
NobodysHome |
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So, yeah...
...stepping out onto my porch to do an eWaste run over lunch, I heard a horrific, dry hacking... exactly the kind of cough you hear associated with COVID-19. And there, on a bicycle, about 25' away from me, is a young boy, maybe 5-6 years old. No mask. Not covering his face. Just coughing whatever he has out into the world to infect all around him.
And his mother/caretaker is right there, and doesn't even bother with so much as a, "Cover your mouth when you cough, dear."
That pretty much says it all about the pandemic.
EDIT: And hi, John!

Limeylongears |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |

The nice thing about being the one to buy the supplies for your division (and having a robust supply of permanent markers) is I get to write the warning labels.
"Hardscapes Only, do not take unless you want to feel the cold embrace of death" - warning label for our new hose nozzle.
Needs to be in runes.

NobodysHome |
5 people marked this as a favorite. |

captain yesterday wrote:Needs to be in runes.The nice thing about being the one to buy the supplies for your division (and having a robust supply of permanent markers) is I get to write the warning labels.
"Hardscapes Only, do not take unless you want to feel the cold embrace of death" - warning label for our new hose nozzle.
He's in Wisconsin. They think cursive is what you write swear words in.

captain yesterday |
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Limeylongears wrote:He's in Wisconsin. They think cursive is what you write swear words in.captain yesterday wrote:Needs to be in runes.The nice thing about being the one to buy the supplies for your division (and having a robust supply of permanent markers) is I get to write the warning labels.
"Hardscapes Only, do not take unless you want to feel the cold embrace of death" - warning label for our new hose nozzle.
Nobody writes in cursive anymore.

NobodysHome |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |

Yeah, this is the kind of nonsense that makes me hate marketers.
"Clear, coherent, and engaging user interface text is a key component to designing exceptional experiences that people will fall in love with."
I cannot name an application in my lifetime that I "fell in love with". They've been "useful" or "not useful".
Pretending that anyone on the planet is going to "fall in love" with their work application is just... just...
*snort*
EDIT: OMG! OMG! "Avoid words with negative associations, such as kill, abort, crash, dumb, fatal, execute, hit, and illegal."
Now my life goal is to create a slide that uses ALL of those words, but that still sounds reasonable.

Freehold DM |

NobodysHome wrote:Nobody writes in cursive anymore.Limeylongears wrote:He's in Wisconsin. They think cursive is what you write swear words in.captain yesterday wrote:Needs to be in runes.The nice thing about being the one to buy the supplies for your division (and having a robust supply of permanent markers) is I get to write the warning labels.
"Hardscapes Only, do not take unless you want to feel the cold embrace of death" - warning label for our new hose nozzle.
you've seen my fountain pens. You know I write in cursive.

Freehold DM |

Yeah, this is the kind of nonsense that makes me hate marketers.
"Clear, coherent, and engaging user interface text is a key component to designing exceptional experiences that people will fall in love with."
I cannot name an application in my lifetime that I "fell in love with". They've been "useful" or "not useful".
Pretending that anyone on the planet is going to "fall in love" with their work application is just... just...
*snort*EDIT: OMG! OMG! "Avoid words with negative associations, such as kill, abort, crash, dumb, fatal, execute, hit, and illegal."
Now my life goal is to create a slide that uses ALL of those words, but that still sounds reasonable.
I'm sure you can create a hierarchy of useful applications, however.

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Freehold DM wrote:captain yesterday wrote:I can see repairmen driving through neighborhoods real slow, banging their wrenches on the door of their car to let people know they mean business.In Wisconsin you wouldn't even need to leave a message.
The repairmen would be at your house within ten minutes.
Around here, tradespeople skip down the streets with signs around their necks, ringing bells or sounding horns while chanting, 'Marry I'll wire in your porch-light, kind sir, sparky sparky spark oooooo' , or 'Plungers have I! Plungers have I! To unblock your crapper, stout plungers have I!'
Everybody hates it, especially them.
That’s pretty much how I always pictured England. Of, course, I assume they are singing the entire time.

GM Woran |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |

captain yesterday wrote:you've seen my fountain pens. You know I write in cursive.NobodysHome wrote:Nobody writes in cursive anymore.Limeylongears wrote:He's in Wisconsin. They think cursive is what you write swear words in.captain yesterday wrote:Needs to be in runes.The nice thing about being the one to buy the supplies for your division (and having a robust supply of permanent markers) is I get to write the warning labels.
"Hardscapes Only, do not take unless you want to feel the cold embrace of death" - warning label for our new hose nozzle.
I've never been able to decently write anything other then cursive.

lisamarlene |

Freehold DM wrote:I've never been able to decently write anything other then cursive.captain yesterday wrote:you've seen my fountain pens. You know I write in cursive.NobodysHome wrote:Nobody writes in cursive anymore.Limeylongears wrote:He's in Wisconsin. They think cursive is what you write swear words in.captain yesterday wrote:Needs to be in runes.The nice thing about being the one to buy the supplies for your division (and having a robust supply of permanent markers) is I get to write the warning labels.
"Hardscapes Only, do not take unless you want to feel the cold embrace of death" - warning label for our new hose nozzle.
In my elementary school, you got in trouble if you used cursive. Your homework was marked as if you hadn't done it.
So naturally, there was an underground ring of girls secretly teaching each other. My friend Heather was the best at it. Since her dad was the upper school math teacher and was known for his firey temper, it was pretty much assumed she'd get away with it if we were caught.
Being the only leftie, I was terrible and vowed never to use it.
So it was a bit of a shock when I went to Montessori teacher training and was told that it was part of the curriculum for the children. My trainer said, "Well I guess you'd better practice, then."

gran rey de los mono |
GM Woran wrote:Freehold DM wrote:I've never been able to decently write anything other then cursive.captain yesterday wrote:you've seen my fountain pens. You know I write in cursive.NobodysHome wrote:Nobody writes in cursive anymore.Limeylongears wrote:He's in Wisconsin. They think cursive is what you write swear words in.captain yesterday wrote:Needs to be in runes.The nice thing about being the one to buy the supplies for your division (and having a robust supply of permanent markers) is I get to write the warning labels.
"Hardscapes Only, do not take unless you want to feel the cold embrace of death" - warning label for our new hose nozzle.
In my elementary school, you got in trouble if you used cursive. Your homework was marked as if you hadn't done it.
So naturally, there was an underground ring of girls secretly teaching each other. My friend Heather was the best at it. Since her dad was the upper school math teacher and was known for his firey temper, it was pretty much assumed she'd get away with it if we were caught.
Being the only leftie, I was terrible and vowed never to use it.
So it was a bit of a shock when I went to Montessori teacher training and was told that it was part of the curriculum for the children. My trainer said, "Well I guess you'd better practice, then."
When I was in school, we learned cursive in 2nd grade and were required to use it for all school work. We even got graded on penmanship until 6th grade. I had beautiful handwriting, until they stopped grading us on it. Since it wasn't worth a grade, I stopped caring and my handwriting quickly became worse than the stereotypical doctor's. In 7th grade I was told that my chicken-scratches were so illegible that I was required to print everything. I've basically not used cursize, other than my signature, since then.

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lisamarlene wrote:When I was in school, we learned cursive in 2nd grade and were required to use it for all school work. We even got graded on penmanship until 6th grade. I had beautiful handwriting, until they stopped grading us on it. Since it wasn't worth a grade, I stopped caring and my handwriting quickly became worse than the stereotypical doctor's. In 7th grade I was told that my chicken-scratches were so illegible that I was required to print everything. I've basically not used cursize, other than my signature, since then.GM Woran wrote:Freehold DM wrote:I've never been able to decently write anything other then cursive.captain yesterday wrote:you've seen my fountain pens. You know I write in cursive.NobodysHome wrote:Nobody writes in cursive anymore.Limeylongears wrote:He's in Wisconsin. They think cursive is what you write swear words in.captain yesterday wrote:Needs to be in runes.The nice thing about being the one to buy the supplies for your division (and having a robust supply of permanent markers) is I get to write the warning labels.
"Hardscapes Only, do not take unless you want to feel the cold embrace of death" - warning label for our new hose nozzle.
In my elementary school, you got in trouble if you used cursive. Your homework was marked as if you hadn't done it.
So naturally, there was an underground ring of girls secretly teaching each other. My friend Heather was the best at it. Since her dad was the upper school math teacher and was known for his firey temper, it was pretty much assumed she'd get away with it if we were caught.
Being the only leftie, I was terrible and vowed never to use it.
So it was a bit of a shock when I went to Montessori teacher training and was told that it was part of the curriculum for the children. My trainer said, "Well I guess you'd better practice, then."
This was pretty much me as well.

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gran rey de los mono wrote:This was pretty much me as well.lisamarlene wrote:When I was in school, we learned cursive in 2nd grade and were required to use it for all school work. We even got graded on penmanship until 6th grade. I had beautiful handwriting, until they stopped grading us on it. Since it wasn't worth a grade, I stopped caring and my handwriting quickly became worse than the stereotypical doctor's. In 7th grade I was told that my chicken-scratches were so illegible that I was required to print everything. I've basically not used cursize, other than my signature, since then.GM Woran wrote:Freehold DM wrote:I've never been able to decently write anything other then cursive.captain yesterday wrote:you've seen my fountain pens. You know I write in cursive.NobodysHome wrote:Nobody writes in cursive anymore.Limeylongears wrote:He's in Wisconsin. They think cursive is what you write swear words in.captain yesterday wrote:Needs to be in runes.The nice thing about being the one to buy the supplies for your division (and having a robust supply of permanent markers) is I get to write the warning labels.
"Hardscapes Only, do not take unless you want to feel the cold embrace of death" - warning label for our new hose nozzle.
In my elementary school, you got in trouble if you used cursive. Your homework was marked as if you hadn't done it.
So naturally, there was an underground ring of girls secretly teaching each other. My friend Heather was the best at it. Since her dad was the upper school math teacher and was known for his firey temper, it was pretty much assumed she'd get away with it if we were caught.
Being the only leftie, I was terrible and vowed never to use it.
So it was a bit of a shock when I went to Montessori teacher training and was told that it was part of the curriculum for the children. My trainer said, "Well I guess you'd better practice, then."
No idea if it is still done so today, but when I was taught writing, everyone started off learning it as cursive, and it was assumed you'd just develop your own kind of handwriting later.

Drejk |

They taught a rather crappily designed cursive in elementary school and expected us to use it all the way through the middle school (i.e. what silly Anglosaxons called high school). Quality of writing was part of grade in Polish class - and a serious reason for why a lot of us had a worse final grades than we really should.

Orthos |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |

We were likewise a "must write in cursive" school district where I grew up. At the time I was very good at it, picking it up easily and being able to write very neatly - to the point where once in high school I forgot to put my name on an assignment and the teacher, trying to find out who it belonged to, said it was "a girl's paper" because the girls tended to have far neater cursive than the guys. She was quite surprised - and most of the class far too eager to tease and taunt - when I was the only one who hadn't gotten their assignment back.
Since high school though it's been no longer required and I've gotten very strongly into a habit of writing in SMALL, BLOCKY CAPITALS instead of cursive or even normal print because I find it's easier to read and doesn't require any sort of deciphering from people who might be unfamiliar with cursive or have difficulty reading my handwriting. I can still write in cursive, if I have to, but other than signatures (which mine has turned into a proper doctor signature over the years, with only the first letters of each name and a few Ts and Is recognizable) I don't tend to use it, nor do I prefer it.
And with the advent of most communication being electronic nowadays, I tend to find myself consistently on the side of those who say its use has more or less run its course. Admittedly part of that is that I never found cursive "pretty" or "interesting", it was merely the kind of writing we were forced to do for school and nothing more.

CrystalSeas |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |

When I was in school, we learned cursive in 2nd grade and were required to use it for all school work. We even got graded on penmanship until 6th grade. I had beautiful handwriting, until they stopped grading us on it. Since it wasn't worth a grade, I stopped caring and my handwriting quickly became worse than the stereotypical doctor's. In 7th grade I was told that my chicken-scratches were so illegible that I was required to print everything. I've basically not used cursize, other than my signature, since then.
Cursive was always a "C" on my report card. I was so glad to get out of elementary school and not have that as a separate subject any more.
Later, when I was in a position where I had my own secretary, she went to the purchasing guy and ordered me the latest fancy typewriter. A type-written page with x-throughs and hand-crossouts, she could manage to turn into a document. Something written in my handwriting was nearly impossible.
Of course, booth of us kept the typewriter a secret. A woman at management level could not afford to be known to be able to type.
(Those were the days when I could be in a room of 100 people in my profession and literally be the only woman in the room who wasn't event-support staff. No matter how expensive and well-tailored my suits, I was always mistaken for 'the help'.)

Nylarthotep |
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Fortunately it is about the holiday for me and the people in question are already on holiday. So, I will compartmentalize and ignore for three and a half days.
Sunday will be spent in the car driving to KY with a 7 month old and Monday will be a dentist visit, so not the most relaxing holiday, but a change of pace. It should be an adventure.

captain yesterday |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |

gran rey de los mono wrote:When I was in school, we learned cursive in 2nd grade and were required to use it for all school work. We even got graded on penmanship until 6th grade. I had beautiful handwriting, until they stopped grading us on it. Since it wasn't worth a grade, I stopped caring and my handwriting quickly became worse than the stereotypical doctor's. In 7th grade I was told that my chicken-scratches were so illegible that I was required to print everything. I've basically not used cursize, other than my signature, since then.Cursive was always a "C" on my report card. I was so glad to get out of elementary school and not have that as a separate subject any more.
Later, when I was in a position where I had my own secretary, she went to the purchasing guy and ordered me the latest fancy typewriter. A type-written page with x-throughs and hand-crossouts, she could manage to turn into a document. Something written in my handwriting was nearly impossible.
Of course, booth of us kept the typewriter a secret. A woman at management level could not afford to be known to be able to type.
(Those were the days when I could be in a room of 100 people in my profession and literally be the only woman in the room who wasn't event-support staff. No matter how expensive and well-tailored my suits, I was always mistaken for 'the help'.)
Hey, that's how my family sees me and Crookshanks! We should also be murder fantasy buddies!!

CrystalSeas |
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One of the most fascinating culture shifts in my lifetime has been the class/gender/age shift for cursive and keyboarding skills.
At the earliest, cursive was a literacy skill pretty broadly distributed throughout the US population. It didn't identify your class (except if you were illiterate), gender, or age. 'Typing' was coded as lower-middle class and female.
As computers emerged, 'typing' was still middle-class and female, but 'keyboarding' was a marker of an elite male.
Then 'keyboarding' became the literacy marker: if you couldn't use the qwerty keyboard to produce a document you weren't considered literate. 'Typing' disappeared as a skill.
Shortly after that 'cursive' disappeared from k-12 curricula, and being able to write in script became an age marker.

Limeylongears |
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captain yesterday wrote:Hey, that's how my family sees me and Crookshanks! We should also be murder fantasy buddies!!I'm nearby (well, kinda sorta) Let's do it!
Hauboy. Are we we going to have to undergo an Epic Quest to put an end to your collective homicidal rampage across the Midwest?

captain yesterday |
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CrystalSeas wrote:Hauboy. Are we we going to have to undergo an Epic Quest to put an end to your collective homicidal rampage across the Midwest?captain yesterday wrote:Hey, that's how my family sees me and Crookshanks! We should also be murder fantasy buddies!!I'm nearby (well, kinda sorta) Let's do it!
Hypothetical rampage you mean.
It all depends on our ability to procure proper transport, like a war elephant or something.
To be honest, I'm not very good at planning, I rely more on improvisation.