As you might remember, it used to be called “information superhighway.” As it turns out, not only does it make information flow faster from A to B, it also divides people that lie to either side of the road, in a metaphorical sense.
Required reading See especially figure 3b. TLDR: Increased information access and increased connections lead to more echo chambers.

I remember this type of discussions and the exact same arguments on Reddit, or was it Digg, way back when. Classic rock then was Phish or Grateful Dead.
Well, as a result, I’ve never gotten into these two particular bands, but I did start listening to music that’s like 10 or 20 years older than the stuff I grew up with. In fact, only recently, I’ve gotten a record player and some vinyl records. Works great for lo-fi rock which is imperfect by design.

“I am a fox,” said the fox.
“Please - tame me!”

You might take the Q&A with Frank Lloyd Wright as a counterexample (abridged, emphasis mine):

Q: Do you think that you are at any less rebellious, less of a radical in your art and life than you were a quarter of a century ago, Mr. Wright?

A: Rather more so. Only more quiet about it. Warren McArthur, a very good friend of mine, once said to me, “Frank, hear, you don’t have to paint your shirt front red and stand out in the street and holler about this,” and I began to think it over and I think he’s right.
If it is right and if it is good and it is sound, it’ll defend YOU if you give it a chance.
Lloyd Lewis came to me once when I was rolling the reporters downhill in a kerosene barrel to get rid of them. “Frank,” he said, “these boys have to live. Don’t you understand that you’re bringing all this down on yourself just because you haven’t got the wit to be kind to them and to see that they’re sent out here to get something and if they don’t get it, they may get fired.”
He said: “It takes all kinds, Frank, to make a world.”
And so I began to give. Here I am, giving again.

~~

Bear in mind that in this interview, he is looking back on a life full of accomplishments, and had to overcome strong headwinds at times. The other snippets on the page linked above can give you an idea of this as well.

Yeah, I’ve had a realization a few days ago when I checked out about a dozen songs that had north of 10 million views on YT, but I’ve never heard of them, at all, or of the artists behind them. And all of those were from some 10 years ago. So I guess my taste in music is kind of frozen in time and I’ve been trying for a while to complete collections of “old” artists rather than getting to know new ones.
I do get occasional inspiration from the folks at I Love Music, though.

Don’t know much about history… Don’t know much palaeontology…

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They are all over Europe. I have three or four within walking distance. And they can hold some amazingly large items, too.

They are now putting laughing gas in energy drinks, as I found out recently. It’s also in whipped creme which might be one reason people are all over it.
I’m loving it. So much better than CO2. Also makes for good social commentary.

OBEY

Maybe I’m missing something here, but plenty of folks - blue collar workers, technicians, engineers - have away jobs where they work in different places for weeks or months at a time, and there are landlords who specialize in providing this clientele with bare-bones furnished apartments. I’ve been there, too - in fact, one year during the pandemic, I had spent just a bit more than half of my time working and living in a place away from home.

• Language is by far the most important door opener, so put in one hour of learning every day for at least a year.
• Mingle to get out of your comfort zone: Go to after-work parties and flea markets, take public transit. Use hobbyist/ meet-up apps. Read/ watch the local news.
• Don’t expect to be invited, especially not to people’s homes. People might also be uncomfortable being invited to your home. Meeting in a public place is almost always the better option, unless you’ve gotten to know someone really well.
• Irony/ sarcasm don’t translate very well between cultures.
• Europe has some lousy weather, so get watertight coats and waterproof your shoes and backpacks.
• Take it slow.
• Also: Enjoy it! Europe is a fantastic little place at the crossroads between Asia and Africa and I would never want to leave.

Breakup version:
Rachel and I are dating again.
Well, not each other, but still…

There are many forums like that, especially if you’re not limited to one language. Most of the ones I frequent have been around for 10 or 20 years or more, but kind of fly under the radar. ilxor being a very good example. AFAIK, the latter also adds only one new user per day. I’d say that’s a good thing, even though I had to apply several times.

No, it’s Ocho!

The number of people who will get the reference can be counted on one hand, probably.

Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face by a gorilla.

♫ It’s true that all the men you knew were dealers who said they were through

being dealers every time you gave them shelter

I know that kind of man, it’s hard to hold the hand of anyone

who’s reaching for the sky just to surrender ♪

(originally by Leonard Cohen, of course)

Yeah, the 90s were a good time for movies that could not have been mainstream in any other decade. I’d place Judge Dredd, Demolition Man and Total Recall in the same “corny, but excellent” league as the 5th Element.
Then you had unofficial double features of sorts: Smoke/ Blue In The Face, Casino/ Goodfellas.
12 Monkeys needs to be mentioned as well, it’s probably the most palatable movie on my list.
In the “disconcerting, but unforgettable” league, I’d place As Good As It Gets, The Crossing Guard and, of course, the grisly “8 mm.”