i thought about making some snark about plastic dolls and Denise Richards (90s-era), . . . but, nah.
maybe a Starship-Troopers-version music video of "Barbie Girl" with Richards lip-syncing the lyrics against a backdrop of all the Marine deaths by Buggers . . . . .
back on point: yes, i found it a seemingly inconsistent read, as well. though i've come to think that such was a byproduct of Heinlein's main intent -- he only put enough plot in there to 'bookend' his political treatise.
personally, the parts that have stuck with me the most in the decades since my last reading revolve around a) the horrors of combat, b) the flaws of heroism, and c) the difficult idea that sometimes heroes have to fight and die. those were the parts that landed most concretely.
but, of course, given that it's Heinlein, there's plenty more stuff stacked up in the text for examination.
EDIT: damn straight. about time i was back up here.
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There's definitely something about being confident in your own ability. I've been accused of being arrogant at work and I own it -- I'm very confident in what I do. (I did try to tone it down after that feedback, though, so I don't try to trample people with it.)
And yeah, it obviously shows. My new manager is leaving for a week. By seniority I'm the most junior member of her department. Even by time at Global Megacorporation I'm second or third in rank.
And she just put me in charge of everything while she's gone, because she's confident I'll take care of it quickly and decisively and not sit around trying to second-guess what I'm doing.
It feels good to get that kind of confidence from your manager in less than 18 months.
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Ah, the aesthete vs. the practicalist.
After spending years trying to find a decent griddle; i.e.
(1) Not nonstick
(2) Not cast iron
(For the record, even hand-washing with a plastic scrubby we've never had a nonstick surface last more than a year at our house, at which point it's just leaching forever chemicals into your food. And any and all claims of cast iron cookware providing evenly-distributed heat are nonsense. I've never owned a cast iron item that didn't have ridiculously bad heat distribution. I love my cast iron skillet, but it's crap for pancakes.)
I gave up. As my father did before me, I simply ordered 3/16" industrial sheet aluminum. It's exactly what my father ended up doing, and that darned aluminum sheet was the best griddle I've ever cooked on. I'm a little worried at its thickness -- he might have used 1/4", but it's not like it's expensive, so if this one runs too hot I'll just order the next thickness up.
Impus Minor and I are ecstatic that we finally have a decent griddle.
GothBard is wondering why she has to tolerate sheet aluminum on her stovetop.
Last night we really saw the difference between "classic" and "not". The kids weren't up to gaming, so instead we decided to watch Starship Troopers in honor of the whole family being into Helldivers 2 right now. Since GothBard was going to be out until 7:30, I wanted them to watch Aliens first, so they could compare a truly great "marines vs. aliens" movie to a truly crappy one.
Instead, they wanted to watch the original Alien. The movie was released in 1979. Some of the haircuts, the computer interfaces, and the poorly-fitting underwear are truly depressing. And yet 45 years later, it is still a great film. The kids all liked it. They said it was a really good movie. They're looking forward to seeing Aliens.
My favourite bit of 'Aliens' trivia is that, because Sigourney Weaver refused to pull her knickers up properly, apparently someone had to go through the whole film and airbrush out her 'pant moustache' wherever necessary (as alluded to above, possibly)
My favourite bit of 'Aliens' trivia is that, because Sigourney Weaver refused to pull her knickers up properly, apparently someone had to go through the whole film and airbrush out her 'pant moustache' wherever necessary (as alluded to above, possibly)Last night we really saw the difference between "classic" and "not". The kids weren't up to gaming, so instead we decided to watch Starship Troopers in honor of the whole family being into Helldivers 2 right now. Since GothBard was going to be out until 7:30, I wanted them to watch Aliens first, so they could compare a truly great "marines vs. aliens" movie to a truly crappy one.
Instead, they wanted to watch the original Alien. The movie was released in 1979. Some of the haircuts, the computer interfaces, and the poorly-fitting underwear are truly depressing. And yet 45 years later, it is still a great film. The kids all liked it. They said it was a really good movie. They're looking forward to seeing Aliens.
OMG. That was HER choice? I don't know the look she was going for, but "worn-out thrift shop panties" isn't particularly flattering. Even the twentysomethings in the room were saying, "I can't believe they made that poor woman wear such badly-fitting panties!"
GothBard's hypothesis that it was punishment for refusing to do the scene nude.
So whatever she was going for, it didn't work.
Last night we really saw the difference between "classic" and "not". The kids weren't up to gaming, so instead we decided to watch Starship Troopers in honor of the whole family being into Helldivers 2 right now. Since GothBard was going to be out until 7:30, I wanted them to watch Aliens first, so they could compare a truly great "marines vs. aliens" movie to a truly crappy one.
Instead, they wanted to watch the original Alien. The movie was released in 1979. Some of the haircuts, the computer interfaces, and the poorly-fitting underwear are truly depressing. And yet 45 years later, it is still a great film. The kids all liked it. They said it was a really good movie. They're looking forward to seeing Aliens.
Then we watched Starship Troopers. I'd honestly forgotten how absolutely plastic they'd managed to make lead characters look in the 1990s. I don't know whether it was the makeup, or the cinematography, or what, but all the leads could have been playing living dolls in the Barbie movie. Or Doctor Who. They were so attractive and perfect it was creepy: Somehow the filmmakers had managed to make human actors and actresses cross the uncanny abyss.
Anyhoo, that aside, the movie is interminable. An hour of high school romance drama a la Beverly Hills 90210. Then pointless scene after pointless scene of bug shooting, and even Helldivers 2 has more consistent gameplay: In the movie, one bug would die after 3-4 shots. An identical bug might take 300. By about 9:40 the kids were asking, "Can't this movie end yet? We've been through like three climaxes already!"
It didn't end until 10:20, and I have to admit, I was expecting something short and silly that we could snark at and make lots of Helldiver 2 references about. First we had to sit through high school drama. Then we got to make snarky comments for about half and hour. Then we got bored.
Not a good movie.
I truly marveled at the juxtaposition:...
great movie, the point of which flies over the heads of most, also aspects of the film didnt age well. The sequels are truly truly awful, but the rpg and the animated series and specials are pretty damn good.
The 80s anime is very much based on the book and is VERY controversial, even today.
On the one hand, this isn't my first El Niño. I've mentioned before that I remember during middle school when we had a February where it rained every single day of the month. (Being a kid, my definition of it "raining" was, "At some point during the day I felt water falling on me from the sky," which I think is a solid enough definition, as opposed to "measurable precipitation of at least 0.01".)
On the other, we're nearing the end of March and we're expecting another 2" of rain over the next week. That's a ridiculous amount of rain for this time of year for us -- I'll be checking for records to fall.
Guess I picked the wrong time of year to get my bike back out of the garage...
...Alien stuff...great movie, the point of which flies over the heads of most, also aspects of the film didnt age well. The sequels are truly truly awful, but the rpg and the animated series and specials are pretty damn good.
The 80s anime is very much based on the book and is VERY controversial, even today.
...or, perhaps, much like Vonnegut, readers or viewers are adding a point that was never intended by the creators, then marveling that no one else sees it...
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I liked Starship Troopers.
I appreciated the whole propaganda and titties angle they went with.
Yes, most 90s movies had that weird fake sheen to them. I don't know why, it's just how we rolled.
But I was pretty baked every time I saw it, so take that as you will.
.or, perhaps, much like Vonnegut, readers or viewers are adding a point that was never intended by the creators, then marveling that no one else sees it...
As often as i use the curtains were (*##$ blue meme, the themes were present enough in the novel that even if, somehow, the movie creators weren't aware of them they would have come through.
.or, perhaps, much like Vonnegut, readers or viewers are adding a point that was never intended by the creators, then marveling that no one else sees it...As often as i use the curtains were (*##$ blue meme, the themes were present enough in the novel that even if, somehow, the movie creators weren't aware of them they would have come through.
Are we talking Alien or Starship Troopers? When Freehold called it a "great movie" I assumed he was talking about Alien, at which point it's hard to imagine anyone missing the "profit over lives" theme of the movie.
I don't see their current business model lasting even a year post-IPO, with "big changes" to improve profitability that render the platform useless to the end user.
I give 'em 18 months before they close up shop or become so irrelevant that they might as well have.
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Redwho now? Is this some sort of therapy group for dyslexic speed readers?
Redwho now? Is this some sort of therapy group for dyslexic speed readers?
Think of it as FaWtL with a million times as many users, and politics, religion, and sports allowed.
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Everyone else sees 2-6 inches of snow in the forecast for tomorrow and calls off working today.
I see a high temperature in the lower 40s and NO WIND for today so I don't call off and put in a full day and get a lot done.
This is why I'm in charge.
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hurray for spring. :/
fully half of my lawn has been invaded by purple deadnettle. it appears that my brother's girlfriend's interest in greenhousing her own medicinals has had . . . unintended consequences. this promises to be quite a taxing weekend.
Are we talking Alien or Starship Troopers? When Freehold called it a "great movie" I assumed he was talking about Alien, at which point it's hard to imagine anyone missing the "profit over lives" theme of the movie..or, perhaps, much like Vonnegut, readers or viewers are adding a point that was never intended by the creators, then marveling that no one else sees it...As often as i use the curtains were (*##$ blue meme, the themes were present enough in the novel that even if, somehow, the movie creators weren't aware of them they would have come through.
Starship Troopers, man
Are we talking Alien or Starship Troopers?
Whoops missed a turn. carry on.
Starship Troopers, manAre we talking Alien or Starship Troopers? When Freehold called it a "great movie" I assumed he was talking about Alien, at which point it's hard to imagine anyone missing the "profit over lives" theme of the movie..or, perhaps, much like Vonnegut, readers or viewers are adding a point that was never intended by the creators, then marveling that no one else sees it...As often as i use the curtains were (*##$ blue meme, the themes were present enough in the novel that even if, somehow, the movie creators weren't aware of them they would have come through.
Sorry, there's no accounting for taste. "Great movie" and "Starship Troopers" can't equate in my brain unless the word "not" is involved.
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OK. This tickled me.
I cc'ed my manager on a curriculum issue. I got her auto-reply:
"I am out of the office this week. I will respond to your email when I return. If you need immediate attention on a curriculum issue, please contact NobodysHome."
I couldn't resist and I responded, "I DID contact NobodysHome and he was totally useless to me!"
It's funny -- someone on Reddit posted, "I don't understand the stock market, and I don't understand IPOs, so I don't understand why so many people are so upset about this," and I came up with what I consider a pretty good analogy.
Suppose you have a favorite restaurant. You know all the servers, you know the cooks, and it's been a pleasure to hang out there for years. It's not the best restaurant, but you love it just the way it is. The owner decides they're going to retire, and instead of selling to one of the locals, they decide to sell out to a restaurant chain.
The reps from the restaurant chain tell you, "Don't worry! We don't plan to change a thing about your restaurant!"
But honestly. How long do you think it will be before the kitchen starts getting cheaper ingredients, the more expensive employees are encouraged to move on, etc., etc., until your favorite restaurant is a sad, pathetic shell of its former self?
And such is the modern IPO.
I have never had any desire to go on Reddit, though apparently it's a pretty good place to get useable solutions to tech problems.
I have never had any desire to go on Reddit, though apparently it's a pretty good place to get useable solutions to tech problems.
Trust me. If you built your own computers and tried to run Steam games on Linux, you'd be intimately familiar with Reddit.
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I have never had any desire to go on Reddit, though apparently it's a pretty good place to get useable solutions to tech problems.Trust me. If you built your own computers and tried to run Steam games on Linux, you'd be intimately familiar with Reddit.
** spoiler omitted **
The MLP porn can be found anywhere on the internet without looking for it though.
I liked Starship Troopers.
I appreciated the whole propaganda and titties angle they went with.
Yes, most 90s movies had that weird fake sheen to them. I don't know why, it's just how we rolled.
But I was pretty baked every time I saw it, so take that as you will.
I just wish the powered battle armor angle had been there too. Launching out of the belly of a ship. So cool.
Sorry, there's no accounting for taste. "Great movie" and "Starship Troopers" can't equate in my brain unless the word "not" is involved.Starship Troopers, manAre we talking Alien or Starship Troopers? When Freehold called it a "great movie" I assumed he was talking about Alien, at which point it's hard to imagine anyone missing the "profit over lives" theme of the movie..or, perhaps, much like Vonnegut, readers or viewers are adding a point that was never intended by the creators, then marveling that no one else sees it...As often as i use the curtains were (*##$ blue meme, the themes were present enough in the novel that even if, somehow, the movie creators weren't aware of them they would have come through.
I would very much recommend anyone who didn't like the movie(and there are a lot) to check out the 80s anime. It should still be on YouTube. It is MUCH closer to the book.
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And we enter a realm of IT stupidity only Vanykrye can truly appreciate.
Global Megacorporation has decided that "for security" reasons it's going to go to a passwordless system. (Prepare to smack your forehead a multitude of times, Vany!)
(1) Since none of our laptops have fingerprint readers, mandate 1 is to install an app on your phone, then use Bluetooth to link the phone to the computer to support fingerprint recognition. Yes, my passwordless laptop now has always-on Bluetooth over which it manages security requests. This is just a sample article, but the general advice from all security sites is, "Turn Bluetooth off when not in use, and be cautious about ever turning it on in an insecure location."
(2) When I was first issued this computer two years ago, I set it up with a local account. IT was... er... displeased and made me migrate everything I had to a domain account. Makes sense, except...
...Global Megacorporation's IT department has decided to take advantage of Microsoft's Windows Hello security. Which, you guessed it, only works for local accounts.
So now I have to migrate two years' of work to a local account, likely re-install a lot of software that was account-specific, and have Bluetooth always on.
I'm wondering how this is more secure.
And we enter a realm of IT stupidity only Vanykrye can truly appreciate.
Global Megacorporation has decided that "for security" reasons it's going to go to a passwordless system. (Prepare to smack your forehead a multitude of times, Vany!)
(1) Since none of our laptops have fingerprint readers, mandate 1 is to install an app on your phone, then use Bluetooth to link the phone to the computer to support fingerprint recognition. Yes, my passwordless laptop now has always-on Bluetooth over which it manages security requests. This is just a sample article, but the general advice from all security sites is, "Turn Bluetooth off when not in use, and be cautious about ever turning it on in an insecure location."
(2) When I was first issued this computer two years ago, I set it up with a local account. IT was... er... displeased and made me migrate everything I had to a domain account. Makes sense, except...
...Global Megacorporation's IT department has decided to take advantage of Microsoft's Windows Hello security. Which, you guessed it, only works for local accounts.So now I have to migrate two years' of work to a local account, likely re-install a lot of software that was account-specific, and have Bluetooth always on.
I'm wondering how this is more secure.
Think of this in another way: How careless Corporate Drones Peons Workers were with their passwords that this mess is considered to be more secure?
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IT Support: What is your problem?
Worker: I can't log into my account on my work laptop.
IT Support: You need to authorize your log-in attempt with your mobile app.
Worker: My old phone broke. The system doesn't let me authorize the log in attempt with the new one.
IT Support: You need to connect your phone to the laptop via Bluetooth.
Worker: The Bluetooth is waiting for confirmation of the pairing from the laptop...
IT Support: You need to open your Bluetooth settings on the laptop and confirm the pairing.
Worker: I can't log into my account to do that.
Out of curiosity, I turned the Bluetooth on, and after some trial and error managed to pair my new(ish) Chinese spyphone with computer.
Transferring files via that connection exceeded the limits of my patience, I can do that faster and more conveniently by connecting an USB cable and opening file manager.
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I'm taking training on AI and I swear, they try so HARD to convince everyone that it's what everyone wants. "For example, the increasingly-popular self-driving car."
I know of exactly -0- people who are interested in riding in, much less owning, a self-driving car. The corner-cutting has, can, and will cost lives.
One of Shiro's former companies tried to get into the self-driving car market. To make it safe and reliable required at least 11 forward-facing sensors. Management wanted it cut to 3 or they wouldn't be funded. So they killed the project. And according to Shiro, some of the cars that are on the road today try to make do with one.
I know of exactly -0- people who are interested in riding in, much less owning, a self-driving car. The corner-cutting has, can, and will cost lives.
Amazon has a lot of interest in owning a LOT of them.
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Car companies these days can't reliably make functional tire pressure sensors. Why would I trust them to make sensors that are supposed to drive the car?
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I want a self driving car. But only so it can merge with four other cars to form a giant super car capable of fighting alien robots.
I could use a self-driving car. As long as it would earn money to cover the costs of its own maintenance.
I would definitely go on more country trips.
If you want to go out clubbing, a self driving car seems like a good idea.
Trouble is, the the technology for a safe self driving car is decades away yet.
Car companies these days can't reliably make functional tire pressure sensors. Why would I trust them to make sensors that are supposed to drive the car?
We bought a 2006 Prius. By 2009 the tire sensors went out. $350 later they were all replaced. By 2012 they went out again. The dealer wanted another $350. I told them where they could stick their tire sensors.
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Car companies these days can't reliably make functional tire pressure sensors. Why would I trust them to make sensors that are supposed to drive the car?We bought a 2006 Prius. By 2009 the tire sensors went out. $350 later they were all replaced. By 2012 they went out again. The dealer wanted another $350. I told them where they could stick their tire sensors.
On the little nozzle thing you unscrew?
The pressure sensor is inside the tire, mounted to the wheel. You’d have to take the tire most of the way off to replace it. I’m thinking those have batteries. That’s probably the issue.
Edit: Just did a little research. You have to replace the whole sensor, but I still stand by my dead battery assessment.
It's funny seeing how naive/trusting I was even into my mid-20s.
As I think I've mentioned, I'm transcribing all my old journals into digital form with the thought that maybe once I'm retired I'll write an autobiography and try to make the Worst Sellers List.
So I finally got to the incident I've mentioned where our house got robbed and the guy kicked in our front door, searched the entire place, and made off with nothing more than a roll of stamps and a bowl of change.
The days before the robbery are quite interesting: On the Thursday before the robbery, our landlord came over and I spent a couple of hours talking with him. On Friday, someone else came over for a couple of hours and "fixed our door". My journal is frustratingly detail-free. On Saturday afternoon, we left for Albany, returning Sunday evening to find the house broken into.
I clearly made no connections between these incidents back in 1994. Now, I take one look at, "Someone I don't know came over to work on the house on Friday, then on Saturday someone kicked in our front door and ransacked the house," is a heck of a coincidence. I know I talk too much. I'm sure I mentioned to whoever was fixing the door that we'd be gone for the weekend.
So now, 30 years later, I believe I solved the mystery of, "How did the burglar know to target exactly our house at exactly that time?"
It's a wonder nobody thought of it way back then.
EDIT: There's the possibility that I'm misreading our journal. Our landlord was a retired engineer who loved to do all the work on the house himself. But on Thursday I wrote, "Bob the landlord came over. Talked to Bob," and on Friday I wrote, "Door got fixed." If Bob had fixed the door, I would've written, "Bob fixed the door." If I'd done it, I would've written, "I fixed the door." So in my mind it had to have been someone I didn't know.
or someone noticed that the door had recently been fixed by some ... less than code methods from the engineer , thought that meant the lock was an easy target and tried it. (most front doors are made to be easily openable by a determined firedepartment so aren't much of a barrier even when they ARE working properly)
If someone had known you would be gone for an extended period of time they could have made off with a TV at least and not a wham bam grab what you can.
or someone noticed that the door had recently been fixed by some ... less than code methods from the engineer , thought that meant the lock was an easy target and tried it. (most front doors are made to be easily openable by a determined firedepartment so aren't much of a barrier even when they ARE working properly)
If someone had known you would be gone for an extended period of time they could have made off with a TV at least and not a wham bam grab what you can.
I'm 56, short, and obese, and I have yet to meet a wooden door I couldn't easily kick in. Just like windows, locked doors are a polite reminder that you're not supposed to be there, not something that'll stop you if you're determined.
I'm 56, short, and obese, and I have yet to meet a wooden door I couldn't easily kick in. Just like windows, locked doors are a polite reminder that you're not supposed to be there, not something that'll stop you if you're determined.or someone noticed that the door had recently been fixed by some ... less than code methods from the engineer , thought that meant the lock was an easy target and tried it. (most front doors are made to be easily openable by a determined firedepartment so aren't much of a barrier even when they ARE working properly)
If someone had known you would be gone for an extended period of time they could have made off with a TV at least and not a wham bam grab what you can.
I thought you tall and thin.
Locks only keep the honest people honest.
There was a great story a few years back about someone doing a psychology experiment. They got a bunch of bicycles and half of them they locked up using standard bicycle locks. The other half they left unlocked but put handwritten, "Please do not steal" signs on them. The theft rate on the locked bikes was much higher than on the unlocked ones.
Obviously these are the days of the internet -- that story could have been made up whole cloth for all I know. But it resonates with me so I share it.
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*internally screaming*
I'm not keeping it internal.