Octopus Overlords

Last month I was on a Teams video meeting with my contracting company, not The Client but the one who pays my paycheck. It was not mandatory to be on video but everybody but my team was on video. Even though I've worked for this company for six years I've only been assigned to The Client, I don't know really anybody in my company but the owners.

There was a girl on the call who was going on about how she wouldn't turn on her camera because she didn't have makeup on.

I was in a private channel with my close co-worker and we were making fun of her...as one does.

She must have found makeup because all the sudden her camera turned on. And then a few minutes later she started eating spaghetti...on camera...

Since I'm a shithead I started mocking her and pointing out how gross it was to watch somebody with fresh makeup eat spaghetti.

That's when my co-worker pointed out I wasn't in our private channel, I was in the main chat channel.

I guess I WILL NOT be seeing everyone at the Christmas party this year.

Some of you never had to work in a call center and learn proper mute button protocol, and it shows.

Some of us WILL NOT BE SHACKLED TO EXPECTATIONS OF SOCIETY!

Does anyone know what this symbol means ?

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 5:28 pm Does anyone know what this symbol means ?

Perfect score! 100%!

We had a weird episode last night.

It was just after sundown. We had ordered takeout Thai food for pickup, and everyone was in their various rooms doing computer stuff before it was time for me to go get dinner. I was on the third floor, and the dog was asleep near my feet.

Suddenly the dog leaped up and started pounding down the steps to the front door, started into the WoofWoofWoof! he makes whenever someone climbs the porch steps. I was following him down, wondering if maybe the restaurant had marked our order as delivery rather than pickup, when suddenly I heard a five or six-year-old girl screaming in our foyer.

I ran the rest of the stairs to find the dog barking at a little girl I'd never seen before. He wasn't attacking her or anything, but he has a big sound, and she was clearly scared of him. An instant later I noticed a guy standing in the doorway, apparently the girl's father or her mom's boyfriend. He had opened the door and sent the girl into our house without knocking or ringing the bell.

I asked him what he thought he was doing, and he began stammering in confusion and rolling out some names I don't recall. Apparently he was bringing the girl to a playdate where he expected three or four other kids, but he had the wrong house. He said the girl had "recognized the dog."

What incredible stupidity. He clearly had never been to the intended address before, or he wouldn't have mistaken our house for it. All the lights on the first floor were off too, so the house clearly didn't appear to be expecting visitors. What's more, he sent the little girl in ahead despite the fact that no one had greeted him and that there was a loud, very protective-sounding dog charging down the steps at them.

What the hell? I made sure that the girl was OK and that the dog hadn't scared her too much (he had remained at the bottom of the stairs), and I sent them on their way. It was all so odd that I kind of wish I had somehow gathered more information.

Have to remember to start locking the door.

wonderpug wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 6:03 pm

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 5:28 pm Does anyone know what this symbol means ?

Perfect score! 100%!

Makes sense. I was looking for something esoteric like The 100 Greatest Minds of Our Time.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 5:28 pm Does anyone know what this symbol means ?

Courtesy of emojipedia.org:

emojipedia.org wrote: Hundred Points
Emoji Meaning

100 emoji: the number one-hundred, written in red, underlined twice for emphasis.

Originating from the number 100 written on a school exam or paper to indicate a perfect score of 100 out of 100. Teachers in Japan may also use a stamp in addition to the 100 mark, to indicate that a student has performed very well.

This 100 emoji is commonly used as a shorthand for 100%, with the usage meaning “keep it real” or a similar sentiment. A 100 emoji can be used to express pride or general acceptance of an idea.

In Snapchat, the 100 emoji appearing next to a fire emoji indicates a 100 day Snapstreak.

Hundred Points was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010 under the name “Hundred Points Symbol” and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015.

Civilization 6 has released a new civilization.....Vietnam. My feelings are such that I can never play that civilization because of my past history.
I find that rather odd but it goes to show how deep some traumas go.

Fun to smash them though right?

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 11:05 amFun to smash them though right?

Unlikely.

*Edit: I just discovered that strong peppermint and face masks equate to breathing hot mint straight into my eyes. Woke me up.

This is a sad but lovely story about Tony Bennett at age 94. He's been dealing with Alzheimer's for several years, but singing still perks him up.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 11:05 am Fun to smash them though right?

More likely he doesn't want to be reminded of it at all.

Holman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 6:39 pm We had a weird episode last night.

I think you were being targeted for another visit. This was a soft probe. There may have been someone at your back door while you were distracted at the front.

Yes, lock your doors always.

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 2:19 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 6:39 pm We had a weird episode last night.

I think you were being targeted for another visit. This was a soft probe.

My thoughts, too - but I'm always told I'm paranoid. It's not beyond a whole family to be involved in breaking and entering and using kids as a distraction that puts everyone off-guard. I mean, if you see two people and a 6-year old walk into ANY house, your first thought it's "Robbers"

It could also be epic stupidity and bad parenting.

About a year and a half ago my neighborhood was hit by a windstorm. It was not officially a tornado but almost everybody lost a tree or had roof damage.

The next morning we were absolutely descended upon by opportunistic characters of ill repute. They had thievin' in mind. In another era we would have called them gypsies (now we know them to be Irish Travellers) and they come around every summer to pull scams. While attending college I worked at a Meijer not far down the road from where I now live and the store management was always on the lookout for them because they would shoplift and try to run scams at the registers.

Anyway, a woman walked up and looked in our mailbox and then flipped the mail flag up. She then dragged our lawn waste bin to the curb from the side of the house. I watched her do these things from the window. THEN she came to the front door and when I opened it to say, "WTF lady!?" she had picked up our welcome mat. I suspect it was to look for a key. She scurried off as I yelled at her, "All that shit is on camera, I install them for a living, GTFO of our neighborhood!"

I went to check on my elderly neighbor and they had gotten to him already. One girl had come up and started cleaning up his yard and then got him to take her around the block and get introduced to other neighbors. I suspect she was recon. Later that night groups of men started walking around drinking beers and smiling and waving at everybody. We DO NOT live in the type of neighborhood where people walk around drinking beers. For the most part it's a pretty safe neighborhood with one road in and no roads going through. You WILL be seen coming or going by several busybody neighbors.

I called the cops and they sent a car through a couple times that night. I think that nipped things in the bud but it pays to be vigilant and suspicious.

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:14 pm All that shit is on camera, I install them for a living

What's the best tech these days? I have a Blink watching over the front door and a Ring doorbell I need to install, but of course none of these are continuous record.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:19 pm

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:14 pm All that shit is on camera, I install them for a living

What's the best tech these days? I have a Blink watching over the front door and a Ring doorbell I need to install, but of course none of these are continuous record.

Oh I don't really install them, I just told the gypsy that. It's OK to lie to thieves, pretty sure Jesus said so. I do drive a work van with a tech sounding company name so it's believable.

Having said that, I AM in the market. I'm looking for something that will interface with my Alexa and Hue powered home. I'd like something wireless and magnetic mountable. And continuous record, preferably to local server storage.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:19 pm What's the best tech these days? I have a Blink watching over the front door and a Ring doorbell I need to install, but of course none of these are continuous record.

I don't know if it's the best, but I have a friend in IT that uses a set of arlo cameras and strongly recommends them.

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 9:00 am Civilization 6 has released a new civilization.....Vietnam. My feelings are such that I can never play that civilization because of my past history.
I find that rather odd but it goes to show how deep some traumas go.

That sucks. Hopefully there is a mod that would "reskin" that Civ and not prevent you from enjoying the game. (If that doesn't work, the game itself is getting more customizable in allowing you to turn on and off different aspects like specific natural wonders and city states available each game—I don't remember if there is an opponent blacklist/whitelist which may help.) Me not being helpful at all, would point out that that particular Civilization is pretty fun to play.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:37 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:19 pm What's the best tech these days? I have a Blink watching over the front door and a Ring doorbell I need to install, but of course none of these are continuous record.

I don't know if it's the best, but I have a friend in IT that uses a set of arlo cameras and strongly recommends them.

Arlo cameras are really really really poorly received (I've got a couple myself). I think Eufy offers a much better value for the dollar (especially for the wireless cams). There's a YT channel I like that stays pretty up to date on these things, called The Hook Up, that reviews some of the less mainstream options as well.

The Meal wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 4:07 pm

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 9:00 am Civilization 6 has released a new civilization.....Vietnam. My feelings are such that I can never play that civilization because of my past history.
I find that rather odd but it goes to show how deep some traumas go.

That sucks. Hopefully there is a mod that would "reskin" that Civ and not prevent you from enjoying the game. (If that doesn't work, the game itself is getting more customizable in allowing you to turn on and off different aspects like specific natural wonders and city states available each game—I don't remember if there is an opponent blacklist/whitelist which may help.) Me not being helpful at all, would point out that that particular Civilization is pretty fun to play.

I'll probably be playing the game again but not with that civ in my game.
This weekend I was watching a game on YouTube where some guy with a horrible Polish accent was playing it. I was alright until he decided it was funny to make jokes about Vietnam and the US going to war. After about the fifth one I dropped him off my follow list.

I'm not surprised. The typical person doing YT videos lacks the same context you do regarding what's sensitive and what's appropriate. And probably a significant portion of their viewing audience is in lockstep with those views. I'm sorry you have to deal with that sort of thing.

If you want continuous record, you have to supply AC power. So NONE of the battery operated ones, Arlo, Eufy, Blinkx, Ring, will do that, unless they're on the AC plug, and maybe not even then, as they are simply NOT designed for it.

IMHO, you really need TWO separate systems... a simple, cheap, continuous record system that you store locally, AND a battery-operated system with multiple cameras (with its own local storage) with the main "hub" plugged into a UPS with a couple hours of battery backup that also keeps your WiFi and internet connection alive. The former is for going back for a "history", the latter is for motion detection and notification of events.

What about DIY walls?

If you find enough change in your cushions you could own this Original Apple System 1 computer for just a mere $1.5 million

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 2:19 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 6:39 pm We had a weird episode last night.

I think you were being targeted for another visit. This was a soft probe. There may have been someone at your back door while you were distracted at the front.

I was thinking about that.

Fortunately, we might have dodged that bullet. I mentioned that the guy rattled off playdate names, and my wife says that two of them were kids that live in a house down the block.

Maybe it was a slick thief who had done serious homework, but right now I'm inclined towards "idiot parent."

Definitely locking doors, though. It was unlocked right then because I had earlier walked the dog and was just about to head out to pick up dinner.

Theres some trashy folk live down the street. Their yards reflect them it seems. The younger teen one / s roam the road looking for stuff to get into and asking for small jobs. They dont do what they say and want the money before done. Other neighbors know about them without me saying anything and point them out when stuff goes missing. I actually hate going that way to go to a place or town because they can see me leave and they know my wife died and that when Im gone there is no one here. I go out of my way to go up the street the other way even if it means a longer drive. I try to make going that way a short trip to like the food place or something and rush back.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 6:39 pm Theres some trashy folk live down the street. Their yards reflect them it seems. The younger teen one / s roam the road looking for stuff to get into and asking for small jobs. They dont do what they say and want the money before done. Other neighbors know about them without me saying anything and point them out when stuff goes missing. I actually hate going that way to go to a place or town because they can see me leave and they know my wife died and that when Im gone there is no one here. I go out of my way to go up the street the other way even if it means a longer drive. I try to make going that way a short trip to like the food place or something and rush back.

One word...............rattlesnakes. Not so good now but come warmer weather........

Holman wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 6:32 pm

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 2:19 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 6:39 pm We had a weird episode last night.

I think you were being targeted for another visit. This was a soft probe. There may have been someone at your back door while you were distracted at the front.

I was thinking about that.

Fortunately, we might have dodged that bullet. I mentioned that the guy rattled off playdate names, and my wife says that two of them were kids that live in a house down the block.

Maybe it was a slick thief who had done serious homework, but right now I'm inclined towards "idiot parent."

Definitely locking doors, though. It was unlocked right then because I had earlier walked the dog and was just about to head out to pick up dinner.

OK, I'm getting paranoid now.

Yesterday I took the dog out after the day's heavy snow and saw that there was a track of fresh footprints in the front yard. These couldn't have been more than 60 or 90 minutes old. Someone had entered the neighbor's front yard, crossed into ours and walked an oval (without reaching the front porch), and then circled back to the neighbors and down to the sidewalk. This path is out of the way of any casual stranger, as the houses are up steps and set well back from the street.

Normally this is the path the mail carrier takes. I thought at first that maybe she crossed into our yard before realizing that there was nothing for us, but... we get no mail on Sunday. I suppose it's possible that another delivery person (Amazon?) had stepped into our yard and then realized that they had the wrong house.

Also, this:

I mentioned that the guy at the door had named names for a playdate, and that my wife thought she recognized some of those names as kids down the street. Today my wife called the people with two of those kids, and they knew nothing of any playdate. It's still possible that we heard the names wrong.

It does seems reasonable to assume that we were being cased. If so, they learned that (1) we sometimes leave the door unlocked and (2) we might not have an alarm system. (We don't, but an unlocked door could also have meant that it wasn't activated at the time.)

On the other hand, they also learned that we have an extraordinarily vigilant and moderately large dog and that (because everyone came down to look) there are at least five people in the house. Hopefully that will act as some kind of deterrent.

You could always check on Nextdoor (or maybe not if you like your soul) and/or call the non-emergency police number to see if anyone else has reported similar activity. We had some really strange local activity in my town in the late Fall of last year where quite a few neighborhoods were randomly targeted by groups of people roaming through them late at night and opening any cars that weren't locked. We're off the beaten path, but there is quick access to a major highway nearby. It was so bad that the police eventually started posting information on social media about locking your car, because apparently no one does that out in the country.

Steel bear trap under the snow. Follow the blood trail back.

"My Battle to Beat a 27-year-old Diet Coke Addiction"

It is validating to hear an expert tell me that my Diet Coke addiction is just that, rather than a bad habit. “Oh, it’s real,” Marlow laughs. She explains that addiction has a biological component and a psychological component. The biological component is your body’s physiological craving for an addictive substance, such as caffeine, nicotine or alcohol. “The minute you get that substance into your body, your brain knows about it and gets a hit from it,” she says. “Over time, you develop a tolerance for the substance.”

Week two of my tapered extraction programme. The first day is OK, but on day two I snap and drink four cans. I hide the cans in the bottom of the recycling bin, hoping my boyfriend won’t notice, but he had counted the cans in the fridge that morning. Rumbled.

It is humiliating, but the accountability helps keep me in check. I stick to one can a day after that, but only by drinking more tea than I have drunk in my life. I wonder if I will get to the point where I like the taste of water.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/f ... -addiction

The Meal wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 4:09 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:37 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:19 pm What's the best tech these days? I have a Blink watching over the front door and a Ring doorbell I need to install, but of course none of these are continuous record.

I don't know if it's the best, but I have a friend in IT that uses a set of arlo cameras and strongly recommends them.

Arlo cameras are really really really poorly received (I've got a couple myself). I think Eufy offers a much better value for the dollar (especially for the wireless cams). There's a YT channel I like that stays pretty up to date on these things, called The Hook Up, that reviews some of the less mainstream options as well.

Arlo? Eufy?

Company Names are so weird these days...

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:53 pm
Arlo? Eufy?

Company Names are so weird these days...

the need for something that hasn't already been taken, and so can be trademarked. you should see some of the fly-by-night Chinese 'company' names...

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:42 pm "My Battle to Beat a 27-year-old Diet Coke Addiction"

It is validating to hear an expert tell me that my Diet Coke addiction is just that, rather than a bad habit. “Oh, it’s real,” Marlow laughs. She explains that addiction has a biological component and a psychological component. The biological component is your body’s physiological craving for an addictive substance, such as caffeine, nicotine or alcohol. “The minute you get that substance into your body, your brain knows about it and gets a hit from it,” she says. “Over time, you develop a tolerance for the substance.”

Week two of my tapered extraction programme. The first day is OK, but on day two I snap and drink four cans. I hide the cans in the bottom of the recycling bin, hoping my boyfriend won’t notice, but he had counted the cans in the fridge that morning. Rumbled.

It is humiliating, but the accountability helps keep me in check. I stick to one can a day after that, but only by drinking more tea than I have drunk in my life. I wonder if I will get to the point where I like the taste of water.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/f ... -addiction

I have never understood people who say they don't like the taste of water. Glad she was able to get there in the end.

stessier wrote: ↑Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:19 pm I have never understood people who say they don't like the taste of water. Glad she was able to get there in the end.

My grandmother had well water that was atrocious. Totally safe, but very sulfur-y. I guess it depends on your source. If they are complaining about good, clean water then maybe without the sweetness they are tasting their own nasty ass breath.

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:06 pm

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:53 pm
Arlo? Eufy?

Company Names are so weird these days...

the need for something that hasn't already been taken, and so can be trademarked. you should see some of the fly-by-night Chinese 'company' names...

Oh, I grok the requirements (you forgot short name for URL's), I just find it has gotten a bit out of hand.

Of course, I'm hardly one to talk - look at my bastardized leetspeak OO handle!

stessier wrote: ↑Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:19 pm

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:42 pm "My Battle to Beat a 27-year-old Diet Coke Addiction"

It is validating to hear an expert tell me that my Diet Coke addiction is just that, rather than a bad habit. “Oh, it’s real,” Marlow laughs. She explains that addiction has a biological component and a psychological component. The biological component is your body’s physiological craving for an addictive substance, such as caffeine, nicotine or alcohol. “The minute you get that substance into your body, your brain knows about it and gets a hit from it,” she says. “Over time, you develop a tolerance for the substance.”

Week two of my tapered extraction programme. The first day is OK, but on day two I snap and drink four cans. I hide the cans in the bottom of the recycling bin, hoping my boyfriend won’t notice, but he had counted the cans in the fridge that morning. Rumbled.

It is humiliating, but the accountability helps keep me in check. I stick to one can a day after that, but only by drinking more tea than I have drunk in my life. I wonder if I will get to the point where I like the taste of water.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/f ... -addiction

I have never understood people who say they don't like the taste of water. Glad she was able to get there in the end.

But did they like The Shape of Water?