I'm always the driver so I haven't ridden in the back seat of a car in years.
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I'm always the driver so I haven't ridden in the back seat of a car in years.
Yeah, *I* know what you do in the back seat of a car...
I think we all do.
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You'd LOVE the Celica
As what, a rollerskate?
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I see where she is coming from. A lot of distrust for banks leads to people remaining in bad situations. And I am just old enough to remember the extreme distrust for credit unions supported by one's employer. Especially if your account was suddenly hit with fees if you left that company.And there we go. Over lunch someone used Reply All to say, "Please remove me from this thread," and the Reply All storm started.
Turned on the Ignore filter and I'll never learn how this saga ends. Somehow I don't think I'll be missing much.
** spoiler omitted **
Yeah, but it's distressing to see someone with a supposed technical background (she's a senior tech support person here at Global Megacorporation) succumbing to the 'fear culture'. Since the establishment of the FDIC in 1933, as far as I know not a single person has lost their insured investments due to a bank failure. And if the FDIC fails, you don't really have to worry about your investment because it means the U.S. dollar will be essentially worthless.
So unless she was conscious of pre-FDIC bank failures (in which case she'd be at least 96), she cannot have lived through a single bank failure where people lost their investments. Yet she's still convinced that if a bank fails, she'll lose her money. The misinformation runs deep.
EDIT: It's interesting -- I did a bit of Googling about bank failures and the FDIC, and the only site I found describing losing money in spite of having it in an FDIC-insured account was a shady Malaysian bank encouraging Americans to invest their money in offshore accounts. Not exactly a site of reassuring reliability.
The African American and African Caribbean communities still distrust banks for their roles in everything from slavery to overall discriminatory practices in opening accounts and cashing checks and getting money overall, but I would say the largest historical issue is actually their role in redlining and keeping black people from opening businesses in mostly black neighborhoods via redlining. Coming To America does a hilarious sendup of this, but I remember when it was a very real practice that resulted in off label fast food places that failed as often as not next to the only places one could get a loan for reliably- churches and liquor stores- which resulted in a depressed area overall.
I'm always the driver so I haven't ridden in the back seat of a car in years.
You riding in the car or is the car riding you?
...The African American and African Caribbean communities still distrust banks for their roles in everything from slavery to overall discriminatory practices in opening accounts and cashing checks and getting money overall, but I would say the largest historical issue is actually their role in redlining and keeping black people from opening businesses in mostly black neighborhoods via redlining. Coming To America does a hilarious sendup of this, but I remember when it was a very real practice that resulted in off label fast food places that failed as often as not next to the only places one could get a loan for reliably- churches and liquor stores- which resulted in a depressed area overall.
I had lots of personal anecdotes about such things (black friends getting 10% higher interest rates than their white peers with similar credit ratings, etc.), then John Oliver did some really fantastic presentations on it.
It's infuriating, and I really can't blame the black community at all.
And if you ever wanted to understand Impus Major, this really is him in a nutshell:
Wednesday the 7th:
Yesterday:
Today at 9:00 am:
NobodysHome: Good morning, Impus Major! Don't forget that you're taking the Celica today! Do you need me to take away your Prius key to remind you?
Impus Major: Nah, I'm good. I'll remember this time.
Today at 10:00 am:
NobodysHome: The parking permit is in the Celica, so you're all set!
Impus Major: Great!
Today at 10:20 am:
Impus Major: OK. I've got my backpack on, I'm ready to roll, and I'm taking the Celica!
He means well, but he simply cannot remember things from one minute to the next.
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Ah, well, it was nice knowing Impus Major...
I'm always the driver so I haven't ridden in the back seat of a car in years.Yeah, *I* know what you do in the back seat of a car...
You'll have to be more specific. The back seat of a car in the mid 90s was a magical place where anything could (and did) happen.
I once rode in the back seat of a Mitsubishi 3000GT from Bloomington IL to Rockford IL. I'd rather be in the back seat of the Celica.My one trip in the back of a prius. I was lying down (because I couldn't sit up without risking adding a sunroof every time we hit a bump)
The one time i shifted my leg the passenger thought we'd hit something because the car suddenly shifted
You'd LOVE the Celica, then. I'm 5'6" and my head hits the roof and my knees hit the seat in front of me.
As the salesperson put it, the back seat is there to lower the insurance rates, not for people to actually sit in.
I once rode in the back of a 1970s Citröen 2CV, up hill and down dale, over some very poorly maintained 'roads' in the West Country, which is as close to the feeling of being trapped in a cement mixer with a load of rubble as I ever care to get.
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Yep. I think gigabit internet is going to cost the kids a mint. It used to take around 40 minutes to download a 4 GB game because we had to have throttling turned on so the download didn't hose everyone else's connection.
Impus Minor just downloaded a 4 GB game in 30 seconds without me even noticing the network lag.
Which means the Impii are likely about to go on a buying spree on Steam...
(And for the record, our record is 9 people riding around in a VW Rabbit. 3 in front, 4 in back, and 2 in the trunk.)
(And for the record, our record is 9 people riding around in a VW Rabbit. 3 in front, 4 in back, and 2 in the trunk.)
We got 10 people into a Gremlin.
Yep. I think gigabit internet is going to cost the kids a mint. It used to take around 40 minutes to download a 4 GB game because we had to have throttling turned on so the download didn't hose everyone else's connection.
Impus Minor just downloaded a 4 GB game in 30 seconds without me even noticing the network lag.
Which means the Impii are likely about to go on a buying spree on Steam...
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We got 10 people into a Gremlin.(And for the record, our record is 9 people riding around in a VW Rabbit. 3 in front, 4 in back, and 2 in the trunk.)
O.o
You fiend!!!!
It's always depressing to see a concrete example of human judgement on a test: We're trying to watch videos of the El Cerrito driving test to help Impus Minor get ready (they're infamous with their pass rate of 63%, which is well below the state average of 67% or neighboring Walnut Creek at 80%).
A YouTube search of "El Cerrito DMV Driving Test Route" brought up this video, which doesn't look like it's even in California. Even worse, if you watch the video the driver has 3 right turns where he doesn't turn sharply enough and goes all the way into the left lane. If he'd taken the test in El Cerrito, he'd have gotten an auto-fail. Wherever it is he takes the test, the tester says, "Yeah, I really didn't see you do anything wrong."
Ugh.
EDIT: Ooh! What a cool graph!. Amusing that Eureka isn't even listed...
I took my driving test super baked and scored 100%.
I took my driving test super baked and scored 100%.
I bet I know who your tester was...
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Ah, well, it was nice knowing Impus Major...
Hey! Hey! That room is MINE! I've been tunneling under it for years!
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Hey! Hey! That room is MINE! I've been tunneling under it for years!Ah, well, it was nice knowing Impus Major...
AHA!! A CONFESSION!!!
Freehold's been tunneling under NH's house, causing the the foundation to settle unevenly, leading to all the other issues he's had to fix over the years. And probably, somehow, Impus Major's memory problems!
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You're in California, and everybody knows that the Derro have a network of underground tunnels beneath Mt. Shasta, and presumably state-wide as well. I never knew FHDM was a small, blue psionic psychopath with a walrus moustache and a nasty-looking hook, but there you go.
You're in California, and everybody knows that the Derro have a network of underground tunnels beneath Mt. Shasta, and presumably state-wide as well. I never knew FHDM was a small, blue psionic psychopath with a walrus moustache and a nasty-looking hook, but there you go.
I've always imagined him as a derro...
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This isn't a helpful tip for you folks out there in the warm lands but I took my driving test during the winter on a somewhat snowy day, or rather, what a midwesterner would consider somewhat snowy (as opposed to Texans and other hot+arid states who would shut down pretty much all public services due to a lack of plowing/salt/sand and personal experience), about 2-3 inches, nothing too bad.
I didn't do great, esp on the whole parking lot segment with cones but the instructor was just like, "meh, it's kinda slippery right now and you don't have brand new tires, good enough" and the road/highway portion was similarly imperfect partially due to anxiety on my part and the kind of arrogant confidence of everyone else on the road around me at the time.
I've always told folks around here that if you're going to do your driving test, do it in winter during a snowshower/storm, they'll go lenient on you and so far everyone who took that advice walked away with the signatures they needed even when they made a few minor mistakes.
This isn't a helpful tip for you folks out there in the warm lands but I took my driving test during the winter on a somewhat snowy day, or rather, what a midwesterner would consider somewhat snowy (as opposed to Texans and other hot+arid states who would shut down pretty much all public services due to a lack of plowing/salt/sand and personal experience), about 2-3 inches, nothing too bad.
I didn't do great, esp on the whole parking lot segment with cones but the instructor was just like, "meh, it's kinda slippery right now and you don't have brand new tires, good enough" and the road/highway portion was similarly imperfect partially due to anxiety on my part and the kind of arrogant confidence of everyone else on the road around me at the time.
I've always told folks around here that if you're going to do your driving test, do it in winter during a snowshower/storm, they'll go lenient on you and so far everyone who took that advice walked away with the signatures they needed even when they made a few minor mistakes.
Interesting point. I took Impus Major up to Eureka after he failed his first test and he took his second test in the pouring rain and passed.
Unfortunately, finding inclement weather in California isn't easy...
Hey! Hey! That room is MINE! I've been tunneling under it for years!Ah, well, it was nice knowing Impus Major...
AHA!! A CONFESSION!!!
Freehold's been tunneling under NH's house, causing the the foundation to settle unevenly, leading to all the other issues he's had to fix over the years. And probably, somehow, Impus Major's memory problems!
Well, uh, you see...that is to say, uh...
POCKET SAND!
You're in California, and everybody knows that the Derro have a network of underground tunnels beneath Mt. Shasta, and presumably state-wide as well. I never knew FHDM was a small, blue psionic psychopath with a walrus moustache and a nasty-looking hook, but there you go.
No idea what you are talking about.
Just read an article on Launch House.
Holy f%%@ing s~+#. Is THIS the kind of environment GothBard et. al. are subjected to? I thought computer based start up companies left that kind of s+$% behind with Atari!
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So, shades of politicalness, but I'm hoping it's not TOO triggering.
People disagree about whether or not the government should provide social safety nets such as unemployment, Social Security, and Medicare.
-yet-
Once the decision is made to provide such a service, you would at least expect the service to fulfill its purpose.
And yes, this is another unemployment tirade.
GothBard's been out of work for 27 working days now, and assuming the unemployment check comes in today she'll have received $900, or $33.33 per work day unemployed (around $670/month). I don't know that that would cover rent for a family of 4 anywhere in the country, much less groceries, gas, or what-have-you. If we were living paycheck-to-paycheck and I hadn't kept my job, or I had a lower-paying job, we'd've missed at least one rent or mortgage payment right now, and in the current economy that's a hefty penalty, or possibly enough to get you evicted or foreclosed, depending on how much of a jerk your landlord/bank wants to be.
"So you've been paying unemployment insurance all this time, but we're only going to cover half your rent and nothing else. Guess you're going to be begging for help from friends and family," isn't how a social safety net should work. Even something as simple as, "We'll cover rent for you and nothing else," would be better.
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When I went back to college not THAT long ago I had a big one bedroom apartment for 600 a month but it was literally on the wrong side of the tracks, there were three bars on one street, and my first weekend there I got tazered breaking up a fight and my last weekend someone threatened to sick a dog on me for breaking up a potential domestic incident.
(The tazer melted my shirt and left me smelling faintly of bacon and the dog enjoyed the bellyrubs)
Just read an article on Launch House.
Holy f@@#ing s#!~. Is THIS the kind of environment GothBard et. al. are subjected to? I thought computer based start up companies left that kind of s&@# behind with Atari!
Are you going to link the article? I can't find it.
Are you going to link the article? I can't find it.Just read an article on Launch House.
Holy f@@#ing s#!~. Is THIS the kind of environment GothBard et. al. are subjected to? I thought computer based start up companies left that kind of s&@# behind with Atari!
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Just read an article on Launch House.
Holy f##+ing s*@~. Is THIS the kind of environment GothBard et. al. are subjected to? I thought computer based start up companies left that kind of s&$# behind with Atari!
There's no way I can reply in detail without going WAY too political, so I'll leave it at, "There are still many gaming companies where the employees' internal behavior is identical to the behavior you see in their online gaming communities."
There's no way I can reply in detail without going WAY too political, so I'll leave it at, "There are still many gaming companies where the employees' internal behavior is identical to the behavior you see in their online gaming communities."Just read an article on Launch House.
Holy f##+ing s*@~. Is THIS the kind of environment GothBard et. al. are subjected to? I thought computer based start up companies left that kind of s&$# behind with Atari!
And it's not specifically limited to gaming companies or startups in the tech field.
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"Why is there a picture of a decapitated pig's head on a stick on the smartboard?"
"Ask the sophomores."
"What."
"Could be worse. [Ag teacher] offered me a real pig's head."
"WHY"
Never let it be said that I make English boring.
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"I'm a vegetarian I don't kill critters that haven't annoyed me
"Its AP bio you have to dissect something"
"Hop on the table.
"... We'll find you a model or something"
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Coworker, in Teams: "head to DR appointment will be back"
Me, in my head: DR. Disaster Recovery.
*lightbulb*
Me, in Teams: "All therapist appointments should be rebranded as Disaster Recovery appointments."
That's the best idea I'm going to have all day.
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Day 5 of The Mad Droning begins in one hour.
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I started this project a year ago almost exactly. I have another week or so left.
*Deep breath* Maximum Effort!
"It smells like a frat house in here. Just wieners and stale beer."
I see you've worked in construction before.
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New guy (after I show him how he's planting plants wrong): Where did you learn so much about plants!
Me: Seattle
New guy: No s~#!?! Never mind then!
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All full pavers are down! Now I just have a lot of cutting around boulders and the still being built pool house.
Day 5 of The Mad Droning begins in one hour.
Are you going to see Sunn O)))?
Today is the first day in my life I have ever recorded myself playing the spoons. What a moment!!!
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On the one hand, I'd love to start doing a "Captain's Log"-style depiction of GothBard's unemployment: "Day 39. Still no unemployment check. No interviews today. The horizon is bleak. At 10:00 am I thought I saw a glimpse of an interview, but it was just an annoying YouTuber passing by in the mist..."
On the other hand, yesterday she signed up for her first independent contracting gig, today she made it to her third round of interviews at one place, and on Monday she has TWO interviews for really interesting jobs at major studios, so it's not like the opportunities aren't there. It's just landing one, and that's only a matter of time.
In other news, I honestly think Impus Minor is now ready for his DMV test, and we still have 13 practice days to go. The DMV recommends 50 behind-the-wheel hours before the test. Impus Minor will have 49. And if you ask him why he's testing at one of the most infamously-difficult DMVs in an ancient stick shift, he replies, "Bragging rights!"
(Apparently all of his friends are amazed that he's learning to drive a stick, as if it's some impossible feat that only the most arcane knowledge-seekers can hope to achieve. When it's more that Dad likes his clutch, and there are still areas of the world where if you can't drive a clutch you're S.O.L.)
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I'm amused that FedEx had such a massive financial miss and is taking a beating and talking about all the difficulties they're facing.
5 years ago, if you sent something by FedEx, it was absolutely, positively guaranteed to be there on time and intact. They were the best in the industry by far, and it cost you.
Somewhere down the line, someone decided to reduce quality to make their costs more competitive. These days I consider UPS Ground a better bet than any FedEx service, and if I want overnight I'm going to go USPS.
How the mighty have fallen.
Moral of the story? If your prices are high because you're the best there is, don't cede that position to lower your prices.
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On the one hand, I'd love to start doing a "Captain's Log"-style depiction of GothBard's unemployment: "Day 39. Still no unemployment check. No interviews today. The horizon is bleak. At 10:00 am I thought I saw a glimpse of an interview, but it was just an annoying YouTuber passing by in the mist..."
On the other hand, yesterday she signed up for her first independent contracting gig, today she made it to her third round of interviews at one place, and on Monday she has TWO interviews for really interesting jobs at major studios, so it's not like the opportunities aren't there. It's just landing one, and that's only a matter of time.
In other news, I honestly think Impus Minor is now ready for his DMV test, and we still have 13 practice days to go. The DMV recommends 50 behind-the-wheel hours before the test. Impus Minor will have 49. And if you ask him why he's testing at one of the most infamously-difficult DMVs in an ancient stick shift, he replies, "Bragging rights!"
(Apparently all of his friends are amazed that he's learning to drive a stick, as if it's some impossible feat that only the most arcane knowledge-seekers can hope to achieve. When it's more that Dad likes his clutch, and there are still areas of the world where if you can't drive a clutch you're S.O.L.)
I can't drive the stick shift...