Octopus Overlords

Isgrimnur wrote:Pretty soon, you'll be buying sugar packets.

Daehawk wrote:Such a cool 70s sight...

Daehawk wrote:In the past it was probably "Thats a nice wheel! Where'd you get that made?" and in the future "Thats a great antigravity drive! You port the nutronium yourself?"

Skinypupy wrote: I, on the other hand, have always been very...frugal when it comes to clothes. My entire work wardrobe consisted of 4 identical pair of khakis that I bought on clearance at Target 5 years ago for $12 each, and a whole slew of $10 blue or black polo shirts that Mrs. Skinypupy bought for me at Walmart or Target. Nothing fancy, nothing brand name, very basic, and very cheap.

Skinypupy wrote: As it turns out, Dad and I wore the same size. So after going through his closet over the weekend, I came home with - no exaggeration here - more clothes than I would buy for myself in 20 years. I have gone from a closet of cheap Walmart, to an entirely new wardrobe of business casual consisting of Polo, Tommy Bahama, Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, Nautica, North Face, Columbia, Nike, etc. I'm guessing some of these shirts by themselves cost more than I would spend on work clothes in an entire year.

And that's just his "summer clothes". There's a whole 'nother closet full of long sleeve shirts, heavier slacks, and suits in mom's basement that I haven't gone through yet.

Shit you not, I may never have to buy clothes again.

Holman wrote:

Skinypupy wrote: As it turns out, Dad and I wore the same size. So after going through his closet over the weekend, I came home with - no exaggeration here - more clothes than I would buy for myself in 20 years. I have gone from a closet of cheap Walmart, to an entirely new wardrobe of business casual consisting of Polo, Tommy Bahama, Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, Nautica, North Face, Columbia, Nike, etc. I'm guessing some of these shirts by themselves cost more than I would spend on work clothes in an entire year.

And that's just his "summer clothes". There's a whole 'nother closet full of long sleeve shirts, heavier slacks, and suits in mom's basement that I haven't gone through yet.

Shit you not, I may never have to buy clothes again.

Ah, but now you have to worry about whether anything in his closet has gone dramatically out of style since he bought it!

hitbyambulance wrote:yeah, that's a windfall.

Skinypupy wrote: I, on the other hand, have always been very...frugal when it comes to clothes. My entire work wardrobe consisted of 4 identical pair of khakis that I bought on clearance at Target 5 years ago for $12 each, and a whole slew of $10 blue or black polo shirts that Mrs. Skinypupy bought for me at Walmart or Target. Nothing fancy, nothing brand name, very basic, and very cheap.

four *identical* pairs?? your fashion sense makes me cry. throw all that to the goodwill post haste.

Blackhawk wrote:... So, I dress for me. I wear what is comfortable and what makes me happy.

Blackhawk wrote:And if it doesn't impress the cashier at the store or the guy I'm behind in line? Pfft.

Kraken wrote:Shoes are the only thing I ever spend real money on. I wear out one pair of walking shoes every year, and I periodically have to replace boots and sandals, so I wind up buying two pairs of footwear most years. Which reminds me that I threw away my winter boots at the end of last year, so I'm going to need those again pretty soon. Dammit.

Isgrimnur wrote:My work shirt wardrobe is about to be obsolete, as January shifts us to work-branded shirts only. At least it comes with jeans and sneakers over khakis.

Skinypupy wrote:

Kraken wrote:Shoes are the only thing I ever spend real money on. I wear out one pair of walking shoes every year, and I periodically have to replace boots and sandals, so I wind up buying two pairs of footwear most years. Which reminds me that I threw away my winter boots at the end of last year, so I'm going to need those again pretty soon. Dammit.

I used to go through pair after pair of cheap $20 dress shoes from Payless. Dad bought me a pair of Eccos one year for Christmas, and now I'm completely converted. It's the one nice thing I will spend money on. They're remarkably comfortable and durable. I wear them every day, and buy a new pair every couple years.

Rip wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote:My work shirt wardrobe is about to be obsolete, as January shifts us to work-branded shirts only. At least it comes with jeans and sneakers over khakis.

Well at least they are branding the shirts and not the workers these days.

Blackhawk wrote:Can you get away with French cuffs these days?

When alarms began to ring and a control panel flashed in front of Stanislav Petrov, a 44-year-old lieutenant colonel seated in a secret bunker south of Moscow, it appeared that the world was less than 30 minutes from nuclear war.

“The siren howled,” he later said, “but I just sat there for a few seconds, staring at the big, back-lit, red screen with the word ‘launch’ on it.” His chair, he said, began to feel like “a hot frying pan.”

Col. Petrov, an official with Russia’s early-warning missile system, was charged with determining whether the United States had opened intercontinental fire on the Soviet Union. Just after midnight on Sept. 26, 1983, all signs seemed to point to yes.

The satellite signal Col. Petrov received in his bunker indicated that a single Minuteman missile had been launched and was headed toward the East. Four more missiles appeared to follow, according to satellite signals, and the protocol was clear: notify Soviet Air Defense headquarters in time for the military’s general staff to consult with Soviet leader Yuri Andropov. A retaliatory attack, and nuclear holocaust, would likely ensue.

Yet Col. Petrov, juggling a phone in one hand and an intercom in the other, judged that the red alert was a false alarm. Soviet missiles, armed and ready, remained in their silos. And American missiles, apparently minutes from impact, seemed to vanish into the air.

“I had a funny feeling in my gut,” Col. Petrov told The Washington Post in 1999. “I didn’t want to make a mistake. I made a decision, and that was it.” He celebrated with half a liter of vodka, fell into a sleep that lasted 28 hours and went back to work.

While the “50-50” decision may have averted catastrophe, it ultimately destroyed the career of Col. Petrov, who died May 19 at his home in Fryazino, a center for scientific research near Moscow. He was 77.

His death — much like the defining moment of his life — was largely unreported. It was announced by Karl Schumacher, a friend and political activist who said he heard the news from Col. Petrov’s son, Dmitri, and that Col. Petrov had been sick for the past six months with “an internal disease.”

A belated R.I.P. to that Russian guy who once upon a time decided not to kill all of us.

Max Peck wrote:A belated R.I.P. to that Russian guy who once upon a time decided not to kill all of us.

When alarms began to ring and a control panel flashed in front of Stanislav Petrov, a 44-year-old lieutenant colonel seated in a secret bunker south of Moscow, it appeared that the world was less than 30 minutes from nuclear war.

“The siren howled,” he later said, “but I just sat there for a few seconds, staring at the big, back-lit, red screen with the word ‘launch’ on it.” His chair, he said, began to feel like “a hot frying pan.”

Col. Petrov, an official with Russia’s early-warning missile system, was charged with determining whether the United States had opened intercontinental fire on the Soviet Union. Just after midnight on Sept. 26, 1983, all signs seemed to point to yes.

The satellite signal Col. Petrov received in his bunker indicated that a single Minuteman missile had been launched and was headed toward the East. Four more missiles appeared to follow, according to satellite signals, and the protocol was clear: notify Soviet Air Defense headquarters in time for the military’s general staff to consult with Soviet leader Yuri Andropov. A retaliatory attack, and nuclear holocaust, would likely ensue.

Yet Col. Petrov, juggling a phone in one hand and an intercom in the other, judged that the red alert was a false alarm. Soviet missiles, armed and ready, remained in their silos. And American missiles, apparently minutes from impact, seemed to vanish into the air.

“I had a funny feeling in my gut,” Col. Petrov told The Washington Post in 1999. “I didn’t want to make a mistake. I made a decision, and that was it.” He celebrated with half a liter of vodka, fell into a sleep that lasted 28 hours and went back to work.

While the “50-50” decision may have averted catastrophe, it ultimately destroyed the career of Col. Petrov, who died May 19 at his home in Fryazino, a center for scientific research near Moscow. He was 77.

His death — much like the defining moment of his life — was largely unreported. It was announced by Karl Schumacher, a friend and political activist who said he heard the news from Col. Petrov’s son, Dmitri, and that Col. Petrov had been sick for the past six months with “an internal disease.”

hitbyambulance wrote:yeah, that's a windfall.

Skinypupy wrote: I, on the other hand, have always been very...frugal when it comes to clothes. My entire work wardrobe consisted of 4 identical pair of khakis that I bought on clearance at Target 5 years ago for $12 each, and a whole slew of $10 blue or black polo shirts that Mrs. Skinypupy bought for me at Walmart or Target. Nothing fancy, nothing brand name, very basic, and very cheap.

four *identical* pairs?? your fashion sense makes me cry. throw all that to the goodwill post haste.

Jolor wrote:I've always been more of a Chilliwack guy than a Lighthouse guy (let the eternal battle continue!) but Skip Prokop was a legend and I'm disappointed/saddened that I'm only hearing of his passing almost a month after the fact.

Daehawk wrote:OMG I cant stop eating these wonderful things and my mouth is on fire.