Random Thoughts Part 4 - Split Thread

[WWGD]

Veal Marsala was good, but a bit too expensive. Wish I knew how to cook better so I could cook tasty stuff like this.

 

[WWGD]

Heard of a couple: Sidney and Cindy. Maybe they should use a common last name Australia to make it less confusing.

 

[WWGD]

Guy parks outside Starbuck's tonight in a brand new car, pulls out his laptop, and sits there a half hour stealing their Wi-Fi. He did not strike me as someone who couldn't afford to go in and buy a drink.

Wonder if that is actually illegal. I assume if the network is open and you don't hack into it, it would be legal.

 

[DennisN]

I've been thinking about something... there is a saying that "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" (a quote often misattributed to Einstein, AFAIK).

But in quantum mechanics, the same experiment done repeatedly often yield different (individual) results, and this is expected. So... does this mean that quantum physicists are insane?

These are things I think about when I have nothing better to do.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Wonder if that is actually illegal. I assume if the network is open and you don't hack into it, it would be legal.

The express or implied offer is free Wi-Fi with purchase. The point is to attract paying customers. They can certainly tell the people to leave, and call the cops if they don't. But Starbucks probably doesn't care as long as the people doing it aren't taking up space a paying customer would be using. I see sketchy people standing outside Starbucks all the time, guys in hoodies on bicycles, using the internet on their phones. They're there the same times every day and Starbucks doesn't seem to try to drive them away. This guy last night just looked a bit too well off to be thieving.

 

[lisab]

Oh dear, is there trouble?

 

[Silicon Waffle]

Oh dear, is there trouble?

Yes I ran into some while dealing with shared information in class. Everything is fine now but since my class members are inconsistent every semester, I can't enlist them for my coming birthday party.

 

[WWGD]

Yes I ran into some while dealing with shared information in class. Everything is fine now but since my class members are inconsistent every semester, I can't enlist them for my coming birthday party.

When is the party?

 

[WWGD]

New checks cost $20.95 for a 100-pack. Ripoff.

 

[Borg]

New checks cost $20.95 for a 100-pack. Ripoff.

This is a little cheaper at $18.99 but, yeah, pretty expensive these days. I think that I bought 4 boxes over 10 years ago. I am on my last block of 40 so I'll have to reorder next year sometime.
https://www.checksunlimited.com/national-parks-checks.aspx

You might want to check the coupon inserts in the Sunday paper. They usually have good deals also. I just checked mine and the same company is offering the same ones for $5.50 through the coupons. I would call their 800 number and ask for the cheaper rate.

 

[zoobyshoe]

My sister just won a $500 poetry award. Included, they're going to publish a little book of her poems. She won a different award a few years back, with a couple of her pieces being published in an anthology.

I have to say, she's doing awfully well in a field where the competition is vast.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

When is the party?

12/21 once and only once in every year.

 

[Borg]

For me, this has been the year of things needing to be repaired or replaced. Today's winner - ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding - a root canal.

 

[WWGD]

My sister just won a $500 poetry award. Included, they're going to publish a little book of her poems. She won a different award a few years back, with a couple of her pieces being published in an anthology.

I have to say, she's doing awfully well in a field where the competition is vast.

Have her sign up for PF, and ask Greg to make her Poetress(??) Laureate of PF --pretty sure PF doesn't have one yet. Then maybe on to national Poet Laureate.

 

[wolram]

For me, this has been the year of things needing to be repaired or replaced. Today's winner - ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding - a root canal.

Poor old Borg, you should have dentures fitted , once teeth go bad it is a never ending story.

 

[wolram]

I have a cold right now, i wonder why no one has found a cure

 

[Borg]

Poor old Borg, you should have dentures fitted , once teeth go bad it is a never ending story.

I'm nowhere near ready for something like that. I have a very good dentist and haven't had any problems for at least 10 years.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Have her sign up for PF, and ask Greg to make her Poetress(??) Laureate of PF --pretty sure PF doesn't have one yet. Then maybe on to national Poet Laureate.

Don't think she'd go for it. Being surrounded by science and math geeks might possibly be in her top ten list of experiences most closely resembling hell. At any rate, I've mentioned my participation at PF a few times to her and her eyes glaze over and she pitches forward unconscious, as if having been shot up with a strong soporific pharmaceutical.

 

[Enigman]

Browsing the darker corners of the interwebz when I suddenly came across this:


M̵̗͙̣͈̒̉̔͂ͬ̏͌R̵̦̩ͫ̆͊̉̓̄̆ ̜̂ͪͮ͝S̛͈̻̠ͤ͌K̜͔̺͌͢Ę̮̺͔̺͈͔͋L̬̪͖̬̣͕͛̋̐̈ͬ͊T͖̪̏̀͌̇̋ͩ̚Ȃ̻̯͉͈ͥ̿̾̆̓ͫͅL̢̜͖̫̭̺̆̅ͥͦ͒ͮͅ ̦́̀D̛̄E̷͇ͥ͑͂Ṃ̩͎̘̹ͣͤ̑A͇̜̘̰N͉̣͓͛̃ͧͬͯ̆́̚D̫̗͇͚͈̥ͬ͌ͭ͌̈́̆S͕̪͉̟̘ ̗͈͚̪̝̘ͅŨ͖̰͙͞P̙̱̹͍͕͚ͩͪ̓ͩͧ͒ͨD̞̙̙̼͗̈̓̆̕O͗̿̒͛Ŏ̺͇͈̞ͅȚ̙̬̙͇̺͌͒̅ͪS͔̿̃̋͛͊͢ͅ

Ẉ̙̥̹̦̄́Ǫ͕̬ͧ̊ͦͯ͂Uͯ͑̽̍̃L̼̥͇̺͋ͬ̈ͬ̉͝D̖̭̊ ̙͎̳̇̎Ÿ̭́̓̿ͅO͍U͔͉̗̗̭̤͐͋́̀ͥ͜ ̝̮̹̑ͣͨ̚D̖͚͎͔͕̠̮̊̃ͤ͗͜E̳̙̼̬̅̓ͪ̓͝ͅF̛̠̳͇̮̮̏͊̔̓Y̱̘̓͊̃ͫ̐͂ ͇̩̼̭̬͚͔M̿ͣ̉ͣͣ͂ͥE̬͕̩̙͔̻̹̒͞?̶͔͉͕̘̰̼̹ ̝̫̩̥̝̥̅̕Ī̵̤͖̟̣͚̇͒̊͋͑ ̬͍̠͎̥ͨ̂͂A̳͎Mͮ̊̂ͪ҉̤̫̳̺ ̬̠͚̠̿̽̍ͤ̎̎̚T̯̰͖̺͉̥̣̈́͞H͚̼̝̤̹͈̠̉̏̇͋̚E̷̜̬̹̎̽ͭ ͇̳̭͈͑ͥ̿̍̅͠Ȩ͛ͮ͛A̮̞ͥ̔́T̪̮̬̫̫̣͙͊̆̂͋͌͐͊E̲̜̫̜̺̪ͨͬ̿̉̂̏͊R̘͉͖̗̩̖ͬ̂͑̚ ̏͐̉̔ͭO̞̫̰̻̳̻̿͒͗̀F̫̝͔̫̹̼̅̅ͭ̌͌ ̼̏̇ͬͫĊ͍̙͓̑ͯAL̝͎̣̘̦͂ͩ͗C̺͖̘͌ͫͧI̜̞̯̤͓ͩ̃̅U̵̜̯̻͙͓͆̐̓ͤM̺͜ ͖͓̼͝S̏͜U̼̦̥Pͯ̃̔̔̓̽ͩP͍̈́̋̾̀̃̔̾L̥͋̋ͮ̃͒͆̚͞ͅE̢̳͚͕̓̏̈́M̈̄͂ͤ̐Ḛ͕̬̘̰̘ͣͮ͡ͅN͇͕̰͖̘̻̰T͒͏̭͕̠̹̺̙͚S̱̻͈̲͉
http://imgur.com/gallery/XmLy39y

 

[BiGyElLoWhAt]

Is there anywhere on this forum that it's acceptable to speculate with respect to QCD? I would like to talk through some things with people that I can trust to know something on the matter. Thanks in advance =D

 

[WWGD]

Pretty weird: Sliced mushrooms $2.49 , 8 oz. Regular ( non-sliced) $1.99 10 oz. No distinction on type of mushroom made on the packaging. Are there really people willing to pay more than 50% extra to have their mushrooms sliced? Maybe the issue is the price difference --$0.50$ and not the ratio, for most people.

 

[Borg]

Pretty weird: Sliced mushrooms $2.49 , 8 oz. Regular ( non-sliced) $1.99 10 oz. No distinction on type of mushroom made on the packaging. Are there really people willing to pay more than 50% extra to have their mushrooms sliced?

What I never understand is when I see an 8 oz can that costs significantly more than buying two 4 oz. cans.

 

[WWGD]

What I never understand is when I see an 8 oz can that costs significantly more than buying two 4 oz. cans.

With the additional whammy of extra packaging for the two 4 oz. vs the 8 oz. Seems like paying attention can save you some $$.

 

[Borg]

With the additional whammy of extra packaging for the two 4 oz. vs the 8 oz. Seems like paying attention can save you some $$.

I could probably write a book about what I see in the stores.

 

[zoobyshoe]

One of the $.99 stores in the vicinity has provided an interesting choice of 0 calorie sweeteners for quite a while now: a box of 50 packets for .99, or a box of a hundred packets for .99. They're always sitting on the shelf right next to each other. The packets are exactly the same size, the 100 packet box is twice the size and weight of the 50 packet box. No hidden tricks of any kind. But the same price.

 

[WWGD]

Yes, the economic theory assuming a perfectly rational customer bit the dust for good.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

One of the $.99 stores in the vicinity has provided an interesting choice of 0 calorie sweeteners for quite a while now: a box of 50 packets for .99, or a box of a hundred packets for .99. They're always sitting on the shelf right next to each other. The packets are exactly the same size, the 100 packet box is twice the size and weight of the 50 packet box. No hidden tricks of any kind. But the same price.

Sometimes smaller is better. Back in the days when I bought breakfast cereal, they sometimes had a "special offer 50% extra" where the 500g packet had been increased to a 750g one (basically it was a 750g packet with a different label). However, the 750g packet was too large for my cupboard, so if I could find an old 500g packet I'd buy that, otherwise I wouldn't buy that cereal at all until the "special offer" had ended.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I got up at 6:00 A.M. but a couple hours later decided I hadn't gotten enough sleep, so I lay back down. At about noon an explosion woke me up. Turned out to be thunder, and the rain was coming down hard.

I hopped in the car and went to a coffee shop where I could sit outside under an overhang and watch the deluge. The lightning was close and the thunder particularly rich in sonic booms. I must have jumped out of the chair 5 times. Windows rattled and car alarms went off for blocks around me. All very unusual for San Diego. Especially in the summer.

 

[Evo]

One of the $.99 stores in the vicinity has provided an interesting choice of 0 calorie sweeteners for quite a while now: a box of 50 packets for .99, or a box of a hundred packets for .99. They're always sitting on the shelf right next to each other. The packets are exactly the same size, the 100 packet box is twice the size and weight of the 50 packet box. No hidden tricks of any kind. But the same price.

Same ingredient?

 

[zoobyshoe]

Same ingredient?

That I haven't checked. They are two separate manufacturers, though.

 

[WWGD]

Interesting hit: I submitted my CV to a bunch of job sites and one of the offers I got was" "part time neurosurgeon". I guess if the part is really, really small, like just enough time to wash my hands, I can pull it off. Beyond those 2 minutes, it is highly questionable. I mean, I imagine accepting the offer, like in some movies, and then trying to BS my way; seems like would be particularly difficult for this choice of job.

 

[WWGD]

I got up at 6:00 A.M. but a couple hours later decided I hadn't gotten enough sleep, so I lay back down. At about noon an explosion woke me up. Turned out to be thunder, and the rain was coming down hard.

I hopped in the car and went to a coffee shop where I could sit outside under an overhang and watch the deluge. The lightning was close and the thunder particularly rich in sonic booms. I must have jumped out of the chair 5 times. Windows rattled and car alarms went off for blocks around me. All very unusual for San Diego. Especially in the summer.

I guess the song title " It almost never rains in Southern California" was not catchy-enough.

Maybe you could try to write a Bohemian's (my friend pronounces it like "Bahamian") guide to San Diego, describing different coffee shops. I am thinking of doing the same here myself. Though maybe a website/blog would be better, specially to allow for updates/changes. But then it is tricky, since you cannot take ad revenue from the sites you rate/describe. I think your writing is richer than mine; I think my technical work has hindered my (non-technical) writing skills, I in part since most of what I write requires the use of only relatively few words.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Maybe you could try to write a Bohemian's (my friend pronounces it like "Bahamian") guide to San Diego, describing different coffee shops. I am thinking of doing the same here myself. Though maybe a website/blog would be better, specially to allow for updates/changes. But then it is tricky, since you cannot take ad revenue from the sites you rate/describe. I think your writing is richer than mine; I think my technical work has hindered my (non-technical) writing skills, I in part since most of what I write requires the use of only relatively few words.

Any such book would be good for about two weeks. The scene changes rapidly, and there has been a steady decline in good places over the past 4 years with many of the best spots having closed for various reasons. I have actually taken to exploring 24 hour donut shops as an alternative but they universally suffer from a lack of the sine qua non of a 'Hang Out," which is that none of them has a public restroom. You've got an hour tops before your bladder explodes. Maybe I could call it, "The Decline and Fall of Caffein Civilization in San Diego," but it would be a book mostly about the past, not the present.

 

[WWGD]

Any such book would be good for about two weeks. The scene changes rapidly, and there has been a steady decline in good places over the past 4 years with many of the best spots having closed for various reasons. I have actually taken to exploring 24 hour donut shops as an alternative but they universally suffer from a lack of the sine qua non of a 'Hang Out," which is that none of them has a public restroom. You've got an hour tops before your bladder explodes. Maybe I could call it, "The Decline and Fall of Caffein Civilization in San Diego," but it would be a book mostly about the past, not the present.

Ditto here, but that is why I also mentioned a blog, to help account for changes. Now that you mention bathrooms, I had a charming exchange with a complete stranger recently. He started mentioning, out of nowhere (we had not started a conversation by then ) how certain "byways" along buildings here had been closed to the public recently. He mentioned that those were the places where he would urinate when nature called. He went on , with a lot of detail,. to give me a list of good spots and tricks for urinating in public places without getting caught. Now, how about that for a book/weblog? UrineTown (Your in Town)?
Moreover , go figure, Greg will not allow me to post any of what I learned about guerrilla urination in the "insights" blog. I give up!

 

[zoobyshoe]

Ditto here, but that is why I also mentioned a blog, to help account for changes. Now that you mention bathrooms, I had a charming exchange with a complete stranger recently. He started mentioning, out of nowhere (we had not started a conversation by then ) how certain "byways" along buildings here had been closed to the public recently. He mentioned that those were the places where he would urinate when nature called. He went on , with a lot of detail,. to give me a list of good spots and tricks for urinating in public places without getting caught. Now, how about that for a book/weblog? UrineTown (Your in Town)?
Moreover , go figure, Greg will not allow me to post any of what I learned about guerrilla urination in the "insights" blog. I give up!

That would certainly be a major contribution to literature.

I think it would have been interesting had you been able to record this guy. Then the recording could be given to an appropriate cartoonist, someone of the likes of R. Crumb, who could render it as a comic (or "graphic novel" as they are pretentiously referred to nowadays).