Dumping Them Out: X.com is Out of Control
Welcome back to another episode of Dumping Them Out. Dumping Them Out is rising the ranks of things in my life I've stuck with the longest. Outside of 2 or 3 jobs and drug addiction, there's not much I've started that I haven't given up on, or at least taken a long break from within a year and a half's time. Boob GIF's are one of those rare things that never get old. Even if they're recycled Boob GIF's. Recycled Boob GIF's will always still be better than no Boob GIF's.
And the fact that every Sunday (i.e. The Lord's Day) I scroll the internet judging whether or not women are hot enough to make the cut for my smut blog is one of the stupidest things I do. "Nope, sorry dear, not quite enough skin. Maybe next time."
My 'For You Page' on Twitter/X has become one of the more infuriating parts of social media. I like it for a lot of reasons. It helps me catch up on some things if I've been off the internet for a bit. But for one, it shoves trends down your throat. Like that one "look between _ and _ on your keyboard" trend, which was the worst, most low effort, most aggressively pushed trend I've maybe ever seen on the internet (if you don't know what I'm talking about you're better off). For two, the algorithm gives me videos I truly don't want to see, but will never stop clicking on. Things like this. Before I even start the video I know it's going to be something unsettling, but I simply must see for myself what it is.
WARNING: The video isn't too bad, but DO NOT scroll through that Do Not Watch account if you have a weak stomach. Even if you have a strong stomach, it's not worth it. I just killed 20 minutes on there and I'm deeply disturbed. I think I just saw at least 10 people die. How the fuck does anything get removed from Twitter/X when this shit is allowed to stay up. I'm anti-censorship and all that, but nobody needs to see that shit. Get your app under control Elon.
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Then the more I click on them, the more my 'For You Page' algorithm feeds them to me. It's a vicious cycle that I do not have the will power to ever get myself out of. Also, I'm not getting nearly as many likes on my tweets as I used to, and I prefer to pretend that's the algorithm's fault instead of taking a lick of responsibility myself, or looking in the mirror and admitting that my tweets just suck. That couldn't possibly be the case. My new friend George Santos seems to agree. That's a man you can trust.
The algorithm feeds me a lot of things like this as well. I'm sure this video isn't new. Usually these 'How Things Work' videos are clips that have been recycled on the internet 100 times already. But regardless, does this "railway safety" idea not look like one of the worst ideas you've ever seen?
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That video is from Japan, who is known to have one of the best, most efficient public transportation systems in the world. But I'm not sure how this is supposed to stop people from trying to squeeze onto the train at the last second. Perhaps the Japanese are more likely to abide by the rules than us. If that was implemented in New York City, within hours we'd be seeing TikTok's of teenagers either sliding underneath the ropes, or attempting to Superman dive overtop of them in the half second between when the ropes are fully lowered, and the doors haven't yet closed. Skinny people may even try diving between the ropes. It would cause chaos. I'm assuming those ropes don't shock you or anything. Even if they did, that would just makes the videos even more high stakes. Higher stakes = more viral video.
All those ropes are really doing is giving passengers an extra layer of something that they could get stuck in. Instead of having people try to shove in between sliding vertical doors, you'll just have people trying to duck under the ropes. And if the ropes do catch somebody, then they're just going to be stuck in the entrance when the doors close. I'm in no position to be questioning Japanese train technology, but I don't see how this solves any problems.
I was thinking about coins earlier today. You know that family guy joke where Peter is like "You should trust that guy Joe, he's flipping a nickel and chewing on a toothpick."
Sorry the only video I could find on YouTube was a 10 minute loop of chewing on a toothpick coin flipping guy. But my point is, casually flipping a coin used to be much more of a flex. According to this inflation calculator in the year 1913, a nickel was worth what $1.59 is today. Bump that up to a quarter, and you're flipping $8 in the air. Coins are essentially worthless today, making the casual coin flip move not nearly as cool.
A lot of people talk about how we should get rid of coins all together. They're value is so low nowadays, and people use credit cards, debit cards, or even their phones to pay for everything except drugs. There's almost no need for them. But I think we should go the opposite way with it. I know physical currency will never return to what it once was, but instead of eliminating coins all together, I think we eliminate $1, $5, and if we want to get really crazy, maybe even $10 bills all together. We'd eliminate all coins worth less than a quarter, then replace the $1, $5, and $10 with brand new coins. I'd like to see coins make a comeback in a meaningful way. Remember when finding a coin used to mean something. Like when your dad would leave some spare change on the counter and you'd be able to snag a quarter to buy yourself a Twix a lunch. That's just not a thing anymore. A quarter doesn't buy you shit. Plus, nobody ever drops paper bills on the ground. Coins are much more susceptible to falling out of pockets. If we start pumping higher value coins into the economy, then maybe we get back to the days of finding meaningful amounts of money on the street. I think homeless people would love it too. People are much kick a homeless man $1 if they have a $1 coin in their pocket, instead of having to go through the hassle of pulling out they're wallet and searching for dollar bill. And maybe loan sharks in cheap suits flipping coins while chewing on a toothpick will make a comeback as well.