Random randomness

Sectoid · Post by **Sectoid** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 7:40 am

I work for a company called President Container. Apparently, they frown on answering the phone like various presidents.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:14 am

Our containers are so great you could build a wall outta'em.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:15 am

Brian wrote:Is it poon tang or poontang?

I'm updating my Christian Mingle profile and want to get it right.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:30 am

Last night was the first time in three weeks that I've actually slept straight through the night. No whining dog, no crying kids, no getting up to pee, no nightmares about dad's passing...I just slept for 7 hours straight.

It's completely remarkable how much better I feel this morning. I had forgotten that it is actually possible to be functional in the morning and not just walk through the day half asleep.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:35 am

Sectoid wrote:I work for a company called President Container. Apparently, they frown on answering the phone like various presidents.

How about as Vice President Sack?

Secretary of State Poke?

Chief of Staff Canister?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 12:43 pm

Just don't call it cardboard.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 12:44 pm

Blackhawk wrote:Just don't call it cardboard.

...pasteboard?

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 1:13 pm

hepcat wrote:
Sectoid wrote:I work for a company called President Container. Apparently, they frown on answering the phone like various presidents.
How about as Vice President Sack?

Secretary of State Poke?

Chief of Staff Canister?

Secretary of Education Bookbag

Sectoid · Post by **Sectoid** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 1:15 pm

hentzau wrote:
hepcat wrote:
Sectoid wrote:I work for a company called President Container. Apparently, they frown on answering the phone like various presidents.
How about as Vice President Sack?

Secretary of State Poke?

Chief of Staff Canister?
Secretary of Education Bookbag

Secretary of Energy Capacitor

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 1:38 pm

If your homeowners policy includes an "inflation guard" and you haven't revisited your coverage in quite a few years, you might be able to save some money. I had neglected ours for so long that the 4% annual coverage increase added up to $100k more coverage than the underwriter decided we actually needed. Busting it down to a realistic level saved us $216/year.

Changing the deductible from $500 to $1000 saved us another $200/yr. If we don't have a claim in the next 2.5 years we'll come out ahead on that change, too. Since we've only ever made two claims in 28 years, it's a fairly safe gamble.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 1:51 pm

I just put the second roof on my house. My deductible is pegged at 1% covered value.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 2:16 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:I just put the second roof on my house. My deductible is pegged at 1% covered value.

Yeah, me too.

1.00% ($4,920)

That's only for Wind/Hail damage only though. $1k for everything else.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 4:24 pm

Enough wrote:Lowering the Bar (first learned of them via Mr. Fed) tackles the case of the monkey selfie and who owns the copyright.

Settlement

The monkey—represented by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, itself represented by Irell & Manella—appealed to the Ninth Circuit, but as Techdirt reported Tuesday, the parties have now filed a joint motion saying that they have settled the case and asking the court to dismiss the appeal.
...
I don’t think the exact terms of the settlement have been announced, although PETA disclosed that Slater has agreed to donate 25 percent of any future earnings from the photo to Indonesian-monkey-related charities. He has also agreed not to contest the dismissal of an appeal he was almost certain to win (or, at least, that PETA was almost certain to lose), and in fact the motion to dismiss the appeal also asks the court to vacate the district court’s judgment. In other words, it would be as if the lower court never ruled at all.

Techdirt suggests that PETA wants this because it’s planning to bring similar lawsuits in the future and so doesn’t want that bad precedent on the books. It certainly doesn’t want the impending bad Ninth Circuit decision on the books, but that wouldn’t necessarily explain the motion to vacate the lower court’s ruling. There’s other precedent out there, plus vacating the judgment won’t mean it’ll be forgotten, just that it wouldn’t be technically binding. (It’s a district-court decision, so at best it’d only have been binding in the Northern District of California anyway.)

I think the better explanation is that under U.S. law, the “prevailing party” in a copyright case can ask the court to make the losing party pay its legal fees, and PETA preferred to work that out with Slater rather than have him seek and possibly get a bigger award from the court. That means the settlement involves PETA paying Slater directly—something it really should do since the lawsuit was basically for publicity reasons, and probably cost Slater a lot of money in legal fees. Slater has obviously agreed not to challenge the dismissal or vacatur, and I can’t imagine why he’d do that if PETA wasn’t paying him.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 5:15 pm

It is surprisingly difficult to find an affordable entertainment center with shelves that will support a 29" CRT TV.

Brian · Post by **Brian** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 5:28 pm

If we could figure out a way to get it to you, I would happily give you mine.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 5:33 pm

Yeah. Same. Probably. We recently got a new sound base. It's wider than our current stand. So we'll have to pick up a new stand. But we don't have any plans for the current stand.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 10:26 pm

Bought my first car for me, not my wife. 2014 Audi A4 with only 9500 miles. It'll be nice to drive myself to work.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 12:10 am

First car I ever bought for myself was a 1968 Datsun 210. It drove me crazy.

0-60 in....................never! Not even downhill!

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 12:36 am

I bought a '56 Buick for $10. It ran for a few months.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 1:24 am

Pretty average for a Buick.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 1:31 am

First car I drove was a 1978 Ford Mustang. Same hatchback I rode in during kindergarten. It was a glorified Pinto -- with only 3 cylinders. The 4th piston had cracked and squeaked all the time. We never knew and were lucky it never ejected out the engine block.

No wonder cars never excited me.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 2:21 am

dbt1949 wrote:First car I ever bought for myself was a 1968 Datsun 210. It drove me crazy.

0-60 in....................never! Not even downhill!

I paid $400 for a 1970s-vintage 710 and sold it two years later for $200. Apart from gas and oil, the only money I put into it was $100 for new tires. Oh yeah, and I had to replace the battery after it exploded. (Pro tip: If you have to wiggle the battery cables sometimes to make your car start, you ought to replace your battery cables.) Main thing I remember about that car was that the stick was about two feet long. Shifting that sucker was a workout.

First car I bought was a 72 Opel GT.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 5:44 am

First car I bought was in 1986 and I was 17 years old. My parents had all chipped in since I was a wee little nipper and stuffed jars and such with loose bills and change. Probably had a couple thousand once. But by the time I was 17 it had I think $95 in it. So that was my down payment on a 1974 Toyota Corolla SR5. It was $850. I paid it off by working hard. In late 87 or early 88 I sold it to a buddy for $50. Didn't need it as I was driving a 86 Trans-Am. But damn I miss that car. It was in great shape when I got it. Only bad spot was the drivers seat was worn out. By the time I was done with it the center console was in the back seat. The hubcaps were gone, the throttle was a coat hanger piece, the radio was in the floor, the door panel had speakers cut into them, and among many other things the muffler was cut off. Oh and two silly teenager bumper stickers stuck to the paint on the trunk lid...Born horny and the other was Party naked. Ya...Ya I really worked that little car over. But I miss it so much. It doesn't matter that it died and wouldn't start or that the shift knob came off in your hand at all the wrong times or that it would suddenly got full throttle and stay there for no reason. Nope I loved it and now I feel dumb for selling it.

Since then we've been through a 85 and 86 Trans-Am, a 84 Toyota Corolla, a 98 Ford Contour, and now a 01 Mustang. For the last year Ive looked off and on for my old registry of that SR5. In the early 90s I dug it out and looked up the vin through some gov place and found it was in New York. I doubt it survived. I have no idea what the vin is now and I cant find my old paper work. Wish I knew.

This one is a LOT like mine just a lot nicer. Mine was Gray metallic flake or charcoal. Had the luggage rack and all. Fender flairs..you name it.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 7:08 am

Car I learned to drive on and "owned" was this little "classic"

Except mine's "champagne gold", not shit brown.

And it's the American version, not the Canadian version.

When that one died I shopped local dealers when I spotted this car on a GM dealer's used lot.

Except mine's dark gray and Mercury, not Ford. Took it to Ford dealer... The previous owner never canceled the extended warranty. I paid like $50 to have it transferred and saved me like 1000+ in repairs.

Left it behind when I moved a couple states over.

MonkeyFinger · Post by **MonkeyFinger** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 10:30 am

The first car I bought was a well-used 1971 Datsun 240Z which I had a love/hate relationship with. Loved it when it ran, hated it when it stranded me somewhere. Ended up rebuilding everything mechanical in it before eventually selling it. My first and last great adventure in doing all of the work on a car myself.

Not mine but close enough.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 10:54 am

MonkeyFinger wrote:The first car I bought was a well-used 1971 Datsun 240Z which I had a love/hate relationship with. Loved it when it ran, hated it when it stranded me somewhere.

That same lament applies to every classic sports car, including my old Opel. The tuning screws on the carburetor would gradually vibrate out of tune; I coated them in rubber cement to keep them from drifting. It's a good thing superglue hadn't been invented yet.

Back in the day I really wanted a Datsun Z...or an MG, or a Triumph. Went as far as test-driving a used MG once, but I knew I didn't have the mechanical know-how or the money to keep it running. My gearhead buddy told me I was on my own because everything was metric so his tools wouldn't work.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 1:55 pm

My first vehicle was a 1973 Ford F250 that was built green, then spray-painted black in an abandoned lot in Denver. I drove that thing for a couple of years before it died from the abuse my friends and I subjected it to, but damn - we had fun in that thing. And never died for some reason. Among the remembered abuses:

~My friend got on top of the hood and just dropped. His 280 pound mass gave it a huge concave dent. We'd fill that full of alcohol, then toss in a match as we drove. Three foot flames as we drove, usually around public areas - the mall was a favorite.

~Real-life Autoduel.

~Real life shopping cart Rocket League.

~Experienced what it's actually like to go through 'road closed' barricades at 70.

~It was shot several times, and one fender showed evidence of a friend trying out his homemade warhammer.

I was a troubled teen, in case you were wondering.

gilraen · Post by **gilraen** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 6:52 pm

Why would a recipe call for a 15oz can of condensed Cheddar Cheese soup, when Campbell only makes 10oz cans?

Brian · Post by **Brian** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 7:13 pm

"Because, fuck you! That's why." - Sincerely, Campbell's Soup Company

Madmarcus · Post by **Madmarcus** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 7:15 pm

dbt1949 wrote:
0-60 in....................never! Not even downhill!

You needed a bigger hill.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 9:42 pm

gilraen wrote:Why would a recipe call for a 15oz can of condensed Cheddar Cheese soup, when Campbell only makes 10oz cans?

Probably the Incredible Shrinking Package. Now it's getting hard to find pasta in 16 oz boxes. I have never seen a recipe call for 13.25 oz of pasta.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 11:34 pm

Brian wrote:"Because, fuck you! That's why." - Sincerely, Campbell's Soup Company

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 11:34 pm

Madmarcus wrote:
dbt1949 wrote:
0-60 in....................never! Not even downhill!
You needed a bigger hill.

Or a plane to drop it out of.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 11:35 pm

Madmarcus wrote:
dbt1949 wrote:
0-60 in....................never! Not even downhill!
You needed a bigger hill.

Or a plane to drop it out of.

Let's see those seized bearings slow it down now!

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 11:57 pm

Just got a notice from Amazon associates that my account has been terminated with no chance of appeal. Apparently dropping affiliate links on ANY domain I didn't own is considered "abuse", which apparently includes my forum sig and such.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Sep 17, 2017 12:06 am

I do not like the trend of smaller items for the same price. Like sugar. used to be 5lb bags and now they are all 4 lb bags. Same price though.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Sun Sep 17, 2017 12:17 am

Then a few months or a year from now they'll raise the price of the four pound bag and they start over again.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Sep 17, 2017 12:36 am

Pretty soon, you'll be buying sugar packets.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Sep 17, 2017 12:41 am

Daehawk wrote:I do not like the trend of smaller items for the same price. Like sugar. used to be 5lb bags and now they are all 4 lb bags. Same price though.

The alternative would be to pay 20% more for the 5lb bag.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Sun Sep 17, 2017 1:21 am

How many grams of sugar you looking for? I could probably get you an eightball.