I'm really digging their new album, especially save me from myself

Oh shit, sorry man. I have the hubski discover thing that shows previous discussions but nothing came up for that. Would it be better to delete the post or leave it?

Yeah, and that's the whole issue - Mubarak was corrupt and authoritarian, Morsi was moving the country towards religious, but Al-Sisi is basically a fascist - there haven't been any reasonable options in years, and depending on perspective it's getting either worse or marginally better.

I was in Egypt a few days before the 2013 protests began, and there was a definite anti-Morsi sentiment - people thought he made no notable change and was not much better than Hosni Mubarak. It seems to me, just from some reading and a little personal experience that Egypt has drifted between the two extremes of fundamentalism and a police state, and it makes me wonder whether an alternate system would be any more sustainable, or if it would quickly devolve into total control.

I would probably argue that Brave New World is just an exaggeration of today, and for me that's where the power is. People are increasingly focused on the shallow and inconsequential, led that way by a media force that only seeks to exploit the limited attention of the masses for maximum profit. Bernard Marx and his surrender to the system is just a representation of modern protest - very little action is taken and very little change before their ideals eventually just cave in. I dunno if that's what Huxley intended or if I've just got everything wrong, but that's how I've always interpreted the book.

That's very cool, thanks a bunch!

Also, how quickly has it grown?

Really, it will always depend on your civ and start location, but whatever you go for, population and science are essential. If you're near a couple weak civs early on and have iron handy, a domination victory is definitely an option. If you get a few policies early and start rolling culture, try to get great people to give you a boost. Basically, the key to winning is to adapt and lower the difficulty setting if needed.

God I love the Clash, and this interview from the same show is great!

I can sorta play trombone, but I'm pretty shit and really regretting not putting in more effort earlier, it was never really a big thing for me, partially because I didn't really see the versatility of the instrument. I began in year 7 (age 11ish) and I'm in year 12 (age 17) now, but I barely played the first two years and haven't done so this year. I suppose another reason I never committed to it as much as I should have done was because I only played trombone by default, and almost reluctantly carried on playing. I'm planning on starting a punk rock band now though, so I'm gonna save up for a cheap guitar and see if I can get a couple friends on board to do a musical project and this time take it seriously, because I've learned that playing an instrument can be very rewarding.

Yeah, I saw it just the other week and it's a very cool concept, though obviously not infallible. I was personally around anarcho-collectivism, and the other resources on the site have actually caused me to go out and read further about the various systems.

I would personally rather experience something and then lose it, mostly because it gives you more of an encompassing view on life. If you were born blind, or lived your whole life alone, or never traveled, there would just be a blank space in your mind you'd never be aware of. While the loss can be very significant, it can also be necessary to grow as a person and exposes us to more experiences. It would probably be harder, but result in feeling more alive and having a wider range of experiences.

Yeah, I'm an anarcho-collectivist, so I support a load of socialist ideals but also promotion of individual freedoms.