Odd confessions.

Clockwork.

they use the stored energy in a coil spring which drives the cogs as it unwinds

edited 19th Oct '14 6:04:59 AM by InverurieJones

And if you want a more in-depth explanation: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/clocks-watches/clock-roundup.htm

I can kind of relate to Twentington's situation. I'm a complete idiot and know absolutely nothing useful about anything, so.....

Not sure why you guys are so scared......

Aren't you still in high school, though?

Well over here we call it college, but yeah.

All my friends are big into politics and science, though, and are smarter than usual for their age. (As in going on about string theory at the age of 11)

I don't understand politics at all, I don't get science that much.. I know about the bits of History that I've studied in school, but the curriculum i'm doing is pretty narrow really.

Politics is complicated to put it lightly - I've had to spend some time explaining the difference between a despotic monarchy and an absolute one, and then trying to explain what enlightened despotism means.

Admitting you don't understand politics is actually far wiser than it may seem, because that you know you don't understand means you can learn.

When I'm depressed, I tend to do things that I know are self-destructive, but I feel like I have to do.

Like counting the days from now until my 75^th birthday. I feel like I have to budget the days of my life because I feel like I'm burning through them way too fast, and I don't know how because the number really isn't very big at all.

Also, counting my screw-ups so I know exactly how many people's lives I'm ruining on a daily basis.

I'm kind of the opposite of Twentington then, since I was one of those kids who wanted to take everything apart and see how it worked.

Even now I love watching shows like How It's Made. Especially when they're making electronics and fine machinery.

On that note, one of my favorite books when I was a kid was How in the World?.

Eh, not worth it to count your screw ups. Every single action and inactiom people do has effects on everyone's lives. The butterfly effect ensures that each tiny thing you do will be guaranteed to affect the lives of people you may never even see or interact with in your life.

Like, say, I work at a pizza place. If I was slacking off on the job and put a pizza in the oven really late, the person who ordered it will get it late. That person might need to get somewhere fast, and I'm causing them to be late. So, the person gets his food and goes in the car and gets on the road. There's traffic now, due to an accident that happened five minutes earlier. And, it is very possible that if he had gotten his food on time, he would've been involved in that accident. However, one of the people who was in the accident would not have, in turn. Should I feel proud that I kept someone from getting in an accident? Should that man feel guilty that someone else was in the accident in his stead? No, because while these were technically circumstances we could've controlled, neither of us had any idea that any of that would've happened.

Maybe you've saved someone's life inadvertently. Maybe you haven't. There's no way you can tell. Just live your life how you'd like to.

edited 19th Oct '14 10:57:27 AM by Odd1

In that situation, I may have saved someone's life, but I also would have murdered someone in cold blood by doing so. Thus, I'm trash and I deserved that fate instead.

That's the only way I can think. Every innocuous action I take makes someone wind up dead. Even if something good happens, thesomething bad that comes with it always haunts me.

Thing is, though, you could not have known that would happen. It's not murdering someone in cold blood—it's multiple situations coming together in a way that affects someone negatively. And literally everyone on Earth plays a part in that. Everything that everyone does affects everyone else, not just your own personal actions. And no matter what you do, bad things will happen and good things will happen. It's not worth it to worry yourself about it. Just do whatever actions you think would benefit the world and yourself.

There will always be bad things happening in the world. There will always be good things. Don't harp on the bad things. Harping on them and beating yourself up doesn't fix them.

edited 19th Oct '14 11:40:29 AM by Odd1

I think you need to look up the definition of the word murder.

Whenever I heard an excruciating Incredibly Lame Pun, I have a great need to hurt the person who told it, yet I'm laughing.

Badakhshan!

Also, I don't feel like spending over sixty bucks on costume-related stuff right now, but that would be the two last easy things about one of them.

I felt ridiculously happy yesterday carrying around the little pink rainbow/unicorn wellies. I deliberately didn't take a bag so people would see them. They are for my little girl and I wanted to show them off.

And that is how you make your kid feel appreciated. Take notes from Jones, everyone.

What are wellies?

And ah, you're one of those parents

Wellies. Try to imagine them tiny and pink, with rainbows and unicorns on them.

That's kind of adorable.

Sure they are, Jones. Suuure they are.

Fuck anti-jokes.

Fuck you.

Nah, I'm just kidding. That kind of jokes just isn't to my taste. I got nothing against people who like it. Just don't say it to me.

edited 22nd Oct '14 9:36:40 AM by dRoy

And now for a rather embarrassing one: I'm nearly 18 years old and I still can't tie up shoelaces.