Previously: Part 1
A quick note before we get back into it. If a post didn't receive five stars, I like to try to explain what was wrong with it. This is to learn from the mistakes of that post, and to give you a sense of any problems. I'm overall satisfied with how Chromatic Conflux has done in the year 2019, and know that my mentioning issues shouldn't give you the sense that a three- or four-star article is bad.
May 22 - Vegetarianism [Politics, dubiously] along with a StuFLaW
The problem with the argument is that it sort of presents two choices: continue eating meat and do nothing, or become a vegan climate change activist.
The first part of this post is a bit thinly evidenced how I presented it, but it's true that vegetarianism is a valuable ideal to look towards. There's something to be said for incremental change, for taking small steps in the right direction. This post says it. I don't think I worded this post the same way that I would now, but it's not unclear per se.
Our society has placed value on money, so I've just conceptualized it as a "good thing."
The thesis of this post is that I've implemented a system where I earn 1 point at the end of each day, which I can withhold for any reason. This is used to motivate me to do certain tasks. Note that there are no rewards for earning points. They're just points. I love this premise. I'm also happy with the execution. As far as bad spots, I used the Super Bowl to explain how people chased after arbitrary points. The points awarded in the Super Bowl have an effect on the world–the future of the players! I mentioned all of this in a footnote, but it's still a fail on my part. Overall, this post is four stars nearing on five, so go read it.
Insert Jeopardy theme music here.
"Musings on James Holzhauer" is exactly what it says–a retrospective about my sadness when Jeopardy champion James Holzhauer lost. It's interesting, but, you know, a bit rambly.
It stands.
My school accomplishments of 2018 and 2019, as school was ending. Not all the files work properly, and none of the assignments are especially high-quality. But if you're one of my grandparents or something like that, you might appreciate it. The hook is also weird. But that's probably too negative. I'm proud of the art, and I worked hard on many of the projects, so they're better than I'm giving credit for. I still have a hard time getting jazzed about all of this school stuff.
The pursuit of knowledge can be what the world needs besides just saving lives.
When I set out to review each one of my 2019 blog posts, I was going to make five-star posts an elite category, only awarded towards a select few posts that I loved. In my head, I thought of a handful. This wasn't going to be one of them, but upon further inspection, it is one. Ultimately, there are two types of impacts, this post finds: happiness and the pursuit of knowledge. (It's sad that it goes against the Rule of Three.) The logic chain getting there is crystal-clear, and the post is even impacted out. I can't find a flaw. I feel obligated to make a pun here about how I want this post to have the biggest impact, but truth be told there are a handful of posts here I wish would have a bigger impact.
A straightforward review of why I moved from Blogspot to Wix, and thusly it's not that intriguing to reread. Textbook two-star post–gets the job done, but not all that unique. Note that I produced a second post that day to entice people to head to Wix immediately.
June 26 (Wix) - Aubrey [Comedy] along with a StuFLaW
Dear Aubrey, I forever mourn your death But finally, my rock, I've caught my breath.
Aubrey, my pet rock, is something special. Or was, I should say. She passed away towards the end of 2018, and I still haven't gotten over her passing, entirely. This post, obviously, chronicled her life in an astounding, never-before-seen way. I highly, highly recommend it.
To give Aubrey one last hurrah, I'm doing something never before done in her entire life, taking and submitting to you a photograph of her corpse. This will ensure her memory stays alive for the rest of history, dear archivists, dear historians. And dear Aubrey.
"This election, I get a little frustrated, I have to admit to everybody. A lot of people want to say this election is just about getting rid of Donald Trump. That’s the floor, not the ceiling." –Cory Booker
The many flaws of "electability" is a constant overtone in my blog, and this delivers a nice introduction to that thesis. I'm proud of the writing, and while I think the message comes out strong, some of my other posts do a bit of a better job, especially looking back. All things considered, however, this is a fantabulous post. Not as fantabulous as Aubrey, but fantabulous nevertheless.
July 10 - Condorcet Minimax [Math/Politics] along with a StuFLaW and Natalia: Prologue
But wait, plot twist. Let's say that Bernie Sanders got 48% of the vote against each of these three candidates, and beat everyone else.
I was torn as to whether or not to give this post one star or two. Because on the one hand, I'm quite proud of it. It describes what Condorcet Minimax is and explains its advantages and its drawbacks. But on the other hand, it's very technical, and though it does link to articles that explain these technical things, they are not covered in the main post. I recommend it to anyone interested in voting systems.
And a note on Natalia–it's a story I never finished that starts off nicely but really only has one gimmick. It's a personification of an orphaned and disfigured Russian nesting doll.
I legitimately started crying in happiness.
This is a love letter to the Impossible franchise. My passion came through, and while this covers a similar ground to "Vegetarianism," it does so in a better way. Go try the Impossible Burger where you can. Just do it. Please. You might love it. You might like it. (Or, technically, you might dislike it.) Regardless, give it a try. I could not bestow upon it a higher recommendation, and that is why this post merits five stars.
Oh, and good news! Impossible is now coming out with Impossible Pork, being released at a few locations of Burger King far from where I live. All being welll,
McGrath could triumph over McConnell, but it would require a healthy dose of luck.
Exactly what it says in the name, to be honest. Thorough. I can't think of any updates.
The Joy of Bread and Tea is the positive sensation of having only a minimalist selection of items around you.
After an off-week while backpacking, I reflected on the experience in this post. I romanticize the idea of living minimalistically in a tiny home, and I called that idea the Joy of Bread and Tea. My feelings haven't changed. This piece is another byproduct of my belief that happiness is what you make it. It's fine, when viewed through that lens, "Someone's Treadmill" does perhaps a better job. This is the kind of post you should expect here on Chromatic Conflux.
An outsider creates atypically good comedy on Saturday Night Live ... Tom Steyer is not an outsider.
This post explains which candidates overlap in terms of their rationales for being President of the United States. Like the previous post, this is pretty typical fare for how I do politics posts. I do have two regrets: firstly, the quote I've provided above as a sample: it's wrong. And second of all, I've changed my mind, and Andrew Yang upholds the mantle of Outsider better than Marianne Williamson, since he feels more coherent, more "I have some big ideas to shake up the presidency" then "I'm weird and strange!" I can respect that.
But in the back of my mind, I was thinking of a scenario I call AbstainTrain.
Like its predecessor, this post does a solid job of telling the ongoing story of Avocado vs. Cucumber. In this installment, the disaster scenario of AbstainTrain had happened. "The Avocado vs. Cucumber Game" was five stars, but as this one isn't a flashy new idea, I'm demoting it to four stars.
But if you don't grant this, then while you may not have a rebuttal for, say, the algebra proof, you might still not believe it.
Do you believe that 0.999..., with 9s repeating onto eternity, has the same value as 1? If not, read the post and report back. I've tried (often in vain) to convince people like you, and this is my last stand. If this doesn't convince you, that's what the comment section is for. If you believe that 0.999...=1 already, read this post to see what I believe if is the most compelling argument for it.
In any case, "Why 0.999...=1" is the omega to my argument about this mathematical truth. I believe in the power of debate to help us find the ultimate truth of "Whichever side I'm on," so... (That was a joke! I'm sure that theoretically, it's possible for me to be wrong per se in an argument.) Five stars.*
Let's end Part 2 on a bright note, since I've written enough words for one week–this is the first ever three-part post on Chromatic Conflux! –beautifulthorns
Next: Part 3
*I'm kind of curious now why the image I used has an asterisk.