Octopus Overlords

You're correct and I knew that yet I messed it up and didn't even realize it until you typed that. Ohhh well.

As I parked today and was getting out the Google camera car drove past me in front of the store. I waved

It's funny how one tiny hair that I can barely see with my naked eye can cause my wireless mouse to act like complete s*** when it's stuck just over the sensor. I had to check twice to actually catch the thing and remove it, and was on the verge of smashing the mouse before I discovered it.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Apr 22, 2019 9:56 pmAs I parked today and was getting out the Google camera car drove past me in front of the store. I waved

Google has noted your shopping preferences, time of day you like to travel, vehicle package choices, dress code, estimated income level, tracked your home using facial recognition tied to Facebook and your ISP - and then blurred your face to protect your privacy. Carry on, Citizen.

So...............my stepson's stepson was driving his mother's car the other day and lost control for some reason and drove into the ditch. Smashed his oil filter and drove it back to their/his house. How he didn't destroy the oil pan I'll never know.
I found out about this when I came home and saw this line of oil on the road from where he crashed most of the way home with the oil stain on the road getting lighter and lighter all the way.
He said there was still oil in the engine. I sure can't see how, but he drove it a mile after crashing.
Well, at least he has an attitude and quit working a couple of months and his wife left him and he's living next door in a travel trailer with his mom and dad.
It turns out his wife a good catch too. She abandoned her children so she could run around and the daughter went to live with the other grandmother and the little boy is living in the travel trailer next door with his dad and grandmother and grandfather.
My stepson's other stepson is living in his old trailer which is parked next door.
There's a long sad story about him too.
And people wonder why I'm looking forward to dieing.
<sigh>

Went in a McDonalds yesterday for some fries before my doc appt and to waste some time. I ordered a medium fry. She rang it up and said slide my card. I did and thats when I saw $4.26. I said "Wait wait nearly $5 for fries??" And she said ya they have gone up. I say "NO way fries are $5 theres some mistake." ..Oh no she says..small kids fries are $1.29 so mediums are that much. "Cant be just cant be I say"

My ticket prints out and she charged me for 2 fry orders not 1. Even then thats high but I had the manager refund me for one of them. From now on I look at the screen before sliding my card.

My fat ass self would have just eaten two orders of frys.

<- Sub popcorn with frys.

Brian wrote: ↑Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:51 pm My fat ass self would have just eaten two orders of frys.

<- Sub popcorn with frys.

And I would have asked that they simply switch it to 3-4 orders of kids fries. Of course that's still probably less fries than 2 mediums, so...maybe I would have eaten the 2 mediums as well.

https://videosift.com/video/Where-Your- ... ic-Ends-Up

The mass production of single-use plastic has put us in the biggest recycling crisis in history.

The problem with not answering phone calls with numbers you do not recognize is you may be getting legitimate phone calls.
For instance I have a cell phone and I don't use it except for emergencies. But when I call, my number isn't recognized and no one answers.

I get calls from some recording almost every day telling me in a super cheery voice that my car warranty is either expired or will expire. Well no shit dumbass my car is an 01. I HATE those calls. And I started writing the number down and it turns out the same place uses at least 8 different numbers with my own area code or more.

I think the other day paying for some food at the store I either hung on on the recording, hung up on someone too cheerful, or hung up on another recording from a different place.

They fake the numbers. They're not really coming from where it says they are. It only gets really fun when they start using your number to call others.

I dont know the guy and Im not trying to be mean but that guy on Jeopardy is making the show SOOooooo boring. He has no personality when he is playing, he answers almost every question and is almost always right. Click bing click bing over and over. He's been there 15 day and won like $1.2 million and it feels like a year to me. No one has a chance. I turn in to see if he is gone sometimes or to see if he may lose. Then I get caught up and watch it then regret it at the end.

It got me thinking about Ken Jennings and his $3 million 75 day run in 2004. I thought after him they changed the rules so champions could stay no longer than 5 days. His run was boring too after a while. But from reading online it seems that was before he was there and in 2003 they changed the rules to allow champions to stay until they lost. Ugh. So boring. Id not even want to show up while he is there. Props to whoever beats him.

Reminds me of that commercial they have on now that satirizes those kind of guys.

Can you imagine how depressing it would be to try for years to get on that show and then find out you are going up against one of those fuckers.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2019 8:08 pm They fake the numbers. They're not really coming from where it says they are. It only gets really fun when they start using your number to call others.

Tell me about it. I once got an angry call from someone on the other side of the country that demanded I stop calling them to offer a reverse mortgage on their home.

But the best is when they use your own number as the fake calling number. The scam call is coming from inside the house!

Max Peck wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2019 9:39 pm

Tell me about it. I once got an angry call from someone on the other side of the country that demanded I stop calling them to offer a reverse mortgage on their home.

I was offering warranty service, apparently. "Why you call me!?!"

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2019 8:08 pm They fake the numbers. They're not really coming from where it says they are. It only gets really fun when they start using your number to call others.

And not limited to phone calls either. I've recently gotten completely random texts on my phone from scammers.

Oh and that reminds me. Two years ago during the Eclipse trip, I had to get a new number (as I don't do roaming and on AT&T's pay as you go plan) and only after a single day of having that number do I get a completely random call via someone calling my supposedly spoofed number. Joy!

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2019 8:08 pm They fake the numbers. They're not really coming from where it says they are. It only gets really fun when they start using your number to call others.

I got a text once from someone wondering why I called. I had to explain the whole robocalling scam to get the other person to quit bugging me. Never did find out what I allegedly called them about, though.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2019 8:08 pm I dont know the guy and Im not trying to be mean but that guy on Jeopardy is making the show SOOooooo boring. He has no personality when he is playing, he answers almost every question and is almost always right. Click bing click bing over and over. He's been there 15 day and won like $1.2 million and it feels like a year to me. No one has a chance. I turn in to see if he is gone sometimes or to see if he may lose. Then I get caught up and watch it then regret it at the end.

It got me thinking about Ken Jennings and his $3 million 75 day run in 2004. I thought after him they changed the rules so champions could stay no longer than 5 days. His run was boring too after a while. But from reading online it seems that was before he was there and in 2003 they changed the rules to allow champions to stay until they lost. Ugh. So boring. Id not even want to show up while he is there. Props to whoever beats him.

Articles about this in The Atlantic - he'll lose eventually, but more and more people want to see it, so ratings are going up, even as the shows prize budget takes a short-term hit.

Caller ID is patently useless these days.

FCC on Caller ID Spoofing

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:23 am Caller ID is patently useless these days.

FCC on Caller ID Spoofing

If my Pixel 3 tells me it's a suspected spam caller, I'll sometimes let the Pixel's auto answer service answer for me, just to see what happens.

For those of use that don't understand: What does happen?

Furniture is bullshit.

So is sitting or laying on the floor.

Furniture I can move by myself? Not bullshit. Furniture that requires multiple people to move? Bullshit.

Unagi wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:08 am For those of use that don't understand: What does happen?

Click here.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:17 am Furniture I can move by myself? Not bullshit. Furniture that requires multiple people to move? Bullshit.

Sliders. If it's across a relatively smooth surface. If it involves going outside, hire someone.

pr0ner wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:27 am

Unagi wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:08 am For those of use that don't understand: What does happen?

Click here.

Doesn't that also (/still) give the caller the 'positive hit' from the call being answered, and hence promote future calls?

Literally cannot give away furniture. Like..come and take it - free. I suppose if I wanted to also risk losing a kidney, I could make a posting on Craig's List and wait to see the interesting characters that come by to get stuff. I've contacted charity organizations - not interested or would need me to get it there. Best I have is an estate guy, but he told me he's just going to bring 90% of it to the dump - because no one is buying used furniture anymore. So I'd be paying him for my stuff. Well, paying him to hump my stuff out of my house, really. Generally speaking, it's depressing as hell. Downsizing is great, but it's also a pain in the gulliver.

Unagi wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:19 pm

pr0ner wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:27 am

Unagi wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:08 am For those of use that don't understand: What does happen?

Click here.

Doesn't that also (/still) give the caller the 'positive hit' from the call being answered, and hence promote future calls?

I haven't seen an uptick in robocalls lately. In fact, I've been pretty free of them the past few days. It tends to come in spurts, though.

But, if answering with their call screener is a "positive hit", wouldn't voice mail be considered that, too? I mean, I love the cutoff voicemails I sometimes get where the robocall clearly starts talking as soon as my voice mail message starts, and I only get the last few seconds of their speech.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:23 pm Literally cannot give away furniture. Like..come and take it - free. I suppose if I wanted to also risk losing a kidney, I could make a posting on Craig's List and wait to see the interesting characters that come by to get stuff. I've contacted charity organizations - not interested or would need me to get it there. Best I have is an estate guy, but he told me he's just going to bring 90% of it to the dump - because no one is buying used furniture anymore. So I'd be paying him for my stuff. Well, paying him to hump my stuff out of my house, really. Generally speaking, it's depressing as hell. Downsizing is great, but it's also a pain in the gulliver.

I'd take the estate guy's offer or hire movers cheaper. Or get in tough with your inner Hatchetman, reduce it to kindling, and have the Trashmen take it for you.

I'm 100% with you. Having stuff gone with the help of someone is worth paying for, IMHO. The wife wants to believe our stuff will go somewhere and be used, not destined for a landfill (i.e. picked up and re-purposed by Salvation Army). Option #1 involves me writing a check. Option #2 involves lifting stuff. To quote Murtaugh, "I'm getting to old for this shit".

I already have Trent on speed-dial for his chainsaw skills. There was a 20 yard dumpster I filled last week; I'd likely need another one to deal with whatever he cuts up.

Also, never move. Never.

Those who do not perform the actions do not get to critique the results. If she wants them to go somewhere and be used, then she needs to take ownership of it.

When we moved into this house, we hired movers, and still took over a week to get out of the old apartment and into the house. There are still untouched crates in the garage. It's been four years this summer.

If we ever move again, it will be out of state. I'm not moving across town again. We will retire in this house, or we will no longer be in Texas.

Our new house came with a massive electric fireplace from Costco that my wife hated. We we put it up on Craigslist for $200 (1/3 price) and the questions showed apparently those people do not read and are stupid.

Eventually some farmer drove into Chicago to buy it for the asking price but I had to help her and her daughters move it into the cattle trailer. Ad said "you come and get it."

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:23 pm I suppose if I wanted to also risk losing a kidney, I could make a posting on Craig's List and wait to see the interesting characters that come by to get stuff.

i feel you're exaggerating the danger, sliiightly. i've posted lots of items (for sale and for free) and generally have had positive experiences. lots do flake out, but that's expected now. people will even take used mattresses within a week of posting.

it would be funny if you listed it for, say, -$5 - i wonder what the responses would be like.

If I could just leave the stuff in my garage I'd consider it. But the couches need probably 3 people to move and one of them (futon) is on the second floor. The estate guy that was here this morning even said, "how the hell did you get these in here?" I wasn't around; I have no idea but clearly it happened.

The idea of putting an ad on the Internet for three free couches and random strangers would then show up to my house and need to come inside and get the stuff? Hell to the no.

Leave you furniture in the garage and pretend like you want to keep it and leave the garage door open.

And furniture is one thing I would kill for. Our couch is 20 years old, and a very large friend who likes to fall (rather than sit) crunched it years ago. But again, no truck, nobody to help.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:37 pm
Also, never move. Never.

Move vs. stuck in the house you've been lamenting for a decade? Seems like an easy choice, actually.

And the state.

pr0ner wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:24 pm But, if answering with their call screener is a "positive hit", wouldn't voice mail be considered that, too?

true.