This is the bi-weekly visible open thread (there are also hidden open threads twice a week you can reach through the Open Thread tab on the top of the page). Post about anything you want, but please try to avoid hot-button political and social topics. You can also talk at the SSC subreddit or the SSC Discord server – and also check out the SSC Podcast. Also:

1. Those of you who don’t use ad-blocker may notice some more traditional Google-style sidebar ads. I’m experimenting to see how much money they make vs. how much they annoy people. If you are annoyed by them, please let me know.

2. Someone is doing one of those tag your location on a map things for SSC users. If you sign up, you may want to include some identifying details or contact information, since right now most of the tags don’t seem very helpful unless people are regularly checking their accounts on the site.

3. I’m considering a “culture war ban” for users who make generally positive contributions to the community but don’t seem to be able to discuss politics responsibly. This would look like me emailing them saying “You’re banned from discussing culture war topics here for three months” and banning them outright if they break the restriction. Pros: I could stop users who break rules only in the context of culture war topics without removing them from the blog entirely. Cons: I would be tempted to use it much more than I use current bans, it might be infuriating for people to read other people’s bad politics but not be able to respond, I’m not sure how to do it without it being an administrative headache for me. Let me know what you think.