Random Thoughts

[Roadgeekteen]

It's not actually a limit on this forum. Elsewhere in computing, some numbers will "roll over" to negative after going above 32,767.

Ok, got it. I wonder if there is a display limit on this forum.

[vdeane]

...

• kphoger is about to hit the 16-bit signed "limit". If kphoger hadn't come back from his most recent long break, Max Rockatansky would have passed him.

Apologies if this is some basic question, but to what does this refer about a "limit"?

In computer code, integers are stored in binary and have a fixed size, so the limit would be the maximum that can be stored with a 15-digit binary number (since each bit is either 0 or 1).  As for why 15 digits, that's because he said signed, so one of the bits would determine if the integer is positive or negative.

[Max Rockatansky]

I wrote a driving tour blog segment on Gribblenation as this today:

"Westbound East Westfall Road begins at Chowchilla Mountain Road."

Amusingly there is also a West Westfall Road in Mariposa County.  At minimum West Westfall Road is known to have been named after Fremont Westfall.  It isn't exactly clear with East Westfall Road as a Joe Westfall lived next door to Fremont and apparently employed him (unclear if there a familial relation).

[kkt]

...

• kphoger is about to hit the 16-bit signed "limit". If kphoger hadn't come back from his most recent long break, Max Rockatansky would have passed him.

Apologies if this is some basic question, but to what does this refer about a "limit"?

In computer code, integers are stored in binary and have a fixed size, so the limit would be the maximum that can be stored with a 15-digit binary number (since each bit is either 0 or 1).  As for why 15 digits, that's because he said signed, so one of the bits would determine if the integer is positive or negative.

But I'm not sure why, other than sheer laziness, they'd be using an integer for a post count rather than an unsigned.  How many times does a negative post count happen?

[Rothman]

*likes how he's not the spammiest on the forum but just spammy enough*

[vdeane]

...

• kphoger is about to hit the 16-bit signed "limit". If kphoger hadn't come back from his most recent long break, Max Rockatansky would have passed him.

Apologies if this is some basic question, but to what does this refer about a "limit"?

In computer code, integers are stored in binary and have a fixed size, so the limit would be the maximum that can be stored with a 15-digit binary number (since each bit is either 0 or 1).  As for why 15 digits, that's because he said signed, so one of the bits would determine if the integer is positive or negative.

But I'm not sure why, other than sheer laziness, they'd be using an integer for a post count rather than an unsigned.  How many times does a negative post count happen?

I would hope something like post count would be unsigned, but I seem to recall at one point seeing a post count or age that had a negative number here...

[hotdogPi]

...

• kphoger is about to hit the 16-bit signed "limit". If kphoger hadn't come back from his most recent long break, Max Rockatansky would have passed him.

Apologies if this is some basic question, but to what does this refer about a "limit"?

In computer code, integers are stored in binary and have a fixed size, so the limit would be the maximum that can be stored with a 15-digit binary number (since each bit is either 0 or 1).  As for why 15 digits, that's because he said signed, so one of the bits would determine if the integer is positive or negative.

But I'm not sure why, other than sheer laziness, they'd be using an integer for a post count rather than an unsigned.  How many times does a negative post count happen?

I would hope something like post count would be unsigned, but I seem to recall at one point seeing a post count or age that had a negative number here...

It was an age. The birth year is not limited to the past, and it calculates age automatically.

I have no idea what happens if an admin sets a user's post count to 0 and then the user deletes one of their own posts.

[Scott5114]

PHP doesn't have datatypes. MySQL integers can reach 2147483647 if signed and 4294967295 if unsigned.

[webny99]

• The newest member to be on the top 500 list is PNWRoadgeek, joined 7/23/2023. There are four from 2023, six from 2022, and seven from 2021. We really need to allow registrations again, especially since PNWRoadgeek is well above just barely making the cut.

Also worth noting: among the top 50 users who display their age, only five, or exactly 10% are under age 30.

• Seven people have had a decrease in post count in the last eight months: longhorn (-31), JN Winkler (-14), Chris (-13), rt66man (-11), noelbotevera (-9), AsphaltPlanet (-9), and -- US 175 -- (-4). Does anyone know if these people have anything in common?

Well, the obvious answer to what they have in common is that they haven't been on the forum much recently. 
But the reductions are most likely explained by some combination of threads being deleted or hidden and those users removing some of their own posts.

[Roadgeekteen]

Related, at some point banned users began having their point counts zeroed out (like MMM), but older banned users, like dzlsabe, still have their post counts in their profile. Not sure why that change was made.

[Max Rockatansky]

Related, at some point banned users began having their point counts zeroed out (like MMM), but older banned users, like dzlsabe, still have their post counts in their profile. Not sure why that change was made.

Nature of the permanent hiatus?  Saab was just a miserable curmudgeon and occasionally had useful things to say.

[Scott5114]

Related, at some point banned users began having their point counts zeroed out (like MMM), but older banned users, like dzlsabe, still have their post counts in their profile. Not sure why that change was made.

I realized I could do it and thought it was funny. It also has the benefit of communicating that the user is banned while not calling attention to it.

[kphoger]

kphoger is about to hit the 16-bit signed "limit". If kphoger hadn't come back from his most recent long break, Max Rockatansky would have passed him.

Apologies if this is some basic question, but to what does this refer about a "limit"?

It means that, pretty soon, once I pass the limit, I'll be posting from within the matrix.

[kphoger]

Even J N hasn't been on in almost six months.

Rumor has it, he's pretty active on the Wiki side, just not the forum side.

[Max Rockatansky]

Even J N hasn't been on in almost six months.

Rumor has it, he's pretty active on the Wiki side, just not the forum side.

I've seen him pop up on occasion off forum as well.

[vdeane]

Related, at some point banned users began having their point counts zeroed out (like MMM), but older banned users, like dzlsabe, still have their post counts in their profile. Not sure why that change was made.

I realized I could do it and thought it was funny. It also has the benefit of communicating that the user is banned while not calling attention to it.

You mean you don't want to slap a banner on their posts (like the ranks) that has a "do not enter" sign and the text saying "BANNED!!!"? /s

[Roadgeekteen]

Related, at some point banned users began having their point counts zeroed out (like MMM), but older banned users, like dzlsabe, still have their post counts in their profile. Not sure why that change was made.

I realized I could do it and thought it was funny. It also has the benefit of communicating that the user is banned while not calling attention to it.

You mean you don't want to slap a banner on their posts (like the ranks) that has a "do not enter" sign and the text saying "BANNED!!!"? /s

We should have a banned users hall of fame showing a list of all banned users and what they did to get banned. /s

[JayhawkCO]

Related, at some point banned users began having their point counts zeroed out (like MMM), but older banned users, like dzlsabe, still have their post counts in their profile. Not sure why that change was made.

I realized I could do it and thought it was funny. It also has the benefit of communicating that the user is banned while not calling attention to it.

You mean you don't want to slap a banner on their posts (like the ranks) that has a "do not enter" sign and the text saying "BANNED!!!"? /s

We should have a banned users hall of fame showing a list of all banned users and what they did to get banned. /s

Like putting up pictures of shoplifters or copies of people's bad checks (which pre-dates you).

[kphoger]

... or copies of people's bad checks (which pre-dates you).

My wife mentioned the other day that we need to make sure our eldest son has a bank account and knows how to write a check before he leaves home.  I asked her if people younger than us even write checks anymore.

Bank account, yes;  checks, I'm guessing no.

[Max Rockatansky]

Related, at some point banned users began having their point counts zeroed out (like MMM), but older banned users, like dzlsabe, still have their post counts in their profile. Not sure why that change was made.

I realized I could do it and thought it was funny. It also has the benefit of communicating that the user is banned while not calling attention to it.

You mean you don't want to slap a banner on their posts (like the ranks) that has a "do not enter" sign and the text saying "BANNED!!!"? /s

We should have a banned users hall of fame showing a list of all banned users and what they did to get banned. /s

Like putting up pictures of shoplifters or copies of people's bad checks (which pre-dates you).

This statement made me feel old.  I actually recall posting photos of known/apprehended shoplifters in a public bulletin boards as part of a company program.  I haven't done this in over twenty years. 

[gonealookin]

... or copies of people's bad checks (which pre-dates you).

My wife mentioned the other day that we need to make sure our eldest son has a bank account and knows how to write a check before he leaves home.  I asked her if people younger than us even write checks anymore.

Bank account, yes;  checks, I'm guessing no.

I've had my current checking account for not quite 3 years and have written 5 paper checks.

1.  Dermatology place.  I probably got a bill that asks you to write your full credit card number on the paper slip you return, and I don't do that so I mailed a check instead.
2. and 3.  Sewer district quarterly bills.  I have switched that to ACH debit.
4.  A plumber.
5.  The gas fireplace service person.  Had him in again a month or so ago, and he takes Venmo now (that plumber probably would as well).

Sure, the kid should know how to write a check, but there's just not much need for it any more.

[JayhawkCO]

... or copies of people's bad checks (which pre-dates you).

My wife mentioned the other day that we need to make sure our eldest son has a bank account and knows how to write a check before he leaves home.  I asked her if people younger than us even write checks anymore.

Bank account, yes;  checks, I'm guessing no.

I've had my current checking account for not quite 3 years and have written 5 paper checks.

1.  Dermatology place.  I probably got a bill that asks you to write your full credit card number on the paper slip you return, and I don't do that so I mailed a check instead.
2. and 3.  Sewer district quarterly bills.  I have switched that to ACH debit.
4.  A plumber.
5.  The gas fireplace service person.  Had him in again a month or so ago, and he takes Venmo now (that plumber probably would as well).

Sure, the kid should know how to write a check, but there's just not much need for it any more.

Honestly, the fee for cashier's checks is probably worth the money to save the time from having to learn how to write a check.

[GaryV]

knows how to write a check before he leaves home

In cursive?

[kphoger]

In cursive?

Heh.  Our kids were all about learning cursive.  I think two of them figured out on their own how to read it, and they all pretended to know how to write it before we taught them the real way.

[1995hoo]

I wrote three checks this weekend, all of them to Fairfax County to pay our car tax (and I dropped the envelope in one of the county's drop boxes rather than mailing it). They charge a fee for a credit card transaction and I didn't want to pay that, and I don't like to give anyone the ability to pull money directly from our bank accounts. Younger people may be more comfortable allowing creditors direct access, but I see no benefit, and plenty of potential downsides, to doing so.