How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
If you have anger issues, this one is a great tool (h/t mindyourbusiness.
We don”t know much about Rufus’s life, he was born between 20-30 AD. By the rein of Nero he was a leading Stoic teacher. He was banished twice under different Emperors. His most famous student was Epictetus and like him Rufus did not write any of his own lessons. The lessons and fragments that remain were written by his students. We do not now when he died, but in 101 AD Pliny mention him as deceased.
Disclaimer: I’m not your Supervisor. These are my opinions after reading through these books a few times.
Discourse 1: That there is no need of giving many proofs for one problem.
This is turning into an open post because my computer is acting up. It is a Windows 10 machine and no matter which browser I pick （Fire fox, Chrome, or Edge）there are 13 processes next to it in the task manager and the memory shoots up to over 50%.
This causes the typing to double or triple letters and freeze. After fighting it for almost 2 hours, I surrender. This little bit took 20 minutes and my Stoicism has been measured, weighed, and found wanting.
Is there a fix for this?
“We don”t know much about Rufus’s life, he was born between 20-30 AD.” So he wasn’t really working, yeah? Okay.
“By the rein of Nero he was a leading Stoic teacher. ” Fuck. I take that back.
“He was banished twice under different Emperors.” Maybe cuz he WASN’T working! aHA!
Yesterday was my interstate trade VisionQuest Vacation Drive to Michigan was delightful, and I just have my W-4 to fill out before work begins on Monday. Massive gear shift, as I’ve mentioned here. I’m quite delighted and it won’t hit home til first paycheck.
Semi-standard disclaimer: I think being *too* stoic is an issue I struggle with.
(Socially. MN Munchkin takes it the opposite direction and never fails to speak her mind, to the point of being in the ‘If its assholes everywhere you go, maybe *you* are the asshole’ territory.)
https://www.linuxmint.com/
Agreed. switch to Linux and dump 10.
The only issue you may have is if you are using a laptop – the backlight controls can get jacked up. Otherwise there is no downside, only upside.
Ubuntu is also good and comes with all the Libreoffice software too.
Ubuntu has a terrible UI/UX which made me abandon it for desktop Linux, only running it for headless servers.
The huge number of processes in Explorer and the ridiculous memory utilization is fairly normal behavior for Windows and may or may not be responsible for the lag on the user interface.
The long-term solution is Windows out, OSX or Linux in. I know it would be a pain in the ass, but every version of Windows since NT4.0 has been progressively worse and I see no signs of this changing…
They all have trade-offs. I currently use macOS since my last Windows machine bricked itself but I never really had the massive problems with Windows 11 that everyone else seems to have. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I played with Linux several times over the years… no thanks.
Honestly neither have I (on two separate boxes), but I’ve seen plenty of other people who do have those massive problems, and it’s often for no discernible reason.
Same here. 11 seems stable enough its just intrusive with bloat you have to disable and clean out…which…isnt always easy
I determined that the bloat was the entire Operating System.
I do not run 11 on any of my machines.
I think the reason I’ve never had any problems is I don’t *do* anything with my computer. Email and docs, read, type, YouTube etc vids. I don’t even game!
My computers have all died, almost assuredly, from 4chan /gif I’ve downloaded. (It was worth it.)
Windows 11 is also good, if your computer can support it. Otherwise it will be equally slow. My assumption is this is a very old pc.
What is your total RAM?
CPU temp?
That is where I’d start. Every browser runs processes in parallel nowadays.
There was a tutorial scene in Office Space that probably works as well on computers as it does printers.
lol
Malware?
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2026/07/10/dhs-we-deported-child-molestor-walz-tried-to-keep-in-us-n3816810
That illegal-alien, Laotian, child molester that Minnesoda King Walz and Brother Keith pardoned last week? He got deported.
He should have been flayed and the remains strung up on Walz’s fence.
“Ten year olds, dude.”
When you have enough money that you can ‘flee’ Laos, and you can’t spend your money in SE Asia doing whatever kink you’re into? Uh. Hrm. You’re into some fucked up shit. If ‘they’ won’t put up with you and your $? Huh!
That story is so bad, it feels like there’s some piece of information I’m missing. Did they really pardon him just to stick it to Trump?
I’m on Win10 Pro and don’t intend to change until forced, at which point, I will finally build that Linux box I’ve been saying I’m going to build since 1999.
I can’t speak to usage, but I CAN tell you that each process is an open tab.
That said, I use LibreWolf because reasons. I don’t have Firefox, although LibreWolf is built on Firefox. I disabled Edge in services. I completely uninstalled Chrome. I have Tor and use it occasionally, but obviously that’s a portable.
Anyhoo, I’m in the process of de-googling because they are just beyond evil to Satanic. See: https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/s/QTHzh0iz6o and https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/s/7LpRm0BNIo
Well, I’m off with the near-6 and 11yo nephews. Going to Conner Prairie, where Mom sometimes works. Hopefully, we can get the boys up in the hot air balloon, which is often grounded. Printed out my docs I need for work to start on Monday. Going into my last weekend before that all begins.
The 11yo is very timid, often mute and not ready for middle school if this keeps up. Go up and look at him, say hello and he’ll not respond. We try to get him out of his bubble, but Dad pushes way too hard and my bro+SiL are WAY too accommodating for their special snowflake. He has gotten lots better. One interesting bit: He’s by FAR the most verbal and outgoing with the 5yo. He’s remarkably maternal. Quite, quite interesting.
Hope early concerns of y’all have been allayed to some extent, at least.
Is there a fix for this?
Close all tabs, or kill processes other than the primary browser process (linux, usually the lowest numbered browser process, don’t know in windows).
In chrome, enable “memory saver” under Setting->Performance – that should “background” idle tabs, freeing their memory.
Similarly in Edge, enable sleeping tabs.
Firefox: “about:config”, look for “browser.tabs.unloadOnLowMemory” – this should (I think) default to ‘true’, but verify that it is.
I believe Chrome and Edge also have ‘internal task managers” that you can access via Shift+Esc to see what browser element/tab is being the hog.
Disable extensions 1-by-1 and see if it’s some extension going off the rails.
I’d join the “Linux” chorus, but browsers have a mind of their own sometimes and the underlying OS might not be at fault (though the fact that is happens on all browsers… you probably don’t have the same tabs open nor same extensions across them all). So maybe Sean’s “Malware?” might be something to look at. I don’t know of any particular malware that will hook into an *arbitrary* browser process and do bad things though.
I know Firefox has one – Tools – Browser tools – Task Manager (or Shift-Esc)
If you were First, you’d be First.
More disruption
China on Friday said it is temporarily blocking the export of helium, a key element for chipmaking, as the Iran war’s escalation adds to global supply disruptions.
China’s commerce ministry and its customs agency said in a brief statement that they are imposing a temporary export ban on helium, effective immediately, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Foreign Trade Law of the People’s Republic of China.
They did not elaborate further on the reasons.
Helium is crucial for semiconductor manufacturing, and is also used in the medical sector such as in the cooling of MRI machines. Since the Iran war began in late February, global helium supply has been disrupted and prices have gone up substantially.
They need it for their weather balloons.
Helium tends to be a byproduct of hydrocarbon extraction.
We’ve long been a major producer.
Why does China have any? where are they extracting from?
*it’s trapped in the same strata as the petroleum. It’s still noble atoms unattached to the other materials.
According to Wikipedia China is the worlds 6th largest oil producer.
They just have to import so much it doesn’t feel right.
Has anyone seen the meme or infographic leftists like to post of some site that claims to be tracking MAGA crimes against children? It’s a bunch of mug shots of random white dudes that they claim to know the politics of with a certainty. They may or may not have been arrested for crimes against children. It’s such obvious propaganda.
Not once have I seen anyone on the left question it. They’re certain it’s true each and every time I stumble across it and it’s their go to response when someone talks about a deviant on the left.
And I said last week that the lefties LOVE when they get to castrate one of their own for rape (unless they are told to let it slide by their handlers). Why? The moral preening they can engage it. Yea it was someone they agreed with who claimed to be about the exact opposite of what they claimed, but it proves their own moral superiority and principles because they threw the fucker off the sinking ship of progressivism. They wait a few days and find any conservative figure that may have even an inkling of such an accusation to bust out the “we cast aside our sexual predators while you guys worship them” meme. Each and every time.
Going into left wing spaces qualifies me as being an anthropologist specializing in Derp.
Numbers game
In total, the report calculates that nearly half a million jobs have been lost as a result, including 343,000 permanent roles and 125,000 construction jobs. More than $68 billion has been lost in private capital investments during construction phases. And $91 billion has been lost in GDP growth from canceled construction work, along with another $55 billion in annual GDP growth from ongoing operations. Local and state governments, along with the federal government, have foregone $20 billion in tax revenues from construction, and another $13 billion in annual tax revenues. And $31 billion has been lost in annual wages from permanent jobs.
I remember when people looked at “projected manufacturing jobs created” skeptically.
I guess it depends on whose numbers you’re looking at.
“These numbers we’ve rectally sourced of course do not include jobs created in other fields from cheaper energy and lower regulatory burdens”
I mean the second point is true. It’s also true that any jobs created by future “green” projects are just projections in most cases.
But at the end of the day they might as well just argue that we should pay people living wages to dig ditches. There’s no argument that these projects were even remotely economically viable. Hence why they involved government in the first place.
Reason (or Robby backed by his Asian lady-boy wife) is running with the conspiracy that the GOP is hiding Mitch McConnell’s poor health. Why? To stop Thomas Massie from running to take his seat. You know, the guy who just got curb stomped in the primary.
Yea, I’m sure the GOP is terrified of that one right now.
So stupid.
The reason they are covering up his health is obvious once you recognize that the Governor of Kentucky is a Democrat who will appoint a Democrat to McConnell’s seat if it becomes vacant.
Negative. Kentucky changed the law and a special election is required. State legislature stripped that from the Governor back in 2024.
Occam’s Razor tells me that the GOP is hiding Mitch’s poor health because that’s what the Party does, on both sides of the aisle.
Back in the old days, politicians used to retire. Now they need to be carted out the door.
How is it that news can claim ‘making history’ for China catching a first stage…when two US companies have done it now for over a decade.
I did a quick Google to see what you were referring to. First article I read noted it was a step for China, but that SpaceX had accomplished it years ago.
I did see a Chinese news source saying it was a first (at least in the title of the video), but it’s commie propaganda. CNN even said that it was a step for China, but noted that they’re still behind the United States.
Did see a misleading CNBC affiliate kind of echoing the Chinese propaganda. So my guess is that the claim is more ignorance on the part of the people saying it than outright mendacity.
My first question here is actually whether China did this on their own, or whether they didn’t just engage in espionage. Because that is more their specialty frankly.
My first question is whether we have any independent verification besides the Chinese that it happened.
Chinese State video of course….
It looks real, bit they used a net system I believe and yes, there is questions regarding espionage.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/10/china/china-reusable-rockets-test-breakthrough-intl-hnk
That drone ship (if a drone ship) is over engineered and that stage is lucky to have made it back.
Doubt they will be reusing it.
News lies – constantly.
It’s like a foreign language spoken here.
I not only don’t understand any of it I’ve forgotten the little I knew about different things.
I used to make videos, DVDs of our fishing/hunting, etc, and give them to the other participants. I would make them for Mrs F of her annual trips abroad, she would share with her family. I haven’t made one in over 5 years and have forgotten every thing. It’s OK though, most of the other guys are gone now and there’s no new pictures anyway.
Memory is a helluva thing to lose.
Here I am not even knowing what a “task manager” is.
I’m probably better off.
Hope you are feeling better, ron. Best wishes.
Occam’s Razor tells me that the GOP is hiding Mitch’s poor health because that’s what the Party does, on both sides of the aisle.
Seniority uber alles.
Shadowy nefarious “businessmen”
Business records show that Freedom Fuel Network LLC was incorporated in Delaware on June 23, just a week before Trump promoted it on his Truth Social account. The White House declined to name who was behind the network, only disclosing that it is a “private company” and that the administration had no involvement in its formation or in recruiting stations to join.
“There is no entity or person subsidizing the lower gasoline costs,” a White House official, granted anonymity to detail the initiative, said in a statement. “They are simply reducing their margin to make prices at the pump more affordable for drivers in Philadelphia and New Jersey.”
Trump is up to no good, as usual.
If anybody tries to sell cheap gas in California they’ll probably wind up in the slammer.