Random Thoughts

[TheCatalyst31]

Area VMSes today had the following message on them:

FOCUS
ON THE ROAD

I was driving a Focus.  On the road.

I thought that was nice of them to acknowledge me.
Or am I being hunted?

I think similar things every time I see a VMS message with "Focus" in it. Incidentally, it seems like a surprising number of roadgeeks either drive a Ford Focus or used to, and I wonder why that is. (My 2016 Focus has been good to me so far, but I fully expect the transmission to go bust at some point.)

[Scott5114]

Incidentally, it seems like a surprising number of roadgeeks either drive a Ford Focus or used to, and I wonder why that is.

It's a not-terribly-expensive, fairly gas-efficient vehicle that is large enough to be comfortable but not so large as to be cumbersome. That puts it right in the sweet spot for an ideal roadtrip vehicle.

[Max Rockatansky]

I had a 2014 Ford Focus assigned to me as a work vehicle once.  The right rear passenger door broke on a trip, and I had to duct tape it shut to get back home.  Given how poorly that car was maintained I makes me question if it was truly representative of the average Ford Focus.

[kphoger]

It's a not-terribly-expensive, fairly gas-efficient vehicle that is large enough to be comfortable but not so large as to be cumbersome. That puts it right in the sweet spot for an ideal roadtrip vehicle.

Ours is not quite the ideal roadtrip vehicle, considering the a/c doesn't work.  Well, technically, it does work, but when I replaced the compressor a year and a half ago, I didn't replace the cooler and condenser and orifice tube and all that stuff, and I spilled a bunch of PAG oil in the driveway during the process, so now the new compressor still starves for oil.  Anyway, the only time I used the a/c now is when I'm defogging the windshield, in order to prevent it seizing up (the compressor, not the windshield).

[ZLoth]

Color me surprised. I did not expect Pee Wee's Big Adventure to be a Criterion release. Yet, it's being released in both BluRay and 4K on December 16th.



I'm not a fan of Pee Wee Herman, so it's a pass for me.

[Max Rockatansky]

I found out this morning a friend who've I have know who I was 16 died on Sunday.  The strangest thing is that I found through my wife who never actually knew my friend.  She sent me a photo of my brother's wedding in 2005 and asked about my dad (who was in the photo).  I tracked down the post on my brother's Facebook and found out the actual context. 

[Roadgeekteen]

I found out this morning a friend who've I have know who I was 16 died on Sunday.  The strangest thing is that I found through my wife who never actually knew my friend.  She sent me a photo of my brother's wedding in 2005 and asked about my dad (who was in the photo).  I tracked down the post on my brother's Facebook and found out the actual context. 

I was thinking that if someone I knew who wasn't on social media and had a very private family/close friends died, I likely would never find out or wouldn't find out for a while. My cousin who died in 2022 had social media but her death is hard to find on the internet. But I guess that went for everyone pre social media.

[Max Rockatansky]

I found out this morning a friend who've I have know who I was 16 died on Sunday.  The strangest thing is that I found through my wife who never actually knew my friend.  She sent me a photo of my brother's wedding in 2005 and asked about my dad (who was in the photo).  I tracked down the post on my brother's Facebook and found out the actual context. 

I was thinking that if someone I knew who wasn't on social media and had a very private family/close friends died, I likely would never find out or wouldn't find out for a while. My cousin who died in 2022 had social media but her death is hard to find on the internet. But I guess that went for everyone pre social media.

I honestly probably wouldn't have found out something happened had my brother not posted something.  The friend I'm referencing was never a big social media fan.  I likely would have found out eventually once his phone went to dead air.  Apparently his wife found him in the bathroom after he passed away.

[D-Dey65]

Incidentally, it seems like a surprising number of roadgeeks either drive a Ford Focus or used to, and I wonder why that is.

It's a not-terribly-expensive, fairly gas-efficient vehicle that is large enough to be comfortable but not so large as to be cumbersome. That puts it right in the sweet spot for an ideal roadtrip vehicle.

I'll take my old Toyota Camry, thank you very much.

21 years ago, I tried to rent a Ford Focus station wagon online because I wanted to move some stuff from a shed that used to belong to my family but was either sold or given to a family friend. My plan was to use the car to take the stuff out and bring it to some nearby storage warehouse that I can rent for an undetermined amount of time. Unfortunately, somebody else had the Focus and I had to decide on another car. I didn't get the chance to move any of my stuff until several years later.

[kphoger]

Blurring out a house on GSV sure seems to work better if it's not on a corner lot...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TaqQMNtMYSpjF5Gv6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/6nvvGxaiLF8EvBzX7

[vdeane]

I attended a baby shower on Sunday.  Two days later, this video hits my subscriptions:

[kkt]

If anyone feels like moving this post to a more appropriate board, I won't complain.

Tonight I felt like rewatching a YouTube video featuring a bunch of car chases from episodes of CHiPs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5MDVC1DWpE

Around the 0:40 second mark in the one above, there's a railroad crossing warning sign in the background that has a supplemental sign telling motorists how many tracks are at this approaching crossing. I've never seen anything like that before, or if I did, I forgot about it. Usually in the USA, and as far as I know most surrounding countries, you don't find out how many tracks are at the crossing until you're right there.

I see them pretty often, anytime there's more than two.

Accidents in which a motorist crosses the tracks and checks that only the first track is clear of oncoming trains are not as rare as they should be.

[Scott5114]

Blurring out a house on GSV sure seems to work better if it's not on a corner lot...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TaqQMNtMYSpjF5Gv6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/6nvvGxaiLF8EvBzX7

Sometimes when a house on GSV is blurred out, I look up the county assessor's images just to be a pill.

[kphoger]

Sometimes when a house on GSV is blurred out, I look up the county assessor's images just to be a pill.

You should then attempt to "add your business" to that address and upload a photo.

[Max Rockatansky]

Some weirdo from Inyo County began bombarding this post on the Gribblenation Facebook page this afternoon:

https://www.facebook.com/gribblenation/posts/pfbid02BXaKfbd1142HgHDXNVkfwoL2XcwU47epcgx4uwdAPemh9X74vCA6fV5vkkmzw1Yzl

I deleted dude's replies from the public post, but I kept what he direct messaged our page inbox:

Weirdo:  what is your name? kimber is gross. also a very violent person
Weirdo:  ?
Weirdo:  You can tell me. I don't live anywhere near that town. I'm sure your fucked cheat slut aswell.
Weirdo:  Ok. Well piss of. I have my own life. As you do. And yes Ricky is a pile of shit. But they have multiple kids. I have my kid aswell. Don't talk shit if you won't say who you are. That's a bitch move. She and I split up over twelve years ago. 

Multiple questions came to mind:

-  Who is messaging me and why?
-  Who is Kimber?
-  Why is Kimber gross?
-  Why is Kimber violent?
-  Why is Ricky a pile of shit?
-  What am I pissing exactly?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

If there's a Mono County, why isn't there a Stereo County?

[Rothman]

If there's a Mono County, why isn't there a Stereo County?

Because it refers to the disease, not audio.

[formulanone]

I just learned that the Chessie System logo was not a mutated goblin head.



I think they shouldn't have oversimplified that sleeping cat logo, or at least provided a clue.

[kphoger]

Speaking of logos, it was years before I noticed that the Amazon arrow "goes from A to Z", and it took someone else pointing it out to me.

[JayhawkCO]

Speaking of logos, it was years before I noticed that the Amazon arrow "goes from A to Z", and it took someone else pointing it out to me.

Similar to the arrow in Fedex.



And the bear in the Toblerone logo (company is based in Bern):



And the 31 in Baskin Robbins' logo.

[formulanone]

I recall noticing the FedEx arrow while staring it for a good 5 minutes while waiting for a bus, thinking...naw, only I see that. People will think I'm nuts.

25+ years ago, you couldn't start a conversation with "I just saw a hidden message in a corporate logo", but I pointed it out to my wife the next day, and that's how I knew she was The One. 

(okay, that's the simplified version)

[mgk920]

I just learned that the Chessie System logo was not a mutated goblin head.



I think they shouldn't have oversimplified that sleeping cat logo, or at least provided a clue.

Back when they ran top-rated overnight passenger trains.  "Sleep like a kitten!"

Mike

[formulanone]

I just learned that the Chessie System logo was not a mutated goblin head.



I think they shouldn't have oversimplified that sleeping cat logo, or at least provided a clue.

Back when they ran top-rated overnight passenger trains.  "Sleep like a kitten!"

Mike

I was 4 when I took my first any only long-distance train ride, and it felt more like I was on catnip for the first two hours, bored as heck for the next two, and apparently slept for the rest (another 5 hours). So I suppose the slogan was mostly correct...but I think it may have been Amtrak.

[DTComposer]

I spent most of the afternoon watching tbe first three Dirty Harry movies while I was writing.  They held up as being entertaining pieces of media over the years.  I do get some amusement from some of the 1970s era cliches.

I consider the 1971 Dirty Harry film to be a flawed classic. However, we have this classic line:

Uh uh. I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well to tell you the truth in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?

Ironically, it was Frank Sinatra who was supposed to play ""Dirty" Harry Callahan, but due to circumstances, including the hand injury suffered from the making The Manchurian Candidate and the death of his father, had to bow out of this project. The stadium shootout took place at Kezar Stadium where the 49ers played from 1946 until January 3rd, 1971 (losing the NFL Championship to the Dallas Cowboys), and the Oakland Raiders played their first four home games at Kezar in 1960. The stadium was later torn down in 1989 and reconstructed into a smaller stadium .

Found this on YouTube:

Due to contractual obligations*, Frank Sinatra was also offered the role of John McClane in Die Hard, but he turned it down (he was 70).

*Die Hard is based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever, which was a sequel to The Detective, which was made into a film starring Sinatra.

[kkt]

Speaking of logos, it was years before I noticed that the Amazon arrow "goes from A to Z", and it took someone else pointing it out to me.

Oh!  I hadn't noticed that before.