The Musings Of The Consensus

 Now, I reviewed two weapons prior that were pretty terrible, the Chauchat and the Type 94 pistol. Both of these weapons had so many flaws I was forced to give them bad reviews. The Type 100 SMG of Japanese WW2 fame was far from the best gun deployed, but on the whole, it was quite good for what it was made for and the limitations its sponsor nation had. First, a little background. Japan was oddly late to the idea of incorporating SMGs into their arsenal during World War II. Despite having battlefields ideal for their deployment and being well suited for the mission they needed them for, they showed oddly little interest until very late into the war, and they never deployed the gun in question in very large numbers even after they proved their worth, likely due to shortage of materials over any other reason. Like many Japanese weapons of the period, it is a product of Kirijo Nambu, who made and/or refined practically every weapon the Japanese would carry as small arms. While some o...

 This month, I chose to go outside my usual selections for cheese and get some things outside my palate, just for variety. To that end, I got three cheeses, all of wildly different flavor profiles, and below are my reviews of them all Jarlsberg Jarlsberg is Norwegian cheese, trademarked in 1972. It's a Swiss-type cheese made from cow's milk. Its origins date back to the 1850's. It has "gas holes", the traditional eyes of Swiss-type cheeses due to propionic bacteria, a harmless bacterium used to culture the cheese, and causes the eyes due to the buildup of CO2. According to Murray's, it was sold as a mild, even mild fruity cheese, and in my and mother's taste testing, this is generally true, being very gentle and even slightly sweet for a Swiss-style cheese. It's a cheese I would easily recommend as a snack and cooking cheese, and I'm normally not a fan of Swiss cheese in general. This, however, is something even I'm going to concede is pleasant...

 I've arrived. For having the audacity to say, LE GASP, maybe the transgender lobby might need to moderate their approach and quit demanding all of humanity deny their own eyes, brain, and personal conscience to accommodate them, I have gotten an entry on the "hall of shame" (really not ashamed at all, I think I'll take a picture of it and frame it) that is  Fundies Say the Darndest Things .  Original here: https://fstdt.com/@Shirogane On top of editing out the rest of my post and selectively curating one section out of context for other like-minded people to seethe at (and Shirogane, you can be honest, you were the anon who left a comment calling me crazy in response and ran to FSTDT to post what made you mad as some childish revenge), they also seem to think I'm some horrible transphobic bigot because I refuse to be a mindless lickspittle for their every demand. I'm actually pretty moderate on that. Do your thing without harming me or anyone else and I don...

 I am writing this post due to my getting into making AI art after being interested in the possibilities and wanting to use it for game modding. Now, before I continue, I want to make a few things clear. I deplore the use of AI creation of any sort for evil intent. I do not ever plan to sell anything created by AI, do not ever intend to claim it as my own work (as it's generated by a computer, not my own actual skill), and I only ever plan to do AI creations of any sort in compliance with all applicable laws and with all proper safeguards taken against it causing financial, legal, or moral harm to another person. If I was ever given a request to take it down by proper authority, I would comply immediately. Now that I got that out of the way, let me first explain what AI art is for the people unaware, then go into why I wrote this post. First off, AI art is artwork, soundtracks, animations, or other media done by a computer being fed examples of currently existing material, then usi...

 Now, when reviewing this gun, I had to separate a lot of fact from fiction. One of its most notorious features has a lot of contention, with some claiming it was more deadly to the user than the intended target, and others claiming this is overblown nonsense. On the whole, however, this is a pretty disappointing gun for many other reasons. Shown above is the Type 94 handgun (in the original Japanese,    Kyūyon-Shiki Kenjū). Now, many respected military historians such as the late Ian V. Hogg have given this gun bad reviews. More contemporary military weapons aficionados generally agree though Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons contends it wasn't great, but not as bad as it's believed to be. The gun itself was designed by Kijirō Nambu, the Japanese version of John Moses Browning. The Type 94 was issued for service in 1934 (despite it being a commercial flop in non-military markets). Its designation comes from the Japanese historical tradition of their origins, meaning...

 As many who read this blog or who know my tastes may be aware I adore reading about history. Wars are particularly interesting to read about, but honestly, they suck because wars kill people. And people die when they are killed. And, now that I made a lame Fate/Stay Night meme reference, bear with me (and for the gun nuts among you, get the antacids) as we take a trip down the snark-laden road that was the history of the Chauchat, long considered to be one of the worst weapons to ever be given to soldiers to kill people with. First off, the name, being French, is pronounced "show-sha". Also, that's merely the informal name. The actual official military designation is  Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG (French for "Machine Rifle Model 1915 CSRG"). The more informal name comes from its chief designer contributor, Colonel Louis Chauchat. Before we continue, some argue this gun is unfairly maligned, and while it was a piece of garbage that had better use as a pap...

 This post is going to be a combination of three things. Commentary about a game I played, some history of professional wrestling, and what the Bible says about proper effort. As strange a combination as it sounds, the first two will be relevant to the third. To start things off, when it comes to game series, I'v always been a longtime fan of the Dragon Quest series. It's a turn-based series that has always pleased me due to the fact it's remained charmingly old school even as technology and other games have done new and exciting things. The last game in the mainline series I enjoyed was the PC version of DQXI S, which was a port based on the added content from the Switch port. That game was super long and rewarding, and I rather warmly appreciated how the developers bent every effort to use their talent to make something amazing. More recently, I was intensely and bitterly disappointed when I played Infinity Strash Dragon Quest: The Adventures of Dai. Infinity Strash was a...

 For this month, Mom and I bring back another exciting episode of Dragon Ball- wait, wrong subject. Seriously, this month, we tasted some more cheese, ordered from Murray's in New York. Like always, it shipped well packed with adequate ice and it was undamaged and in good quality. Here's how our taste testing went. Grana Padono Oro 20 Months In my earlier post about Pecorino Romano, I mentioned that cheese is very gritty and grainy. Well, Grana Padono Oro, while a relative of that cheese, it goes through a different cooking process than Romano, resulting in a much less dry texture and it's more flaky than grainy. This is ironic, because "Grana" means "Grain". Grana Padono Oro is an Italian cheese that has enjoyed Denominazione d’Origine Protetta (Protected Designation of Origin) status since 1996. It's produced using raw cow milk from two separate milkings. This milk is then partially skimmed, the curd is given two cooking periods, then it's bath...

 Writing this little post in case you want to diet like it's Bronze Age era Israel. This isn't going to be a super strict recommendation post for Christians, they were explicitly freed from dietary restrictions courtesy of God as revealed to Peter in the Book of Acts. Regardless, a lot of their diet is a good idea and I'll provide an overview of the basics should you wish to diet like they were supposed to. First time God provides specific diet instructions is in Exodus Chapter 12, when discussing the Passover meal. I'll start here because a lot of this is repeated in later parts and it's best to get that out of the way first. First off, there Passover was meant to be eaten quickly, given it was the night before they could leave Egypt, and thus the meal was a quick and simple one. Unleavened bread (made without yeast), roasted lamb or goat, and some bitter herbs. Unleavened bread was required for most sacrifices requiring prepared grain, and God demanded most sacrif...

 I ordered some Halloumi with the Pecorino Romano I ordered not too long ago, didn't cook it at the time I wrote the other review. Now that I've done that, time for the actual review. First some history on this cheese. Halloumi is a sheep's milk cheese of Middle Eastern origin, specifically from Cyprus. It's typically stored in a salt brine, flavored with some mint, and typically served in slices or cubes, either fried or grilled. It's a cheese with a super low melting point, which is why you can put it on a skewer on the grill or pop slices into a pan to fry (no oil required) and cook it till it's browned, then eat. The stuff I bought was made with a non-animal based rennet, which is no problem for the flavor. Another fun thing is that while it can be eaten raw, it's best when cooked, mostly because you cook out the excess salt brine and the texture is far more agreeable. Still tastes good either way, though be advised it will "squeak" as you chew...

 Recently ordered some 12-month-old Pecorino Romano from Murray's, and before I get on to the taste testing, I want to cover some interesting history. For the Christians and Jews in the audience, this will cover topics relevant to religious history as well. First off, Pecorino (from Pecor, the word for sheep) Romano is a very time-honored Roman and now Italian cheese. It goes back over two thousand years in tradition and was written about by various Roman authors, such as Marcus Tertulius Varro and Hippocrates. Virgil also mentioned this cheese, specifically noting it was part of the rations given to the average Roman legionaire, at a rate of 1 Roman ounce (27-28 grams) per man. It was touted for it's keeping qualities, it's nutrients were considered ideal for health, and was favored both dry and fresh. Any Pecorino Romano over eight months old is considered suitable as a grating cheese and over five months as a fresh cheese. On the religious front, this cheese would have b...

 I'm writing this because I just reflected recently on why I plan to die single. I have neither the means, ability, or emotional and mental maturity for having kids. I came to this conclusion long ago and have reconciled myself to never having a child of my own, whether via siring one myself or adoption. That said if anyone out there is a parent. I'd like to pass on advice to give your kids if you are interested. 1. Teach them how to survive without high technology As much as I love computers and the convenience of technology, there are far too many people who probably starve to death without modern tech. As much as preppers and people who shun tech for low tech from days gone by get stereotyped as Luddites, let's face it, if the power ever goes out, a computer is just a paperweight and a cell phone is meaningless. At the end of the day, people need to remember how to survive without them. Our ancestors had to do it, no reason why we shouldn't, and I advise you to teach...

 I recently purchased some cheese from Murray's, a specialty place in New York. I reviewed some of their yellow cheddar awhile back, and I decided to splurge and ordered three more cheeses from them, this will be a breakdown of how the taste testing of the three went. NEW YORK STATE WHITE CHEDDAR 6 MONTHS I bought this cheese per request of my mother, who volunteered to be my fellow cheese tester, as it's a beloved taste from her childhood. We both tried a sample of it neat (we did this for all three to get the most unbiased opinion), and I found it very tangy and creamy, but not so tangy it didn't have a nice counter note of sweetness to knock the edge off. My mother found it especially smooth in texture and we both enjoyed savoring the flavor on the way down. Since I bought extra for her to use for cooking, she definitely intends to make some macaroni and cheese with it (fun fact, Thomas Jefferson came up with mac and cheese), and I for one will be a willing eater at that...

 Since both conservatives and the LGBT lobby (really just the T the first three letters are an afterthought, more on that below) have some really idiot assumptions about each other, I want to thump noses on both sides and clear the air since I've had feet in both camps to hear their side of the story and have both things I concur on and disagree with myself. Regardless, I have striven to keep my personal takes to myself and this post will simply be about objective facts. I warn both sides, I will certainly offend you, and if the mere thought of having your world view challenged, criticized, or denounced bothers you, then leave now, you will reject what I have to say out of hand, call me a bigot or a shill for deviance, and your mind is made up. If you are still here, let me clear the air on a few things. 1. Conservatives: You have the right idea what to oppose, but some of your strategies are totally backward. Conservatives, I really need to level with you, some of your backlash to...

 Modern-day politics has become the refuge of the fanatic. Agreeing to disagree is nigh extinct. Coming together and admitting while you don't always agree, you should at least hear each other out is now completely unheard of. And as a political moderate, that galls me. I prefer that title to "centrist", because, like most people, I too see centrism as a refusal to take a stand for something or instead I did, until I came to the conclusion I thought both sides kinda suck and that means I'm a centrist by virtue of contempt for both. For example, I think the LGBT lobby trying to argue kids should be exposed to sexual cosplay (drag) is twenty different kinds of depraved, but I do think their enemies are just as depraved for attempting unironic book banning. I think reparations to black people is a cynical, venal, stupid, and dishonest ploy by liberals to keep black "on the plantation" by waving the bloody shirt about slavery, though conservatives who are total ...

 Fair warning, this was written by a white guy who is Christian and straight, so if you are gay, trans, black, or anything else I'm not and think I should shut up, you might as well stop reading now and spare yourself further offense. If, however, you don't mind a potentially offensive alternative point of view from a politically moderate person who thinks everyone should be equal regardless of their differences, then allow me to explain why I bring this up. I recently offended a certain group of LGBT people (I shall respect their privacy by going no further than that) by saying I found it sad a minority group needs a specific period of time like "Pride Month" to feel dignity when I believed that was something that should be innate, no one should take it away from you, and those that tried could go to hell for all I cared. Not my exact words, but close enough. For my audacity to suggest this, I was inundated with various comments that the LGBT are on the verge of exti...