Daily Slow Chat

4 comments

1. So today I decided to visit one of the oldest European settlements on the West coast of the US: an old Russian fort (Fort Ross). I know this is a European sub and as Euro-Redditors we all love a good dunking on Russian imperialism, so just to highlight how dumb these Russian imperialists were, in the early 1800s they decided to set up an outpost, *in California*, on a piece of rugged, windswept hilly coastline just north of one of the best natural harbours in the world, as a way of supplying their colonies *in Alaska* with food. They then abandoned their outpost *in California* a few decades later to focus on their *more important* colonies *in Alaska*…as they were making a financial loss on their outpost in California.

   Please make this make sense.

   Facetiousness aside, the reason why the Russians chose this place to build their outpost is because Mexico already had sovereignty in the area. The Russians basically went to the Mexican government and said “Oh hi, I know this is your land and all but can we just, like…have a bit of worthless coastline of yours and settle it with a bunch of native Alaskans please for reasons?”. The Mexican government considered it trespassing but they barely had much control that far north and the local natives and few Californios there were there didn’t really give a fuck, so the Mexican government just kind of moaned about it but didn’t do much to try to get them out.

   Fort Ross is kind of a cool place though. You keep driving up this relatively empty, rugged Brittany-like coastline until suddenly, in a place that feels almost like the end of the Earth, you randomly see this weird, [wooden structure](https://imgur.com/a/V5WMCXv) that looks almost like something out of the Carpathians. And despite it being one of the oldest places in California, it’s pretty desolate and there weren’t a lot of other people around. There was, however, [a very photogenic seal](https://imgur.com/a/UcwfSK1)

2. I found an [article ](https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-hottest-earths-ever-been) with graphs about the paleo temperatures of past times. The last time it’s been as cold as the past 2.5 million years was in the Carboniferous. Those giant insects and coal swamps of North America and Europe coexisted with what was probably the largest ice sheet of the Phanerazoic on Gondwana, but we might never know what a cold carboniferous environment looks like because of a lack of fossils from that time and place. Imagine a tundra before grasses and flowers.

   I’m surprised they didn’t permanently nuke every article with the word “climate” from every government website.

3. I read this morning that a Turkish group designed a simulator game where you play a young Turkish man going abroad to work at his uncle’s döner shop, without speaking the language of the country. You need to make döner at high speed, take orders, and adapt to your new country. It’s called “I can only speak döner”.

   I wonder if they do stupid things like putting sauce or six billion different kinds of salad.

4. I bought black slacks for 4€ from a second hand store and I’m so pleased with them, they fit as if tailored and I feel very sexy in them. Just wanted you all to know.

   Speaking of menswear though, I’m going to a wedding later this year and I have a blue suit. I don’t really want to wear a white shirt with it, it’s so boring, so what should I go for? I guess pale blue is a pretty classic one. I’m kinda thinking solid colours, but maybe white and pale blue stripes could be fun too. Depends on the tie, I guess. I don’t really know what tie to wear yet either.