Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Sat Dec 14, 2019 4:40 pm**

Shoulda taped the return envelope to a brick. Then they would have had to pay some of that Christian money to the Post Office.

Posted: **Sat Dec 14, 2019 6:15 pm**

Thank you social security for my $15 a month raise. Cancun here I come!
My wife got a $6 raise.

Posted: **Sat Dec 14, 2019 6:34 pm**

Walked into an Amazon Go store today. According to Amazon, it's the simplest way to drop off a return item. No packing needed. (Amazon shipped me the wrong size, instead of 6E -XX Wide I ordered, they sent me 4E X-wide) And indeed it is. They do need me to scan my Go QR Code (as a prime member) and after reading their tutorial, it's kinda... Weird. Apparently, your checkout is completely automated, and all linked to your Prime Account. Just grab anything off the shelves and it'll automatically be entered into a virtual cart, and deducted from your account once you walk past the out-gate. That's... pretty darn neat, and kinda spooky. Most foods, drinks, and that sort of stuff. But I don't doubt Amazon will compete with Walgreens and whatnot if they got permission to do so. As is, they are already fighting with San Francisco about the cashless aspect of Amazon Go store.

EDIT: I haven't seen the transaction in my Amazon account yet?!

Posted: **Sat Dec 14, 2019 6:36 pm**

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 14, 2019 6:15 pm Thank you social security for my $15 a month raise. Cancun here I come!
My wife got a $6 raise.

$25 here. I suspect it is some way for them to give you a little more to put you over some invisible limit and they can take back 3 times as much some other way.

Posted: **Sun Dec 15, 2019 4:18 pm**

Adam Savage's footage, got a little sfx enhancement.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1206267026131451904

Posted: **Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:22 pm**

Wife's new hobby is storytelling. She goes to almost every Moth story slam, which is sort of an open-mic competition, and she's been on stage three times now. I'm not as into it as she is -- these things happen every 2-3 weeks -- so I've only gone with her 3x so far and seen her perform once. Most recently, she was invited to appear at a (non-Moth) storytelling event called Speak Up at the Hartford (CT) Historical Society, and, in my effort to be the model husband ever since her brother died, I overcame my hatred of traveling and went with her for an overnight trip.

So we had the run of the (closed) museum for a couple of hours and had some free wine-and-cheese type refreshments. She delivered her story, afterward we mingled with the other storytellers and organizers -- extroverts all -- and finally headed back out to our motel. She was sober, and jonesing for a few drinks and a hot meal. We learned then that the packies in CT close at 9 pm. There was nothing open in our neck of the woods except a Hooters just a block from the motel. Wife wanted to drive off into the unknown in hopes of finding something, anything, else that would still be open at 11 pm on a Saturday night. But I've heard good things about the wings at Hooters, so I explained that JeffV takes his family there all the time. She softened. Pressing my advantage, I cashed in some husband points and she caved.

(achievement unlocked)

Being the only thing open for miles around, Hooters was mobbed with tattooed neckbeards. The only females in the place were the Hooters girls and we were the oldest people there by three decades. It turns out that "Hooters" does not refer to owls. All of the many TVs were blaring what must have been the only sportsball on TV...something called "UFC", which appears to be people beating the crap out of each other by any means possible. The neckbeards were loving it. After some argument we finally agreed that, based on their names, the fighters were probably female. It was hard to be sure since they were just tattooed columns of muscle.

The wings were disappointing, but the cultural dissonance was delicious.

Posted: **Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:33 pm**

I had to look up 'packies'. I thought you meant bar but online says package store...which is zero help. You and your strange words.

Posted: **Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:39 pm**

Booze store.

Posted: **Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:43 pm**

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:39 pm Booze store.

Because New England is weird and you can't just buy it at the supermarket.

Posted: **Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:47 pm**

A package store sells alcohol to be consumed off-premises -- "packaged" liquor.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 12:14 am**

Until a few years ago many counties in Arkansas were "dry" counties.
They had an election some years ago and things were changes, at least to a degree.
Anyrate some counties are dry unless you belong to a private "club" where you can consume alcohol by being a member. You an still buy it in a "wet" county and drink it in your home.
I used to live in a dry county and now live in a wet county.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 12:21 am**

Our county only has beer and wine. It was just recently they allow it by the drink. If you want rum or vodka or anything its one county over. Been that way since long before I was born. I find it a waste of tax dollars coming in myself.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 12:28 am**

See, this is why have no illusions about my storytelling prowess. I spend 25 minutes writing a 3-paragraph story and the only takeaway is "what's a packy?"

(That, and getting on a stage with no notes, in front of hundreds of people, is beyond my ken. Even after 40 years together, Wife still impresses me.)

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 12:35 am**

I didn't know about "packies", but I did listen to "the Moth" podcast and a couple related ones, and did enjoy them. However, I get the shakes on stage when I was young, and I still don't enjoy that kind of attention, even decades later.

I have a couple stories left and right, but, well... Not now.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:40 am**

Always had stage fright. In front of a large group I get squeamish and quiet. In school Id win the 4-H speaking contest and poster art contest but at the sub state lvl of speech Id F it up every time. So my ribbons always stopped at sub state lol. Honestly it was a waste of time to take me to those.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 2:51 am**

Kraken wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:47 pm A package store sells alcohol to be consumed off-premises -- "packaged" liquor.

If you were ever to travel to the UK you'd best avoid using that particular term, as it's typically used there as derogatory slang for those of Pakistani descent.

(BTW, the British equivalent of a 'packaged' liquor store = an off-licence or 'offie', i.e. a store where alcoholic drinks are sold for consumption elsewhere)

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 12:33 pm**

Magnus Carlsen, fantasy football champion.

Magnus Carlsen, the world’s best chess player for the last decade, is leading the Premier League’s official fantasy football table, beating over seven million players.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 12:38 pm**

AWS260 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 12:33 pm Magnus Carlsen, fantasy football champion.
Magnus Carlsen, the world’s best chess player for the last decade, is leading the Premier League’s official fantasy football table, beating over seven million players.

He had to grind them down in the endgame.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:09 pm**

Anonymous Bosch wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 2:51 am
Kraken wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:47 pm A package store sells alcohol to be consumed off-premises -- "packaged" liquor.
If you were ever to travel to the UK you'd best avoid using that particular term, as it's typically used there as derogatory slang for those of Pakistani descent.

(BTW, the British equivalent of a 'packaged' liquor store = an off-licence or 'offie', i.e. a store where alcoholic drinks are sold for consumption elsewhere)

While I am partial to "Party Store" and always will be, I do absolutely love the Canadian

If I ever have to change, that's what I want to change to.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:44 pm**

Anonymous Bosch wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 2:51 am
Kraken wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:47 pm A package store sells alcohol to be consumed off-premises -- "packaged" liquor.
If you were ever to travel to the UK you'd best avoid using that particular term, as it's typically used there as derogatory slang for those of Pakistani descent.

It's the same in parts of the US and the East Coast use of the word has always made me cringe a little.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 2:22 pm**

Saw the performance of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from Neptune's Daughter from the 1940s. As it turns out, it really is creepy from the 21st century.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 3:55 pm**

Figures I have to go out the coldest day of the week on Thursday. 27/40 ...before and after its actually warmer.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 9:57 pm**

its raining sideways here. And the wind is so strong it looks like waves passing right to left...its like the surface of a ocean out there

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2019 9:57 pm**

LordMortis wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 2:22 pm Saw the performance of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from Neptune's Daughter from the 1940s. As it turns out, it really is creepy from the 21st century.

Baby It's Cold Outside in context. It's only creepy if you don't understand what the words actually meant in the 1930s.

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 3:29 am**

Ordered a pair of NB Foam Runners on Amazon. Specifically ordered XX-Wide (6E)

I received 4E.

Ordered an exchange late last week. They said I'll get a replacement today. I already dropped the box at Amazon Go store on Saturday.

Received the box.

It's still 4E.

WTF?!

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:55 am**

What are you, a frog?

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 11:32 am**

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 3:29 am Ordered a pair of NB Foam Runners on Amazon. Specifically ordered XX-Wide (6E)

I received 4E.

Ordered an exchange late last week. They said I'll get a replacement today. I already dropped the box at Amazon Go store on Saturday.

Received the box.

It's still 4E.

WTF?!

I'm to the point where Amazon is an option not the first choice. Many of their marketplace vendors play games with representing themselves. Their engine for searching for products has devolved into a facebook wall. And logistics and CS has become downright horrible in the last couple of years. There was a point in 2019 where they screwed up five deliveries in a row and I had to spend many hours untangling their messes with messages like "Now that your package is over a week after its promised delivery date, we're not sure what's up. If you want to cancel and reorder please jump through these hoops. Here is you invoice." ... "Thank you for jumping through these hoops. The price of your item has increased 15%. We're sorry for the inconvenience, the best we can do is give you a voucher for $15."... "Psyche. You get nothing. Go through the marketplace and find another vendor or a different product."

I still use them. But as example, I found other vendors for probably $3000 in equipment in November which, in 2018, I would have just bought from Amazon without researching other vendors. Price being similar Amazon used to win. Price being similar Amazon now loses. Reliability of delivery on time being key, Amazon loses by default.

Loyalty is hard to achieve and once it's lost, it's even harder to get back.

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 12:20 pm**

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:55 am What are you, a frog?

Just a big guy with relatively small feet.

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 12:21 pm**

Brit blew up his own car with air freshener and cigarette... while still inside.

Apparently, he wants to get rid of cigarette smell, so he sprayed a whole f***ing bottle non-stop. Then, he lit a cigarette... KABOOOOOM!

https://boingboing.net/2019/12/17/car-e ... -spra.html

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 12:23 pm**

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 12:20 pm
dbt1949 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:55 am What are you, a frog?
Just a big guy with relatively small feet.

I laughed at dbt's post. So sorry!

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 2:55 pm**

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 12:20 pm
dbt1949 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:55 am What are you, a frog?
Just a big guy with relatively small feet.

Ain't it a bitch, though? I'm a 5E myself. I don't evny the 6E.

Do you find that you're constantly stubbing your pinky toes, like human anatomy isn't supposed to have feet that wide?

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 3:26 pm**

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 12:21 pm Brit blew up his own car with air freshener and cigarette... while still inside.

Apparently, he wants to get rid of cigarette smell, so he sprayed a whole f***ing bottle non-stop. Then, he lit a cigarette... KABOOOOOM!

https://boingboing.net/2019/12/17/car-e ... -spra.html

And he still wont quit smoking.

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:22 pm**

LordMortis wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 11:32 am
I'm to the point where Amazon is an option not the first choice. Many of their marketplace vendors play games with representing themselves.

Good timing. Last year my car heater and air conditioner gave out, which includes the defrosters. Six weeks ago I picked up a cigarette lighter heater for the car to put on the dash. For six weeks it's sat there, unneeded as it wasn't all that cold. Now we're having proper 'seasonable' weather, and it worked for two days, then died. Since it was ordered six weeks ago, though, the return window has closed and I'm screwed. I've got kids to get to school in the morning, and now the car can't be driven (the insides of the windows ice up within a few blocks.) I picked a highly rated version, too. So I go to Amazon and really look. The product reviews are for a watch band. So I look at other, similar products all over Amazon and every one of them that is rated above three stars is the same: reviews for a different product.

It turns out that shady sellers have taken to finding a product listing that's no longer in use for something with high ratings, changing the picture, and ripping people off with garbage products using the reviews for something else.

I don't have enough money to be robbed by these goddamned people.

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:25 pm**

Wish I had some canned cheese for these Chicken in a Biskit crackers but I refuse to pay $5 for a $1.50s worth of plain cheese.

Does your ac/heater not blow at all? Blow but not hot? Only on defrost?

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:41 pm**

It does nothing.

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:44 pm**

And Amazon's response is contact the seller since the return window is closed.

I get ripped off by criminals, and their response is to ask the criminals for help. Why the fuck are they even still selling once this has been reported?

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:47 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:22 pm
LordMortis wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 11:32 am
I'm to the point where Amazon is an option not the first choice. Many of their marketplace vendors play games with representing themselves.
Good timing. Last year my car heater and air conditioner gave out, which includes the defrosters. Six weeks ago I picked up a cigarette lighter heater for the car to put on the dash. For six weeks it's sat there, unneeded as it wasn't all that cold. Now we're having proper 'seasonable' weather, and it worked for two days, then died. Since it was ordered six weeks ago, though, the return window has closed and I'm screwed. I've got kids to get to school in the morning, and now the car can't be driven (the insides of the windows ice up within a few blocks.) I picked a highly rated version, too. So I go to Amazon and really look. The product reviews are for a watch band. So I look at other, similar products all over Amazon and every one of them that is rated above three stars is the same: reviews for a different product.

It turns out that shady sellers have taken to finding a product listing that's no longer in use for something with high ratings, changing the picture, and ripping people off with garbage products using the reviews for something else.

I don't have enough money to be robbed by these goddamned people.

Keep in mind FakeSpot and ReviewMeta, along with their associated browser extensions, can be quite useful for cutting through the noise of fake reviews.

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:50 pm**

I wish Amazon's vendors could be limited to North America.
Nothing like ordering something and finding it's going to take 6-8 weeks to get here.

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:15 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:41 pm It does nothing.

Could be a simple fuse if its totally dead.

Cold air only usually means the coolant is low.

Defrost only means a vac leaks.

Posted: **Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:16 pm**

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:50 pm I wish Amazon's vendors could be limited to North America.
Nothing like ordering something and finding it's going to take 6-8 weeks to get here.

Yep.

Octopus Overlords

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