stateline, NV.

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That's a good one.

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I guess I never realized Stateline is the official name of the Nv side.

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I know of two cross-state towns, which have the same name on both sides of the border. Texarkana (Texas and Arkansas) and Bristol (Tennessee and Virginia) come to mind. I would imagine that there are other similar cases.

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Kansas City is similar

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Yes, it is.

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??? I don't understand the question. How could the same city exist in two different states but have different names? Isn't that not possible by definition?

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Take Washington DC for example. No offense to Arlington as a city - but it's just Washington DC spilling over into Virginia. Heck, even the roads are all spokes and wheels to/from/around Washington.

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Arlington is technically just a county, not a city.

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Then I would say most major cities along the state border have cities on the other side of the river that make up the same metro area. I don't know the names of the counterparts but cities like Cincinnati, Memphis, St. Louis, Omaha, Louisville

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Well, Arlington was part of Washington DC for a time.

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Light beer

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Modelo Especial. Unbelievable it wasn't in the poll!

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on a hot day, this is the best one

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It’s my “MLS in person in the mid summer” choice for a reason.

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i didnt realize Especial was a light beer. i do like Modelo in general

the only time i really drink light beers is at baseball games and tailgates where choices are limited.

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And United Clubs that only offer domestic beer and house wines as complimentary. Any of the good beers cost money. Now the Polaris Lounge at SFO carried Russian River for free that was great.

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You know what, I didn't fully research the spectrum of alcohol content in light beers, so specific beer brand are wrongly reported.

https://www.findmeabrewery.com/beer-alcohol-content/

But for argument's sake, the categories should still be self-evident

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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Alina Habba filed a court document citing conflict of interest since she learned that Judge Kaplan and prosecutor Kaplan (no relation) worked at the same lawfirm together in an attempt to have the case thrown out.

Lawyer Kaplan then filed her own letter to the court documenting that, while they technically worked at the same lawfirm together for two years three decades ago, they didn't really know each other or overlap on any matters. To paraphrase even further, Habba learned of overlap after the case was done despite it being a public information and so tough titty for not doing your homework before like a good lawyer would do. Lawyer Kaplan then finishes the letter with a threat of Federal Rule Civil Procedure 11 - which is essentially sanctioning Habba for filing frivolous yet damaging accusations.

https://www.salon.com/2024/01/30/e-jean-carrolls-lawyer-threatens-to-seek-sanctions-over-alina-habbas-utterly-baseless-claim/

A few hours later, Habba rescinds her letter to the Court.

https://newrepublic.com/post/178569/alina-habba-ditches-bizarre-attempt-toss-e-jean-carroll-trial

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House GOP put forward articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for markup. The articles seems doomed for failure, but culture warriors gonna do what they gonna do.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4436304-gops-mayorkas-impeachment-articles-come-under-microscope/

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Trump courted the auto worker unions for support. The UAW ended up endorsing Biden, so Trump called the UAW leader a dope, and has a meeting with the Teamsters next week.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/29/trump-uaw-president-dope-biden-00138310

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Next week's headline: "Teamsters endorsing Biden"

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Nikki Haley swatted twice in the last 3 days

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/29/nikki-haley-swatted-republicans

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Wanna hear/see what a guy on uppers is like?

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1752155731770360214

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DBD AV CLUB

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The Brothers Sun (Netflix). 15/19

It started off strong and intriguing, then I thought got a little muddled in the middle, but then the last few episodes finished up, strong with various twists and turns.

A quirky comedy, kung fu series about Taiwanese triad families partially in LA

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Dinner Time with David Chang (Netflix, pilot, 5/19 WNB). In the very beginning, David Chang gets on an explains the premise of the show - which is to do a LIVE show with no editing so you can see all the prep and cooking steps with all the stress, activity, and mistakes that comes with it, but also chat with guests to add some color.

There is a jump cut to the studio with Dave Chang, Rashida Jones, and Stephen Yuen and he proceeds to NOT do what he just said he was going to do. They immediately start digging into some premade stew. He then explains that everything is set up like a commercial restaurant - where he doesn't do any of the prep work, but only does the finishing steps that should be done fresh just before service, just like a restaurant. He then proceeds to show that he can't talk and cook at the same time (I can't either) and fucks up nearly everything. Producers start pulling out emergency back-up in case he makes a mistake. And then you can see producers pivot on the fly - switching so that the guests are given the questions so that David can concentrate on cooking, which he does but doesn't talk or describe his cooking because his guests are talking. It ends up being like "The View" talk show, except the topics aren't that interesting and the hosts aren't willing leaders. I loved Chang's Ugly Delicious, which was poignant and touching. His other stuff is absolute garbage and this is included. I don't fault the guy for trying to make money, but he kinda sucks as a host.

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The Farewell (15/19 WB Netflix). An understated drama of a young lady (Awkafina) who goes to say goodbye to her terminally ill grandmother who doesn't know she is dying and everybody wants to hide that news. It's not a great story perse, but it's a relatively fresh exploration of Asian identity and values that will resonate - some with empathy, some by sympathy. It's bittersweet. I think people's enjoyment of the film will very much depend upon whether their family experience overlaps with the story line.

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This was such a great movie. I was cutting lots of onions during the movie.

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saw that in the theater a couple of years ago. Is pretty good

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PRO

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A good spot for him, and as with Justin Wilcox, likely his ceiling as a football coach…

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The mystery behind the reported Super Bowl ring allegedly gifted to actress Teri Hatcher

https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/49ers-super-bowl-ring-teri-hatcher-18628289.php

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Racehorse disqualified for meth. They got suspicious after he won and after he rearranged all the straw in his paddock by size and color.

https://fox8.com/news/local-race-horse-tested-positive-for-meth-activists-want-trainers-license-revoked/

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I don't know why, but this made me giggle.

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Rockets beat the Lakers 135-119 in a dirty game, with events surrounding Dillon Brooks

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39419716/lakers-defend-jarred-vanderbilt-run-dillon-brooks

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Lakers aren’t as tough when they don’t get 30 more FT attempts than their opponent despite being last in the league in drives to the hoop.

#Flop

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ICYMI: Zay Flowers' cautionary tale: gets a timely big pass, gets penalized for taunting his defender Sneed, and then gets stripped at the goalline four plays later by Sneed which helped lose the game in front of the home crowd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZd16H637lk

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On the back of the Russian Olympic ice skater Kamila Valieva's doping ruling, the International Skating Union (ISU) ruled that she - and not the team - were disqualified. The Russians win bronze instead of gold and Valieva will be the favorite going into the next winter Olympics. The Russians clearly have gotten away with a slap on the wrist despite what appears to be state sponsored doping program. Also, today I learned that the IOC doesn't rule on skating; they rely on an international sports body unrelated to the Olympics.

https://www.isu.org/isu-news/news/145-news/14898-isu-statement-decision-of-cas-kamila-valieva-roc2?templateParam=15

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CAL

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Go Bears!!!

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ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE

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[ESPN] Hugh Freeze stays on brand by hiring controversial DC DJ Durkin. Durkin was dismissed as coach at Maryland after he let a 19 year old student-athlete die of heat stroke. Freeze was linked to calling escort service from his school-issued mobile phone. Durkin coached at Stanfurd for two years. Actually, his whole career is him lasting two years at most jobs. I look forward to Cal beating Auburn and this band of villains.

https://twitter.com/ClowESPN/status/1752167410746945736

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Who else should Auburn hire to stay on brand?

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Pierre Ingram

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Bobby Petrino

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who was on Jimbo Fisher's staff last season with...DJ Durkin

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