Phoenix's gayborhood is located on one of the few stretches of road in the city that isn't... straight (https://www.phoenix.org/valley_history/one-tiny-mistake-that-created-7th-avenue-s-famous-melrose-curve/article_361f0e37-c8f3-5b36-83fa-a8aa08e90461.html)
(https://i.imgur.com/NlEYyi9.png)
Is this where I make a joke where I say I'm as straight as (very curvy road)?
As for minor things that please me, cracking open a cold Dr Pepper in hot weather.
The Howard Frankland Bridge finally opening after nearly five years of construction. :bigass:
Pulling off an exercise week as planned with no disruptions.
My standard exercise week consists of 4.5 hours of cardio within four days and 3.5 of strength training within five. Generally I plan to do all of it before work. I loathe working out after work and find it way harder to be motivated for whatever reason.
Working out makes me sleepy, so there's no way I could work out at the beginning of the day.
On the other hand, hanging out in a sauna or hot tub after working out, knowing that you can just relax and be lazy for the rest of the night, no more responsibilities or things to do...There's not much better than that.
I mean, a lot of things? :)
-The smell of popcorn popping
-Frost melting on my windshield in the sunlight
-Being the last one out at work
-A full gas tank
-The night before a day off feeling
-That first breath of Great Lakes/ocean air after you get out of the car
-Locking my bedroom door
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 25, 2025, 05:33:57 PMWorking out makes me sleepy, so there's no way I could work out at the beginning of the day.
Usually, I start the day with a good long run. The endorphin release from that is usually enough to get me out of almost any bad mood and carry me through most of the day.
As a kid, I remember going to the sports section of the Tribune and reading about my favorite teams' win, especially when it was the Cubs :sombrero:
Quote from: kernals12 on March 21, 2025, 12:38:54 AMPhoenix's gayborhood is located on one of the few stretches of road in the city that isn't... straight (https://www.phoenix.org/valley_history/one-tiny-mistake-that-created-7th-avenue-s-famous-melrose-curve/article_361f0e37-c8f3-5b36-83fa-a8aa08e90461.html)
There isn't a gayborhood there, but I always snicker at the fact that Las Vegas's Rainbow Boulevard just happens to occupy the 6900 W spot in the grid.
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 26, 2025, 04:24:23 PMQuote from: kernals12 on March 21, 2025, 12:38:54 AMPhoenix's gayborhood is located on one of the few stretches of road in the city that isn't... straight (https://www.phoenix.org/valley_history/one-tiny-mistake-that-created-7th-avenue-s-famous-melrose-curve/article_361f0e37-c8f3-5b36-83fa-a8aa08e90461.html)
There isn't a gayborhood there, but I always snicker at the fact that Las Vegas's Rainbow Boulevard just happens to occupy the 6900 W spot in the grid.
Oh please, is there any place gayer than Las Vegas? It's a city built on camp
Quote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 11:29:50 AMQuote from: Scott5114 on March 26, 2025, 04:24:23 PMQuote from: kernals12 on March 21, 2025, 12:38:54 AMPhoenix's gayborhood is located on one of the few stretches of road in the city that isn't... straight (https://www.phoenix.org/valley_history/one-tiny-mistake-that-created-7th-avenue-s-famous-melrose-curve/article_361f0e37-c8f3-5b36-83fa-a8aa08e90461.html)
There isn't a gayborhood there, but I always snicker at the fact that Las Vegas's Rainbow Boulevard just happens to occupy the 6900 W spot in the grid.
Oh please, is there any place gayer than Las Vegas? It's a city built on camp
Key West and San Francisco enter the discussion. Take a trip down to Bisbee or even Old Town Scottsdale in your general area, you might be surprised.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 27, 2025, 11:31:18 AMQuote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 11:29:50 AMQuote from: Scott5114 on March 26, 2025, 04:24:23 PMQuote from: kernals12 on March 21, 2025, 12:38:54 AMPhoenix's gayborhood is located on one of the few stretches of road in the city that isn't... straight (https://www.phoenix.org/valley_history/one-tiny-mistake-that-created-7th-avenue-s-famous-melrose-curve/article_361f0e37-c8f3-5b36-83fa-a8aa08e90461.html)
There isn't a gayborhood there, but I always snicker at the fact that Las Vegas's Rainbow Boulevard just happens to occupy the 6900 W spot in the grid.
Oh please, is there any place gayer than Las Vegas? It's a city built on camp
Key West and San Francisco enter the discussion. Take a trip down to Bisbee or even Old Town Scottsdale in your general area, you might be surprised.
I don't mean that Las Vegas has a lot of gay people, I mean that it is a city built around debauchery and excess.
When your home town muni is *finally* able to annex that one über-annoying little property and take care of that issue that has been vexing everyone for years.
Mike
Quote from: mgk920 on March 27, 2025, 11:44:55 AMWhen your home town muni is *finally* able to annex that one über-annoying little property and take care of that issue that has been vexing everyone for years.
Mike
Tell us more
The way my cat always needs to be in the same room as me.
Quote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 11:29:50 AMOh please, is there any place gayer than Las Vegas?
Quote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 11:38:51 AMI don't mean that Las Vegas has a lot of gay people, I mean that it is a city built around debauchery and excess.
Has homosexuality been a key feature of Las Vegas's historical debauchery? If not, then how does its historical debauchery make it gay?
- good weather
- chocolate
Quote from: kphoger on March 27, 2025, 12:22:58 PMQuote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 11:29:50 AMOh please, is there any place gayer than Las Vegas?
Quote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 11:38:51 AMI don't mean that Las Vegas has a lot of gay people, I mean that it is a city built around debauchery and excess.
Has homosexuality been a key feature of Las Vegas's historical debauchery? If not, then how does its historical debauchery make it gay?
I imagine that the fact that the formative years of the gay community (1960s and 1970s) falling during the era of mob control of Las Vegas somewhat stifled the development of a gay community here.
Or it could be that Vegas is just like "so you're gay, so what", which would be pretty in-character for the modern culture here. Vegas's historic gayborhood, which is called the Fruit Loop, is located in Paradise, along Naples Drive near UNLV. It's pretty sad-looking; I think OKC's 39th Street district is probably bigger. But Vegas has no end of the sorts of amenities that you'd expect to find in such a district, it's just that they're spread out across the city, rather than being being centralized for safety reasons like they were in other cities.
Quote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 11:48:57 AMThe way my cat always needs to be in the same room as me.
Heh. Our cat has been acting really needy lately. Most of the time it's fine and it's nice to feel wanted. I do have to set up a sliding gate (some people call it a "baby gate") in my home office door to keep her out of here. The one time I let her in, she got tangled up in all the cables and wires and it was a nightmare getting her untangled because she wouldn't stay still. So when she wants to be fed or she's just plain feeling lonely she comes to the door and meows and, if I don't acknowledge her quickly enough, starts tugging on the gate. The only real problem arises at night. My wife is a very light sleeper (opposite of me), so if the cat comes to the bedroom door and starts scratching and meowing, my wife wakes up. I installed a "Retract-a-Gate" at the bottom of the stairs and it was effective for a good while until the cat figured out how to crawl under it. So then we got a rather heavy draft guard (one of those cylindrical beanbag-type things intended to be placed in front of a drafty door, fireplace, or similar) and we put that behind the gate after closing it. That does the job.
When an itinerary is executed flawlessly and leaves me with some extra time to fill with actual relaxation.
Quote from: kphoger on March 27, 2025, 12:22:58 PMQuote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 11:29:50 AMOh please, is there any place gayer than Las Vegas?
Quote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 11:38:51 AMI don't mean that Las Vegas has a lot of gay people, I mean that it is a city built around debauchery and excess.
Has homosexuality been a key feature of Las Vegas's historical debauchery? If not, then how does its historical debauchery make it gay?
Ever heard of Liberace?
Quote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 02:00:57 PMEver heard of Liberace?
Liberace never came out, though.
(He did get a street named after him. There's a gym at the corner of Liberace and Maryland. I can only imagine what goes on there.)
I find it amusing in retrospect that so many women of the era were convinced he was straight.
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 27, 2025, 02:17:24 PMQuote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 02:00:57 PMEver heard of Liberace?
Liberace never came out, though.
(He did get a street named after him. There's a gym at the corner of Liberace and Maryland. I can only imagine what goes on there.)
This conversation is cringe on all sorts of levels, if only because of k12's missteps.
is there a street named after him in his hometown MKE metro area?
Mike
Quote from: mgk920 on March 28, 2025, 01:34:18 PMis there a street named after him in his hometown MKE metro area?
Mike
No, though West Milwaukee named their high school auditorium after him (https://www.milwaukeemag.com/does-west-allis-have-any-love-for-liberace/).
Drop D tuning
Atlanta in the state of Georgia and Tbilisi in the country of Georgia are sister cities
Quote from: TheCatalyst31 on March 28, 2025, 10:01:10 PMQuote from: mgk920 on March 28, 2025, 01:34:18 PMis there a street named after him in his hometown MKE metro area?
Mike
No, though West Milwaukee named their high school auditorium after him (https://www.milwaukeemag.com/does-west-allis-have-any-love-for-liberace/).
He grew up on 60th Street in West Allis and graduated from West Milwaukee High School. He provided numerous scholarships and other financial support for the high school's music programs right up until he died. My wife went to that high school and sang in the choir at his local memorial service.
Alas, it is no longer a high school, but a middle school.
The Chicago Tribune has an outstanding headline about a well-known restaurant's bankruptcy filing (https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/01/hooters-bankruptcy-protection/):
"Restaurant chain Hooters goes bust and files for bankruptcy protection"
Quote from: kphoger on March 31, 2025, 09:43:40 AMDrop D tuning
I think it's impressive that people can switch back and forth between that and standard tuning without losing track of what they're playing.
I tried doing drop D tuning on my crappy no-name bass once and the string was loose enough that it made a horrific clattering against the frets, so I tuned it back to E.
When approaching a red light and there's a line of cars in one lane, but the other lane is open: timing my approach to hit the intersection just as the light is turning green and zooming past the line of stopped traffic without so much as tapping the brakes, and then being like a quarter mile down the road before the line of traffic even gets up to speed :nod:
Quote from: webny99 on April 03, 2025, 08:41:17 AMWhen approaching a red light and there's a line of cars in one lane, but the other lane is open: timing my approach to hit the intersection just as the light is turning green and zooming past the line of stopped traffic without so much as tapping the brakes, and then being like a quarter mile down the road before the line of traffic even gets up to speed :nod:
My only concern about doing that is the risk that someone in the stopped lane will wake up and abruptly change lanes without looking. Especially given how some people leave massive gaps between cars.
Quote from: kphoger on March 31, 2025, 09:43:40 AMDrop D tuning
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 02, 2025, 10:08:59 PMI think it's impressive that people can switch back and forth between that and standard tuning without losing track of what they're playing.
I tried doing drop D tuning on my crappy no-name bass once and the string was loose enough that it made a horrific clattering against the frets, so I tuned it back to E.
I play acoustic guitar. While I have filled in on bass in church a couple of times, it took all of my brain power to just barely make it through. With more practice, I suppose I could get better, but I don't really have any desire to.
Years ago, I started messing around with Low-C tuning, which is C-G-D-G-A-D. I once asked an electric guitar player I knew (from our church back in Illinois) if he had ever tried that tuning. He said yes, and I asked him what he thought. His answer was that it was like stringing his guitar with dental floss.
I play guitar in Drop-D tuning so much more than standard tuning, that now I sometimes play incorrectly in standard tuning. (I don't play lead, just chord shapes.)
In the band at our church, there's one song for which the bass player tunes his low string down to E♭-A-D-G. Now, that would mess with my head wa-a-a-ay more!
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 03, 2025, 08:55:11 AMQuoteWhen approaching a red light and there's a line of cars in one lane, but the other lane is open: timing my approach to hit the intersection just as the light is turning green and zooming past the line of stopped traffic without so much as tapping the brakes, and then being like a quarter mile down the road before the line of traffic even gets up to speed :nod:
My only concern about doing that is the risk that someone in the stopped lane will wake up and abruptly change lanes without looking. Especially given how some people leave massive gaps between cars.
That's fair enough. The example I was thinking of this morning was actually a case where two lanes merged into one just down the road anyways, but I suppose it is still a risk.
Quote from: kphoger on April 03, 2025, 09:26:57 AMI play guitar in Drop-D tuning so much more than standard tuning, that now I sometimes play incorrectly in standard tuning. (I don't play lead, just chord shapes.)
By the way, it's also so common for me to use a capo and just transpose the chords in my head, that it's now actually hard for me sometimes to play the correct chord shapes without a capo. When I'm playing without a capo and see a B♭ chord written, my brain will now occasionally interpret that as 'G chord, capo 3', and so my hand will make the shape of a G chord instead.
Quote from: webny99 on April 03, 2025, 09:27:32 AMQuote from: 1995hoo on April 03, 2025, 08:55:11 AMQuoteWhen approaching a red light and there's a line of cars in one lane, but the other lane is open: timing my approach to hit the intersection just as the light is turning green and zooming past the line of stopped traffic without so much as tapping the brakes, and then being like a quarter mile down the road before the line of traffic even gets up to speed :nod:
My only concern about doing that is the risk that someone in the stopped lane will wake up and abruptly change lanes without looking. Especially given how some people leave massive gaps between cars.
That's fair enough. The example I was thinking of this morning was actually a case where two lanes merged into one just down the road anyways, but I suppose it is still a risk.
Don't get me wrong. I would certainly use the open lane to pass the stopped cars. I just might not zoom past without slowing down.
On Tuesday I saw someone change lanes into a lane of stopped traffic because his lane was going to become left-turn-only. His offense? He pulled into the middle of an intersection to do it, taking advantage of other people who did the right thing by not blocking the box (and resulting in his blocking it).
When I've underestimated a public figure (music, literature, sports, etc.) and they do something interesting or impressive, and I'm happy to be proven wrong about them.
Example: Willow Smith (daughter of Will Smith, we all remember "I whip my hair back and forth")... releases a song in 7/4 time with neat chord changes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQtVSNmYCNg
Quote from: kurumi on April 03, 2025, 12:13:34 PMWhen I've underestimated a public figure (music, literature, sports, etc.) and they do something interesting or impressive, and I'm happy to be proven wrong about them.
Example: Willow Smith (daughter of Will Smith, we all remember "I whip my hair back and forth")... releases a song in 7/4 time with neat chord changes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQtVSNmYCNg
Along the same lines, Rebecca Black of "Friday" infamy is making some pretty good dance-pop songs now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLBPrAJf52E&rco=1
Quote from: TheCatalyst31 on April 04, 2025, 12:05:41 AMQuote from: kurumi on April 03, 2025, 12:13:34 PMWhen I've underestimated a public figure (music, literature, sports, etc.) and they do something interesting or impressive, and I'm happy to be proven wrong about them.
Example: Willow Smith (daughter of Will Smith, we all remember "I whip my hair back and forth")... releases a song in 7/4 time with neat chord changes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQtVSNmYCNg
Along the same lines, Rebecca Black of "Friday" infamy is making some pretty good dance-pop songs now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLBPrAJf52E&rco=1
I'm glad she's managed to make a career for herself.
Quote from: kernals12 on March 27, 2025, 11:48:57 AMThe way my cat always needs to be in the same room as me.
(https://i.imgur.com/Gm8v1UN.jpeg)
Except when it is all four dogs who all want something different from you. I have two that want to play, one wants cuddle and another who wants to be petted.
I saw a bald eagle today. It was perched about 50 feet up a tree at Greenlake in Seattle.
Quote from: kkt on April 05, 2025, 01:08:18 AMI saw a bald eagle today. It was perched about 50 feet up a tree at Greenlake in Seattle.
Did you give it some Minoxidil?
Quote from: kkt on April 05, 2025, 01:08:18 AMI saw a bald eagle today. It was perched about 50 feet up a tree at Greenlake in Seattle.
We have a few bald eagles that live within a few miles of our place. On rare days they're visible overhead at our house.
Quote from: vdeane on March 29, 2025, 09:46:16 PMCampbell's appears to have discontinued the 15 oz microwavable Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup. It's a shame - it was tastier than the regular Chicken Noodle Soup, and presumably more nutritious, since it actually had vegetables. Given the relative amounts on the grocery store shelves, it was the better selling variety too. Why would they discontinue the better one?
Quoting this here because I just did grocery shopping yesterday and it was back as if it never left - even though I could have sworn that the space had been reallocated between the different soup types and the price tag on the shelf gone. I feel like I'm going crazy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/business/tesla-sales-elon-musk.html
Tesla's US sales are down 9% over the same time last year even as EV sales overall are up 11%
Quote from: kernals12 on April 11, 2025, 12:00:54 PMhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/business/tesla-sales-elon-musk.html
Tesla's US sales are down 9% over the same time last year even as EV sales overall are up 11%
More like minor things that please you (or me rather).
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 11, 2025, 12:47:32 PMQuote from: kernals12 on April 11, 2025, 12:00:54 PMhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/business/tesla-sales-elon-musk.html
Tesla's US sales are down 9% over the same time last year even as EV sales overall are up 11%
More like minor things that please you (or me rather).
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xECUrlnXCqk/mqdefault.jpg)
That's the thread.
Quote from: Molandfreak on April 11, 2025, 02:19:54 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on April 11, 2025, 12:47:32 PMQuote from: kernals12 on April 11, 2025, 12:00:54 PMhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/business/tesla-sales-elon-musk.html
Tesla's US sales are down 9% over the same time last year even as EV sales overall are up 11%
More like minor things that please you (or me rather).
(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/593186617856118784/LG1KN-Q4_400x400.png)
That's the thread.
Yeah misread which thread on my out the door on my way to Sacramento. Glad we are all in agreement.
Augusta National's cell phone ban is pleasing me. Why? My brother will be there tomorrow for the final round of the Masters. Someone GAVE him a pass. So I know very well he is longing to send constant updates bragging about where he is. But he won't be able to do that because no mobile phones are permitted on the property.
(https://thetastetrade.com/cdn/shop/files/Coca-Cola-Freestyle-HFCS-Sweetener-Soda-Syrup-Bag-in-Box-BiB-5-gallon-wm_4a1d3fc7-ef0c-471f-8b45-f90e78cf9c9a.jpg?v=1736115594)
From the theme of pop in the "bothers you" thread, one of the things I miss about working for a movie theatre is punching out the perforations on these boxes.
Quote from: Molandfreak on April 14, 2025, 10:56:07 AM(https://thetastetrade.com/cdn/shop/files/Coca-Cola-Freestyle-HFCS-Sweetener-Soda-Syrup-Bag-in-Box-BiB-5-gallon-wm_4a1d3fc7-ef0c-471f-8b45-f90e78cf9c9a.jpg?v=1736115594)
From the theme of pop in the "bothers you" thread, one of the things I miss about working for a movie theatre is punching out the perforations on these boxes.
Those are a pain in the ass just because you can't use a big knife for fear of puncturing the bag.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on April 14, 2025, 11:40:20 AMThose are a pain in the ass just because you can't use a big knife for fear of puncturing the bag.
Bad memories of the Target food court, slipping and sliding on a greasy floor while trying to slide that heavy BiB of syrup into a slot that it barely fit into...
Quote from: kphoger on April 14, 2025, 11:48:17 AMQuote from: JayhawkCO on April 14, 2025, 11:40:20 AMThose are a pain in the ass just because you can't use a big knife for fear of puncturing the bag.
Bad memories of the Target food court, slipping and sliding on a greasy floor while trying to slide that heavy BiB of syrup into a slot that it barely fit into...
The ketchup ones are the worst, since not only do you have to punch out the little circle, and then somehow wiggle the spout into the opening left behind and secure it in place with the non-removable perforated cardboard flap, but then every time you pour ketchup into a different receptacle, you get ketchup all over the box below the spout.
(For those that can't visualize, it's similar to the setup of the little spout on Bota Box boxed wine, except imagine that the wine constantly soaks the carboard below the spout.)
Danbury, CT used to have a Lowes home improvement and a Loews theater in the same shopping center. That funny situation ended when the fuddy duddies at AMC bought Loews and rebranded.
For an overlapping period in the 1940s, General Motors and General Electric both had presidents named Charles E Wilson. To avoid confusion, they were nicknamed Engine Charlie and Electric Charlie.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on April 14, 2025, 11:56:12 AMQuote from: kphoger on April 14, 2025, 11:48:17 AMQuote from: JayhawkCO on April 14, 2025, 11:40:20 AMThose are a pain in the ass just because you can't use a big knife for fear of puncturing the bag.
Bad memories of the Target food court, slipping and sliding on a greasy floor while trying to slide that heavy BiB of syrup into a slot that it barely fit into...
The ketchup ones are the worst, since not only do you have to punch out the little circle, and then somehow wiggle the spout into the opening left behind and secure it in place with the non-removable perforated cardboard flap, but then every time you pour ketchup into a different receptacle, you get ketchup all over the box below the spout.
(For those that can't visualize, it's similar to the setup of the little spout on Bota Box boxed wine, except imagine that the wine constantly soaks the carboard below the spout.)
At Burger King we took the bag out of the box and put it in a plastic thing on the wall with a slot in it to hold the spout. (We had one for mustard too.)
Quote from: kernals12 on April 14, 2025, 03:44:52 PMFor an overlapping period in the 1940s, General Motors and General Electric both had presidents named Charles E Wilson. To avoid confusion, they were nicknamed Engine Charlie and Electric Charlie.
It ended up not happening, but there was a time where it looked like both of Alaska's U.S. Senators could be named Dan Sullivan.
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 14, 2025, 11:02:24 PMQuote from: kernals12 on April 14, 2025, 03:44:52 PMFor an overlapping period in the 1940s, General Motors and General Electric both had presidents named Charles E Wilson. To avoid confusion, they were nicknamed Engine Charlie and Electric Charlie.
It ended up not happening, but there was a time where it looked like both of Alaska's U.S. Senators could be named Dan Sullivan.
" Senior Senator" and "Junior Senator".
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 14, 2025, 11:02:24 PMQuote from: kernals12 on April 14, 2025, 03:44:52 PMFor an overlapping period in the 1940s, General Motors and General Electric both had presidents named Charles E Wilson. To avoid confusion, they were nicknamed Engine Charlie and Electric Charlie.
It ended up not happening, but there was a time where it looked like both of Alaska's U.S. Senators could be named Dan Sullivan.
The first two women to serve in the Florida state senate were both named Beth Johnson.
Quote from: kernals12 on April 15, 2025, 03:40:35 AMQuote from: Scott5114 on April 14, 2025, 11:02:24 PMQuote from: kernals12 on April 14, 2025, 03:44:52 PMFor an overlapping period in the 1940s, General Motors and General Electric both had presidents named Charles E Wilson. To avoid confusion, they were nicknamed Engine Charlie and Electric Charlie.
It ended up not happening, but there was a time where it looked like both of Alaska's U.S. Senators could be named Dan Sullivan.
The first two women to serve in the Florida state senate were both named Beth Johnson.
It's not quite the same, but it reminds me of Ronald Reagan having a Cabinet secretary (and later chief of staff) named Donald Regan.
My law school class had two students with the same first and last names. OK, just use their middle initials when necessary to distinguish, right? Except they both had the same middle initials, but not the same middle names, so it was a rare situation where there was a reason why everyone had to know those two guys' full names.
I always thought it would have been funny if the Sebastian Aho who formerly played for the New York Islanders (he now plays for Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate) had been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he would have been a teammate of Sebastian Aho. The former player is Swedish, the latter is Finnish, but neither one uses any diacritics in his name that might help distinguish.
(A potentially similar situation would have arisen with the Washington Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom, a Swedish center, and the now-retired Finnish goalie Niklas Backstrom, who played primarily for the Minnesota Wild. Neither of them uses them on his NHL sweater, but in their native languages their last names both have umlauts over the "a" and the "o." Either way, the Aho situation would have been more striking because the spellings are identical, unlike with the Backstroms' first names.)
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 16, 2025, 10:16:55 AMMy law school class had two students with the same first and last names. OK, just use their middle initials when necessary to distinguish, right? Except they both had the same middle initials, but not the same middle names, so it was a rare situation where there was a reason why everyone had to know those two guys' full names.
I always thought it would have been funny if the Sebastian Aho who formerly played for the New York Islanders (he now plays for Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate) had been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he would have been a teammate of Sebastian Aho. The former player is Swedish, the latter is Finnish, but neither one uses any diacritics in his name that might help distinguish.
(A potentially similar situation would have arisen with the Washington Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom, a Swedish center, and the now-retired Finnish goalie Niklas Backstrom, who played primarily for the Minnesota Wild. Neither of them uses them on his NHL sweater, but in their native languages their last names both have umlauts over the "a" and the "o." Either way, the Aho situation would have been more striking because the spellings are identical, unlike with the Backstroms' first names.)
A similar situation in the baseball world a few decades ago when in spring training the Baltimore Orioles had two pitchers named Mike Smith - both with the same middle name as well. They were distinguished by using their home state as a nickname - "Mississippi Mike" and "Texas Mike".
Also there were two unrelated baseball players named Steve Ontiveros - an uncommon name.
When you're in a driveway trying to enter a busy street and one specific motorist let's you out into traffic.
Certain scents, such as...
wet terracotta
juniper berries
sawdust
petrichor
smoked paprika
many more...
The way that gas stations explode in Just Cause 3
My standard order at my local pizza shop totals $X.51. It pleases me when I get the friendly cashier that gives me $X.50 change instead of $X.49, because she understands that simplifying the transaction and handling fewer coins is worth way more than the penny for both of us.
Today that trivial gesture pleased me so much that I put both quarters right in the tip container.
Quote from: webny99 on April 23, 2025, 03:23:07 PMMy standard order at my local pizza shop totals $X.51. It pleases me when I get the friendly cashier that gives me $X.50 change instead of $X.49, because she understands that simplifying the transaction and handling fewer coins is worth way more than the penny for both of us.
Today that trivial gesture pleased me so much that I put both quarters right in the tip container.
One of my favorite haunts here in downtown Appleton, WI also normally gives a discount for using cash (no 'swipe' fees charged to the merchant) and rounds the change up to the nickle (no 'pennies', AKA 'monetary lint').
Mike
I know of two that round down to the nearest 50 cents when paying cash in addition to no credit card fee.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on April 14, 2025, 11:40:20 AMQuote from: Molandfreak on April 14, 2025, 10:56:07 AM(https://thetastetrade.com/cdn/shop/files/Coca-Cola-Freestyle-HFCS-Sweetener-Soda-Syrup-Bag-in-Box-BiB-5-gallon-wm_4a1d3fc7-ef0c-471f-8b45-f90e78cf9c9a.jpg?v=1736115594)
From the theme of pop in the "bothers you" thread, one of the things I miss about working for a movie theatre is punching out the perforations on these boxes.
Those are a pain in the ass just because you can't use a big knife for fear of puncturing the bag.
On a similar note, quickly folding down a taped or glued cardboard box with your bare hands – sans cutter – is always satisfying.
Quote from: formulanone on April 26, 2025, 02:21:11 PMQuote from: JayhawkCO on April 14, 2025, 11:40:20 AMQuote from: Molandfreak on April 14, 2025, 10:56:07 AM(https://thetastetrade.com/cdn/shop/files/Coca-Cola-Freestyle-HFCS-Sweetener-Soda-Syrup-Bag-in-Box-BiB-5-gallon-wm_4a1d3fc7-ef0c-471f-8b45-f90e78cf9c9a.jpg?v=1736115594)
From the theme of pop in the "bothers you" thread, one of the things I miss about working for a movie theatre is punching out the perforations on these boxes.
Those are a pain in the ass just because you can't use a big knife for fear of puncturing the bag.
On a similar note, quickly folding down a taped or glued cardboard box with your bare hands – sans cutter – is always satisfying.
Just gotta know where to quickly put one's fist.
:cool:
Mike
Political posts not within the forum's remit have been removed.
Reading my vintage issues of Consumer Reports.
They sure did love the Ford Panther Body cars and W Body cars from GM.
My coffee tasted really good this morning.
I'm not "Max", so don't run a ton, most of the time just a couple miles at a time, and the most I'd ever run in one shot was a 5k. But yesterday I went out for a run, decided to drop my pace just a little bit and ended up running five miles without stopping, and probably could have kept going if not for a hot spot/blister that I felt forming. A good sign for my upcoming climb.
Speaking of 5Ks, someone at work this week was wearing a shirt from the event (a 5k mud run) I finished first in three years ago.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 27, 2025, 10:13:24 AMThey sure did love the Ford Panther Body cars and W Body cars from GM.
Awkwardly, they loved GM's front drive x-bodies.
Deglazing a pan with a splash of wine. There's nothing more satisfying in the kitchen than being able to easily scrape up all that fond, or the smell that comes up from the sautéed garlic when it happens.
This response to PETA trying to run a "go vegan" protest at a BBQ restaurant in Bakersfield.
https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/california/bakersfield-barbecue-company-peta-protest/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR4Iph2vHd0kK1LBxqGoQ2HkQ-Jk2_CDLRb0jS55a3_A8ZhKsA5TA10s8F0J2w_aem_yvsdGVXfql0aUeECT7S3Ww
Customer service is not totally dead!
On Friday we had ordered a medication for our cat and we used the pharmacy the vet recommended. As you may have seen in another thread, her condition declined very quickly over the weekend and we wound up having her put down on Tuesday morning. Once we had made that decision, we called the pharmacy to ask whether it was too late to cancel the order because we could no longer use it. They said they had already compounded and packed it for shipping. But—and this is what really surprised me—they said they would refund our money and we could just donate the medication to the vet's office (who confirmed they will accept it). The credit hit my card this morning. So I will certainly remember that and it's a reason to use that pharmacy in the future.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 07, 2025, 04:38:41 PMCustomer service is not totally dead!
On Friday we had ordered a medication for our cat and we used the pharmacy the vet recommended. As you may have seen in another thread, her condition declined very quickly over the weekend and we wound up having her put down on Tuesday morning. Once we had made that decision, we called the pharmacy to ask whether it was too late to cancel the order because we could no longer use it. They said they had already compounded and packed it for shipping. But—and this is what really surprised me—they said they would refund our money and we could just donate the medication to the vet's office (who confirmed they will accept it). The credit hit my card this morning. So I will certainly remember that and it's a reason to use that pharmacy in the future.
Chewy is good like that too. Our previous cat had some health problems and the vet gave us three cans of special food to sample to see if the cat would like it. We gave him one, he ate it up no problem so I ordered a couple of cases from Chewy. Then the next day, when I gave him the food, he wouldn't touch it. I reached out to Chewy to see if I could cancel, and instead they just refunded me and told me to donate.
The vet's office sent us a really nice sympathy card signed by everyone there with longer notes from the doctors with whom we dealt the most often. Really nice gesture, although it also had us both bawling our eyes out before I started making dinner.
I'll post the video after I've gotten a chance to sleep, but yesterday I finally got to hear a Thunderbolt 1000 siren in service sounding off for a test! Even better, it was set on terminal/chopper level 1, which definitely ain't very common to see on Thunderbolt sirens like this. (Photo below is of the siren I recorded.)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54537131489_700e557f3f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2r6g49v)
Thunderbolt 1000 Siren, Memphis, TN (https://flic.kr/p/2r6g49v) by freebrickproductions (https://www.flickr.com/photos/96431468@N06/), on Flickr
Quote from: freebrickproductions on May 22, 2025, 04:02:55 AMI'll post the video after I've gotten a chance to sleep, but yesterday I finally got to hear a Thunderbolt 1000 siren in service sounding off for a test! Even better, it was set on terminal/chopper level 1, which definitely ain't very common to see on Thunderbolt sirens like this. (Photo below is of the siren I recorded.)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54537131489_700e557f3f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2r6g49v)
Thunderbolt 1000 Siren, Memphis, TN (https://flic.kr/p/2r6g49v) by freebrickproductions (https://www.flickr.com/photos/96431468@N06/), on Flickr
The Federal T-1000 Thunderbolt (with the 4/5 impeller) sirens that were here in Appleton scared the bejeevers out of me when I was very young, but now I realize what a wonderful sound it was that they had. When they were wound up, THAT was a TORNADO WARNING! Their 'weak spot' was that they used roots blowers to maintain internal air flow and they were thus too expensive and complicated to maintain.
Mike
When I drop something, do that split-second attempt to catch it, and actually succeed! Makes me feel like a ninja or something.
Or when I drop something in the kitchen, and it lands messy-side up, no cleaning required.
Scrolling the radio and hitting a favorite song.
Silk's oatmeal cookie creamer!
As of yesterday afternoon, I have now recorded 1,700 different railroad crossings across the US!
In the "Minor things that bother you" thread, last month I mentioned the agony of having to put our cat down (certainly by no means a "minor thing" in my life). So in this thread, I will post a photo of her successor. The same lady who introduced us to our previous cat told us about her. We went to meet her and just knew instantly. We adopted her over Memorial Day weekend and she's settling in quite nicely.
(https://virginia.sportswar.com/uploads/2025/5/957300411194.jpg)
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 05, 2025, 07:35:37 AMIn the "Minor things that bother you" thread, last month I mentioned the agony of having to put our cat down (certainly by no means a "minor thing" in my life). So in this thread, I will post a photo of her successor. The same lady who introduced us to our previous cat told us about her. We went to meet her and just knew instantly. We adopted her over Memorial Day weekend and she's settling in quite nicely.
(https://virginia.sportswar.com/uploads/2025/5/957300411194.jpg)
In the spirit of this thread and your post, I do like when someone says
"careful, my cat doesn't like people" and it eventually allows itself to be pet.
Heh. We will never say that. One of the things that stuck us was how she was instantly affectionate even when we first met her. I sat down in a chair and she came over and jumped right up into my lap. She's a rescue cat. Spent 16 months in an animal hospital at one point. One of our hockey ticket partners thinks that sort of cat is more affectionate because it knows you're providing it a real home. I have no idea whether that's true, though I'd like to believe it is.
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 05, 2025, 07:35:37 AMIn the "Minor things that bother you" thread, last month I mentioned the agony of having to put our cat down (certainly by no means a "minor thing" in my life). So in this thread, I will post a photo of her successor. The same lady who introduced us to our previous cat told us about her. We went to meet her and just knew instantly. We adopted her over Memorial Day weekend and she's settling in quite nicely.
(https://virginia.sportswar.com/uploads/2025/5/957300411194.jpg)
Sorry for your loss. But I'm glad you found another fur baby
Quote from: formulanone on June 05, 2025, 08:59:38 AMQuote from: 1995hoo on June 05, 2025, 07:35:37 AMIn the "Minor things that bother you" thread, last month I mentioned the agony of having to put our cat down (certainly by no means a "minor thing" in my life). So in this thread, I will post a photo of her successor. The same lady who introduced us to our previous cat told us about her. We went to meet her and just knew instantly. We adopted her over Memorial Day weekend and she's settling in quite nicely.
(https://virginia.sportswar.com/uploads/2025/5/957300411194.jpg)
In the spirit of this thread and your post, I do like when someone says "careful, my cat doesn't like people" and it eventually allows itself to be pet.
Cats are basically the same as autistic humans, they do not like things that interrupt their routine.
So, the next time someone claims that I'm autistic simply because I like roads all I need to do as a counter is tell them I dislike routines?
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 05, 2025, 12:24:00 PMSo, the next time someone claims that I'm autistic simply because I like roads all I need to do as a counter is tell them I dislike routines?
I've also had trouble getting cats to understand nonverbal communication, and their obsession with a predictable self-cleaning routing is noticeable...
Hesperia, California.
I had a plug in my coolant system fail at the summit of Cajon Pass yesterday afternoon. I was able to limp to Hesperia and find a mechanic there (Freedom Auto Repair). They were able to fix my car, quickly and for a fair price, and while we were waiting they gave us a complimentary Uber to a nearby shopping plaza that had an excellent Mexican restaurant in it (Mexico Lindo). The whole experience could have been pretty awful, but for the helpful people we found there.
There are definitely far worse places to break down than Hesperia.
Quote from: kernals12 on June 05, 2025, 11:29:56 AMSorry for your loss. But I'm glad you found another fur baby
Thank you (as to both comments).
Quote from: Scott5114 on June 05, 2025, 09:12:10 PMHesperia, California.
I had a plug in my coolant system fail at the summit of Cajon Pass yesterday afternoon. I was able to limp to Hesperia and find a mechanic there (Freedom Auto Repair). They were able to fix my car, quickly and for a fair price, and while we were waiting they gave us a complimentary Uber to a nearby shopping plaza that had an excellent Mexican restaurant in it (Mexico Lindo). The whole experience could have been pretty awful, but for the helpful people we found there.
There are definitely far worse places to break down than Hesperia.
Although, you are the first person I've encountered in years that didn't have a sour opinion or not snarky thing to say about Hesperia.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 05, 2025, 10:00:53 PMAlthough, you are the first person I've encountered in years that didn't have a sour opinion or not snarky thing to say about Hesperia.
Maybe it's my experiences with similar towns in Oklahoma, combined with the kindness and competence of the people we interacted with, that made Hesperia seem nice enough.
That being said, the desert towns along I-15 don't seem to be very highly thought of.
(https://i.imgur.com/29EzUwh.jpeg)
Quote from: Scott5114 on June 05, 2025, 10:51:32 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on June 05, 2025, 10:00:53 PMAlthough, you are the first person I've encountered in years that didn't have a sour opinion or not snarky thing to say about Hesperia.
Maybe it's my experiences with similar towns in Oklahoma, combined with the kindness and competence of the people we interacted with, that made Hesperia seem nice enough.
That being said, the desert towns along I-15 don't seem to be very highly thought of.
(https://i.imgur.com/29EzUwh.jpeg)
Personally I preferred to stay in Barstow or Victorville on work trips. Staying north of Cajon Pass usually yielded better hotel rates. Besides, San Bernardino isn't exactly appreciably nicer or offers more amenities.
One nice thing about staying in San Bernardino would be that you don't have to deal with Cajon Pass in the dark. It is not a difficult pass by any means but I am 0 and 2 on good experiences with it (going southbound the day before we had a rain-induced backup).
Fortunately I was usually (strategically) heading the opposite direction on those work trips.
I did get a vehicle down the NOTR alignment on the actual Cajon Pass (east of the Summit) once (and hiked it later). Even with high clearance I found it to not be practical to avoid freeway issues.
Wholesale drug prices.
My wife was recently prescribed a 30-day supply of a certain medication, to pick up at Walgreen's, for $44. For reasons I won't get into, she had already made an appointment at a different clinic for several days later, so we didn't pick up that prescription. The new clinic operates on a Direct Primary Care model; the doctor there prescribed a 90-day supply of the same medication, which they had on hand to give us right then and there, and it only cost $5. And the blood-draw labs were less than twenty bucks. Walked out the door with meds in hand, canceled the prescription at Walgreen's!
Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs is a little bit higher than wholesale, but the business model is "X% markup over wholesale" so it ends up being pretty cheap. They don't take my insurance but it doesn't matter when a 90-day supply of my meds is like $7.
I will say, I do like seeing all of the pride-related pfps and signatures on the forum this month.
One day, we will learn all of the reasons kphoger did not get into.
My state elected Crash_It as governor, https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/06/08/pols-politics-gov-healey-is-promoting-wallethub-rankings-reality-is-more-complicated/
On Sunday I was on a northbound Acela that arrived in New York 35 minutes late due to congestion in the tunnel under the Hudson. I hadn't paid for the ticket—I used points to travel free. But as an apology for the late arrival, Amtrak deposited a $25 voucher towards a future Acela ticket in my Guest Rewards account. Certainly can't complain about that.
Listening to the local Classical station WRR-101 this morning and hearing the "
Princess Mononoke Suite" by Joe Hisaishi being played. So... awesome!
Quote from: kphoger on June 06, 2025, 02:29:25 PMThe new clinic operates on a Direct Primary Care model;
Text message from my wife today:
I just texted the Dr to see if I needed to call him or if he was calling me next Wednesday, and he texted right back—within a minute of my text to him.
It's so unreal having access like this. Blows my mind.
My car's finally back on the road! Just gotta get a tire replaced tomorrow and it'll be good to go. :D
I walked into the gym at 7 AM today and found only five people in the weight room. Only a post-holiday weekend day can yield low numbers like that. I had my pick off free weights and benches all morning. People are just now coming in.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 05, 2025, 11:08:07 AMI walked into the gym at 7 AM today and found only five people in the weight room. Only a post-holiday weekend day can yield low numbers like that. I had my pick off free weights and benches all morning. People are just now coming in.
Loved my alone time on the treadmill yesterday.
Quote from: Rothman on July 05, 2025, 01:23:01 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on July 05, 2025, 11:08:07 AMI walked into the gym at 7 AM today and found only five people in the weight room. Only a post-holiday weekend day can yield low numbers like that. I had my pick off free weights and benches all morning. People are just now coming in.
Loved my alone time on the treadmill yesterday.
And *NO* social media cameras to go along with it. LOVE IT ! :cool:
Nike
Quote from: mgk920 on July 05, 2025, 01:34:25 PMQuote from: Rothman on July 05, 2025, 01:23:01 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on July 05, 2025, 11:08:07 AMI walked into the gym at 7 AM today and found only five people in the weight room. Only a post-holiday weekend day can yield low numbers like that. I had my pick off free weights and benches all morning. People are just now coming in.
Loved my alone time on the treadmill yesterday.
And *NO* social media cameras to go along with it. LOVE IT ! :cool:
Nike
I'm more of a fan of running outside. What throws people off is that I rarely listen to music. I find it peaceful, especially before sunrise.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 05, 2025, 11:08:07 AMI walked into the gym at 7 AM today and found only five people in the weight room. Only a post-holiday weekend day can yield low numbers like that. I had my pick off free weights and benches all morning. People are just now coming in.
That's why I like being there at 1 AM; it's like that every day. The problem with that is it seems like no matter how fast or slow I work out, or if I come in at 12:00 or 2:00, somehow I
always manage to finish when they're cleaning the sauna. It's like they watch me to see when I finish up to decide when to close it.
Quote from: mgk920 on July 05, 2025, 01:34:25 PMQuote from: Rothman on July 05, 2025, 01:23:01 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on July 05, 2025, 11:08:07 AMI walked into the gym at 7 AM today and found only five people in the weight room. Only a post-holiday weekend day can yield low numbers like that. I had my pick off free weights and benches all morning. People are just now coming in.
Loved my alone time on the treadmill yesterday.
And *NO* social media cameras to go along with it. LOVE IT ! :cool:
Nike
Wut.
The combination of Apple's "Find My" feature (combined with location-sharing with family members) and the Street View feature in Google Maps or its Apple Maps equivalent is a wonderful combination of things when, as I do, you have a spouse who is prone to getting lost (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=26000.msg2964886#msg2964886).
Today all she had to do was walk a block and a half from a Metrorail station to a museum on Massachusetts Avenue. I sent her a text message with step-by-step directions, as well as an Apple Maps link she could use. She still managed to get lost (on a one-and-a-half block walk!!!!!!) and called me for help. The Apple Maps street view capability was particularly useful because I don't know that particular area very well and it allowed me to see what buildings she said she was seeing. She got to her destination with one minute to spare.
The "Minor things that bother you" topic.
All the mountain lion posts on r/Rochester
Quote from: Scott5114 on June 06, 2025, 04:02:14 PMMark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs is a little bit higher than wholesale, but the business model is "X% markup over wholesale" so it ends up being pretty cheap. They don't take my insurance but it doesn't matter when a 90-day supply of my meds is like $7.
Yes, I've been using the Cuban operation for a few years now. 5 drugs at this time, which comes to around $45 total for a 90-day supply.
The drugs are all really common. I'll be moving from ACA to Medicare next year and have been looking over the options. The Part D prescription drug benefit is the easiest part of it; it looks like I will have a zero or trivial monthly premium for that, and the drugs (all "Tier 1") will be free if ordered via mail order or preferred pharmacies.
Going with Traditional Medicare, it looks like $206.50 monthly for Part B premium in 2026, something like $150-$200/month for Medigap coverage (G plan; advice has been to take the most coverage if you can afford it), the minimal amount for the Part D plan and prescriptions, and separate dental insurance and expense. I'll probably budget roughly $5400 total for medical in 2026, but that should be the ceiling.
Quote from: gonealookin on July 12, 2025, 08:15:57 PMYes, I've been using the Cuban operation for a few years now.
I had to go over the quote for that. Without context, I thought it was something about illegally getting around the embargo.
Quote from: vdeane on July 12, 2025, 09:19:56 PMQuote from: gonealookin on July 12, 2025, 08:15:57 PMYes, I've been using the Cuban operation for a few years now.
I had to go over the quote for that. Without context, I thought it was something about illegally getting around the embargo.
I'm going to start calling it my Cuban drug shipment from now on.
With my laptop as my primary computer, I can now do site updates from anywhere.
Quote from: Scott5114 on July 13, 2025, 01:01:48 AMQuote from: vdeane on July 12, 2025, 09:19:56 PMQuote from: gonealookin on July 12, 2025, 08:15:57 PMYes, I've been using the Cuban operation for a few years now.
I had to go over the quote for that. Without context, I thought it was something about illegally getting around the embargo.
I'm going to start calling it my Cuban drug shipment from now on.
We need the like button for this.
We have a bunch of magnetic letters on the fridge that my wife and I sometimes use to spell out messages to each other. The traditional way to acknowledge the message is then to anagram it into something else. Then we take turns scrambling it more and more, never actually talking about it out loud, just knowing that the other person saw the previous message because they changed it.
We started with a "welcome" message on the fridge when we moved into this house, and now it has become "What moron smacks a gold bee", which is obviously a question we all should be asking ourselves every day.
Quote from: Scott5114 on July 16, 2025, 09:30:27 PMWe have a bunch of magnetic letters on the fridge that my wife and I sometimes use to spell out messages to each other. The traditional way to acknowledge the message is then to anagram it into something else. Then we take turns scrambling it more and more, never actually talking about it out loud, just knowing that the other person saw the previous message because they changed it.
We started with a "welcome" message on the fridge when we moved into this house, and now it has become "What moron smacks a gold bee", which is obviously a question we all should be asking ourselves every day.
The best are when you can make dirty messages for the other to find.
My wife sells Scentsy, and there's a wax warmer in the laundry room downstairs that has letters you can spell things out with—kind of like a fast food restaurant sign. She didn't like it when I turned a bible verse into something about sex...
(Those days are gone, with two teenagers living in the basement.)
Quote from: kphoger on July 16, 2025, 10:22:46 PMShe didn't like it when I turned a bible verse into something about sex...
Aren't there quite a few of those that exist without changing them?
Quote from: GaryV on July 17, 2025, 06:43:07 AMAren't there quite a few of those that exist without changing them?
Yes but, unsurprisingly, those aren't the ones she had displayed on the warmer to begin with.
"Thou shalt commit adultery." (https://collections.museumofthebible.org/artifacts/6196-the-wicked-bible?theme=collections-highlights)
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 17, 2025, 10:40:54 AM"Thou shalt commit adultery." (https://collections.museumofthebible.org/artifacts/6196-the-wicked-bible?theme=collections-highlights)
Similarly, my dad was once officiating at a wedding, and the groom was so nervous that he vowed, "I pledge to you my faithlessness."
I carry a small cooler with me on driving and hiking trips into the Sierra Nevada east of where I live. It has a double latch which seals the cold air in and allows me to take actual meals with me. This especially comes in handy on days like today where I was out in the middle of nowhere for seven plus hours.
A problem I've noticed occurs when I keep the seal closed at a high elevation like 7,000 feet and then try to open the cooler upon returning to a lower elevation. The cooler becomes locked for several hours as the air inside has expanded. The only way to open it I've found while it in such pressurized state is to use a couple screw drivers to pry the lid.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 18, 2025, 09:16:38 PMI carry a small cooler with me on driving and hiking trips into the Sierra Nevada east of where I live. It has a double latch which seals the cold air in and allows me to take actual meals with me. This especially comes in handy on days like today where I was out in the middle of nowhere for seven plus hours.
A problem I've noticed occurs when I keep the seal closed at a high elevation like 7,000 feet and then try to open the cooler upon returning to a lower elevation. The cooler becomes locked for several hours as the air inside has expanded. The only way to open it I've found while it in such pressurized state is to use a couple screw drivers to pry the lid.
This is something that pleases you?
Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 18, 2025, 10:15:14 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on July 18, 2025, 09:16:38 PMI carry a small cooler with me on driving and hiking trips into the Sierra Nevada east of where I live. It has a double latch which seals the cold air in and allows me to take actual meals with me. This especially comes in handy on days like today where I was out in the middle of nowhere for seven plus hours.
A problem I've noticed occurs when I keep the seal closed at a high elevation like 7,000 feet and then try to open the cooler upon returning to a lower elevation. The cooler becomes locked for several hours as the air inside has expanded. The only way to open it I've found while it in such pressurized state is to use a couple screw drivers to pry the lid.
This is something that pleases you?
First part does, second part not so much. That being the case I'll probably just leave this here rather than crossposting to the originally intended bothersome thread.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 18, 2025, 10:18:23 PMQuote from: JayhawkCO on July 18, 2025, 10:15:14 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on July 18, 2025, 09:16:38 PMI carry a small cooler with me on driving and hiking trips into the Sierra Nevada east of where I live. It has a double latch which seals the cold air in and allows me to take actual meals with me. This especially comes in handy on days like today where I was out in the middle of nowhere for seven plus hours.
A problem I've noticed occurs when I keep the seal closed at a high elevation like 7,000 feet and then try to open the cooler upon returning to a lower elevation. The cooler becomes locked for several hours as the air inside has expanded. The only way to open it I've found while it in such pressurized state is to use a couple screw drivers to pry the lid.
This is something that pleases you?
First part does, second part not so much. That being the case I'll probably just leave this here rather than crossposting to the originally intended bothersome thread.
Do you ever think about doing cold soak meals?
Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 18, 2025, 10:19:12 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on July 18, 2025, 10:18:23 PMQuote from: JayhawkCO on July 18, 2025, 10:15:14 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on July 18, 2025, 09:16:38 PMI carry a small cooler with me on driving and hiking trips into the Sierra Nevada east of where I live. It has a double latch which seals the cold air in and allows me to take actual meals with me. This especially comes in handy on days like today where I was out in the middle of nowhere for seven plus hours.
A problem I've noticed occurs when I keep the seal closed at a high elevation like 7,000 feet and then try to open the cooler upon returning to a lower elevation. The cooler becomes locked for several hours as the air inside has expanded. The only way to open it I've found while it in such pressurized state is to use a couple screw drivers to pry the lid.
This is something that pleases you?
First part does, second part not so much. That being the case I'll probably just leave this here rather than crossposting to the originally intended bothersome thread.
Do you ever think about doing cold soak meals?
I use them on the occasion I have long enough hike (usually multi-day). Today was a pretty simple series of small hikes. I recently found out the Stagg Tree in the Alder Sequoia Grove didn't burn in 2020.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 18, 2025, 09:16:38 PMI carry a small cooler with me on driving and hiking trips into the Sierra Nevada east of where I live. It has a double latch which seals the cold air in and allows me to take actual meals with me. This especially comes in handy on days like today where I was out in the middle of nowhere for seven plus hours.
A problem I've noticed occurs when I keep the seal closed at a high elevation like 7,000 feet and then try to open the cooler upon returning to a lower elevation. The cooler becomes locked for several hours as the air inside has expanded. The only way to open it I've found while it in such pressurized state is to use a couple screw drivers to pry the lid.
I would have to see a picture of the cooler to know whether this would help or not, but have you tried pushing the lid more firmly closed while undoing the latches? (This was a trick that got me into many a slot machine that wouldn't come open back when I worked on the floor.)
Quote from: Scott5114 on July 19, 2025, 01:33:18 AMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on July 18, 2025, 09:16:38 PMI carry a small cooler with me on driving and hiking trips into the Sierra Nevada east of where I live. It has a double latch which seals the cold air in and allows me to take actual meals with me. This especially comes in handy on days like today where I was out in the middle of nowhere for seven plus hours.
A problem I've noticed occurs when I keep the seal closed at a high elevation like 7,000 feet and then try to open the cooler upon returning to a lower elevation. The cooler becomes locked for several hours as the air inside has expanded. The only way to open it I've found while it in such pressurized state is to use a couple screw drivers to pry the lid.
I would have to see a picture of the cooler to know whether this would help or not, but have you tried pushing the lid more firmly closed while undoing the latches? (This was a trick that got me into many a slot machine that wouldn't come open back when I worked on the floor.)
I'll have to give that a try the next time the lid becomes locked again. It depressurized enough to open around 5 PM yesterday.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 18, 2025, 09:16:38 PMI carry a small cooler with me on driving and hiking trips into the Sierra Nevada east of where I live. It has a double latch which seals the cold air in and allows me to take actual meals with me. This especially comes in handy on days like today where I was out in the middle of nowhere for seven plus hours.
A problem I've noticed occurs when I keep the seal closed at a high elevation like 7,000 feet and then try to open the cooler upon returning to a lower elevation. The cooler becomes locked for several hours as the air inside has expanded. The only way to open it I've found while it in such pressurized state is to use a couple screw drivers to pry the lid.
Pull over to admire the 4000 foot elevation sign and open the cooler for a second then.
I made it thru the weekend without going viral for a scandalous affair.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 20, 2025, 11:30:27 PMI made it thru the weekend without going viral for a scandalous affair.
There's still twenty minutes left in the weekend in your time zone, and three hours to go if you've possibly done anything scandalous in the Pacific time zone.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 20, 2025, 11:30:27 PMI made it thru the weekend without going viral for a scandalous affair.
Based on your username, verification requires this to be posted twice.
Whenever an HR big shot is involved in a scandal I'll likely get some amusement out of it.
Yesterday, I saw VMSes advising that the exit from Kellogg to Topeka would be closed on Tuesday. No exit is signed for Topeka Street: it's just one of the four streets served by the Central Business District exit. This morning, they had changed the message on the sign to say Cent. Bus. Dist. instead of Topeka. That pleased me.
Earlier, I had posted this in the
Minor things that bother you thread:
Quote from: kphoger on May 16, 2025, 02:09:36 PMWe have an old dishwasher. A few months ago, the little plastic nib that holds the detergent tray lid closed finally wore away down to nothing. So now it's impossible to keep detergent in the tray because, as soon as you close the door, it immediately begins to seep out. Ideally that should only happen with the smaller, uncovered, pre-wash section. The tray is supposed to stay covered until the machine has drained its dirty pre-wash water and is filling up again for the real wash cycle. So, the question we had to answer was how to make sure there was detergent in there for both the pre-wash and wash cycles without a closing detergent tray lid.
So I timed the pre-wash cycle, and it was about 29 minutes long. Next time I ran the dishwasher, I tossed some detergent in the bottom, set the microwave's kitchen timer for just under 29 minutes, waited for the timer to go off, made sure the dishwasher completely drained and then started filling back up, opened the door, and then tossed some more detergent in the bottom. Perfect, as long as (1) we're not planning to start the dishwasher less than a half-hour before leaving the house and (2) we actually hear the timer go off from the other room.
But here's the minor thing that bothers me: we've since learned that the pre-rinse cycle isn't always the same length of time. It might be 30 minutes, it might be 24 minutes, or anywhere in between. And we have no idea what makes the difference. Maybe it's based on how full it's loaded, but how could it sense that? So now, whenever I hear the timer go off and I hear water swooshing around in there, I always wonder if (a) I'm too late and it's already started running the wash cycle so I might as well add detergent, or (b) I'm too early and I need to wait a few more minutes before adding detergent.
Since that time, I've noticed that there is indeed a sensor of some sort on the inside of the dishwasher, below the top rack. There appears to be some correlation between how full the bottom rack is and how long the first wash cycle lasts. With that knowledge in mind, I've been setting the timer based on how full I consider the bottom rack to be. I don't know exactly what it's sensing, so it's more of an art than a science. I size up the bottom load at a glance and then just kind of
feel how long I think the cycle will run before draining.
And I've gotten quite good at it. More times than not, I'm within one minute. Last time I ran the dishwasher, it started refilling with just three seconds left on the timer. This now pleases me.
My wife is mystified. Which also pleases me...
On MDOT's
AADT interactive data map (https://data-maryland.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/mdot-sha-annual-average-daily-traffic-aadt-locations/explore?location=39.301637%2C-76.709653%2C16.59), the ramp from the park-n-ride at I-70's former terminus to Security Blvd is labeled
RAMP 2 FR IS 70 WB TO MD 122 NB (RP-70). On its
AADT .pdf (https://roads.maryland.gov/Traffic_Volume_Maps/Traffic_Volume_Maps.pdf#page=1&zoom=100), the park-n-ride has an I-70 shield.
This pleases me, even though the stretch east of I-695 was eliminated from the I-70 designation eleven years ago and, since that time, I-70 has not come within 1½ miles of Baltimore city limits.
Quote from: AASHTO — Special Committee on U. S. Route Numbering — Report to SCOH — May 29, 2014Item No. 13
Member DOT — Maryland
Request — Elimination of I-70
Description — In Maryland, this route begins at the Pennsylvania state line. It currently ends at a road end and park and ride in Baltimore City. It travels on a two-way dual carriageway-type highway. The predominant direction of this route is east. The main cities along this route are Hagerstown and Frederick. The mileage after de-designation will be approximately 112 miles. It will end at I-695, the Baltimore Beltway as a result of the de-designation.
Decision — APPROVED
I only use my pressure washer about 2-3 times a year. But, with a Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner with 4 Wheels (https://amzn.to/4kOBbna), it made short work of cleaning the dirt and bird excrement from my back porch. I can't wait to use it on my driveway.
Quote from: ZLoth on July 21, 2025, 02:19:29 PMI only use my pressure washer about 2-3 times a year. But, with a Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner with 4 Wheels (https://amzn.to/4kOBbna), it made short work of cleaning the dirt and bird excrement from my back porch. I can't wait to use it on my driveway.
I would be afraid of that summoning the Water Cops if I tried it at my house.
The Columbus, OH police finally found the SUV driver who caused a three vehicle accident on I-71 SB at I-670.
It happened on May 5 this year. ODOT posted the incident on social media which went viral showing a driver who missed his exit, stopped in the middle lane, and took off after a van three cars behind him rear ended the two cars stopped because of him.
I read on Social media again, that finally the police found the SUV and charged the driver with reckless endangerment.
Quote from: roadman65 on July 22, 2025, 01:01:13 PMThe Columbus, OH police finally found the SUV driver who caused a three vehicle accident on I-71 SB at I-670.
It happened on May 5 this year. ODOT posted the incident on social media which went viral showing a driver who missed his exit, stopped in the middle lane, and took off after a van three cars behind him rear ended the two cars stopped because of him.
I read on Social media again, that finally the police found the SUV and charged the driver with reckless endangerment.
It is maddening the number of people who have the inability to say, "Oh crap. I'm about to miss my turn/exit. Let me go to the next one and turn around."
Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 22, 2025, 01:27:09 PMQuote from: roadman65 on July 22, 2025, 01:01:13 PMThe Columbus, OH police finally found the SUV driver who caused a three vehicle accident on I-71 SB at I-670.
It happened on May 5 this year. ODOT posted the incident on social media which went viral showing a driver who missed his exit, stopped in the middle lane, and took off after a van three cars behind him rear ended the two cars stopped because of him.
I read on Social media again, that finally the police found the SUV and charged the driver with reckless endangerment.
It is maddening the number of people who have the inability to say, "Oh crap. I'm about to miss my turn/exit. Let me go to the next one and turn around."
They do it at driveways. I had one car drive past his entrance to the Westgate Resort in Orlando on Turkey Lake Road. Instead of proceeding on to the next turnaround ( it's a divided highway) he insisted that I pass him and let him back up to correct his error. However I'm I remained honking my horn for him to move, but the stubborn driver refused but continued to intimidate me with his back up lights.
Finally I said " screw it" and went around the ignorant motorist. Plus I was employee at the aforementioned resort and felt it was conflict of interest if I kept antagonizing the individual, especially if I was caught by management.
Quote from: roadman65 on July 22, 2025, 03:05:06 PMI had one car drive past his entrance to the Westgate Resort in Orlando on Turkey Lake Road. Instead of proceeding on to the next turnaround ( it's a divided highway) he insisted that I pass him and let him back up to correct his error. However I'm I remained honking my horn for him to move, but the stubborn driver refused but continued to intimidate me with his back up lights.
I probably would have done basically the same thing, except without the horn. Just sit there waiting "patiently". Unless, of course, it put me at too much risk of being rear-ended by a third driver.
Quote from: roadman65 on July 22, 2025, 01:01:13 PMThe Columbus, OH police finally found the SUV driver who caused a three vehicle accident on I-71 SB at I-670.
It happened on May 5 this year. ODOT posted the incident on social media which went viral showing a driver who missed his exit, stopped in the middle lane, and took off after a van three cars behind him rear ended the two cars stopped because of him.
I read on Social media again, that finally the police found the SUV and charged the driver with reckless endangerment.
Wow. My mom told me that near the end of his driving life my grandfather would stop and back up if he missed his exit. Happy to report it never caused an accident, and it wasn't too long before his family convinced him it was time to give up his keys.
Quote from: kkt on July 22, 2025, 03:51:02 PMQuote from: roadman65 on July 22, 2025, 01:01:13 PMThe Columbus, OH police finally found the SUV driver who caused a three vehicle accident on I-71 SB at I-670.
It happened on May 5 this year. ODOT posted the incident on social media which went viral showing a driver who missed his exit, stopped in the middle lane, and took off after a van three cars behind him rear ended the two cars stopped because of him
I read on Social media again, that finally the police found the SUV and charged the driver with reckless endangerment.
Wow. My mom told me that near the end of his driving life my grandfather would stop and back up if he missed his exit. Happy to report it never caused an accident, and it wasn't too long before his family convinced him it was time to give up his keys.
If he did it on the shoulder it's one thing. Being no accident occured is another.
Most importantly he didn't run from a scene which will make matters worse like it did for this red SUV.
https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/three-cars-crash-on-interstate-71-behind-driver-who-stopped-before-exit/
It really bothers me, too, when people don't simply keep going and then turn around at the next opportunity. But there was one very memorable time that I put my own car in reverse:
Quote from: kphoger on April 14, 2016, 03:33:47 PMI once had to go from DuPage County to Harlem & Augusta for a concert I was performing in. It was Friday afternoon/evening. Coming up Naperville Road from the south, I got onto I-88. Approaching the end of the on-ramp, I was greeted by a wide sea of brake lights: welcome to the Friday afternoon crowd heading into the city for weekend fun. Well, folks, I couldn't afford to sit in traffic all day, as I had a performance to participate in. So I popped my car into reverse, backed all the way down the shoulder of the on-ramp to Naperville Road, and took local streets: Naperville Road, Butterfield Road, Route 53, Saint Charles Road, 5th Avenue Maywood, Lake Street, 1st Avenue, Chicago Avenue, Thatcher Avenue, Augusta Street. Got there much faster than if I had stuck with I-88.
We have AC in the house for the first time since last Friday! It's still 82° as it works to cool things back down, but seldom has an indoor temperature of 82° felt so glorious. I think we tend to overlook AC's role in dehumidifying.
I suppose I could list the cost of the repair in the "minor things that bother you" thread. As a colleague said, your house knows when you have money saved and it chooses then to bite you.
When flying, I like a little bit of turbulence.
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 24, 2025, 03:58:48 PMI think we tend to overlook AC's role in dehumidifying.
I don't, but then, I've been relying on it (and the heat in winter) to dehumidify the bathroom since I first moved into my current apartment complex 11 years ago, since the fan doesn't do a good job. Those awkward periods where neither the heat nor AC is needed are particularly interesting; there have been days where I've had to run both, and not because of wildly divergent temperatures outside.
My wife's love language is gift-giving. That's definitely not my love language, but it's hers.
On Sunday evening, we were over at some friends from church, and I was chatting about an upcoming trip, and how he and I don't mind flying but really just hate the process of going through airports. He mentioned that he has a belt with a plastic buckle to avoid having to take it off for the big stand-like-a-starfish-in-a-bubble x-ray machine, and I made the comment that I wished I had that kind of belt.
Three days later, a package arrived with a new toilet valve that my wife had ordered, and guess what else was in the box? A TSA-approved belt. Total surprise, but it pleased me so much that she thought to do that. I never would have bothered to get one for myself, but she showed her love to me in her own love language.
Of course, I'll still have to take my shoes off, because I'll be wearing steel-toed boots...
Quote from: kphoger on July 24, 2025, 10:26:53 PMMy wife's love language is gift-giving. That's definitely not my love language, but it's hers.
On Sunday evening, we were over at some friends from church, and I was chatting about an upcoming trip, and how he and I don't mind flying but really just hate the process of going through airports. He mentioned that he has a belt with a plastic buckle to avoid having to take it off for the big stand-like-a-starfish-in-a-bubble x-ray machine, and I made the comment that I wished I had that kind of belt.
Three days later, a package arrived with a new toilet valve that my wife had ordered, and guess what else was in the box? A TSA-approved belt. Total surprise, but it pleased me so much that she thought to do that. I never would have bothered to get one for myself, but she showed her love to me in her own love language.
Of course, I'll still have to take my shoes off, because I'll be wearing steel-toed boots...
Outside of dress clothes, the only belts I wear are nylon belts with plastic buckles. Got a 5-pack on Amazon for $15 or something like that. Love them.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 24, 2025, 11:13:35 PMOutside of dress clothes, the only belts I wear are nylon belts with plastic buckles. Got a 5-pack on Amazon for $15 or something like that. Love them.
I have a leather belt that I've worn since the 1990s. Love that thing. But it's got a metal buckle.
There was one aspect of Star Trek: Voyager that, quite frankly, made no sense. They tried to handwave it in one episode, but somehow managed to cause things to make even less sense. I was content to ignore the canon explanation and headcanon my own, but then Star Trek: Picard doubled down on the nonsense. Thankfully, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finally makes this little wrinkle actually work (although it's not perfect, as it's still inconsistent with an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation).
Quote from: vdeane on August 01, 2025, 12:50:03 PMThere was one aspect of Star Trek: Voyager that, quite frankly, made no sense.
What did you have in mind here?
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on August 01, 2025, 06:57:44 PMQuote from: vdeane on August 01, 2025, 12:50:03 PMThere was one aspect of Star Trek: Voyager that, quite frankly, made no sense.
What did you have in mind here?
I was being vague to avoid Strange New Worlds spoilers, but what the hell. To anyone worried about spoilers, don't read below the horizontal line. Although the episode is free on YouTube (https://trekmovie.com/2025/07/31/watch-a-space-adventure-hour-from-strange-new-worlds-for-free/) until Wednesday.
Voyager had full use of the holodecks, despite having to have everyone on replicator rations to save energy. There was a line early on about blowing out a relay to hook the rest of the ship up to the holodeck's dedicated power supply, which only served to add more weirdness as to why holodecks even
have a dedicated power supply that's incompatible with the rest of the ship. I preferred to ignore that and think that they were busy using the replicators to make parts to repair the ship (which would have also explained how the ship was always in such good condition and whatnot), perhaps even with someone suggesting to leave the holodeck alone despite the power usage to keep morale up, but then Picard repeated that so they could reuse the bar set in an episode where the Titan was dead in the water.
Enter Strange New Worlds. They test a prototype holodeck, and it ends up taking all of the ship's power and endangering the Enterprise (which, it should be noted, has the worst luck with holographic anything, given Discovery), explaining why holodecks are on a segregated power system in the future without making it sound like they're grasping at straws because they can't think of a better way to accomplish what they want. Alas, there are still two canon wrinkles with it - in TNG, there's an episode where the computer shut down the holodecks to conserve energy, which doesn't make sense now, and in TAS, there's an episode with the "recreation room" (although that can be rationalized as maybe the tech was determined to be safer to use if restricted to landscapes). But it's a lot better than what we had.
Quote from: vdeane on August 01, 2025, 12:50:03 PMThere was one aspect of Star Trek: Voyager that, quite frankly, made no sense. They tried to handwave it in one episode, but somehow managed to cause things to make even less sense. I was content to ignore the canon explanation and headcanon my own, but then Star Trek: Picard doubled down on the nonsense. Thankfully, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finally makes this little wrinkle actually work (although it's not perfect, as it's still inconsistent with an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation).
Just one?
Quote from: vdeane on August 01, 2025, 11:29:55 PMVoyager had full use of the holodecks, despite having to have everyone on replicator rations to save energy. There was a line early on about blowing out a relay to hook the rest of the ship up to the holodeck's dedicated power supply, which only served to add more weirdness as to why holodecks even have a dedicated power supply that's incompatible with the rest of the ship.
In the various not-canon-but-it-was-what-the-writers-referenced-so-it-may-as-well-be-canon technical manuals, replicators are described as basically being lower-resolution teleporters, which pull from a well of raw material, dematerializing it and then rematerializing it in a different pattern. (The lower-resolution bit is to make it impossible to just replicate Tasha Yar, although maybe they should have just allowed that, given how many times Denise Crosby came back as a guest star.) The holodecks, though, are just sparkly lights and force fields. So I would imagine that replicators are a much bigger power load than the holodecks. (There's also the problem that replicators would be heavily used during short periods of time, whereas holodeck usage could be spread out more evenly throughout the day.)
Holodecks being on a separate power system makes some degree of sense, because it would mean you could just flip the breaker when the holodeck malfunctioned and had the captain held hostage by Frank Sinatra or whoever. But of course they never did that, either.
The TV iterations of Star Trek would be much more digestible if the Borg were led by a cyborg Frank Sinatra.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 02, 2025, 12:54:44 AMThe TV iterations of Star Trek would be much more digestible if the Borg were led by a cyborg Frank Sinatra.
Have you watched Deep Space 9, by any chance?
Quote from: kkt on August 02, 2025, 01:13:06 AMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on August 02, 2025, 12:54:44 AMThe TV iterations of Star Trek would be much more digestible if the Borg were led by a cyborg Frank Sinatra.
Have you watched Deep Space 9, by any chance?
I have a little and it wasn't for me. None of the shows really grabbed my attention either. I always felt for me the series was generally more enjoyable in movie form.
Don't know why I got so addicted to Doctor Who (I've seen every available episode...but thankfully still roll my eyes at the Big Finish insanity), but never felt the need to see every Star Trek episode. Haven't even seen all the movies (don't think I saw Nemesis...). Find it entertaining when I do watch it, but just doesn't hook me.
Not all the Star Trek movies are good. Most of are at least watchable and good way to kill two hours without worrying about deep lore continuity. I think the only SciFi show that ever hooked me for a lengthy period of time was Stargate SG1. That show elevated a really mediocre movie.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 02, 2025, 01:16:14 AMQuote from: kkt on August 02, 2025, 01:13:06 AMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on August 02, 2025, 12:54:44 AMThe TV iterations of Star Trek would be much more digestible if the Borg were led by a cyborg Frank Sinatra.
Have you watched Deep Space 9, by any chance?
I have a little and it wasn't for me. None of the shows really grabbed my attention either. I always felt for me the series was generally more enjoyable in movie form.
They had a hologram towards the end of the show who sang that style of music. Not just snippets - whole songs that were the focus of the scenes.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 02, 2025, 12:13:39 AMQuote from: vdeane on August 01, 2025, 11:29:55 PMVoyager had full use of the holodecks, despite having to have everyone on replicator rations to save energy. There was a line early on about blowing out a relay to hook the rest of the ship up to the holodeck's dedicated power supply, which only served to add more weirdness as to why holodecks even have a dedicated power supply that's incompatible with the rest of the ship.
In the various not-canon-but-it-was-what-the-writers-referenced-so-it-may-as-well-be-canon technical manuals, replicators are described as basically being lower-resolution teleporters, which pull from a well of raw material, dematerializing it and then rematerializing it in a different pattern. (The lower-resolution bit is to make it impossible to just replicate Tasha Yar, although maybe they should have just allowed that, given how many times Denise Crosby came back as a guest star.) The holodecks, though, are just sparkly lights and force fields. So I would imagine that replicators are a much bigger power load than the holodecks. (There's also the problem that replicators would be heavily used during short periods of time, whereas holodeck usage could be spread out more evenly throughout the day.)
Holodecks being on a separate power system makes some degree of sense, because it would mean you could just flip the breaker when the holodeck malfunctioned and had the captain held hostage by Frank Sinatra or whoever. But of course they never did that, either.
The holodecks do use replicators for things like food (and presumably the water Wesley fell into in the TNG premier). That said, it seems like the big power draw was for the AI to make the plot and characters - which could explain how something like the TAS rec room was fine. On the Doyalist reasoning, that might be why they were only able to make this make sense now - they're drawing from real-world experience with computing that simply didn't exist when Voyager was being made.
I must admit, I do not understand the depths to which Trekkies fall into the rabbit hole.
Quote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 05:14:41 PMI must admit, I do not understand the depths to which Trekkies fall into the rabbit hole.
Maybe that's why Doctor Who is better for me: There's no way continuity can be found over all the technobabble in its sixty-plus-year existence.
Quote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 05:14:41 PMI must admit, I do not understand the depths to which Trekkies fall into the rabbit hole.
It is easier to immerse yourself in a fictional world when it is self-consistent.
Quote from: Rothman on August 02, 2025, 05:45:59 PMQuote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 05:14:41 PMI must admit, I do not understand the depths to which Trekkies fall into the rabbit hole.
Maybe that's why Doctor Who is better for me: There's no way continuity can be found over all the technobabble in its sixty-plus-year existence.
Every time I've watched Dr. Who I do appreciate that you don't have to know a mountain of lore to enough what is going on.
Quote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 05:14:41 PMI must admit, I do not understand the depths to which Trekkies fall into the rabbit hole.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 02, 2025, 06:02:14 PMIt is easier to immerse yourself in a fictional world when it is self-consistent.
I do not understand the extent to which Trekkies want to immerse themselves in a fictional world.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 02, 2025, 06:02:14 PMQuote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 05:14:41 PMI must admit, I do not understand the depths to which Trekkies fall into the rabbit hole.
It is easier to immerse yourself in a fictional world when it is self-consistent.
Or it just makes the bar of entry so insurmountably high that it is entirely unapproachable for anyone new to the series.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 02, 2025, 09:38:54 PMQuote from: Scott5114 on August 02, 2025, 06:02:14 PMQuote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 05:14:41 PMI must admit, I do not understand the depths to which Trekkies fall into the rabbit hole.
It is easier to immerse yourself in a fictional world when it is self-consistent.
Or it just makes the bar of entry so insurmountably high that it is entirely unapproachable for anyone new to the series.
Not everything is for everyone.
Quote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 08:25:09 PMI do not understand the extent to which Trekkies want to immerse themselves in a fictional world.
You don't understand why someone would want to immerse themselves in a world with lots of different types of people with wildly different backgrounds overcoming differences together; where resources are so plentiful that not only does everyone have everything they need, there is no such thing as money; where anyone can choose what to do with their life regardless of whether it's profitable or not; where decisions are made using data and science rather who it will benefit? That sort of world doesn't seem like a thing that someone might want to immerse themselves in? Like I said, not everything is for everybody, but I would think the appeal of the Star Trek universe wouldn't be hard to
understand, at least.
Quote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 08:25:09 PMI do not understand the extent to which Trekkies want to immerse themselves in a fictional world.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 02, 2025, 10:04:34 PMYou don't understand why someone would want to immerse themselves in a world with ...
Oh, I understand why someone would want to immerse themselves in such a world. What I don't understand is the
extent to which Trekkies, specifically, want to do so. It really is next-level.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 02, 2025, 09:38:54 PMQuote from: Scott5114 on August 02, 2025, 06:02:14 PMQuote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 05:14:41 PMI must admit, I do not understand the depths to which Trekkies fall into the rabbit hole.
It is easier to immerse yourself in a fictional world when it is self-consistent.
Or it just makes the bar of entry so insurmountably high that it is entirely unapproachable for anyone new to the series.
Of all the shows, Star Trek: Lower Decks is the one that's most reliant on lore from the other shows (since half the jokes are just references), and yet people still manage to enjoy it without having seen other Star Trek. If even Lower Decks is accessible to new fans, I think it's safe to say that the rest is too.
Although it seems like these days a lot of people feel the need to start at the very beginning and watch each and every episode in order. That's a lot. Especially since it's probably easier to get into TOS these days by watching the other stuff first and then going back to see how it all began rather than the other way around. The stories may be classic, but the acting style and pacing is definitely from the 60s and that makes it harder to get into if you're used to more modern shows.
Quote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 10:39:09 PMQuote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 08:25:09 PMI do not understand the extent to which Trekkies want to immerse themselves in a fictional world.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 02, 2025, 10:04:34 PMYou don't understand why someone would want to immerse themselves in a world with ...
Oh, I understand why someone would want to immerse themselves in such a world. What I don't understand is the extent to which Trekkies, specifically, want to do so. It really is next-level.
It's also totally okay with enjoying a body of work without caring what anyone else on the internet thinks, despite background whispers that one is "mainstream" or "normie" because you can put something down and move onto other purposes in life. It's great that there's a lot of information on most any subject but it's also a major spoiler to the thrill of discovery and the amount of backchatting overwhelms the process of accomplishment.
I wonder if Star Trek was really one of the first Tv shows to become dissected, reimagined, calculated, (and so forth) even before the days of the Internet and therefore was one of the first to be endlessly discussed online.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have approximately 250,000 photos to sort through which nobody may ever care to see...
Quote from: formulanone on August 04, 2025, 08:52:21 AMIt's also totally okay with enjoying a body of work without caring what anyone else on the internet thinks
You mean, like,
roadgeekery? :hmmm:
Quote from: formulanone on August 04, 2025, 08:52:21 AMQuote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 10:39:09 PMQuote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 08:25:09 PMI do not understand the extent to which Trekkies want to immerse themselves in a fictional world.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 02, 2025, 10:04:34 PMYou don't understand why someone would want to immerse themselves in a world with ...
Oh, I understand why someone would want to immerse themselves in such a world. What I don't understand is the extent to which Trekkies, specifically, want to do so. It really is next-level.
It's also totally okay with enjoying a body of work without caring what anyone else on the internet thinks, despite background whispers that one is "mainstream" or "normie" because you can put something down and move onto other purposes in life. It's great that there's a lot of information on most any subject but it's also a major spoiler to the thrill of discovery and the amount of backchatting overwhelms the process of accomplishment.
I wonder if Star Trek was really one of the first Tv shows to become dissected, reimagined, calculated, (and so forth) even before the days of the Internet and therefore was one of the first to be endlessly discussed online.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have approximately 250,000 photos to sort through which nobody may ever care to see...
Hm. The Twilight Zone had a lot of fans dissecting every episode, but pre-Internet it was hard for their fans to find enough kindred spirits of have a discussion.
Quote from: GaryV on August 04, 2025, 10:31:11 AMQuote from: formulanone on August 04, 2025, 08:52:21 AMIt's also totally okay with enjoying a body of work without caring what anyone else on the internet thinks
You mean, like, roadgeekery? :hmmm:
Not that I'm dismissing this argument but I tend to be of the opinion that immersive fictional worlds are different than hobbies you can interact with in the real world.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2025, 02:38:38 PMQuote from: GaryV on August 04, 2025, 10:31:11 AMQuote from: formulanone on August 04, 2025, 08:52:21 AMIt's also totally okay with enjoying a body of work without caring what anyone else on the internet thinks
You mean, like, roadgeekery? :hmmm:
Not that I'm dismissing this argument but I tend to be of the opinion that immersive fictional worlds are different than hobbies you can interact with in the real world.
Tell that to Fritz. :bigass:
Quote from: Molandfreak on August 04, 2025, 02:47:12 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2025, 02:38:38 PMQuote from: GaryV on August 04, 2025, 10:31:11 AMQuote from: formulanone on August 04, 2025, 08:52:21 AMIt's also totally okay with enjoying a body of work without caring what anyone else on the internet thinks
You mean, like, roadgeekery? :hmmm:
Not that I'm dismissing this argument but I tend to be of the opinion that immersive fictional worlds are different than hobbies you can interact with in the real world.
Tell that to Fritz. :bigass:
I have. Fritz is playing is a very different game than I when it comes to stuff with roads.
Quote from: formulanone on August 04, 2025, 08:52:21 AMQuote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 10:39:09 PMQuote from: kphoger on August 02, 2025, 08:25:09 PMI do not understand the extent to which Trekkies want to immerse themselves in a fictional world.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 02, 2025, 10:04:34 PMYou don't understand why someone would want to immerse themselves in a world with ...
Oh, I understand why someone would want to immerse themselves in such a world. What I don't understand is the extent to which Trekkies, specifically, want to do so. It really is next-level.
It's also totally okay with enjoying a body of work without caring what anyone else on the internet thinks, despite background whispers that one is "mainstream" or "normie" because you can put something down and move onto other purposes in life. It's great that there's a lot of information on most any subject but it's also a major spoiler to the thrill of discovery and the amount of backchatting overwhelms the process of accomplishment.
I wonder if Star Trek was really one of the first Tv shows to become dissected, reimagined, calculated, (and so forth) even before the days of the Internet and therefore was one of the first to be endlessly discussed online.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have approximately 250,000 photos to sort through which nobody may ever care to see...
I wonder if it is because TNG, DS9 and Voyager all came out around the time the internet first became a thing. I remember getting into some heated discussions about Voyager on usenet back in the day.
TNG was the series I watched the most of. No doubt being a kid that didn't really the autonomy to do much but watch TV played a huge part in that.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2025, 03:41:02 PMTNG was the series I watched the most of. No doubt being a kid that didn't really the autonomy to do much but watch TV played a huge part in that.
Yeah me too, thought it was very approachable and calm even though I'd only watched a handful of the original series' episodes as a kid. Even though Picard was a standout character in terms of acting, the entire supporting cast and scripting felt quite cohesive despite watching random episodes out of order.
If I may discuss something other than Star Trek:
Living in Nevada, I do some long drives on relatively remote roads. I kept SiriusXM satellite service for years because that was usually the only connectivity to the world. Cell phone coverage was pretty lousy off interstates and US routes. But, a few years ago I decided the heck with it, I would listen via the phone app and do without music or sports on drives through dead areas.
Yesterday, driving home after a weekend golf tournament in Ogden, Utah, I chose to take the northern route around the Great Salt Lake, leaving I-84 at Snowville, UT and driving Beehive 30 and NV 233 to connect back to I-80. This is about 2 hours of driving in desolate country, with just a few widely-scattered ranches and the tiny settlement of Montello, NV along the route. It's common to drive 5 to 7 miles without encountering a single opposing vehicle.
I was probably halfway along when I realized I had been listening to SiriusXM without interruption the entire way. I did finally lose connectivity briefly, for a few miles in far western Utah. Having cell phone coverage for over 90% of it was pretty darned good, though, a big improvement in recent years. I don't miss the satellite service (which would get blocked in some areas like dense forest) and having app-only SiriusXM costs a fair amount less.
My cheap-ass phone can't handle the beta test of T-Mobile's affiliation with Elon's Starlink, which would cover areas well off paved roads. At this time I can live without that.
Bandit threads
Hassle-free international customs.
I just got back from a trip to Mexico.
When I arrived at the Tampico airport, I walked up to the customs desk. Nobody in line in front of me. The agent flipped through the pages of my passport, stamped it, handwrote the typical 180-day validity below the stamp, handed it back to me, held out her hand, and said just one word: "Pásele" (go ahead). Not a single question asked. I proceeded to the baggage X-ray machine, put my backpack on it, walked through the metal detector with no beeps, and was instructed to go ahead and pick it up off the conveyor at the other end. The only special instruction was to unclip my water bottle from the backpack before putting it through. Walked through the door, and out into the airport lobby, less than 15 minutes after wheels on the ground. Easy peasy.
On the return trip, I got to experience DFW's new facial recognition process. Even though the lines were of course quite long, when I got to the actual customs officer, here's how it went: I step up to the camera, it takes my picture, I get a big green checkmark on the screen, I'm on my way. The only thing the CBP agent said to me during the whole encounter was to step closer to the camera. If only I didn't have to go through TSA for a connecting flight, then I could have arrived into the country and walked out of the airport without handing my passport to a single person.
Sure is different from driving across the border...
Quote from: kphoger on August 11, 2025, 12:40:44 PMHassle-free international customs.
My trip to/from Vancouver two weeks ago offered a similar experience; scan passport in machine, answer a few questions (mostly NO...number of days...), showed passport to agent, explained "5 days, for work...would you like documentation? (No, proceed.)" and then get the typical slip and hand it right back after baggage claim.
They recognize Pre-Check now, so hand over your passport for a scan, bag scanning was a breeze, and biometric recognition eliminated pretty much the entire exiting customs process on the way out.
Only drawback is that my passport doesn't receive an actual stamp anymore, so my new one won't look so cool in the future.
The only time I've had "difficulty" was when about 20 of us had to take a bus across Niagara in January of 2019 and then they just wanted documents and more explanation of my work purposes. To be fair, our bus trip wasn't planned...Toronto's airport was closed for weather and we were diverted to Buffalo, so Delta scrambled a touring bus for us to get to YYZ. But I'd practiced my lines and pointed in all the right highlighted places on my documents...I over-prepare.
I noticed today that the self-checkout at Lowe's has a checkbox for "Print Gift Receipt." I had a pretty good laugh thinking about printing a gift receipt, just in case someone didn't like the generous gift of four gallons of chlorine I had just purchased.
Of Paul Hewson's various childhood nicknames, the one that eventually stuck was Bono. It pleases me that his first nickname didn't stick, because that would have been much harder for me to pronounce: Steinhegvanhuysenolegbangbangbang.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 20, 2025, 10:08:35 PMI noticed today that the self-checkout at Lowe's has a checkbox for "Print Gift Receipt." I had a pretty good laugh thinking about printing a gift receipt, just in case someone didn't like the generous gift of four gallons of chlorine I had just purchased.
I think Chlorine Compounds are suggested for 37th Anniversaries (traditional).
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 20, 2025, 10:08:35 PMI noticed today that the self-checkout at Lowe's has a checkbox for "Print Gift Receipt." I had a pretty good laugh thinking about printing a gift receipt, just in case someone didn't like the generous gift of four gallons of chlorine I had just purchased.
Quote from: formulanone on August 22, 2025, 06:10:38 PMI think Chlorine Compounds are suggested for 37th Anniversaries (traditional).
Dude! I had decided early this morning to post a reply almost exactly like yours, but then I forgot. Have you been reading my mind?
Quote from: kphoger on August 22, 2025, 06:32:52 PMQuote from: Scott5114 on August 20, 2025, 10:08:35 PMI noticed today that the self-checkout at Lowe's has a checkbox for "Print Gift Receipt." I had a pretty good laugh thinking about printing a gift receipt, just in case someone didn't like the generous gift of four gallons of chlorine I had just purchased.
Quote from: formulanone on August 22, 2025, 06:10:38 PMI think Chlorine Compounds are suggested for 37th Anniversaries (traditional).
Dude! I had decided early this morning to post a reply almost exactly like yours, but then I forgot. Have you been reading my mind?
My wife and I just celebrated our 27th anniversary, and we gave each other Mind-Reading Devices (Modern).
They only recall anniversary gift ideas and when laundry has to be started, so I might have to return it for a refund.
John Oliver released a video featuring him beating his meat, and it wasn't even age restricted!
Who is John Oliver? Why is he "tenderizing meat" on a public social media platform?
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 25, 2025, 02:26:14 PMWho is John Oliver? Why is he "tenderizing meat" on a public social media platform?
I assume he's demonstrating how to prepare rump steak for
rouladen.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 25, 2025, 02:26:14 PMWho is John Oliver?
He's the host of "Last Week Tonight" on HBO.
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 25, 2025, 03:15:08 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on August 25, 2025, 02:26:14 PMWho is John Oliver?
He's the host of "Last Week Tonight" on HBO.
Are meat beating technique demonstrations a regular thing on this show?
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 25, 2025, 03:35:21 PMQuote from: Scott5114 on August 25, 2025, 03:15:08 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on August 25, 2025, 02:26:14 PMWho is John Oliver?
He's the host of "Last Week Tonight" on HBO.
Are meat beating technique demonstrations a regular thing on this show?
I wouldn't say that they're a regular thing, but it doesn't surprise me that he was doing it.
Oliver's show tends to be structured around long monologues seated behind a desk, where he does twenty to thirty minutes of material on a subject in the news, often political. These monologues tend to be a weird mishmash of investigative journalism and satire. One famous segment he did involved the medical debt industry, in which he found out that it was so easy to buy medical debt at pennies on the dollar that he bought thousands and thousands of dollars of it on HBO's dime and forgave it all.
As for the meat-beating, I assume it was something to do with the meatpacking industry and he was wielding a tenderizer.
In this case, it was a web exclusive on Mike Lindell & MyStore in which he used the WhackerSpoon for its intended purpose.
Tell me I'm not the only one. Try this out, and let me know it does it for you too:
Do a Google search for {geocities}.
Does the font change?
It does
If you put certain font-type names into Google (Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia), the search results will come out in that font. Not all, as some like Chiller and Wingdings did nothing.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan3561 on August 30, 2025, 05:31:35 PMIf you put certain font-type names into Google (Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia), the search results will come out in that font. Not all, as some like Chiller and Wingdings did nothing.
If you google Dutch angle, the results will come out tilted just like the cinematic style.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan3561 on August 30, 2025, 05:31:35 PMIf you put certain font-type names into Google
To my utter dismay, it also applies to Comic Sans.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan3561 on August 30, 2025, 05:31:35 PMIf you put certain font-type names into Google (Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia), the search results will come out in that font. Not all, as some like Chiller and Wingdings did nothing.
Just tried this; you have to add "font" next to Georgia to get that result.
Georgia is my probably my favorite serif font; it has its quirks but they aren't annoyances, compared to Times New Roman. It also hasn't been widely overused, which is amazing, considering it's available on pretty much every Windows PC for over 25 years. That pleases me.
Quote from: Molandfreak on August 30, 2025, 07:17:43 PMIf you google Dutch angle, the results will come out tilted just like the cinematic style.
Whoaaaaa.......