Random randomness

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Mar 25, 2016 1:15 pm

I’m 40 years old, and I’m in braces. Like design student Amos Dudley, I disliked my teeth and wanted to get them fixed. Unlike Dudley, whose Internet-famous braces cost him $60 out of pocket to fabricate and took just 16 weeks from start to finish, I will have paid about 100 times as much to a credentialed orthodontist, and spent a year and a half in treatment.

But even though those numbers are tempting, experts say the DIY braces movement is a terrible idea.
...
But despite Buzzfeed’s initial headline claiming that the DIY braces were “safe,” orthodontists say otherwise. Stephen Belli, a board-certified orthodontist who has treated over 15,000 patients, cautions others about trying to replicate Dudley’s results. “I’d like to see an X-ray, because he’s probably caused some irreparable harm.” What kind of harm could this include? From the outside, his teeth look pretty good — good enough to get his success story shared across the Web.

Belli notes, “He moved these teeth in only 16 weeks. You can cause a lot of problems with that. If you move a tooth too fast, you can actually cause damage to the bone and gums. And if you don’t put the tooth in the right position, you could throw off your bite,” leading to additional damage and wear on the teeth.

Belli also says that quick, unsupervised movements of teeth like Dudley has done set the patient up for a high potential of relapse, where the tooth will move back into its previous position faster than it took to move it originally. With Dudley, this has already happened once, as he acknowledged to Buzzfeed that “he originally had braces in junior high, but neglected the upkeep,” leading to dissatisfaction with his teeth that kept him from smiling. Dudley is planning to follow up with nighttime retainers this time — also DIY'ed. But most who carry out their own orthodontic work will not have access to the expensive fabrication equipment available via Dudley's university, which he used to make cheap, custom-fit retainers to keep his newly straightened teeth in place.

While Dudley justified the risk he was taking as part of “stick[ing] it to the dental appliance industry,” he does note he denied his own “instict [sic] for self-preservation” and acknowledged that DIY orthodontics could go “horribly wrong.” (He also has a disclaimer on his blog, warning readers not to attempt “anything written here” and assuming no liability for actions taken by readers).

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Mar 25, 2016 1:59 pm

Archinerd wrote:
hitbyambulance wrote:i have a coworker who attempts to make jokes/puns/quips/references/etc. 95% of the time, they are bad. not in a 'groan at bad pun' bad, it's a 'pathetic/lame' bad. a 'i feel sorry for you that you even felt the need to say that' bad. -10% funny, sometimes used as a way to try to one-up someone who actually did say something funny or notable.

as of today, i have stopped pretending that i am slightly amused by these utterings. what i found out is that he tries even harder to evoke a reaction. you have to steadfastly ignore what he says until he finally shuffles off.
examples?

Not needed. I'm sure you know someone like that. Someone who might play board games with you from time to time? Who you think might find Tracy Morgan funny?

...

...

It's me, damn it. It's me.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Sat Mar 26, 2016 11:04 pm

So my wife comes up to me this evening crying.
Today was her oldest son's birthday and he didn't come over and thank her for giving birth to him.
<sigh>
So I tell her that no son in the history of time has ever said that to his mom.
Now she's upset with me too.
<sigh><sigh>

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 1:23 am

DIY Braces snipesnipsnipsnip

Sounds like someone is miffed that someone else saved money instead of paying them.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 1:38 am

Sarlaac Pit stickers for your toilet. You know you want them.

gbasden · Post by **gbasden** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 4:49 am

Daehawk wrote:
DIY Braces snipesnipsnipsnip
Sounds like someone is miffed that someone else saved money instead of paying them.

I'm sure it's a fantastic idea. Right up there with do-it-yourself cosmetic surgery.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:56 am

gbasden wrote:
Daehawk wrote:
DIY Braces snipesnipsnipsnip
Sounds like someone is miffed that someone else saved money instead of paying them.
I'm sure it's a fantastic idea. Right up there with do-it-yourself cosmetic surgery.

Can't wait for the DIY vasectomy.

MonkeyFinger · Post by **MonkeyFinger** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:17 am

The Last of Us breakfast smoothie courtesy of Gwyneth Paltrow. Yum. And only $200 for things like moon dust and zombie brain fungus.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:21 pm

The joy of spring is when you can finally open the windows and let in some fresh air.

This joy is reduced when the neighbors are barbecuing while you're making ramen.

tjg_marantz · Post by **tjg_marantz** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 8:21 pm

MonkeyFinger wrote:The Last of Us breakfast smoothie courtesy of Gwyneth Paltrow. Yum. And only $200 for things like moon dust and zombie brain fungus.

The 200$ is poor reporting. Each is actually closer to 8$.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 8:56 pm

http://www.top13.net/land-artworks-andy-goldsworthy/

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 7:27 am

So many clothing item look great on a woman.....two are rompers and crop tops.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:01 am

Guy created "Flappy Bird" inside of a standard Super Mario World SNES game. Hearing how it did it solely by manipulating glitches in the game's existing code is just nutty.

tjg_marantz · Post by **tjg_marantz** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 1:19 pm

I watched that yesterday. Impressive feat of technology.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 2:45 pm

Someone just sent me an email that ended with, "...and I will follow up with you shorty." I don't know whether they forgot the "l" or the comma.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 2:48 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:Someone just sent me an email that ended with, "...and I will follow up with you shorty." I don't know whether they forgot the "l" or the comma.

Is that a threat or are they hitting on you? Was there an emoji? Was it a winky?

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 3:26 pm

This is why And Justice For All was the harbinger of doom for Metallica and not Black. You could never have done something like this with Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning or Kill em All.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz1PtyYCrZQ

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 3:36 pm

I just saw where The Lone Ranger was on Syfy tonight.
Really Syfy? The Lone Ranger?

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 3:56 pm

dbt1949 wrote:I just saw where The Lone Ranger was on Syfy tonight.
Really Syfy? The Lone Ranger?

There was a hint of a supernatural element to the latest Lone Ranger, so I would give them a pass on it.

But...it was the latest Lone Ranger, and that piece of crap should never be broadcast again, so...

dbt1949 wrote: Really Syfy? The Lone Ranger?

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 10:23 pm

Isn't it closer in style to recent comic book movies than to a true Western?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 11:10 pm

It always was, as both comic books and the Lone Ranger share an origin in pulp radio plays.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 8:21 am

LordMortis wrote:This is why And Justice For All was the harbinger of doom for Metallica and not Black. You could never have done something like this with Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning or Kill em All.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz1PtyYCrZQ

That's great!

And yeah, Master was the last good one. I bought Justice when it came out and have never been able to listen to it all the way through. I used to fall asleep every time...

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 8:41 am

Muppet Masters

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 10:15 pm

this is my 13,000th post.

<Thank you, now move along nothing else to see here>

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 12:02 am

Puppet Pastors

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 1:21 am

Can you sum up the other 12,999 for those of us with short attention spans?

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 11:57 am

LordMortis wrote:For the Anti-me: http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-d ... ton-2015-3

... when your 24 pack of Mac and Cheese Cups runs low, you can just One Touch Amazon Prime yourself another case...

Amazon Dash expands

Amazon this morning announced an expansion of its Dash Buttons product line – those Wi-Fi connected, push-button devices that let you buy products from its site with just a press. One year after the buttons went live, and apparently not the April Fool’s joke people once imagined, Amazon says it now has over 100 buttons available, and orders have increased by more than 75 percent in the last three months.

The expansion includes roughly 80 more brands joining the previous line-up, including several now in the food and drink space, as opposed to consumer packaged goods (CPG).
...
Still, those who own buttons appear to be active users – Amazon says that Dash Button orders occur, on average, more than once per minute.

Initially, the devices were used to re-order common household items, like paper towels, laundry detergent, toilet paper, trash bags, dog food, diapers, and more. But in the year since their debut, Dash Buttons have rolled out for a variety of products – including, as of today, those you wouldn’t think require the convenience of push-button ordering, like gum, or food and drink products like Red Bull and Slim Jim. (Coders, maybe?)

You can even push a button to re-order condoms, if you like.

Today, the online retailer says it has tripled the available brands available in the program, which is only available to Prime members. There are now over 100 buttons to choose from, including new brand additions such as Brawny, Charmin, Clorox, Doritos, Energizer, Gain, Honest Kids, L’Oreal Paris Revitalift, Lysol, Peet’s Coffee, Playtex, Purina, Red Bull, Seventh Generation, Slim Jim, Snuggle, Starbucks, Trojan, Vitamin Water, and others.
...

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 2:49 pm

Time to put a 2nd mortgage on Barbie's dreamhouse

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mattel-bar ... -1.3513087

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 10:04 pm

SO delicious

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 7:40 am

Isgrimnur wrote:
LordMortis wrote:For the Anti-me: http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-d ... ton-2015-3

... when your 24 pack of Mac and Cheese Cups runs low, you can just One Touch Amazon Prime yourself another case...
Amazon Dash expands

Amazon this morning announced an expansion of its Dash Buttons product line – those Wi-Fi connected, push-button devices that let you buy products from its site with just a press. One year after the buttons went live, and apparently not the April Fool’s joke people once imagined, Amazon says it now has over 100 buttons available, and orders have increased by more than 75 percent in the last three months.

...

This seems completely retrograde to me. A single-use plastic physical button that does the work of an app?

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 8:41 am

You hang them where the product is - push the button and stuff arrives. No finding the phone, opening the app, or finding the right product.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 8:53 am

stessier wrote:You hang them where the product is - push the button and stuff arrives. No finding the phone, opening the app, or finding the right product.

Right. But the whole point of apps is invisibility. Dangly plastic bits are like stringing wires instead of WiFi.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 9:09 am

Holman wrote:
stessier wrote:You hang them where the product is - push the button and stuff arrives. No finding the phone, opening the app, or finding the right product.
Right. But the whole point of apps is invisibility. Dangly plastic bits are like stringing wires instead of WiFi.

While I'm not a fan of the program, I get the desire for automating things you go through. A button to replace is TQM or Kaizen or whatever you call it. Total Quality Management suggests that if are about to take them last of something, you trigger the process to refill that something at that time. It is more efficient to refill something as it is running out then it is to grab for something that is not there and then have to go get it. Buttons to do your work for you is very George Jeston.

I just compulsively shop for thing before they run out, while they are on sale and I find deliveries to be inconvenient because I'm never where I am supposed to be at any given time, much less for a large window of time. That and it seems like such a waste of your wifi. I get the appeal. It's just not for me.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 9:48 am

Does an order require confirmation (presumably via your phone...), or can your toddler order 500 boxes of Tide while you're not looking?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 9:53 am

It is impractical, but people love gadgets, pay for gadgets, then buy more product because they have the gadget. The people end up happy, and Amazon makes money. Sounds like a great business decision to me (but not really a smart buy.)

There are exceptions. I can see someone setting an aging parent or grandparent up with a selection of buttons. Of course, I can also see said elder pressing the button twenty times when the toilet paper doesn't appear by lunch...

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 11:26 am

That stuff isn't an issue -

Amazon wrote:WHAT IS DASH BUTTON?
Amazon Dash Button is a Wi-Fi connected device that reorders your favorite product with the press of a button. Each Dash Button is paired with a product of your choice, which is selected during the set-up process. When you're running low, simply press Dash Button—ensuring you never run out of your essentials again.

SIMPLE TO SET UP AND USE
Dash Button is set up and managed through the Amazon App on your Android or iOS smartphone, and works in any location with a Wi-Fi connection. Once set-up is complete, a notification (if enabled) is sent to your smartphone every time an order is placed. Click here to make sure you have the latest version of the Amazon App.

ORDER PROTECTION
With this setting, Dash Button responds only to your first press until your order is delivered—regardless of how many times Dash Button is pressed. And you will receive an order notification (if enabled) for every order placed, allowing you to cancel an order before it ships.

$4.99 CREDIT AFTER FIRST PRESS
Buy Dash Button for $4.99, and receive a credit for $4.99 after your first press. See terms and conditions

EXCLUSIVELY FOR PRIME MEMBERS
Dash Button is available for Prime members only. Click here to learn more about Prime.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 11:52 am

So it is free and can't be abused. I take it back - it is perfect for older folks who have trouble getting out and aren't comfortable with tech.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 4:10 pm

It still sounds like the convenience of ordering is offset by the persistent existence of a weird little single-use plastic button in my house. I'd much rather have an app to aggregate one-click ordering of any and all products I decide to set up with it.

That's just me, though. Obviously it has its uses for some.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 4:26 pm

Asked for some epricing on some cars last night via a few dealership's web sites. Just received a google voice mail from one of the dealers. I'm guessing they forgot to hang up at some point:

Hey, William. This is Jared with Fletcher. Honda just following up on your inquiry about the the new Civic wanted to see if we could get you in here this afternoon to test drive that vehicle if there's anything at all that I can do further to assist you please give me a call you can reach me at <redacted> very much. Hey, are you there? I guess she really just left just just about 5 minutes ago and she had to go well. I don't know the whole story. I just know that her daughter called and I think her grandson fell off of the some monkey bars or something that's gonna replaced and broke his femur and yeah, so I think she was her daughter call her to see if she could help her out and pick up somebody or do something for it. So I can come by everything's going are going pretty good. Good afternoon, Please Rhonda, This is Jerry. How can I help you?

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 4:32 pm

Hey, William. This is Jared with Fletcher... This is Jerry. How can I help you?

Another great example of how this stuff writes itself. Ya just have to love the human race!