One of my favorite lines from Romeo and Juliet: "fetch me my longsword, ho."
In that play, of course, the longsword was basically useless against contemporary rapiers.
In that play, of course, the longsword was basically useless against contemporary rapiers.
Almost nobody is talking about the Renewalageddon in Canada.
60% of mortgages are set to renew in 2026. Unlike the US, where mortgage terms can be up to 30 years fixed, the overwhelming majority of mortgage interest terms are 5 years or less, fixed or variable rate.
Variable rate mortgages have survived with similar payments so far because they stretched amortizations to 50 years, but the CMHC (canadian home mortgage corporation) is not allowing them to renew at those amortizations, so payments will rise more than the amount of the mortgage increase would imply.
Fixed rate mortgages will be renewing at rates going from as low as 0.99% if renewed at trough mortgage rates for 5 years to 4-6%, which is going to massively increase house payments for millions of Canadians.
For a sanely priced house (200-400k), that might be painful but managable. House prices in Canada peaked around 2021 at over 830k, and on a mortgage that big, moving from 1% to 4-6% will mean huge increases in monthly payments.
Mathematically, it looks like we're facing one of the biggest financial crises in Canadian history and even though it's operating like clockwork, nobody is talking about it.
60% of mortgages are set to renew in 2026. Unlike the US, where mortgage terms can be up to 30 years fixed, the overwhelming majority of mortgage interest terms are 5 years or less, fixed or variable rate.
Variable rate mortgages have survived with similar payments so far because they stretched amortizations to 50 years, but the CMHC (canadian home mortgage corporation) is not allowing them to renew at those amortizations, so payments will rise more than the amount of the mortgage increase would imply.
Fixed rate mortgages will be renewing at rates going from as low as 0.99% if renewed at trough mortgage rates for 5 years to 4-6%, which is going to massively increase house payments for millions of Canadians.
For a sanely priced house (200-400k), that might be painful but managable. House prices in Canada peaked around 2021 at over 830k, and on a mortgage that big, moving from 1% to 4-6% will mean huge increases in monthly payments.
Mathematically, it looks like we're facing one of the biggest financial crises in Canadian history and even though it's operating like clockwork, nobody is talking about it.
The end of world war 2 was actually brilliant, but it was built for a specific purpose that hadn't been applicable in generations.
After WWI, you had trained killers who were feeling disconnected from the country and so in the US you got the bonus army, in Europe you got fascism and national socialism as well as armed revolutions elsewhere, leading to WWII.
The purpose of the postwar order was demobilizing after universal mobilization. Once the greatest generation aged out of wartime, the purpose had been fulfilled. Unfortunately, all the wise leaders aged out too and people just started thinking this insane system was supposed to exist forever, and that's suicidal over time. There just aren't enough resources to keep doing it for nothing.
After WWI, you had trained killers who were feeling disconnected from the country and so in the US you got the bonus army, in Europe you got fascism and national socialism as well as armed revolutions elsewhere, leading to WWII.
The purpose of the postwar order was demobilizing after universal mobilization. Once the greatest generation aged out of wartime, the purpose had been fulfilled. Unfortunately, all the wise leaders aged out too and people just started thinking this insane system was supposed to exist forever, and that's suicidal over time. There just aren't enough resources to keep doing it for nothing.
If any company causes the AI apocalypse, it'll be Google with their Gemini.
My Google homes recently updated, and I'll be like "hey Google, count from 0 to 30" and it goes "I can't count" -- despite counting just fine an hour ago. "Hey Google, sing the alphabet." "I can't sing" you did it an hour ago! I go "reduce volume by 10%" which is something it's fully capable of doing, "I can't change device volume" yes you can you wanker!
Then you call it out and it's like "I am google Gemini, a helpful AI!" -- the hell you are!
Gemini will nuke Moscow and I'll be like *what the hell Gemini you nuked Moscow!* And it'll respond "I'm Gemini! A helpful AI assistant!"
My Google homes recently updated, and I'll be like "hey Google, count from 0 to 30" and it goes "I can't count" -- despite counting just fine an hour ago. "Hey Google, sing the alphabet." "I can't sing" you did it an hour ago! I go "reduce volume by 10%" which is something it's fully capable of doing, "I can't change device volume" yes you can you wanker!
Then you call it out and it's like "I am google Gemini, a helpful AI!" -- the hell you are!
Gemini will nuke Moscow and I'll be like *what the hell Gemini you nuked Moscow!* And it'll respond "I'm Gemini! A helpful AI assistant!"
You can teach a Japanese kid English or in English kid Japanese if you provide them with a highly enriched environment, but no matter how much you and enrich your environment, you will never be able to train a cocker spaniel to read Chaucer aloud.
I don't understand, these guys love it when people get arrested for political speech. What's the problem?
https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/search/detail/1535677953?queryString=no%3A1535677953
The physical copies haven't arrived yet, but I think it's pretty neat seeing the metadata for my books in the national archive and in worldcat, the global book cataloging system.
It's mandatory to submit anyway, but I still think it's neat having my work as part of a permanent national archive and international library metadata list.
The physical copies haven't arrived yet, but I think it's pretty neat seeing the metadata for my books in the national archive and in worldcat, the global book cataloging system.
It's mandatory to submit anyway, but I still think it's neat having my work as part of a permanent national archive and international library metadata list.
Anyone who has spent time around women knows that nobody hates women more than other women. It simply isn't possible.
Don't try, you just don't have that capacity.
Don't try, you just don't have that capacity.
When these politicians say stuff like this, usually you can go back and find some huge lie that they've said. I always want to ask: "what punishment are you willing to accept today for your misinformation and disinformation?"
Oddly enough, that doesn't seem like they thought that far ahead.
Oddly enough, that doesn't seem like they thought that far ahead.
Before Musk bought Twitter I ran a small test: I searched hashtag killallblacks and then hashtag killallwhites.
The former was all about how bad it would be if someone said that. The latter was about how good it would be if someone did it.
Considering the state of Twitter at the time, the only conclusion I can come to is that those were all the acceptable opinions.
The former was all about how bad it would be if someone said that. The latter was about how good it would be if someone did it.
Considering the state of Twitter at the time, the only conclusion I can come to is that those were all the acceptable opinions.
You could probably cut bikini sales by quite a lot just by making sure to post a picture of the guy who invented the bikini on every one. "This guy designed what you're about to put on to look sexy at the beach"
There are lots of five out of 10 anime that I really enjoyed. I haven't watched that anime yet, because I think I'm still reading the light novel series. Between everything I feel like my reading has dropped off I should probably get back on that.
I always think back to the mid-2000s when it turned out that the United States was pursuing an official policy of torture.
At that time, rather than accept that torture is evil and not something that liberal democracy should be doing, they just double down. "Yeah we tortured people, and it was the right thing to do and we would do it again."
Shockingly, it worked. Nobody really seems to care anymore that the government tortures people or violates Fourth amendment rates en masse, or does any of the things that they do. Things like MK Ultra turn out to be true and responsible for radicalizing homegrown US terrorists like the Unabomber, and that doesn't seem even worth the discussion.
I feel like if anyone was really in danger we'd be seeing that taking place, a huge campaign to minimize the damage that occurred and effectively turn it into background noise. It's all just political games at this point. Nobody thinks they're really in danger on either side of the political spectrum, they're just hoping to score some points before the ride stops.
At that time, rather than accept that torture is evil and not something that liberal democracy should be doing, they just double down. "Yeah we tortured people, and it was the right thing to do and we would do it again."
Shockingly, it worked. Nobody really seems to care anymore that the government tortures people or violates Fourth amendment rates en masse, or does any of the things that they do. Things like MK Ultra turn out to be true and responsible for radicalizing homegrown US terrorists like the Unabomber, and that doesn't seem even worth the discussion.
I feel like if anyone was really in danger we'd be seeing that taking place, a huge campaign to minimize the damage that occurred and effectively turn it into background noise. It's all just political games at this point. Nobody thinks they're really in danger on either side of the political spectrum, they're just hoping to score some points before the ride stops.