story time

(i'm watching Man in the High Castle, and the bowing reminded me of this)

I was once on a consulting engagement with a Japanese company

they were trying to figure out the accounting implications of a gas deal

my boss and I went to their offices (in Houston) to receive a presentation we had been warned that this was a Very Old Japanese company, and to brush up on customs and courtesies

we dressed up

GOOD MILITARY EQUIPMENT NAMING CONVENTION MEGA THREAD

1. Ethnohistorical weapons/fighters

they should be from your own nation or forebears, or an homage to your indigeneous people

for Americans, the Tomahawk (cruise missile) works

Scimitar or Atlatl just wouldn't fit

ideally the weapon/system has some physical resemblance or metaphorical relation to its namesake

the Switchblade drone's wings flick out

the Harpoon missile kills giant ships 2. Contextually relevant mythology

it has to be relevant both to your people and to the system itself

for Americans, this largely means Greek and Roman mythology

the Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile is a perfect example

the Aegis system is another great one - Zeus' shield

the E-6 Mercury aircraft zips around relaying messages

I think we do this particularly well, but other nations do too

the Japanese Soryu submarine is named for a mythical blue dragon that protects the east

Wotan was a German radar navigation system that used a single beam, named for a one-eyed Norse god

let's talk about these little guys

🧵 this is duck (or duct) tape, a cloth-backed adhesive tape used for...

well, everything

let's talk about these little guys

🧵 this is a pop-top aluminum beverage can, also known as a beer can

given today's events, let's talk about these little guys

🧵 this is an order of McDonald's french fries, sold under the registered-trademark name World Famous Fries

let's talk about these little guys

🧵 this is a crayon - a small stick of colored wax used for drawing, typically by children, and as a tasty snack by United States Marines

they're sometimes called wax pastels when they're fancy and expensive

by popular demand, let's talk about these little guys

(sorry for the delay)

🧵 this is salt, a naturally occurring mineral made up of sodium and chlorine

it's an essential nutrient for human life, but we eat a small fraction of the salt we use

it has numerous uses in the production of chemicals, paper, soap and rubber; in deicing roads; in water treatment; in metallurgy

In honor/memoriam of the Astros, let’s talk about these little guys

quickie thread This is a baseball, used to play the game of baseball

Let’s talk about these little guys

🧵 This is a nail – a metal spike with a pointed end used to join building materials

let’s talk about these little guys

(belatedly)

🧵 This is olive oil, a liquid fat pressed from olives and used as a food, cosmetic and fuel, among other things

i was talking to a friend the other day about grocery shopping

i do most of the shopping for my family of eight

i think i'm pretty good at it

these tips might help you

some of these are very basic to level-set

I live in Houston

I do most of my grocery shopping at H-E-B

let's talk about these little guys

🧵

this is popcorn, a foodstuff made by heating dried corn kernels until they burst

by popular demand (ok, it's just @zettaohm)

let's talk about these little guys

🧵 this is ice

it's the solid state of water

Bateman's card is actually kinda shitty

let's take a look 1. it's off center

due to logistical issues, I have to postpone the razor-blade thread to next week

in the meantime, let's talk about these little guys

🧵 this is an Interstate Highway sign

it's part of a system of standardized signage used on Interstate Highways in the United States

i can't sleep

so let's talk about these little guys

🧵 This is a host, sacramental bread or communion bread

it becomes the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ when a priest utters the words of institution during the Mass

but this thread will be about the unconsecrated bread as a physical object

let's talk about these little guys

🧵 this is a water tower

it's an elevated structure used to supply pressure to a water distribution system

let's talk about these little guys

🧵 this is Scotch whisky

let's talk about these little guys

🧵 (I know Scotch whisky won the poll, but my boy @stronkdaddy requested this)

Mr. Smith reminds me that I never got back to the can sizing system

I mentioned that the standard Campbell's soup can is a No. 1, also known as a picnic

there's a bunch of sizes, and the numbering is goofy

https://twitter.com/chrylis/status/1819243677484560554

as far as I can tell, the No. 1, 2 and 2 1/2, 10, etc. were just arbitrary

but there a method to the 3xx madness

let's talk about these little guys

🧵

this is a can

sometimes known as a tin can, or in the Commonwealth as just a tin