@sjvn When @pluralistic said he quit smoking because he realized he was burning through 2 to 3 laptops/year, this perspective boggles my mind.

I never smoked or wanted to. Both my parents and sister did. RIP.

@mvilain @sjvn @pluralistic

i apologize if you already know this but i am compelled to point out that after the big tobacco settlement a couple decades ago people dug into the 'discovery' information provided and found that scientists at tobacco companies had realized that polonium was absorbed by tobacco plants roots from the soil, and when smoked would create tiny deposits of these alpha particles in smoker's lungs that caused cancer
they realized this in like the 30s, and developed a technique of 'acid washing' that could remove some or all of the polonium, but also removed nicotine, making the cigarettes less addictive
so they never did it
they settled for billions of dollars with the understanding they couldn't be sued again for anything else related to the case
i myself smoked cigarettes for many years and so did my dad (he quit before that specific thing killed him), and i 'quit' many many times (finally for real now)

@zombiewarrior @mvilain @sjvn @pluralistic

I'm weirdly grateful to my chainsmoking parents for smoking so unbelieveably obnoxiously much that it put me off the whole concept for ever.

@cavyherd @zombiewarrior @mvilain @sjvn @pluralistic I sort of have that but I also watched my dad literally be eaten from the inside by so much cancer, it eventually got through his skin. He wasted away in front of us, only quitting just before an emergency diagnosis.

A product that kills *HALF* of all its users should not be available anywhere on the planet.

@noodlemaz @zombiewarrior @mvilain @sjvn @pluralistic

...unless you have enough money to buy the regulators 🤦