Random randomness

[Daehawk]

62-year-old patient missing since May found dead in VA hospital’s stairwell

It took the VA a month to find a dead man in their stairwell. Incompetent shit hole. This country's vets deserve SO much better.

[hitbyambulance]

This country's vets deserve SO much better.

the VA pretty much killed my uncle - they completely neglected to find either of the two cancers he had (and misdiagnosed both) until they had become terminal

[Daehawk]

Sorry to hear about your uncle. Seems the country just uses up it's vets then forgets them if they cant put their name on a wall some place.


On another note we have a Mimosa Tree in our front yard. It was Lil'Ds favorite. Its in full bloom now and smells so good. Its like a unique perfume.

[hitbyambulance]

i have to get my passport renewed as it expires in six days. i can't get it done in person as it's not an 'immediate need' and by mail it will take an 'undetermined amount of time'. of course the form needs to be downloaded and mailed in, and i don't have a printer, nobody i know has one, and the libraries are closed. i suppose i have to avail myself of a Kinkos (are those even still around??) (EDIT: i see they're now "FedEx Office")

[Sudy]

Man, every time I need to print a document these days and can't do it at work, I pretty much go out and buy a new $30 inkjet because the old one always breaks on me. It's so wasteful and stupid. I've bought a couple of lasers over the years, but they broke too and it wasn't worthwhile to pay to have them repaired. Maybe I need to buy a high-end laser and keep it in a hermetically sealed box when not in use.

I like that for many events you can now usually use a virtual ticket to get in. But I still always print one, being paranoid.

[Smoove_B]

I've bought a couple of lasers over the years, but they broke too and it wasn't worthwhile to pay to have them repaired. Maybe I need to buy a high-end laser and keep it in a hermetically sealed box when not in use.

I am still using an HP Laser jet 1012 - manufactured in 2004 (I think). I had to do magic to get Win10 to recognize it, but for printing B&W documents it's a workhorse. I will be legitimately sad if it stops working.

[Daehawk]

i have to get my passport renewed as it expires in six days. i can't get it done in person as it's not an 'immediate need' and by mail it will take an 'undetermined amount of time'. of course the form needs to be downloaded and mailed in, and i don't have a printer, nobody i know has one, and the libraries are closed. i suppose i have to avail myself of a Kinkos (are those even still around??) (EDIT: i see they're now "FedEx Office")

Staples.

[The Meal]

Paid under $100 (August 2018) for this Brother monochrome laser printer/scanner after getting sick of the dry Colorado air wreaking havoc on our previous ink jet printers (and our infrequent use). Do not regret. Unfortunately the price is way higher at that link right now, but maybe a similar price is available elsewhere.

[Smoove_B]

Oddly enough I can also recommend that printer (wife purchased it in September of last year). It's a solid device.

[The Meal]

I generally use it from a desktop PC, but the wife semi-regularly prints from her iPad, so it's pretty convenient for multi-OS family use (I see reviews that say it doesn't play with with linux, so hitbyambulance and Anonymous Bosch are out of luck).

[LordMortis]

I was a big fan of the HP 1102 which was about $140 when it was available. (Probably cycled in a half dozen of them since 2010 and haven't cycled any out) It was a workhorse and good on toner for a single user. The Internet seems to suggest the M102 is its spiritual successor but I can't vouch for that model, even it it's $20 cheaper. No scanner.

[Kasey Chang]

I am using a Brother MFC-J4800W which is network print ready with Wifi, wired, phone, fax, etc. Scanner, color or B/W, has TWAIN drivers if you still need that, works with Windows scan too. Ink is reasonable if you buy aftermarket instead of original. Works fine so far, it's just ink tanks.

[Kraken]

Wife and I each have a wireless Brother laser printer. Yes, we have two printers, because when we got them we both did a lot of printing. Hers is maybe 3 years old; mine's the same model but previous generation, and at least 10 years old. In fact, it looks like the one The Meal linked is the latest generation in the same line. They're good machines that happily use cheap generic toner cartridges without complaints.

[hitbyambulance]

normally i'd use the workplace machine for the five or six times a year i'd need a document, but not an option now. i swore off printer ownership 17 years ago.

[Kasey Chang]

Need the hivemind on something kitchen related.

My kitchen has extremely weak ceiling light, and it's got one of those circular fluorescent lights that I can't really upgrade by just putting in something brighter. And I don't have the resources to rewire it.

I had a small kitchen under-cabinet light just over the sink, but it's used so often the switch surfaces all broke (from wear) and now the wire underneath also chafed and lost connection. I'll have to re-wire it.

I was thinking about getting one of those LED lights with motion sensor so nobody has to touch the switch, but the under-cabinet surface is full of tacky oil residue and nothing sticks. So I was thinking clamps.

But finding cheap clamps proved to be a challenge in itself.

In the meanwhile, I have a LED torcheire that should be here any day now that'll do indirect lighting (and I can always move that to my room when I get the kitchen problem permanently solved).

So, any suggestions on the clamp front? Needs to be underhang clamp, preferably under $15 for a pair. I can attach them to the LED lamp with zipties and whatnot.

[LordMortis]

normally i'd use the workplace machine for the five or six times a year i'd need a document, but not an option now. i swore off printer ownership 17 years ago.

That's me. I always print from work. I haven't owned a personal printer 20+ years. Now work is occasionally expecting me to print/scan from home and I'm like can that wait until I'm in the office, wherein my presence is slowly being ramped up. I was all for that until everyone started talking about HVAC spread of disease. Now I'm a bit reticent in support of the idea (which I was all for not too long ago) but we gots to do what we gots to do and I get a lot more work done at work than I do from home and I'm going to find myself in a situation I can't crawl out of if I get much deeper.

[Daehawk]

My printer is a Brother monochrome laser scanner wireless and its been perfect. Put a new toner in it last year. Use about 100 sheet per few months. I print all receipts and such. Its a HL-L2380DW. Looks like the one posted just a slight different model number. When I bought it they were selling for about $86. I think I paid $13 for toner that is good for 2500 pages or so. And unlike inkjet it will never dry out and clog.

[Skinypupy]

Well, I can now add “large corneal abrasion” to my list of why 2020 is the shittiest year ever.

Left eye started hurting yesterday, and by the time I woke up this morning, it was swollen completely shut and was massively painful. Doctor said I have a large corneal abrasion right over my pupil, which is essentially going to blur my vision completely out that eye until it gets better. I basically can’t see anything out of the left eye at all, while it shoots constant stabbing pains up through my head. So that’s fun.

Thankfully eyes usually heal very quickly, but it will still likely be end of the week before things are back to normal (with antibiotic and steroid drops). He said it was a combination of inflammation from allergies, my contacts, and rubbing my eyes that did the equivalent of a “nasty skinned knee” right over the front of my eyeball.

On the plus side, I did get an eye patch to wear. Taking applications for pirate names now.

[Daehawk]

As I recall drops burn.

[Skinypupy]

As I recall drops burn.

Like a MF’er

[Kraken]

Well, I can now add “large corneal abrasion” to my list of why 2020 is the shittiest year ever.

Left eye started hurting yesterday, and by the time I woke up this morning, it was swollen completely shut and was massively painful. Doctor said I have a large corneal abrasion right over my pupil, which is essentially going to blur my vision completely out that eye until it gets better. I basically can’t see anything out of the left eye at all, while it shoots constant stabbing pains up through my head. So that’s fun.

Thankfully eyes usually heal very quickly, but it will still likely be end of the week before things are back to normal (with antibiotic and steroid drops). He said it was a combination of inflammation from allergies, my contacts, and rubbing my eyes that did the equivalent of a “nasty skinned knee” right over the front of my eyeball.

On the plus side, I did get an eye patch to wear. Taking applications for pirate names now.

Puppybeard? Long John Skinny?

I did something like that a couple of years ago when I poked myself in the eye in my sleep and scratched it with my fingernail. I didn't get any pirate accoutrements, though.

[Daehawk]

Gave myself a black eye once. Guess that doesn't count. I did use those drops once...burned like he said a M'fr. The black eye was me asleep and turning over but my right arm was asleep. So as I turned it flopped over and punched me in my eye. Woke me right the F up

[Blackhawk]

Well, I can now add “large corneal abrasion” to my list of why 2020 is the shittiest year ever.

Oof. I had one last year (got pecked in the eye by a pigeon.) Holy shit they hurt. I stayed inside with the blinds drawn and all of the lights off for three days. The first day I wore sunglasses on top of all of that and still couldn't open either of my eyes for more than a split second. I got a crash course in blind life - and finished a couple of books on Audible (I know I did Count Zero, but I don't remember what else.)

[Skinypupy]

Well, I can now add “large corneal abrasion” to my list of why 2020 is the shittiest year ever.

Oof. I had one last year (got pecked in the eye by a pigeon.) Holy shit they hurt. I stayed inside with the blinds drawn and all of the lights off for three days. The first day I wore sunglasses on top of all of that and still couldn't open either of my eyes for more than a split second. I got a crash course in blind life - and finished a couple of books on Audible (I know I did Count Zero, but I don't remember what else.)

Yeah, the pain has been intense. The steroid has helped the swelling go down, but since abrasion is right over my pupil, I can't see a damn thing out of my left eye. It's no longer sending lightning through my head if I open it though (and I can look at a screen for a few minutes at a time, even if it's blurry), so...win?

Good opportunity to finish the LOTR audiobooks, I guess.

[Holman]

Good opportunity to finish the LOTR audiobooks, I guess.

If it's the Rob Inglis version, at least it will be lively.

I once drove 10 hours listening to his FOTR, and it felt like nothing.

[Blackhawk]

I still have copies of the Mind's Eye version on cassette.

[Isgrimnur]

This is way better than the Lee Carvello AAR.

Lee: Welcome to Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge. I am Carvallo. Now,
choose a club.

You have chosen a three wood. May I suggest a putter?

Three wood.

Now enter the force of your swing. I suggest feather
touch.

You have entered "power drive". Now, push seven eight seven to
swing.

[ball bounces into the parking lot]

Ball is in: parking lot.

Would you like to play again?

You have selected "no".

Now you can play it yourself.

[Skinypupy]

Woke up this morning to an authentication text that was sent to my phone at 1:14am. Problem is, it doesn’t actually say what it’s for, just a generic “your authentication code is XXXXX” message. It’s something I’ve used before, because I have a couple other texts from that same number.

Looks like I’ll be changing my passwords to everything, yet again.

[Jaymann]

Why do the British call a flashlight a torch? We haven't used torches in a couple hundred years.

[LordMortis]

Woke up this morning to an authentication text that was sent to my phone at 1:14am. Problem is, it doesn’t actually say what it’s for, just a generic “your authentication code is XXXXX” message. It’s something I’ve used before, because I have a couple other texts from that same number.

Looks like I’ll be changing my passwords to everything, yet again.

I get text alerts every time my CC is used electronically. My gas company bills at 03:30 and the damned thing wakes me up every month. I don't want to silence the alert. It's already helped nip $.50 test charge on my card from New York right as it happened.

Also sucks for you. I hate something that suspicious happens and forces extreme action, like when I get an email from Blizzard authenticating my authentication change. Which has been a sort of thing to happen twice in the last year. One of us here at OO, I forget who, uses a different email account for every account they have. That has always seemed extreme to me, right up until the credit breach a couple of years ago. Now I occasionally wonder how much effort it would take to separate every account I have by its own email firewall.

[dbt1949]

Why do the British call a flashlight a torch? We haven't used torches in a couple hundred years.

Speak for yourself.

[Skinypupy]

I'm mostly just incredibly annoyed that the text didn't indicate what it's from, so now I have to change everything. 90% of text verifications actually say who it's from. I.E. "Your Xfinity verification code is XXXXX" or "Here is your Blizzard code XXXXXX".

This one has no identification, so I have no idea what account of mine someone tried to access.

EDIT: Two thoughts as I'm changing passwords.

1. The variation in what you can and can't use for passwords is infuriating. Some require symbols, some don't allow them at all, and yet others allow certain symbols but not others (one site did not allow ! or #, but did allow @).

2. What good is turning on two-factor authentication if it doesn't actually send you an authentication text when the gorram password is changed? Nor does it require a new login with the new password on mobile devices? Looking at you, Facebook.

I've now changed every account I could think of, and didn't get another authentication text from that number. I still have no idea what someone tried to change last night.

[LordMortis]

I'm mostly just incredibly annoyed that the text didn't indicate what it's from, so now I have to change everything. 90% of text verifications actually say who it's from. I.E. "Your Xfinity verification code is XXXXX" or "Here is your Blizzard code XXXXXX".

While none of my services do this, it's a security best practice to not reveal authentication information when someone is trying to authenticate. The more they reveal, the more they expose the risk of breach.

"Sorry the password you entered had 11 alphanumeric and non numeric characters, but we were looking for a exactly the 8 lowercase letters that closest match the name of your first pet additionally your user name is the first letter of your given name, the first six characters of your sirname and then is appended by numbers as necessary to prevent duplication. No punctuation is used as it can be used to exploit encryption methods in the hash available at the time."

That's a bad practice.

1. The variation in what you can and can't use for passwords is infuriating. Some require symbols, some don't allow them at all, and yet others allow certain symbols but not others (one site did not allow ! or #, but did allow @).

And how.

Looking at you, Facebook.

Done.

[hitbyambulance]

my mom recently signed on FB because some fitness class she was taking "required" her to be a member. she was rapidly sucked in to the FB derpfeed.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Why do the British call a flashlight a torch? We haven't used torches in a couple hundred years.

Because British English was around long before battery-operated illumination, and old habits die hard. It actually makes a wee bit more sense than referring to 'em as "flashlights" (considering most do not ordinarily flash at all, unless goofing around).

[Skinypupy]

I'm mostly just incredibly annoyed that the text didn't indicate what it's from, so now I have to change everything. 90% of text verifications actually say who it's from. I.E. "Your Xfinity verification code is XXXXX" or "Here is your Blizzard code XXXXXX".

While none of my services do this, it's a security best practice to not reveal authentication information when someone is trying to authenticate. The more they reveal, the more they expose the risk of breach.

"Sorry the password you entered had 11 alphanumeric and non numeric characters, but we were looking for a exactly the 8 lowercase letters that closest match the name of your first pet additionally your user name is the first letter of your given name, the first six characters of your sirname and then is appended by numbers as necessary to prevent duplication. No punctuation is used as it can be used to exploit encryption methods in the hash available at the time."

That's a bad practice.

How is including the name of the service (I.E. “The Xbox Security code you requested is XXXX”) any less risky than making me go through every account I own, changing every password, and still not knowing what triggered the authentication text?

Seems like the latter would be a higher risk, tbh. Since there was no indication what it was for, I have no idea what information they were trying to get access to. As a result, I have no way to protect it by changing my password or other login info.

[LordMortis]

How is including the name of the service (I.E. “The Xbox Security code you requested is XXXX”) any less risky than making me go through every account I own, changing every password, and still not knowing what triggered the authentication text?

Seems like the latter would be a higher risk, tbh. Since there was no indication what it was for, I have no idea what information they were trying to get access to. As a result, I have no way to protect it by changing my password or other login info.

As your vendor, I don't care about your other accounts. I care about someone trying to use your account breach my system. I care about you insomuch as if I lose enough of you I have customer retention problem.

All that said, I've never experienced a vendor not identifying themselves with an electronic from of 2FA, so my instinct would be say that the text was an attempt at a scam because my security instinct is always an attempt at a scam when something is not immediately everything I expect it to be.

[Skinypupy]

That makes sense. Still frustrating, but I get it.

I don’t think it was a scam, since I had received an authentication from that same number before, but who knows at this point. All my important ones have been changed, so if someone manages to hack into my old NC Soft account or something, then more power to ‘em.

[Isgrimnur]

How long is the number and is the verbiage exactly the same?

[Skinypupy]

How long is the number and is the verbiage exactly the same?

Text came from a 5 digit number (XXX-XX format), code was 6 digits, exact same verbiage as the previous one.