Game collecting misadventures in 2020

Because this is a yearly tradition in this blog...

Previous years

2018

2019

At the end of the game-collecting blog for 2019, I finished it by saying 'Bring on 2020.' For many reasons, including the most obvious one, I really shouldn't have said that... 2020 has sucked on virtually EVERY level imaginable. Yet, I came away from it with less debt, more money and a few interesting items for the game collection. Funny how all that works out...

The sad trend of most games acquired during the year being digital has continued. However, the items that I could get on physical media have been pretty damned good.

2 January 2020

Got yet another eShop gift card, like I seem to do in the first week of every year. Is this becoming a new tradition?

28 January 2020

Bought a digital title of the Switch from the eShop called Apocryph: an old-school shooter. It's supposed to be a tribute to 1990's era first-person shooters like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake, Unreal, Heretic, Hexen, etc.

9 February 2020

Acquired Hyperide Vector Raid from the Nintendo eShop on my Switch for 9 cents' worth of gold points. It was on sale at a DEEP discount. It's supposed to be inspired by River Raid. However, it was a 3D title and felt more like S.T.U.N. Runner, Jeff Minter's Polybius and a few other 3D shooters with the player's view being behind the ship. Not a bad game, just nothing like River Raid. Perhaps the ads for it should say that the programmer felt inspired after playing that classic title from 1982?

27 February 2020

Decided to spend some of the store credit that I had saved up on the Nintendo eShop. Got R-Type Dimensions EX, the SEGA AGES re-release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and yet another pinball game called Titans Pinball.

Titans Pinball was acquired for a mere 87 cents through a sale & using gold points.

The R-Type title is actually a compilation of the first 2 arcade titles in the series, with the ability to switch between the classic graphics and some nice updated ones on the fly. That's a really nice feature.

Screenshot from R-Type Dimensions EX in the enhanced graphics mode.

This latest re-release of Sonic 2 has the Split-screen 2 player mode from the original SEGA Genesis release restored (since many of the previous re-releases cut it out for some reason) and Knuckles as a playable character.

In all, I probably spent about $25 for 4 games. That's the most I have spent on games (so far) this year. And there's still enough left in the account right now to purchase the pending re-release of Doom 64 on March 20th. That title is only going to be five bucks!


20 March 2020

Got that re-release of Doom 64 for the Switch. So far, all the old codes from the N64 original still work. It's also fairly easy to adjust the screen brightness, which is a good thing since this game is really dark. I'm amazed at how good the game still is after all these years. Bethesda even did a good job with the controls. :)

Doom 64 logo

3 April 2020

Found out there was a sale on the Nintendo eShop and PlayStation Store today. Picked up a few things for my Switch since COVID-19 has made sure that I don't have much else to do right now. Those titles (and their prices) are as follows:

Arcade Archives: Elevator Action ($7.99. Wasn't on sale, but I do love arcade classics.)

Axiom Verge ($9.99)

Cosmonauta (9 cents)

Music Racer ($6.89)

I have also just noticed that I have only acquired 10 new games so far this year, all of them digital titles for the Switch. No thanks to COVID-19 and various other factors, I don't know when/if that is going to change. Also, all but one of today's purchases are platformers. That's an unexpected coincidence.

18 April 2020

I'm still stuck at home for this damned pandemic. However, that doesn't mean that game collecting has to come to a complete stop. Besides the digital games being downloaded from the Nintendo eShop and Steam, I can still get physical titles from Amazon, Wal-Mart and those other retailers that are still open.

So, I went through my want lists on Amazon and grabbed an old Atari Plug'N'Play that I didn't yet have for my collection and another gaming-related keychain. Pics and details below...

The last of the Flashback consoles that Atari made themselves.
All future installments in the series were made by AT Games.

The Flashback 2+ hardware is identical to the Flashback 2 in every way but one: Atari removed the mounting points on the motherboard for a cartridge connector. The Flashback 1 and 2 were made by a brilliant hardware engineer named Curt Vendel. In addition to cloning the original Atari 2600 hardware for the Flashback 2, he also included the mounting points on the motherboard for a cartridge input. He knew that there would be hackers that would want to add a port to play cartridges of 2600 titles that weren't included. However, Atari didn't like people messing with the hardware (and voiding warranties in the process) so, the Flashback 2+ model was released to stop that practice. Fortunately, I have 2 of that original Flashback 2 model and don't mind hacking one of them some day.

The included games are mostly the same ones. However, Pitfall!, River Raid, Wizard, Caverns of Mars, and Atari Climber (AKA Climber 5) have been removed. In exchange, a sports section was added that included the games Realsports Boxing, Realsports Soccer, Super Baseball, Super Football, and Double Dunk. I personally would have preferred to keep Pitfall!, River Raid and those 3 previously unreleased titles instead of some sports games that did NOT age well.

There are also now 3 hidden games on the Flashback 2+, as opposed to just the 2 that were on the Flashback 2 model. The third hidden game, Circus Atari, was added to the hidden menu that features the paddle-controller only games Warlords and Super Breakout. Neither the Flashback 2 or Flashback 2+ come with paddle controllers. So, these games can't be played unless the user has an original set of Atari 2600 paddle controllers. Thankfully, I have several working pairs of them. :)

To access the hidden paddle game menu, the user must press up on the joystick 1 time, pull down 9 times, push up 7 times, and pull down 2 times (this represents the year 1972, which is when Pong was first released). The code must be entered steadily and without pauses. Enter it too quickly and it won't work.

It lights up when you push the button... :)

I have several game-related keychains, all of which will be used for my future business: a combination of arcade & retro game store. The one pictured above will be used for the keys to the arcade and the coin-op machines inside. There are companies that make universal locks for arcade cabinets and I plan to use them since it will make operations that much more stream-lined.

I was a bit annoyed that the CR2032 that came with this keychain was dead on arrival, but it's not exactly hard to get more of them. That's probably the most common button cell battery on Earth. It's used for everything from PC Motherboards to old game cartridges to remote controls for my stereo and the HDMI switcher in my game room. The other keychains are mentioned/pictured in the game collecting blog post for 2018 on November 21st for that year. There's one of the Atari 2600, controller from the NES, PS1 & PS2. Those keychains will end up getting used for display cases in the retro game store.

22 April 2020

Got a book on the Atari Flashback delivered from Amazon today. Seems to be for the Flashback 8 series. I say 'series' because there's at least 3 different versions of that console. Different tiers/packages with different controllers, more or less games depending on the model, etc. It's kinda like buying a car instead of a game console. No wonder I stopped buying the Flashback after version 5. :P

List price is about $20. I got it for just under $7 before taxes & shipping costs.

3 May 2020

STILL trapped at home because of the Cantonese Coof. Picked up 3 games from the Nintendo eShop for next to nothing while they were on sale. They are as follows:

Arcade Archives: Double Dragon ($3.99)

Flashback: 25th Anniversary (99 cents)

Space Ribbon (49 cents)

I went to Steam to see what's on sale, but nothing on my list was currently for sale. Guess I'll hang on to the $27.53 in my account for now. I'll check back next week after my exams and the end of this current college semester.

Also, I beat Double Dragon on this same night. If I were pumping quarters into a machine, I probably would have spent at least 3 or 4 Dollars. That game was pretty tough.

9 May 2020

Got a game called Moto Rush GT, because it looked like a good racing game and was 90% off in an eShop sale. I bought it solely through using gold coins. Not bad, heh? Fortunately, it really is as fun as it looked. :)

While I was on the eShop, I got rid of a lot of things in my want list. There's no reason for me to get some of the old arcade classics that were in there when I already have various versions of these games on other systems. For example, an old 1984 Nintendo arcade title called Clu Clu Land. It's a puzzle title. I have the NES port on the eReader for the Game Boy Advance (Remember that thing?) and the NES port is so close to perfect that I can't tell the difference.

Also, I got a $50 eShop points card. So, I am now sitting at $92.49 for my account, including gold coins. I could go on a spending spree in the eShop right now, but I am feeling a bit hesitant. I have 31.4 GB left on the 128GB card that I installed into my Switch for file storage. Looks like I'll have to upgrade that MicroSD card yet again... Sure hope the prices have come down on them since I last bought one...

10 June 2020

Picked up 6 new digital games from the Switch eShop in the last 4 days, including 2 this morning. Less than $30 was spent for all of them. The two arcade archives releases were regular price, but the rest were all on sale and together were less than 10 bucks. They are as follows:

Arcade Archives: Double Dragon II - The Revenge

Arcade Archives: Excitebike

Biolab Wars

Missile Command: Recharged

Pinball Lockdown

They came from the Sky

Now down to $66.04 in cash and 254 gold coins for eShop funds. These digital titles are all pretty cheap, but I do miss getting physical media on a regular basis.

Also made room on my MicroSD card by moving all the old arcade and console classics to the internal memory of the Switch. Free space on the 128GB card has now gone up from 31.4GB to 44.6GB. I am still wondering why all these ports of classic arcade titles that were originally just a few dozen kilobytes are now all a minimum of 70MB in size. Did the software engineers have to incorporate an emulator into the game's code to get it to work with the modern Switch hardware?

13 June 2020

I was helping my brother to clean out an old storage container that belonged to our father today. Much to our surprise, there was a video game in there. It was a copy of Assassin's Creed for the PS3. It's complete with manual and the disc was flawless after I cleaned it off. The plastic in the case is a little cracked, but that's easily replaced. This will probably end up being a game that I re-sell in the retro game store that I plan to open someday. It's not worth a great deal of money, but SOMETHING has to fill up the shelves. :P.

I am kinda wondering why my Dad had a random PS3 game sitting in a brief case in that storage container, though...

My future store's common shelf for PS3 isn't going to fill itself...

26 June 2020

Recently ordered several game-related items from Amazon, just because I can. I got some of those 1-Up cards that are supposed to help clean cartridges. We'll see if they work as well as advertised. If they do, they'll probably end up saving me a small fortune in Q-Tips over time.

I got Wipeout Pure not just because it was on my want list, but because it was still factory sealed and selling for $1.50 w/ $4.50 Shipping & Handling. Considering that that my game price aggregator site says a still sealed copy normally goes for $10, I think I did well.

Also, I found a decent used-but-complete copy of Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions for the 3DS for only 4 bucks more than a loose card would cost. I've had some trouble trying to find that game out in the wild for the last 2 or 3 years and there's no digital version in the eShop. I'm actually amazed that I could still find a copy for a decent price. This game seems to be highly sought after and expensive. It also first released on 26 July 2011, when the 3DS was still new. This game is also the last one that was on my list for the 3DS as a physical release. I looked over the digital titles that were still on the list a few days ago and decided that they weren't worth my while. So, for now at least, it looks like my collecting for the 3DS is finished. It's pretty rare that I ever manage to do that with any system, let alone one that's so recent.

Also, I'd just like to say that it's great to be getting my hands on some physical media again. :)

Physical Media, FTW.

16 August 2020

Bought a few things from the Switch eShop. 2 classic arcade titles from the Arcade Archives series and 2 new tables for some of my Pinball games, which were on sale. They are as follows...

Digital Download games

Arcade Archives: BurgerTime

Arcade Archives: Super Punch-Out!!

Add-on DLC

The Pinball Arcade - Doctor Who: Master of Time

Stern Pinball Arcade: Ripley's Believe It or Not!

The summer was pretty dry as far as acquiring new games are concerned. Blame that on the pandemic, if you want. I'm expecting the same for the rest of this year. Black Friday and Christmas might bring about a few new interesting additions. However, it will be hard to top last year with the 2 arcade cabinets that I bought.

7 September 2020

Bought two games on sale from the Nintendo Switch eShop.

Awakening of Cthulhu

Rise: Race of the Future

I don't remember what I paid for them now, because this entry was written about 2 weeks after the fact. School has re-started and that is keeping me busy. However, I can say that both of these two titles were less than $20 combined.

22 September 2020

Helped my mother pick up a piece of furniture from a thrift/estate sale store today. I went through their media section and found a few items of interest, all for $5 total. The PS3 game is worth about that much right now. I can't find a price for the Need for Speed game (so far) and I'm not sure about the price for the Diablo game, either. The price I found seems to be for the big box version of this PC game, which is currently worth $24.46 when complete. Pic below...

PS3

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Win9x PC

Diablo

Need for Speed High Stakes

Not bad for $5 at a thrift store...

2 October 2020

Bought some protective cases for my NES Classic Edition, SNES Classic Edition & SEGA Genesis Mini. Now, I can play them whenever I want without trying to fit them back in their original boxes, which tends to be a real pain. Pic below...

All of this was about $75,
including shipping & taxes from Amazon.

19 October 2020

Found out that SEGA was having a 60th anniversary celebration where they were giving away free games on Steam. I got Sonic 2 for free and paid the sale price of $1.35 (including tax) for Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I picked up Sonic 3 & Knuckles just because it's so hard to find a copy of that title on ANY platform as part of any collection these days. For whatever reason, SEGA just doesn't include them in any of their numerous home console retro compilations. I suspect it has something to do with the music royalties that would have to be paid out to several artists since their work was used/sampled in the soundtrack to Sonic 3, including the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. Yes, he was involved at one point.

Both play through a larger program that's supposed to play about 50 old Genesis games called SEGA Mega Drive & Genesis Classics. It's kinda like the Atari Vault program that I also have on Steam, except I have the option of picking and choosing which Genesis titles I want. I could have gotten them all for less than $10 through this sale, but I knew I wouldn't play them all. I generally don't like sports or RPG titles.

9 November 2020

Bought the new Super Mario 3D All-Stars, just to guarantee free shipping from Amazon while buying my nephew's Christmas present. It's nice to have a portable version of these 3 classic Mario games.

Also got Hotshot Racing from the eShop for the Switch, because I love racing games and it was on sale for $13.99.

17 November 2020

Got the new Game & Watch Nintendo released to honor the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. being released in 1985. As of November 25th, I am at World 8-4 with a fire flower. I have rarely ever done that before. Nice to know that my skills have not atrophied. This device also has the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 as well. That game is insanely hard, but I am up to World 3-1 in that game. That's the farthest I have ever gotten in that game.

So much joy (and frustration) in such a small package...

25 November 2020

Just spent several hundred Dollars on Christmas shopping for both myself and my family members. Half was spent on them, the other half on me. Most of the expenditures on me were on 4 different Switch games that I got from Wal-Mart for $30 or less per title. They are (with pics below) as follows:

Gear.Club Unlimited 2

Luigi's Mansion 3

Mega Man Zero / ZX Legacy Collection

Super Mario Maker 2

There would have been 2 more if not for them being sold out...

Also realized that I forgot to mention the 2 different Nintendo-themed Christmas ornaments that I bought last month. Pic below.

The NES console has sound effects from the first Super Mario Bros. game. So far, it's been a big hit with my relatives. The Zelda cart is also pretty heavy. I hope at least one of the branches on my fake plastic tree can handle it...

2 December 2020

All of those Switch games that I ordered from Wal-Mart's Black Friday sale have arrived.

The game with a big sticker on the front is Super Mario Maker 2.
Good thing that sticker in on the cellophane wrapping instead of the actual case.

Here's what the shelf for the Switch games looks like now. It has expanded past its little slot next to my WiiU games in what I'm guessing is an old desk organizer. I am not sure what I am going to do to fix that slight annoyance, but I will think of something...

The way this looks is seriously triggering my Asperger's...

And finally, we have some slim cases originally made for Mini-Discs, which I am using for loose GameCube discs.

I bought them not just for storing these loose discs in a new way. It was also a way to get over the $35 minimum needed to get free Amazon Prime shipping on the order. The cases that aren't being used now will just get added to the inventory for the retro game store that I really hope to open someday. I have a lot of empty cases that can be used for loose games of all kinds on numerous platforms. These cases are for GameCube, GameBoy, GameBoyAdvance, GameGear, slim jewel cases for standard-sized CD & DVD discs, PS2, SEGA Genesis, etc.

11 December 2020

I found a small work of art/display sign of the Atari Fuji logo on eBay a few weeks ago and ordered it ASAP. It arrived today and looks quite good sitting on top of the shelf for loose Atari 2600 cartridges in my game room. Pics below...

I put my copy of Alien vs. Predator for the Atari Jaguar
behind the sign, just to give you an idea of its size.

Also, I did reorganize that shelf with the Switch & WiiU games in a way that does NOT trigger my Asperger's...

I am running out of room for more Switch games here. Not good.

26 December 2020

This Christmas was mostly movies and TV shows on DVD or Blu-Ray, at my request. I bought my own games during this year's Black Friday sales. There was only one gaming-related item for Christmas this year: a 3rd party joy-con grip for my Switch. I had a lot of trouble finding a listing for this device and any pictures. I did eventually find a listing on eBay, which is where I snagged this picture.

Would not have imagined my mother finding
something like this at a glorified dollar store...

I have never heard of this brand before. The box says it was distributed by a company called 1616 Holdings, Inc. That's the parent company for Five Below. I thought their primary demographic was teenagers. However, that would not necessarily stop my mother from looking around in a new dollar store. She's always hunting for bargains and always tells me when she finds good ones. You'd be surprised how little we end up spending on things like household cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, et al. just by going to Dollar Tree.

Anyway, The eBay listing was trying to sell this same item for $19.99, plus shipping and handling costs. Mom picked it up for $10. Not bad for a spur-of-the-moment purchase that became a stocking stuffer.

31 December 2020

Logged into Steam to see what, if anything, from my wishlist is on sale. Well, there was a lot. So much so that I am going to have to go get some more points cards to buy more games before the Winter Sale ends on January 5th. Today's purchases (and the last game purchases this year) were both Doom games. Specifically, Doom 64 and Doom Eternal. How fitting that a year that was nothing but doom and gloom would be finished off by Doom games that combined cost me around 26 bucks. Both are downloading as I write this entry in the blog post.

Doom 64 logo

Doom Eternal logo

And there you have it, folks. The end of a truly terrible year for all Mankind. I will not even say that I hope 2021 is going to be better. I am not expecting it to get better that quickly for a lot of reasons. Come what may, I still take solace in two important facts:

1.) The Lord is Sovereign.

2.) I am very well trained.

Best of luck to you all in the future. I hope that we have another of these game collecting misadventures posts for 2021.

- Lord Publius

The 'prepping' phenomenon and why it's a GOOD idea.

I'm going to split this up into easily digestible chunks. Expect salty language and lots of shitpost jokes. You are, after all, dealing with a Veteran that has ZERO fucks left to give.

1.) What is 'prepping' anyway?

'Prepping' is literally what it sounds like: Preparing for any and all imaginable emergency situations. That includes natural disasters, riots, war, disease outbreaks, alien invasions and/or the same kind of wrath that God unleashed on Sodom and Gomorrah. (Which you really should be worried about if you live in a place full of deviant sinners like California.)

The media will tell you that this is something that crazy people expecting World War Three or the Boogaloo would do. (More on the Boogaloo and the Media's lies about it will be discussed later in another blog post.) The Fake News Media used to call them Survivalists or Extremists, but they don't bother to hide their disdain anymore. They are, after all, assuming that all Preppers are Trump supporters, Republicans, Libertarians & gun enthusiasts. The truth is that Preppers can be anyone. 

They badmouth anyone who decides that getting ready for a potential crisis situation as being nuts. And as usual, the Media is full of shit. Prepping is not crazy at all. It's something that everyone does to an extent. Did you buy some non-perishable food, a 20 lb. bag of ice and extra consumable supplies before a hurricane? Did you make sure the car's gas tank is full before that hurricane? That's prepping right there! Being a New Orleans native, I can assure you that we all regularly do this kind of prepping down here, regardless of whether or not a storm is heading towards us. (Especially those of us who remember the really bad storms like Betsy, Camille and/or Katrina.) Even when we're not in hurricane season, I am still making sure that I have more-than-adequate supplies on hand. After all, some of that stuff is actually cheaper to buy when we're not in hurricane season.

That being said, this blog post is not just about being ready for a predictable natural disaster like a hurricane. It's going to be very generalized and I'm going to operate on the premise that you're on the run, fighting for your life in a warzone. Why? Because that is the ultimate disaster scenario. If you're prepared for that, you're prepared for anything else that's likely to happen. 

2.) Unusual methods of prepping that aren't necessarily for 'natural' disasters...

There's more to being prepared than just having extra food and ammo. Other things you keep around the house can also be useful in preparing for disasters. For example, keeping a few extra gallons of fuel in the garage. In addition to things like a bag of ice in the freezer, I tend to keep a few gallons of gasoline in my garage at all times. It's for my lawn equipment, but I can just as easily use it as fuel for my car or (if you're a veteran like me) ingredients for a number of booby traps and improvised weapons. No, I am not going to teach you how to use gasoline and other petro-chemicals to make your own incendiary devices. I don't need the Feds knocking on my door and you can find that info online with great ease. In fact, you can actually buy the Army field manuals that tell you how to do these things from Amazon. I am not kidding at all. I have looked them up and they are readily available and cheap. 

That being said, DON'T BE A DUMBASS and actually try any of that shit. Chances are good it won't be much help to you if you're under siege from Antifa Commies in your neighborhood. Just save the gas to burn their corpses after the firefight is over and you've emerged victorious. Can't be leaving garbage like that lying around. That would promote disease and then, unlike this Kung Flu bullshit, we'd have a REAL pandemic on our hands. :P

Speaking of which... when everyone panicked at the start of the COVID crap and bought all the paper products they could, I just laughed. I usually have months' worth of supplies on hand of items like that, as well as household cleaning chemicals, hand sanitizer & ammo for my weapons. In those areas, life was 'business as usual' for me because I was well prepared for supply interruptions. I was actually more worried about the food supply. Thankfully, food wasn't too much of an issue. The worse that happened was not being able to get my favorite brand of peas or any cans of Ro-Tel tomatoes for a while.

Why would I keep month's worth of Toilet Paper in my household inventory? Well, Sam's Club only sells it in bulk. For me, just one of these enormous boxes of paper towels or asswipes are enough to last me for months, maybe even a year. Prepping is pretty easy in that area. Yay Capitalism! I had lots of hand sanitizer on hand because I like keeping my hands clean. That's something you become rather obsessive about when you go through Basic Combat Training for the military. The Drill Sergeants will insist that you have a bottle on you at all times. Trust me, you want to keep as clean as possible in that environment. Living in a large bay with 50+ other recruits can get pretty toxic. That's also the same reason why I keep a lot of cleaning chemicals like bleach on hand. Nothing cleans the house better.

As for the ammo... Well, I remember the kind of chaos that happened after Hurricane Katrina. Chances are good that's going to mean needing much more than one or two boxes of rounds for a hand gun. So, I stocked up over the years. If that kind of post-hurricane anarchy (or any other kind of anarchy) happens again, I will be ready.

3.) Time to bug out...

"But what if I have to evacuate my home/leave town?" you ask. Well, there's a solution for that too. It's usually called a 'Bug-out bag' or something similar. Essentially, it's a bag with clothes, equipment and supplies that you keep at the ready in case you need to disappear fast. Some people keep it in their vehicle's trunk or backseat, some leave it at home in a state where they can just grab it and go. It can be similar in composition/load out as a hiker's backpack or a soldier's pack. However, that's largely based on what you want in the bag. It's up to you to decide what you will need for your unique environment/situation. I can only relay some general advice in this area.

Here's what the (perhaps self-styled) experts will say you should have...

- Water purification supplies (Portable water filter, purification tablets)

- Food Supplies (Snacks, Non-Perishables, MREs, can openers)

- Warmth Supplies (Cold weather gear, poncho, survival blanket, microfiber towels, et al.)

- Shelter and Bedding Options (Sleeping bag, tent)

- Fire Starting Tools (Waterproof Matches, windproof lighters, lighter fluid, flint sticks.)

- First Aid Supplies/Prescription Meds if applicable.

- Core Survival Tools (Compact Shovel, compass, multi-tool, folding pocket knife)

- Lighting Tools (Military Flashlight, glow sticks)

- Communication Devices (Extra cell phone batteries, solar chargers, walkie-talkies, pocket radio)

- Self-Defense Tools (Knife, Gun, Ammo, etc.) 

Source: https://americanpatriotsurvivalist.com/bug-out-bag-checklist/

My recommendations for additional bug-out supplies:

- Plan the bag for 72 hours' worth of misadventure. Anything more will make the bag too heavy to carry on your back. Pack 3 days of clothes, hygiene kit (This includes package of baby wipes for wiping after you shit in the woods. They take up less space than a roll of TP.), snacks, multi-tool, folding knife, med kit & sleeping bag in the backpack. Be sure to put clothing and towels into plastic/waterproof bags to keep them from getting wet. You may have to trudge through a river or get caught in the rain. You'll want to have dry clothes on hand to change as soon as you're in a dry place again. Walking around in cold weather soaking wet is just a good way to get sick. Also, be sure to have lots of extra socks and change them often. Otherwise, you'll eventually get athlete's foot or trench foot from your feet sweating inside your shoes/boots. Whatever weaponry you have should be hanging from your hips in holsters. Long guns (Rifles, Shotguns, et al.) should be carried at low-ready with a shoulder strap for when you need your hands free.

- Use a really durable bag. Military duffle bags are great for this purpose and easily/cheaply acquired at you local Army surplus stores. (Or, in my case, taking them home with me when I left the Army because the Central Issue Facility didn't want them back.) You can use specially made backpacks for this kind of thing like the EVATAC Combat Bag, but I don't want to spend the extra money. I already have the duffle bags from my time in the Army and I'm cheap/usually living paycheck-to-paycheck. If I don't have to spend money, I usually don't.

- Multi-tools are your friend... And reduce the amount of stuff you'll have to carry. I personally recommend using the Gerber Truss tool like the ones that I used in the Army years ago. They are durable and useful in all kinds of ways you'd never expect. I still keep them in my toolbox to this day.

4.) My recommendations for weapons:

- Have at least two knives: A good folding pocket knife and a KA-BAR. The pocket knife is essentially just another tool. The previously mentioned multi-tool has a blade, so you could substitute that for the folding knife, if desired. The KA-BAR is, obviously, intended to be a weapon here. It can be used as a tool, which Service-members have been doing since 1942. It's also your last line of defense when you run out of ammo... or you were a dumbass and let the enemy get within arm's reach. If that happens, use the KA-BAR to embrace your inner Michael Myers and gut that fucker like a fish. Speaking of fish, DON'T use it on any kind of food you plan to eat w/o thoroughly cleaning it first.

- Have a hatchet on hand to chop up tree branches for firewood. I personally recommend the Army Ranger Tomahawk or something similar. It has both an axe head and a knife blade, which will give you a third knife. (Or fourth, if you include the blade on the Gerber.) Yes, you do need ANOTHER knife. You can never have enough knives. Yes, you can also use this Tomahawk for a weapon. Why do you think they are issued to Army Rangers?

- Have a semi-automatic pistol with a large caliber round. If you have to shoot a wild animal or a Communist (which, honestly, is really two of the same thing), you're going to want to only have to shoot him once. A good 1911 chambered for .45ACP works great in this application. It puts a man down with only one round, and that bastard is going to stay down.

Screw Glocks and all this new-fangled plastic shit with no hammers. You want something relatively low-tech, reliable and easy to use/maintain. Remember, Civilization is probably dead and you're on your own here. Don't get fancy and leave NOTHING to chance. (Revolvers also work in a pinch, but keep in mind that they will not have as many shots before needing to be reloaded.)

- Have a good, easy to maintain rifle. Make sure it's semi-automatic and has a magazine for its ammo. Screw bolt-action. You need to be able to send rounds down range faster than that if you're in the middle of a war zone. (Snipers can use bolt-action if they want, since that is the standard for their weapons.) 

Choose whichever rifle you want. AR-15s using .223 rounds are popular and plentiful. Just keep in mind that they are NOT the same as military M-16s & M-4s or use the same rounds. For me, I think I'd prefer something a little more old school and well-proven against the Forces of Evil, like a M-1 Garand chambered in .30-06 Springfield. If they were good enough to help my grandparent's generation to smash the Axis Powers to rubble, they are also good enough for me.

- If you're going to be stuck in an urban environment currently suffering a societal breakdown, shotguns may be preferable to rifles. They take up less space and are much easier to wield when clearing rooms in buildings. Keep in mind that they cause a lot more collateral damage and do not have much in the way of range. They're still great for using as a 'trench broom' to clear out a whole nest of Commies all at once, though.

Also, shotguns can be a great makeshift flamethrower, if you have some rounds called 'Dragon's Breath' at your disposal.

I have never had a chance to fire some Dragon's Breath rounds, but I really do want some. Imagine shooting at some Antifa Commies with that stuff while said Commies also had a Molotov cocktail in their hands. The resulting fireball would give them all a taste of the Vatican's fictional 'Fire and Brimstone' Hell before they go and cause chaos in their ranks. Enemy infantry (for lack of better term here) is much easier to pick off when they are disorganized, demoralized and scared shitless.

- Keep a few condoms in your pack. Yes, they can be used for sex, but that's not why I'm recommending them here. They should be on hand so you can put them over the rifle barrel in bad weather or when hiking through muddy terrain. The condom will keep the barrel from getting full of sand, dirt and/or mud, all of which can really mess up your rifle. I picked this up from some Vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It worked wonders for them.

5.) Emergency Cash 

Not every gas station or small town general store takes credit/debit cards (especially in the middle of a disaster when power & internet access is probably out), so having some cash is quite advantageous. I recommend a minimum of a few hundred dollars in bills no larger than $20. Yes, places like this do still exist in the early 21st century. You may have to go to some strange place like rural Oklahoma to find them, but they do exist. 

Also, using cash makes it much easier to 'go off the grid' and hide out from whom/whatever is looking for you. That could be a hitman that the local mob boss sent after you. (Should have paid your gambling debts to your bookie...) Or, it could be something even scarier like a psycho ex-girlfriend. Use your imagination on that one. The possibilities for scary things are, unfortunately, almost endless. Remember the proverbial shit has officially hit the fan. You can't afford to take unnecessary risks. DON'T leave any paper trails.

6.) Technology isn't necessarily your friend.

Cell phones these days can be easy to track. I would recommend turning them off when you're on the run. This depends on who it is that might be chasing you and what kind of tech skills they have, but why take chances? Better yet, pull the battery and put the phone/battery into a metal box to block any chance of a radio signal getting to/from that phone. Remember, you're on your own with little chance of any help from anyone in anyway. Make yourself impossible to track.

Also, if you can afford it, I recommend having an old-school 4x4 that uses a carburetor and has ZERO electronics in its drivetrain. That kind of vehicle would be immune to electronic hacking & electromagnetic pulses. They're also relatively simple to work on yourself. The meme below goes into more detail.

I made a few other memes based on that theme, but those were for situations when you were staying in a city or hiding in plain sight. This one with the old-school 4x4 is for when the world has officially gone to shit. And that leads us to...

7.) Welcome to Hell, Soldier.

Assume the worst and be ready to do whatever is necessary to survive, escape, evade, resist and sabotage the enemy. Even if the enemy is just a bunch of idiot kids pretending to be 'Anti-Fascist', you should still assume the enemy is just as capable as you, if not more so. That means using asymmetrical & guerilla warfare tactics against them. Those Army field manuals are also available online and easy to find. (I am seriously surprised that Amazon would actually sell something like that...)

Finally, you have to mentally prepare for the absolute worst. You may well have to take life to protect your own and/or your loved ones. Remember, civilization is gone. You don't know when (or if) it's coming back. Until then, man will behave more like the beasts. Under those dreadful circumstances, the only law is the Law of Natural Selection. Act accordingly, or you may not live long enough to see civilization again.

- Lord Publius

The most awkward moment I witnessed in a school classroom?

Oh, the strange things I come across on YouTube...

Watch the video first. Then, I will tell my story...

Interesting that this video should bring up Columbine @ time index 1:00. The day after it happened, some kid that looked like he was stoned (VERY common in my high school) came up to me in the courtyard during lunch and said 'Hey man, are you gonna do what they did in Colorado?' The previous day, 20 Apr 1999, I decided to skip watching the news. I had no idea what he was talking about at all. I simply said no and he walked away.

I decided to watch the news that night and found out what happened. My first thought? 'Oh, fuck me... Everyone in the school is gonna freak out and start chasing me with torches and pitchforks like Frankenstein's Monster.'  You see, I wasn't just one of the weird kids. I was their VERY loud, outspoken and opinionated Living God Emperor. I went to school virtually everyday looking like Arnold in Terminator 2. People would actually be shocked when I'd wear blue jeans one day instead of black ones. So, naturally, all the Normies were gonna shit themselves thinking I'd be the Louisiana equivalent to the Trenchcoat Mafia. However, that didn't happen.

The next day, the school had a disciplinarian and the school police officer (both of whom I was friendly with) search my locker for anything dangerous, et al. They didn't find shit because there wasn't shit to find. This pissed off my father pretty bad and he threatened the school with a lawsuit. The school was MUCH more careful with how they handled this matter after that...

When I was let go, I found the class I was supposed to be in for that period. (They were in a different room that day. I don't remember why.) While walking down the hall to this room, I could hear them all talking very loudly... And when I walked in through the classroom door, DEAD SILENCE. And every pair of eyes were on me. And every face looked confused, shocked and a little scared all at once.

Me though, I didn't give a shit. I just used it as an opportunity to fuck with them and employed my trademark sarcastic humor. While they're looking at me slack-jawed I just said out loud in an observational kind of tone 'Well, looks like I've been the topic of conversation...' as I walked to an empty desk and sat down.

Most of the kids in this class were all friendly with me and they tried to assure me that they weren't just gossiping, which I knew was bullshit. However, I didn't care. That was just the start of my new status as the school's King of the Anti-Establishment/potential school shooter in the minds of the idiots. (i.e. All other students that I was not friendly with or didn't know.) I happily used that reputation to my advantage for the rest of my time there. Combine that with how I was friendly with all the faculty/staff and I practically got away with everything and anything I wanted. Kek!

- Lord Publius

Why I replaced Facebook with something better...

There haven't been a lot of posts here in 2020. Only 5 before this one. Some of you probably wondered if I'd disappeared or abandoned this blog. I'll bet a lot of you (including my stalkers and haters) thought I was gone forever. Yeah... Right... As if that were possible. Not even all the Communists and Hajjis in Hell can stop me from doing ANYTHING, let alone keep me from fucking with the internet. I was just focusing on school and then after the semester ended, enjoying my summer. And by 'enjoying' what I really mean is going stir-crazy since I'm basically stuck at home most of the time over this ridiculous Kung Flu bullshit. Still, you can't keep a good shitposter down forever. Like the Phenom once said, 'You cannot destroy that which does not wish to perish!'

That being said though, there is one website that I suddenly/unexpectedly severed myself from 2 years ago. Considering all the bullshit from that site, I didn't bother to go back. Yep, I am talking about Facebook. Simply put, I had enough of Facebook's bullshit. Besides, I found a better alternative and I just don't want to go back. This blog's text will explain why I came to this decision in more (read: painstaking) detail. If you want to continue following my online misadventures, you're going to have to follow this blog and my profile over on the Facebook alternative named Minds.com. I can be found there with the screen name @LordPublius.

Sooner or later, this will end up on Facebook in some kind of way for my friends and family to read. And just so all of them are caught up with the major events in my life since August 2018...

First, I very quickly found a new (to me) vehicle to replace the truck that I lost when someone rear-ended me. It's a Chevy Impala that I named Belle. You can read about that here.

Second, I switched majors from Computer Science to Business Administration. I am not interested in being some code monkey sitting in a cubicle for the rest of my life. Also, I am not particularly interested in working for other people for the rest of my life, either. Besides, I have a great idea for a business I would like to run and I need to learn how. You can read the full list of reasons for the change in majors here.

Take the CEO's advice. Trust me.

Third and Final, I left the military/veteran fraternity that I helped start on UNO's campus shortly before Christmas of 2018. There were several good reasons, but it all boils down to 2 major categories: Not enough money/time for that project anymore and BAD LEADERSHIP. Long-time readers and anyone that I served with can tell you how I feel about bad leadership. I wasn't even sure what I wanted to do in that organization, anyway... And the organization itself seemed a bit puzzled on that matter as well. :P

Now that we got that stuff out of the way, it's time for yet another controversial list article from your favorite Aspie with a blog. This has been coming for a long time. That corporation owned/controlled by the Zuckbot refuses to behave itself. So, y'all know what time it is...

Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur...

Also, it's been a while since I did a potentially controversial listicle thingy for this blog... And I do need to return to public life... 3:)

Yes, Khan. We shall begin.

1.) FB is just another communication tool now, and thus, no longer fun.

I'm sure all of you have noticed that Facebook has become more and more of a chore, as opposed to the fun utility it once was in years past. I certainly have. So have all of these young Millennials that I have been taking classes with at UNO since January 2018. They just don't want it in their lives. One of them actually disdained the fact that she had to create an account just to stay in touch with her parents. Since that young lady was from Cajun Country, I do genuinely wonder why her parents don't just call her on the phone. They couldn't possibly be more than 2 hours drive away from the campus. And long distance calls don't cost much of anything nowadays. Do phone companies even charge for that anymore?

2.) I am sick of seeing other people's drama... 

Uninformed political & social opinions, celebrity bullshit, arguing with former spouses or lovers online, etc. It all gets old really quick. It also makes you look like an asshole. If you do this kind of stuff, I strongly advise you to stop. The only place where we should be seeing drama is on Television, the Movies or a Shakespeare play. (And it often gets old there too.)

And yes, I know I routinely expressed strong opinions there, here and on any other internet platform where I have a voice. However, mine are quite well informed, thank you very much. I'll even provide sources, if requested. (And assuming they weren't presented from the start for some reason.) Also, I don't denigrate other people for disagreeing with me. That will only make people even more entrenched in their bad ideas. Those who do get butt-hurt when someone disagrees with them are just a bunch of narcissists. Those people are NOT fun to interact with at all. More on that later...

Any chance I can get to sneak a pretty nude Redhead into things... ;)

3.) I am sick of those same people trying to rope me into their drama...

Or, for that matter, try to tell me how to live my life. These shitbags can't even run their own damned lives. I have at least two great examples, one of which has been mentioned in this blog several times before...

First up, we have an individual originally from Michigan that we will refer to by his initials, SC. He was someone I served with at some point in the Army. I will not say where exactly because I don't want anyone trying to learn his identity and harass him.

Anyway, this dude freely admitted to being a jackass in what he probably would have called a comedic way. However, I think everyone else would have just nodded in agreement. He tended to rub people the wrong way online. He assumed that he knew everything about technology because he was a Linux nerd and got some tech training from his Army job. Whenever I mentioned a technical issue on FB looking for help, you can bet he'd chime in with a long, convoluted solution that might not even work. However, an old High School friend of mine (and at least one Army buddy who knew something about computers) would give me FAR better advice. SC's advice would sound like a Starfleet Engineer trying to give me instructions on rebuilding a warp engine. My high school buddy's advice was often as simple as 'go to this menu and uncheck this checkbox.' Whose advice would you take?

And of course, being an arrogant dumbass, SC had to start arguments with that high school friend and other folks. The high school friend ended up blocking him. I'm sure a few others did too. I would also, eventually, block him too in late 2016. (Or was it early 2017?)

Anyway, in November or December of 2016, this kid started getting more uppity than ever before. He started talking down to me like he owned me and was going to make me pick his cotton. Funny, I thought these Yankees fought a war against my beloved South just to stop people from acting that way. What the fuck?!

Seriously SC, what is your fucking problem?

So, what exactly did he do? He started trying to tell me how to live and tried to make my personal business very public. Only problem is, he had no idea what my personal business really was and never would. I don't talk about that stuff online. At first, he tried convincing me to get out of the insurance adjusting business. He thought the insurance business was a scam. It's not a scam, but that's beyond the point. What he didn't know is that I was already on my way out of that business anyway. As soon as I straightened out all of my issues with the VA, that job was no longer necessary. I started collecting the benefits that I was entitled to and used the G.I. Bill to return to college. The insurance adjusting thing was just to keep the bills paid after I left the Army in 2014. It was never going to be a permanent career. I'm also certain that I said as much numerous times. Some people just don't listen.

He also got it into his head that I was going broke and was about to lose my house. Nope! Not even close to being true. He posted some long diatribe in the comments on one of my posts about that once. I don't remember what the post was about anymore. In this diatribe, he was essentially ordering me to sell my house, move somewhere and get a tech job like his, etc. I deleted that comment almost as fast as it was posted. I didn't need this dumbass unintentionally spreading rumors like that around. He immediately re-posted it, which tells me that he took time to write it in a word processor program (or, at least, Notepad) and was serious. I deleted it again, then signed out and went to a Bible study.

But wait, there's more! I come home a few hours later and log-in again. This time, I see that SC has re-posted this same diatribe that I deleted twice on his own page and tagged me. There was also a snarky message from this little shitbag in my inbox with only one line. Something along the lines of 'Got anything to say?' At that point, I didn't even bother to talk to him anymore. I just blocked that dumbass and moved on with life. Who does this shitbag think he is anyway? My boss? He doesn't feed me, finance me or help get me some women who are willing to fuck me. So, I can't say that I'm ever going to be inclined to be taking suggestions from that particular sad result of a broken condom. Fuck that guy.

The only LOLCat image that I've ever made...

A few days later, a mutual friend of ours messaged me about him. Apparently, he was really pissed off that I got rid of him and seemed genuinely concerned about me being broke, close to homeless, etc. Awwww, what's the matter, SC? Got a terrible case of Sandy Vaginitis? You do realize that there are over-the-counter treatments for that right?

Anyway, I just told that mutual friend that he was full of shit and told REPEATEDLY to dispense with the Bravo Sierra. Since he didn't, I got rid of him.  I don't take orders from anyone anymore. It will also be a cold day in that fictional 'fire and brimstone' Hell the Vatican invented before I let them talk down to me like I'm a black man in the Jim Crow era.

Don't worry, Batman. I found a way to defuse that N-Bomb before it went off... :P

Be pissed off all you want, SC. It doesn't matter. I do not suffer fools.

If I have a daughter like Soph someday, I will be extremely proud. Her shitposting gives me hope for the future... <3

Second, we have someone that has already been mentioned in this blog on several occasions, including two posts all about him and his shenanigans. You can read them here and here. That's right, we're about to talk about the psychotic jackass that I only refer to by his initials: BPC.

To make a really long story short (especially since I've already told the long version in the two posts linked to in the previous paragraph), he went nuts and tried to cyberstalk/impersonate me on Facebook. To their credit, Facebook did rectify the situation VERY quickly when they were made aware of these shenanigans. However, the fact that it could happen at all makes me rather uncomfortable with even using the site. It's obviously not very secure. He even tried to get back into my good graces and attempted to apologize, but it wasn't going to happen. He went too far. And, since he wasn't on my friend list anymore, the message went into that 'Other' folder in the Facebook mailbox. I rarely even noticed that folder existed, let alone checked it at all. When I saw a message from him with a new profile there (several months after the message was sent), that profile was immediately blocked/message deleted without even a second thought. Once again, I do not suffer fools.

I miss James Gandolfini... *sniff*

So, who exactly is BPC? This particular lost soul was someone I knew in Basic Training over 10 years ago now and have not seen in person since. Whoever he is now, he's probably not the same (seemingly sane) individual that I knew then. For whatever reason, this poor, demented individual is/was rather obsessed with me. The operating theory among those Army buddies that I still talk to (and everyone else that saw how he was behaving on Facebook) is that he's a homosexual with a crush. BPC vehemently denied that notion. However, I'm not able to rule out any possibilities. After all, he is quite insane. There's no telling what's going on with him.

He also tends to get triggered like a Leftist Cuck whenever I point out the seemingly homosexual behavior on his part. That tells me that he's mentally weak in a lot of ways. Ways that I can exploit. Simply put, I could do to this guy what 4chan did to Jessi Slaughter and in FAR less time. However, I am not that cruel...

A meme from 2012 explaining the situation, for those who have never heard of Jessi Slaughter. Poor girl...

I can understand that BPC was pretty desperate and nearly homeless when he enlisted. (That's what he claims. I have no reason to doubt him.) I can understand why he was thankful that someone gave him a job, food, clothing, shelter, etc. However, that's no reason to turn a government job into your own personal religion. I never let the Army brainwash me or started acting like a cultist/narcissist. Besides, military men acting like they're in a cult is more of a Marine Corps thing, BPC. Neither of us were ever going to be that hardcore. And yes, I am addressing him directly here. I know he reads my blog to this day. Should I be flattered?

BPC as a child (Probably)...

BPC, as much as you say that you're 'done with me', you still keep following my online works in whatever form is possible for you. Why bother? You know it won't get you anywhere. Are you really that bent? Next time you go to the VA hospital, tell them that you're obviously NOT getting enough psychological care. Believe it or not, I do want you to get better. However, you're not going to ever be even a tangential part of my life anymore. You can't be trusted to behave yourself. You went way too far with your bullshit. And for what? Because I decided that the Army was a waste of my time and moved on with my life? People do that every day. The only thing that made my situation unique was that I was so vocal in my long list of reasons for the career change.

Even I can make some major mistakes...

You ought to see the blog he created to complain about the fact that I exist and insist on being an apostate to his personal religion. (And telling a few of his own Army stories.) I could barely understand any of it since the grammar and formatting were so awful. I do believe the phrase that best describes it is 'unintelligible word salad.' I am NOT going to post any links to that blog here. I'm worried that exposing my readers to that garbage could cause a few people to have a stroke. Yes, it is that bad. Last time I looked at it, there were three different usernames from this same blogger account too. All of them talking shit about me. I just laughed. Were these sock-puppets or different accounts for all of the split personalities he might have? (I really do hope that's just a joke...)

Me when I tried to read BPC's poor excuse for a blog a while back...

To think that all of this happened just because I got tired of his shit and blocked him on Facebook... And then later threatened to go to the Army Criminal Investigative Division and report his cyberstalking attempts if he didn't immediately fuck off... And called him a faggot in a few really elaborate, roundabout ways... And him also getting worked up because I told him to kill himself, just like you routinely do online when dealing with annoying assholes... Jesus Fucking Christ...

The Internet is the most glorious thing that Humanity has ever invented.

I'm amazed that simp took me seriously on that one. You'd think he was brand new to the internet. Everyone eventually gets called a faggot and then told to kill themselves. I did it with someone else earlier in this very blog!

Having to explain them just ruins the punchline...

And don't think that the Army chaptering you for mental issues means that you're safe from Johnny Law. Army CID can't do anything now, but the FBI still will. And the moment I tell them how you unwittingly violated OPSEC, you can bet they will be coming for you in very short order. The fact that you had no idea just how retarded you were acting is the only reason why I have thus far taken pity. Think about it for a moment, BPC. Why would I be so keen on NEVER posting photos of myself anywhere online, especially old photos of me in uniform? Dumbass.

Seriously BPC, did you learn NOTHING from me over the years?
You're the most disappointing apprentice since Darth Maul.

All it takes is one phone call to the regional FBI field office at the number they list on their site. And if that triggers you too, I suggest you call another government office at 1-800-273-8255. They have people there 24 hours a day to listen to whiners complain about how life is so unfair. Also, just a word of advice, be patient if you call on a holiday. They tend to get swarmed with calls on those occasions.

Even if your life sucks right now, it will eventually get better. Just keep working at it and don't do stupid shit... Like messing with a very talented internet shitposter/Final Boss of the Internet whose liable to destroy your sanity (and life) just because you annoyed him... And because he was bored...

I know this one is in poor taste, but I couldn't help myself.
RIP Robin Williams. I miss you... *sniff*

Ya know, he probably just got triggered again since he doesn't have a sense of internet humor. I swear BPC, you keep acting as if life was meant to be so damned serious. It's not. Calm down.

Just how miserable would I be without internet humor?

Also Chef BPC, I have to address a few things that I could decipher from that word salad of yours... I wasn't listening to the song Disposable Heroes when I decided to slowly transition back to civilian life. It was Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Didn't our drill sergeants put a LOT of emphasis on 'attention to detail' in the first few weeks? You try to offer rebuttals to my list of reasons for getting out of the Army and then completely screw up the details. You make yourself look foolish when you make those mistakes. Also, constantly bitching about me online just makes you look like a basic bitch with a broken heart. Move on with your life.

Audrey was a smart lady...

Furthermore, I saw you mention that you have a 70% disability rating from the VA now. Congratulations. However, did you really need to tell me (and the rest of the world) that you're now getting 70% of the base pay for the last pay grade you had in the Service? People can look up the pay tables and see exactly what Uncle Sam is giving you in tax-free disability money. That's not smart, dude. Especially if you're also planning on becoming an accountant someday. Remove that bit from your blog ASAP, just for your own security. I doubt your future clients will like the fact that you're willing to publicly discuss finances. I doubt your friends will stay friendly with you for long if you can't keep anything secret, either. How can they trust you if you can't even keep your own info secure? OPSEC is for life, not just while in uniform. Once again, I do not suffer fools.

Yep...

I can sit here all day listing various assholes that I had to block, many of them total strangers that I had no previous contact with beforehand. (And sadly, many oddball psychotics that I met in the Service.) However, there are other points to make. Let's move on, shall we?

Okay, Bender! Sheesh...

4.) I am really tired of constantly being thrown in FB jail every time I blink, often without any explanation why.

All that demonstrates is that FB is deliberately trying to silence people that they dislike for whatever reason. That is unacceptable. It's one of the reasons why I wrote to my representation in Congress about that shitshow of a company (and the rest of their Silicon Valley cabal)...

Tell'em, James. \m/

And that leads us to...

5.) The CONSTANT censorship is unacceptable and *quite* Un-American.

Banning people will only drive them deeper and deeper into the underground. And that will just make them more and more nuts. However, trying to get FB to understand that objective reality is impossible. Ever hear of something called the Streisand Effect, Facebook?

Sunlight really is the best disinfectant for bad ideas. If people cannot express themselves and their shitastic opinions, how are you ever going to debate them? How are you ever going to help them realize their ideas suck? You wonder why hateful bastards like Louis Farrakhan and Richard Spencer actually exist and get more radical with time? It's because you keep trying to push them out of mainstream society. And it's not just hateful assholes like the two that I just mentioned. FB also censor lots of Conservatives they dislike and harmless conspiracy cranks like Alex Jones. What's the matter, Facebook? Afraid that someone is going to expose your own bad ideas to a little sunlight disinfectant?

You'd think this would be a simple concept to understand,
but not for the Leftists running most social media sites.

As if that wasn't bad enough, their algorithm also censored someone for posting The Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July in 2018. Their damned algorithm called our Declaration of Independence from the British Crown a form of 'Hate Speech.' You just can't make this shit up...

Zuck ought to be publicly hanged just for this, let alone all of his other Bullshit...

I could go on for quite some length about how much that pisses me off, but I'll just use a little meme magic instead...

Get'em, George... 3:)

6.) The Federal Trade Commission is investigating Mark Zuckerberg. Not just Facebook, him personally, because of this censorship crap and the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

In fact, Facebook’s competitive practices currently are under investigation separately by the U.S. Congress, Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and (at least) 47 state attorneys general. Looks like all the complaints sent to Capitol Hill are starting to have an effect. That's including a letter that I sent to both of my state's Senators and my House Representative via e-mail AND the U.S. Post Office. I wanted to make damned sure that my feelings on this subject got to the right people in Congress. My Senator even replied to my messages, saying that he'd keep my thoughts in mind when the issue came up for a vote. Also, since this Senator is a Republican, chances are good he has a hate boner against the FAANG companies anyway.

There's also a chance that disgrace to Autists everywhere is liable to go to jail over his company's shenanigans. That doesn't exactly leave me feeling enthused about using his company's products and services. Who wants to do business with a dishonest man? Would any of you buy a car from Mark Zuckerberg? I sure wouldn't. Talk about some faggot that needs to kill himself...

Knowing the Leftist ass-clowns running those sites, chances are good they are going to eventually fail. Good riddance.

Media reports on the matter are saying the investigation is over Facebook's complete lack of information security, but the censorship is not going to help his case. I look forward to when he goes to jail and becomes Bubba's new cellmate, assuming that Congress can get its head out of its ass. As for you Zuck... Well, you better use those billions to invest in some soap on a rope, bitch. And straight razors to finally end the pain when the ass-rape becomes too much...

Telling assholes to kill themselves is surprisingly cathartic...
And still wrong...

7.) FB is supposedly censoring memes now too? F*ck me...

I can't say that I know for sure from my own experience. I haven't used FB since August of 2018. However, my sources on these things are quite reliable. I can't say that this action on their part would encourage me to embrace the site again, either. Social Media (and the internet itself) just isn't any fun without memes. The more dank and vile, the better.

Fuck YOU, you disgraceful excuse for an Autistic Asshole!!! You make all the rest of us look bad with your bullshit!!!

After a lifetime of rough experiences, my sense of humor has become... a little warped. The dank memes actually help to keep me jolly. That's what we all want, right? After all, we wouldn't want a Semi-Dysfunctional Veteran with a history of anger management issues to be getting angry again, would we? No! No, we would not...

Leftists have ZERO sense of Humor.

That being said, Zuck censoring people for sharing these memes and lampooning him as a public figure is NOT FUNNY AT ALL. It's denying people their right to parody a public figure under the Free Speech clause of the 1st Amendment. It's also FB acting like a publisher instead of a platform, violating the consent decree they were given in 2011 and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. And that is why FB needs to be split up via the Sherman Anti-Trust Act as soon as possible. **Ends Armchair Lawyering**

Also Zuck, if you learn to laugh at yourself, you might find a lot of those memes to be funny too. You do have a lot of strange mannerisms that the public has noticed. Learn to laugh at yourself, dude. You'll be a much happier person.

8.) You don't need FB to function in society or keep in touch with people.

E-mail, snail mail, discussion forums, chat rooms, Instant Messenger programs, text messages and phone calls still exist and are often much more direct. Not to mention a lot more private. Even if you can't keep the conversation private, you can at least have some anonymity via screen names in the forums, chat rooms and Instant Messenger programs. That was how online communication happened before social media became a thing with MySpace. That's probably how it should be for most things. That, and, God forbid, we could all try socializing and talking to each other in real life again. Remember that, folks? Surprisingly, I do miss certain aspects of that phenomenon.

Social Media has its uses, but it is becoming far too much of a pain in society's ass. Time for it to be scaled back...

And by 'scaled back', what I really mean is violently chopped up into pieces
by the Feds via the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Ma Bell's past should be Facebook's future.

9.) Current (and potential future) employers are going to spy on you with these social media tools. They will also use what they see as an excuse to either not hire you or fire you from your job.

Simply setting your profile to private may not be enough, either. Fortunately, I am largely immune to this for a number of reasons, including being a self-employed businessman someday. Kinda hard to be fired when you're the boss...

These days, it may be more like 5-10 hours at most. Remember that Starbucks employee
who threatened to spit in the coffee of Trump supporters after the 2016 election?

Also, these social media sites that actually do require the use of your real name can inadvertently make a LOT of really important private details very public. You may not want your bosses to know some of these very private things. No, it doesn't matter if you didn't post it there or not. The info can still get out all because of one person mentioning something they shouldn't or tagging you in a picture they took of you. So, even if you delete your account, Facebook will still have a 'shadow profile' on you with a LOT of potentially damaging information. This fact is also one of the reasons why I got rid of SC after his ranting about my supposed financial troubles...

All the more reason why I do NOT take pictures anymore...

The mere fact that these shadow profiles exist make me VERY glad that I fed Facebook an insane amount of bullshit over the years just to cover my tracks. Not that their algorithm for displaying ads ever did a good job of catering said ads to my needs/tastes anyway. What exactly would make them think that I would want a Japanese car? I don't drive foreign trash.

10.) If you really must have your social media fix, there are alternatives to these Silicon Valley snobs who think they can control the flow of information.

I'll let this meme show all the alternatives for me...

Liberty or Death, your choice.

I have been using Minds and DuckDuckGo for some time now. DuckDuckGo's search results are comparable to (if not better than) any other search engine, including Google. Also, I can verify that DuckDuckGo is FAR superior when it comes to Image Searches. If I do a reverse image lookup on a photo of a car, Google's results will usually say something like 'car' or some other general term that is totally worthless. DuckDuckGo will actually give me links to pages where that image is, year/make/model of the car and all relevant links. And this is just one example I can use. What happened, Google? Your search results used to be top-notch. The only things I'm using Google for now would be a few different (rarely checked) e-mail addresses, this blog, Maps, language translation and watching YouTube videos. And I rarely need maps or language translation.

When I start making videos again in the future though, they are going to BitChute instead. YouTube's censoring of Non-Leftist opinions is totally unacceptable.

I never used Reddit or Twitter. You shouldn't either. They are both Normie trash. (And have horrible user interfaces...)

Wikipedia has always been suspect so, I don't rely on them for anything important. All Wikipedia was ever good for was giving you a general idea about things and creating a format for fans to create online resources about their favorite fandom. For example, the semi-official and highly-informative Star Trek wiki Memory Alpha. I have yet to find a single error on ANY of its pages. That is impressive.

As for Minds... Well, it's a website that takes the best of what Facebook and other social media sites are and turned it into a far superior product. That site will not censor you for ANYTHING unless it's required by U.S. Federal Law. That means they don't give a shit about the European Union passing a bill like Article 13. That's the way that an American company should operate. Yet, Facebook, Twitter, et al. are all too happy to suck the EU's proverbial cock on this one. What the Fuck? (And don't even get me started on how some of them are bending over and taking it in the ass from the Chi-Coms...)

Since there are virtually no rules on Minds, I can speak freely there. That means that the stuff that I post there can be even more hilarious than the dank/vile stuff I used to put on FB when that site was fun. (Remember those days? Those were some good times, man...) Although, it's usually just the same kind of stuff. I don't want people to get too overloaded.

Not to mention every Leftist's worst nightmare...

Something else that I noticed is that almost everyone on the platform is really polite compared to Facebook. Even if they vehemently disagree with you, they don't get nasty. And if anyone does, you can block them just as easily there as on any other platform. That being said, I have blocked many people on Minds for various reasons. Usually because I saw something on their page that was really objectionable to me. Stuff like crazy conspiracy theories, hateful garbage, etc. Since this platform respects Free Speech, people are all to happy to use that Free Speech to show you exactly who they are. In that regard, it's a lot like old-school discussion forums back in the day: just a digital Old West, with virtually no oversight. I prefer it that way. That is what makes the internet so different (and so much better) than any other medium. It's as open and free as it is interactive. It needs to stay that way. Otherwise the internet will become just as boring (and one-way) as television.

The best part though, is that Minds will let you use a screen name instead of your real name. That is how they protect your data. They give you the option of not even handing any over. Facebook will never do that because selling your data to advertisers is how they stay in business. And that is ultimately why Facebook can never be 100% fixed. Not to mention why I routinely fed that website so much bullshit that even my own family and friends never really knew what was going on with me. Who knows, maybe that's why SC & BPC got so concerned and started acting crazy. Did I somehow gaslight them without even knowing it, or are they both just insane, narcissistic assholes? Probably the latter.

So folks, in conclusion, PLEASE quit sucking Zuck's e-cock and come join me on Minds. I promise you will all be so much happier. Once again, you can find me on the platform with the screen name @LordPublius. I look forward to seeing you there.

No need for any border walls here... ;)

- Lord Publius