Random randomness

[dbt1949]

I was always big butt not bad ass.

[Holman]

Ive spent 2 days watching Lord of the Rings movie clips and studying maps the LotR world. Theres a LOT more detail than I thought to the maps but ill be damned if I can find a map to do the world justice. So many more places to find and see and the most fun i have is seeing a place's location on the map from the book or movies. Its really nice to see them in relation to other locations and what happens at them in different times of the world. How the place evolved. The heroes journeys. Places like Durin's Tower. Always wonder where it was related to Moria and the Endless Steps. Fun stuff. Maybe its just me.

Quick question. Where was the king and Aragorn camped when Elrond brings him the reforged sword? I wondered because it has a Pukel-Man statue on the path up to it and I thought that was way in the north yet I thought the camp was south down near the deadpaths.

You want this awesome book of maps: Journeys of Frodo.

It's based on the books, not the movie, but/and it's wonderful.

[dbt1949]

Had a skin cancer taken off my face near my right eye today. Now my eye is almost swollen shut.
Was supposed to pick up some antibiotics from my local drug store but they were out. They'll probably have it tomorrow but with my eyesite screwed up I don't feel like driving. Hopefully it won't get infected. They were awfully careful today.

[Moat_Man]

Were you scavenging the place after a zombie apocalypse? How does a drug store run out of antibiotics?

[Blackhawk]

Quick question. Where was the king and Aragorn camped when Elrond brings him the reforged sword? I wondered because it has a Pukel-Man statue on the path up to it and I thought that was way in the north yet I thought the camp was south down near the deadpaths.

To clear up some confusion, if you looking at book maps, he was camped in Imladris (Rivendell.) That scene was only in the movies. In the books, it was a small army of Dunedain (other rangers) who showed up, and who accompanied him through the Paths of the Dead. Now, look at the map LM posted. Find Edoras. Draw a line south to Erech. Dimorberg is about a third of the way down that line. That's where he was camped in the movies.

[dbt1949]

Were you scavenging the place after a zombie apocalypse? How does a drug store run out of antibiotics?

I agree this should never have happened but they probably have 2 dozen or more different types of antibiotics out there. They just ran out of the kind I needed.

[Daehawk]

My crappy back has been good for a few weeks but just now it started in on me again by slipping out a bit. It knew I had to be up and in town to do things today like groceries in about 6 hours.. I swear.

[hitbyambulance]

Willie Nelson's second album of this year is coming out next month - it'll be his 68th studio album

[Scuzz]

Achievement unlocked: Empty Nester

Helping the boys move into an apartment. Fortunately, it's only a couple blocks from my house, so we don't have to rent a truck. It does mean a lot of trips in the Forester and I am impatient to get it over with. Getting my house emptied of clutter is a side benefit.

My oldest daughter went to school in Northridge. She ended up spending 5 years in the LA area, going to school and working. Finally, because of money problems caused by room mate problems she ended up moving back home a few years ago. The first year was pretty rough, she didn't want to be here and she brought 2 cats with her. But now, we have learned to enjoy each others company again and the cats are fine.

But, I do look forward to the day that she can move out again, hopefully locally so we can see her, but it would be nice to have that room back and get rid of the stuff in storage.

[Moliere]

The Untold Story of Napoleon Hill, the Greatest Self-Help Scammer of All Time

Napoleon Hill is the most famous conman you’ve probably never heard of. Born into poverty in rural Virginia at the end of the 19th century, Hill went on to write one of the most successful self-help books of the 20th century: Think and Grow Rich. In fact, he helped invent the genre. But it’s the untold story of Hill’s fraudulent business practices, tawdry sex life, and membership in a New York cult that makes him so fascinating.

That cult would become infamous in the late 1930s for trying to raise an “immortal baby.” But even those who know the story of Immortal Baby Jean may not know that the cult was inspired by Hill’s teachings, practically using his most famous work as their holy text. Don’t worry, the whole story of Napoleon Hill only gets weirder from there.

[Default]

Achievement unlocked: Empty Nester

Helping the boys move into an apartment. Fortunately, it's only a couple blocks from my house, so we don't have to rent a truck. It does mean a lot of trips in the Forester and I am impatient to get it over with. Getting my house emptied of clutter is a side benefit.

My oldest daughter went to school in Northridge. She ended up spending 5 years in the LA area, going to school and working. Finally, because of money problems caused by room mate problems she ended up moving back home a few years ago. The first year was pretty rough, she didn't want to be here and she brought 2 cats with her. But now, we have learned to enjoy each others company again and the cats are fine.

But, I do look forward to the day that she can move out again, hopefully locally so we can see her, but it would be nice to have that room back and get rid of the stuff in storage.

I'm looking forward to being by myself for a little bit and having only myself to care for. It has been a rugged decade...

[Isgrimnur]

Mike McFarland, the voice actor of Master Roshi from Dragonball, is sitting for an event 20 feet in front of me.

[Daehawk]

Mike McFarland, the voice actor of Master Roshi from Dragonball, is sitting for an event 20 feet in front of me.

Have you got your rope, chloroform, and large sack ready yet?

[Isgrimnur]

Funimation is based out of the area. I can get a better target with better preparation.

[Holman]

Willie Nelson's second album of this year is coming out next month - it'll be his 68th studio album

Love me some Willie Nelson! I think I just heard him on the radio singing a duet with.. Alison Krauss maybe? Hopefully that's on the new album.

Anecdote: I still remember my straight-laced, almost-never-drink-a-drop parents acting all giddy and silly when they got home from a Willie concert in 1979. They must have been seated near the smoking section.

[Daehawk]

The Hobbit movie question...Ill spoiler tag it for anyone not having seen the movie...like me

Im asking because I have not read the books or saw the movies but have seen many clips so maybe Im just missing a key event....

Spoiler:

Thorin seemed a good guy and fair king but then at Erebor he seems to have turned on everyone like madness took him or greed or corruption. He refuses to honor his treasure splitting, he tries to kill Bilbo, he wont deal with the elves. What happened to cause that all?

[Holman]

The Hobbit movie question...Ill spoiler tag it for anyone not having seen the movie...like me

Im asking because I have not read the books or saw the movies but have seen many clips so maybe Im just missing a key event....

Spoiler:

Thorin seemed a good guy and fair king but then at Erebor he seems to have turned on everyone like madness took him or greed or corruption. He refuses to honor his treasure splitting, he tries to kill Bilbo, he wont deal with the elves. What happened to cause that all?

Spoiler:

The movie presents Thorin experiencing a fall into "gold madness," the deep greed that afflicts the dwarves. It's presented pretty explicitly as an analogue to Gollum's being taken over by the ring.

This goes beyond the novel (which Tolkien wrote before he really knew anything about Sauron and the power of the Ring as such), but it's more or less consistent with it.

In the novel, Thorin feels betrayed by Bilbo because Bilbo found and hid the Arkenstone (the most important gem) and tried to use it to barter peace with the elves and men who've come to claim a portion of the mountain horde. He exiles Bilbo and prepares for war, as in the movie, but Tolkien (who was still writing for his kids here) dwells much less on the dwarf ruler's tortured psychological state.

[Blackhawk]

The Arkenstone. Next time you watch, pay attention to what happened with Thror, his father. It's history repeating itself, and is described as the failing of the dwarves in Middle Earth.

[Daehawk]

Oh ok thanks guys. Makes you wonder why the dwarves moved to there then after the battle.

[Daehawk]

The greedy ways Apple got to $1 trillion

[Default]

The big day. The power is supposed to be on in the kids' apartment today. Only things that need to go over are a tv stand, bookcase, and a computer desk. Then I get to rip up the new floor in Andy's former room and replace the planks that he ruined in the past couple of months...

[Daehawk]

Now admit it. Yes you're proud of them. You are glad they have made it this far. Its all cool. But you must be feeling some sadness at the nest emptying. Its a new world again. They wont be in your sight every day in some way. I cant imagine all the feelings you must go through in a day....especially a day like this.

[Max Peck]

Happy "We Want a Long Weekend in August" Day!

[Daehawk]

It would be nice to get every 12th week off with pay.

[Daehawk]

CBS exec says All Star Trek all the time!

[Isgrimnur]

WaPo

On a global level, economists and historians have shown that places that prospered 100, 500, even 1,000 years ago tend to be more economically developed today.
...
Now, a team of Danish economists has put forth a forceful case for one largely overlooked driver of economic development in Europe: roadways built by the Roman empire nearly two thousand years ago. They demonstrate that the density of ancient Roman roads at a given point in Europe strongly correlates with present-day prosperity, as measured by modern-day road density, population density and even satellite imagery of nighttime lighting.

Their data shows that infrastructure investments are — if you’ll pardon an unpardonable pun — a pathway to long-term prosperity.

[Smoove_B]

Not sure who designed the DirecTV Genie UI, but they should be fired.

I'm sensing that 18+ years of being a TiVo disciple is going to make for a painful transition.

[stessier]

Not sure who designed the DirecTV Genie UI, but they should be fired.

I'm sensing that 18+ years of being a TiVo disciple is going to make for a painful transition.

It was the final straw that cause me to ditch DirecTV for Charter (which I could use a real TiVo with) back in 2012 after being a subscriber for 10 years. Not sure if there have been improvements since then.

[Smoove_B]

It looks like there's been a series of updates - including one a few weeks ago, so I can only imagine how bad it was back in 2012. If I had any other TV service option (I think Dish is the only choice), I'd drop service in a heartbeat. I spent a solid 30 minutes with it this afternoon and the only thing I've concluded is that it's not TiVo and it's painful. I'll just focus on the myriad of other problems my home is currently experiencing (hello leaking roof, nice to see you again) and be happy my problems aren't that bad.

But yeah, total crap.

[Daehawk]

Sometimes you are doing something and recall something from your past or your childhood.

I was looking up when Coca Cola stopped using sugar in the US..1985 btw....because I am drinking a Mexican Coke.¡Si Señor! Suddenly I remembered as a child I owned a Coca Cola toy truck that came with removable pallets of bottle Coke. They were tiny and were supposed to be the glass bottles in the wooden cases. They even had paint to look like Coke in them. I looked online but none of the pics rang a bell but wow those old Buddy L toys can be expensive. I can remember as a little kid in the early 70s trying to lift one end of a wooden case of bottled Cokes in a store. Damn heavy.

[Kraken]

Me and Wife won 2nd place in bar trivia tonight. We were in 4th place going into final jeopardy. When we learned that the category was Sports, I wagered 0 points. Sure enough, everybody else blew it. Hello, $15! w00t!

The 1st place team -- eight old people -- had a commanding lead and must have bet conservatively. We can usually beat young people, but there was no way we were going to outperform eight of our peers. I felt like that was a little unfair; most trivia matches put a 4- or 5-person limit on teams. With eight people you aren't going to have any weak categories, but when it's just Wife and I, sports and pop culture kill us every time.

The question: Which Super Bowl had the biggest audience? I WAG'd 50 (not that it mattered with a 0 wager). The answer?

Spoiler:

49

[RunningMn9]

Not sure who designed the DirecTV Genie UI, but they should be fired.

I'm sensing that 18+ years of being a TiVo disciple is going to make for a painful transition.

As an original TiVo customer, I got over the switch to DirecTV years ago, but this new UI redesign is legitimately atrocious. I outright hate it.

Edit: the interface in 2012 was fine. The UI was totally redesigned and ruined this year.

[Holman]

Me and Wife won 2nd place in bar trivia tonight. We were in 4th place going into final jeopardy. When we learned that the category was Sports, I wagered 0 points. Sure enough, everybody else blew it. Hello, $15! w00t!

The 1st place team -- eight old people -- had a commanding lead and must have bet conservatively. We can usually beat young people, but there was no way we were going to outperform eight of our peers. I felt like that was a little unfair; most trivia matches put a 4- or 5-person limit on teams. With eight people you aren't going to have any weak categories, but when it's just Wife and I, sports and pop culture kill us every time.

The question: Which Super Bowl had the biggest audience? I WAG'd 50 (not that it mattered with a 0 wager). The answer?

Spoiler:

49

Look: if you two can't get six other oldsters revved up for the Norman Lear and Jack Paar categories, do you really deserve a win?

[Daehawk]

I used to win Trivial Pursuit every time I played in my 20s. But Ive been out of the loop for 20 years and have no idea. When we watch Jeopardy I know half or less now if that. As for that Superbowl I was thinking 35.

[Daehawk]

LINK

Always Sunny Duo Score Video Game Comedy Series at Apple

Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia are making a comedy series for Apple set in a video game development studio.

Variety reports this currently unnamed series will be the pair's first collaboration since working on the popular comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which McElhenney and Day both not only star in but are also executive producers.

While not much is known about the upcoming show yet, it looks to explore the intricacies of the human condition through comedy while set in the world of video game development.

Sounds like a less fun but still neat live version of Code Monkeys.

[Kraken]

Me and Wife won 2nd place in bar trivia tonight. We were in 4th place going into final jeopardy. When we learned that the category was Sports, I wagered 0 points. Sure enough, everybody else blew it. Hello, $15! w00t!

The 1st place team -- eight old people -- had a commanding lead and must have bet conservatively. We can usually beat young people, but there was no way we were going to outperform eight of our peers. I felt like that was a little unfair; most trivia matches put a 4- or 5-person limit on teams. With eight people you aren't going to have any weak categories, but when it's just Wife and I, sports and pop culture kill us every time.

The question: Which Super Bowl had the biggest audience? I WAG'd 50 (not that it mattered with a 0 wager). The answer?

Spoiler:

49

Look: if you two can't get six other oldsters revved up for the Norman Lear and Jack Paar categories, do you really deserve a win?

The only thing I hate more than young people is old people.

I'm good at pop culture up to 1980-ish. Sports? When asked recently what I thought of the Patriots this year, I declared that they don't have a chance of winning the World Series after trading Larry Bird.

[msteelers]

This has been one hell of a week. Started with my cell phone not working properly. It’s an Apple iPhone so I had to drive 45 minutes to the Apple store. I had to actually go there twice because the first time I went down there it of course was working perfectly and they couldn’t find an issue to fix. Now I’m working with a really slow loaner phone, but at least I have a phone while they fix mine.

At the same time I’m dealing with that, my car decided it was going to break. My rear passenger side door will not close any longer. It’s an issue with the latch which Ford has recalled. So I had to call the dealership and schedule an appointment.

Cut to today. I was doing some work on my computer before I have to run out to the dealership to get my car fixed. My fat fingers knock over my coffee cup which spills just a little bit of coffee but right on to the keyboard of my MacBook Pro. I try and clean it up as best as I could but immediately my display starts flickering and then goes out. Back down to the Apple Store for my third time this week. And I don’t have a car because it’s at the mechanic. And I need my computer to do my job, and I don’t know how I’m going to work around not having one.

Fun times.

[Paingod]

Is there a clinical term for being burned out on everything? Or is that just life?

I keep finding it hard to get motivated for tasks, projects, events, and other things. I have time and ability, but the motivation is just gone. All I want to do is spend a couple months straight doing nothing at all. I don't feel like this is depression - I'm not struggling to get out of bed in the morning, I'm not thinking suicidal thoughts. I just don't want to deal with anything anymore. I'm tired of BS projects at work, tired of trying to keep my house from falling apart, tired of driving 35 minutes to work each way, very very tired of politics ... I'm just tired of everything.

I just had a vacation a couple weeks back, and that "vacation" was spent at home while my wife went on an multi-mountain Colorado adventure with her brother. I got to stay home and take care of her 9 dogs and my 1 dog. I had 3 days alone, just me and the dogs, and 6 days with 1 of the kids - the other was at camp the whole time. Those three days were great - except for having the part time job of caring for a dozen animals. I felt almost like me again during those three days, instead of a corporate drone/parent.

This feeling of not caring amplified after that vacation, instead of diminished.

Living in a van down by the river is starting to sound appealing. This can't be normal.

[Blackhawk]

Is there a clinical term for being burned out on everything?

Yep.

Burnout.

[Paingod]

Is there a clinical term for being burned out on everything?

Yep.

Burnout.