Oh I totally got that. I was just trying to offer an alternative use of "reason" vs "excuse". My parents use it too, but, as you've explained, in an attempt to establish hierarchy and remind me of my place.

And a shit ton of bosses who've done the same. I think it can be a useful tool but it's almost never used that way.

I second Deep Rock. I've recently got back into Destiny 2, which could be an option too. But it's also a lot more than a simple fps. Plus it's infuriating and addictive.

I do it with my kids. Not because I don't want to hear the process, I do, but I want them to think about the root cause of why they do the things they do. Oversimplified example; why didn't you do your homework? Well, I didn't think about it. Ok, why didn't you think about it? I was focused on (x thing). Sure, so why weren't you able to remember you had homework? Etc, until we find what the reason was.

It's like a 5 whys or drill down method. The root is the reason, almost everything before it is an excuse. Essentially I'm attempting to teach them to do this on their own to improve their problem solving abilities and, because they're both ADHD, like me, to teach them to coping skills.

But yes, at work it's often just an excuse to push an agenda in a demeaning way.

Functionality, ease of use, and longevity taken into account, I'll have to disagree based on my experience. Shield, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire, Raspberry Pi in that order. But if they're planning on using it just for streaming, a Roku stick is the simplest, cheapest, and easiest option. And unless they're already deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem, I'd avoid it too.

Chapterhouse: Dune is legit my favorite book of all time. The series is my favorite series but I love how bat shit crazy everything is after Children.

I've started watching how to videos about bonsai lately. I've alway been curious but the time to grow and keeping the trees alive always seems intimidating.

Plus the folks who do this professionally seem to repot semi regularly and cut away a ton of roots. Everytime I've tried to repot something, I've killed it.