Random randomness

[Smoove_B]

I forget....is something like a pack of hotdogs or a brisket thats been frozen since purchase but marked best buy 2020 or 2021 still ok and safe? My sister cleaned out some stuff and brought me some stuff and Im pretty hungry. But I dont need to puke for a day.

Yes. Frozen foods can more or less be held indefinitely - as long as they're in a frozen state. The issue is over quality (not safety) when you freeze meats and then eat them 12+ months later.

[Daehawk]

Ah ok thank you. Well with 2 weeks to any money and 3 weeks to ebt food money I think ill eat the weird tasting food...otherwise I wont be here to bother in 2 or 3 weeks

[Kraken]

Just got my electric bill for this month, $117. It has never been that low. As a matter of fact that half the lowest bill Ive ever had.

Ours runs around $65-75 during the winter but jumps as high as $120 when the air conditioners go into the windows. I installed Wife's last weekend, and it will run continuously through October.

Now gas bills are a whole nuther story. Heat can reach $400 in the coldest months.

[Smoove_B]

Just received my $48.82 electric bill.

I need to keep that in mind as I brace for the next heating oil fill.

[Isgrimnur]

hat swarm. ( a bunch of constructs)

[Daehawk]

I dont know how you guys get so low power bills. I live in one room. It has the pc , 2 cfl light bulbs. The rest of the house is off except the fridge and a freezer and water heater. In summer I run 2 window acs a small one in here and a bigger one in there, and a fan in here.. In winter I run a small heater in here. If its very cold then a heater in the bathroom. Sometimes I have to put one in the kitchen.

Winter can be $110 - $175. Sometimes Ill have a weird one that can be over $200.

Summer power runs $120

Spring is like $85 - $100

Fall same as spring.

So my cheap is $85. High is $175. That doesn't include when I can afford kerosene which is about $26 5 gal. But Ive not got any in 2 years. Ours was cheaper when we had a normal old spinning meter. Since they put the digital one in in 2011 its always run higher. I asked them to check it because it says online to do that and a digital one can be bad or faulty. No its ok they say they wont check it. Im tempted to take a sledge to it and bust it apart to get a new one installed.

Also I get power bill help for about 3 months worth of bills feb - april. Strangely no matter what my bill has been being if I have say $125 left my final bill amazingly comes to $125. They just seem to make it up and take it. I think something is off on my power bills.

[dbt1949]

I had a winter bill of $450. Summer is usually $250-$300. Now you see why I wanted that asshole out?

[Isgrimnur]

I had a winter bill of $450. Summer is usually $250-$300. Now you see why I wanted that asshole out?

Congrats on the prolapsed ex-son-in-law.

[Blackhawk]

I dont know how you guys get so low power bills.

If your home is anything like mine, a lot of it is poor weatherproofing. Old windows, old insulation, old walls. I probably air condition the outdoors as much as I do the inside. I know that I have to crank my window units down to 68 to keep the house in the mid-70s, and that it costs a fortune.

[Isgrimnur]

Bust out the window caulk.

[Blackhawk]

Oh, we're way, way past that point.

[Kraken]

It's also a function of one's utilities. We pay around $75/mo for electricity with no effort at conserving. The empty house that we just sold in Michigan cost $100/mo to run one light bulb 24/7 and an empty refrigerator that they refused to turn off for some reason. Heat was set at 50 degrees all winter and still cost $150. Power is just really expensive there. We're fortunate to live in a town with a municipal nonprofit power company, so we basically get electricity at cost.

[Daehawk]

Ya same BH. Im in TN and supposedly TVA should be cheaper. I mean they use Nuke and water dams to make free energy.

[Daehawk]

Memory is a funny thing. It works in weird ways. I was just thinking of a day in 1989 and can remember where we were, what we were doing, and who asked me something. Yet I dont know what day of the week it was, what we did before that moment or what we did the rest of the day. Or days around or even longer. But that memory piece is clear as a bell. But it was also nothing special. Yet it stuck and nothing else has.

I have very clear memories for the most part. But not full days or pinpoint stuff. Thats like 90% of my memories. But the other 10% I swore were perfect too and Ive come to find that I was wrong either in parts of the memory or the whole dang thing. Things I would have swore on a Bible I knew perfect.

[Max Peck]

This week I learned about derechos. One swept through southern Ontario and Quebec on Saturday just before 1600. I was impressed while I watched it blow through (I say "watched" but visibility was basically a couple of meters), but not so much when the power went out. Power was finally restored to my neighbourhood at about 2230 on Tuesday, to the delight of all (people in my building were out on their balconies cheering).

Since my apartment building doesn't have a backup generator for the pumps that provide water pressure to the upper floors, I was also without running water for the duration. Luckily there was a water source on the ground floor, so I was able to get water for washing and flushing the toilet from there. Hauling a 5L load of water up 11 flights of stairs a couple times a day is a not bad leg workout.

[Isgrimnur]

Time to get some water storage jugs

[Max Peck]

I had a couple of 2.5L plastic orange juice jugs set aside for emergency water storage. They worked pretty well, and a total of 5L of water is about the limit per trip that I'd want to be hauling up from the ground floor. My apartment is very small, so maintaining a significant amount of stored water in advance of an emergency isn't really practical. Luckily I had done a grocery order a couple of days before the storm hit and happened to have bought a case of soda water, so that made up the bulk of my potable drinking water for the 3 days before power/water were restored. I also had more than enough non-perishable food to see me through thanks to my pandemic-era habit of keeping a fairly well-stocked pantry. Luckily, the pharmacy and grocery stores across the street didn't lose power, so restocking food and water wouldn't have been a problem in this case if I had exhausted my supplies before power was restored. My two biggest issues were water for washing and flushing the toilet (this is the first time I've been thankful that the landlord installed low-flow toilets, since it only takes about 3L of water to refill the tank) and power to keep my phone charged so that I wasn't completely out of touch with the situation on the ground or without communications.

Some things that I need to acquire for the next time:
- water purification tablets,
- a power bank for charging my phone (I got lucky in that a friend that lives in walking distance didn't lose power, so it was only a 3km hike to get there and there were no downed power lines or other significant storm damage to detour around, so I was able to recharge my phone and get a hot shower while I was there.)
- utility candles (I thought I had at least one in my first aid kit, but I was mistaken),
- some sort of camp stove for boiling water or heating food that is safe to store and use indoors,
- a better emergency radio. The one I have works well enough as a radio to monitor news but the battery doesn't hold a charge very well so it takes constant cranking to operate it and it only takes about one second to drain it if I try to use it to charge my phone.

[coopasonic]

I dont know how you guys get so low power bills.

If your home is anything like mine, a lot of it is poor weatherproofing. Old windows, old insulation, old walls. I probably air condition the outdoors as much as I do the inside. I know that I have to crank my window units down to 68 to keep the house in the mid-70s, and that it costs a fortune.

I moved from a ~2300sf house built in 1998 to a ~3800sf house built in 2009 and my power bills went down. They are still more than what folks are commenting here for the most part (not sure we've ever passed dbts $450) but heating and cooling efficiency and insulation seems to be pretty constantly improving.

[Blackhawk]

My house was built sometime in the late 19th century, and 'updated' (not renovated) from time to time since. The windows, by my best guess, are probably from somewhere in 40s-60s. Every pane is loose, and many are cracked. The ones with the rope-and-pulley sashes are so old that the rope has dissolved. There are gaps between the window frames themselves and the walls. Hell, there are gaps everywhere, both in the windows and in the walls. There are places where you can literally feel the wind blowing through the wall along the floor (I 'solved' the worst areas by stuffing rolled paper towels under the edge of the running board.) I don't know what kind of insulation the ceiling has, but all of the raccoons and possums who live up there seem to be running claws-on-wood when they wake us up at night.

The landlady isn't going to repair this house. And if we moved somewhere nicer, the increase in rent would more than eat up the savings in heating and cooling. And that's not even touching on the moving expenses themselves, or the fact that, even though both kids have graduated, we still can't leave town, as Michelle's mother wouldn't have anyone left who was willing to help her - we run most of her errands, do most of her shopping, drive her to appointments, etc.

[Daehawk]

Seth Green Can No Longer Make His NFT Show After His BoredApe Was Stolen

Seth Green’s new animated series is apparently in jeopardy after several of his NFTs were stolen.

The upcoming project, White Horse Tavern, based on a BoredApe NFT named Fred Simian, has been in the works for some time, but – per a report from BuzzFeed – it has since been halted as Green technically no longer owns the rights to the character after a phishing scam.

Green’s NFT collection was compromised earlier this month after the actor fell foul of a scam. On May 8, an anonymous scammer managed to nab four of Green’s NFTs, using a phishing scam to trick the actor into parting with his collection. The assets lost include his BoredApe, two MutantApes, and a Doodle.

One of the MutantApes was almost instantly traded for around $42,000 while his BoredApe was purchased by a user named DarkWing84 for a staggering $200,000. Green’s animated NFT show is based on a simple concept: “What if your friendly neighborhood bartender was Bored Ape Yacht Club #8398?” It looks as though the answer to that extremely specific question will have to wait.

After losing the NFT, the likeness and usage rights to #8398, or Fred Simian, belong to someone else. That means that Green’s show, at the moment, would violate the copyright of the current holder. Whether or not Green will see the return of his BoredApe remains to be seen, but the actor has already begun publicly pleading with DarkWing84 for the return of his NFT.

“DarkWing84 looks like you bought my stolen ape,” he said via Twitter. “hit me up so we can fix it”

[Max Peck]

Meh, all he has to do is recast the role with Phred "Right Click" Simian and he's good to go. Problem solved.

Since almost everything to do with NFTs is a scam, I'm calling this as a publicity stunt to promote the show. Seth Green probably is DarkWing84.

[Jaymon]

If my understanding of how Bored Ape works is correct, then all they have to do is change Fred Simians shirt color, and now they are no longer using a copyrighted image.

[Zarathud]

Dare them to sue, then counter-sue for buying stolen property.

[Max Peck]

This was pretty cool. I heard an interview with him on the radio.

Ottawa storm 2022: Manotick man powers neighbourhood with 'microgrid' house

It pays to have a neighbour like Art Hunter.

The retired government scientist, whose resumé includes working on the Canadarm, is providing his rural Manotick neighbours with electricity to power their fridges, freezers, cellphones, electric kettles and much more.

It’s all thanks to his “microgrid” house that harnesses renewable energy from solar panels for electricity and geothermal energy to heat and cool the property.

When Saturday’s storm cut off his neighbours’ power supply and disrupted access to their well and septic systems, Hunter stepped in to help, offering up a place to refill on water and allowing people to run extension cords to his place to power their fridges and freezers.

Neighbours can also stop by to charge their cellphones.

[dbt1949]

We've been having a lot of rain here lately and the ants have, once again, invaded my mailbox. Oh good, mail covered in ants. I sprayed the mailbox but don't know how good my spray is.

[LordMortis]

Dare them to sue, then counter-sue for buying stolen property.

That's about it. Paying 200,000 for a bit of coded digital picture, you'd think you'd want to know its history and who you are buying from. Lawsuit sounds reasonable to me.

[Max Peck]

While patiently sitting through the entirety of the end credits for the first episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, it occurred to me that perhaps binging on 20-some MCU movies in the last few weeks has resulted in certain unrealistic expectations vis-à-vis what comes next once the credits start to roll.

[Sudy]

I usually leave them on anyway to absorb the atmosphere if the music is any good. Though I'm of course using my phone or the other monitor at the same time.

Would be nice to know that additional scenes are going to appear though. I mean without having to go to Media Stingers or a similar site.

[Holman]

If my understanding of how Bored Ape works is correct, then all they have to do is change Fred Simians shirt color, and now they are no longer using a copyrighted image.

Seriously.

The real question is what essential quality this NFT brings to the project. If you have a great series-level concept about an uninterested primate, can't you just draw a new one?

[Daehawk]

NFTs are worthless to me.

[Max Peck]

I usually leave them on anyway to absorb the atmosphere if the music is any good. Though I'm of course using my phone or the other monitor at the same time.

Would be nice to know that additional scenes are going to appear though. I mean without having to go to Media Stingers or a similar site.

Before today, I didn't know that they were called stingers. I found out after a friend pointed me to one of those similar sites: https://aftercredits.com/

I agree, sometimes I do find it worthwhile to just watch or listen during the credits anyway. For example, I like the concept art slideshows during the credits in The Mandalorian. Way, way back in the Before Times when I still went to see movies at a theatre, I often sat through the credits just to avoid the crush when leaving and it was a bonus if there were bloopers, outtakes or whatever.

[Kraken]

I usually leave them on anyway to absorb the atmosphere if the music is any good. Though I'm of course using my phone or the other monitor at the same time.

Would be nice to know that additional scenes are going to appear though. I mean without having to go to Media Stingers or a similar site.

Before today, I didn't know that they were called stingers. I found out after a friend pointed me to one of those similar sites: https://aftercredits.com/

I agree, sometimes I do find it worthwhile to just watch or listen during the credits anyway. For example, I like the concept art slideshows during the credits in The Mandalorian. Way, way back in the Before Times when I still went to see movies at a theatre, I often sat through the credits just to avoid the crush when leaving and it was a bonus if there were bloopers, outtakes or whatever.

Wife and I have always made a point of sitting through the credits out of respect for the film's creators, and because I care where it was filmed and who did the music and etc. We even sit through the credits when watching movies at home, unless it's a bad movie. I get really peeved when a channel compresses and speeds up the credits so they can display an ad.

[disarm]

Well last night at work was interesting...

DO NOT OPEN IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH... GRAPHIC PICTURE INSIDE!!!

Spoiler:

[Isgrimnur]

Someone must have been angry. That's pretty good penetration for a bread knife.

[disarm]

Someone must have been angry. That's pretty good penetration for a bread knife.

Yeah...not really sure what happened. Someone saw the guy stumbling down the street like that and ambulance picked him up. He came to us wide awake and sitting up on a stretcher...couldn't talk much but claimed someone "threw" the knife at him

[disarm]

One more picture... angiogram showing the tip of the knife pushing against his external carotid artery enough to move it slightly without damage that would have bled him to death in minutes...

My part of fixing this problem was intubating him through the other side of his nose (whilst awake) because he couldn't open his mouth, then keeping him asleep while they pulled out the knife. Incredibly, it appears to have done very little significant damage. Pulled it out, washed out the hole, sewed up his skin...now just waiting to see if he's really okay...

[Daehawk]

What are those 2 bright nodules at the base of his skull? Some kind of calcification?

Or maybe he is being tracked by aliens

[Isgrimnur]

Did that someone throwing it have a rail gun? Or perhaps a ryegun?

[Rumpy]

This week I learned about derechos. One swept through southern Ontario and Quebec on Saturday just before 1600. I was impressed while I watched it blow through (I say "watched" but visibility was basically a couple of meters), but not so much when the power went out. Power was finally restored to my neighbourhood at about 2230 on Tuesday, to the delight of all (people in my building were out on their balconies cheering).

Since my apartment building doesn't have a backup generator for the pumps that provide water pressure to the upper floors, I was also without running water for the duration. Luckily there was a water source on the ground floor, so I was able to get water for washing and flushing the toilet from there. Hauling a 5L load of water up 11 flights of stairs a couple times a day is a not bad leg workout.

Yeah, I'd wondered how many here were hit by that. My brother who lives in Ottawa area lost power for several days, lost cell service and had their big tree in their front yard uprooted. And from pictures I've seen, it's been a chaotic mess of downed trees all over Ottawa and Kitcher-Waterloo.

[Daehawk]

Looked around my garage/outbuilding for things to sell. Stuff that I cant use due to my physical limits or because it needs fixing and i cant fix it due to lack of tools or money.

Decided on my self propelled push mower and my chainsaw. I hate to part with stuff that may be handy but these are the days. I may also sell my metal detector. Id wanted one my entire life and when we were able to get me one years ago I decided I dont live forever so why not. Ive used it 3 times in my own yard in 6 years or so. Its brand new. My buddy travels hundreds of miles to go to the beach to use his or around town parks and play grounds. I just dont feel like it. SOooooo will probably sell it. Im still trying to force myself to do that one.

Still need to defrost that big ass freezer which I may do this week.