Random randomness

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sat Jul 03, 2021 2:29 am

Luckily, I am not attempting any such persuasion.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Jul 04, 2021 11:44 am

Im really confused about my internet bill. Its always $74.00 a month. I signed up for the broadband benefit 2 months ago and was approved. As far as I know that was for a one time $50.00 benefit. Well last month my bill was $0. It also showed a $25.00 credit put forward for this month. Now this month my bill is $0 again and shows a $0.02 cent credit going forward.

I was never good at math but something is not adding up. Though Im not complaining at all. I dont want to be smacked with a big bill in the future.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Jul 04, 2021 6:36 pm

Speaking of stuff Daehawk eats, I think I just ate the weirdest mishmash of stuff this year. Takes me back to my stoner teen years. Had a pouch of chunk white meat chicken. To that I added some salt, lemon pepper, and crushed saltines. It was ok so I kept going. A little mayo, some garlic powder, a bit of onion powder, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. That went a bit off there so I had to add some soy sauce and it was made perfect with some tabasco green jalapeno sauce. Heated for 10 sec and ate. Yum.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Mon Jul 05, 2021 12:27 am

We had a water balloon fight tonight, in lieu of our usual fireworks. Wonder Twin 8.1b was obnoxiously taunting everyone for about 20 minutes. He ran to hide behind a bench swing in the backyard. He popped up and yelled “neener neener, you can’t hit me” right as I let one fly in his direction. My intent was to hit the swing so it splashed all over him. Instead, it was the perfect throw…that hit him right between the eyes the very instant he finished his taunt. He was completely stunned for a moment, before bursting into tears (he was fine).

if you handed me a thousand water balloons and asked me to hit that same shot, I doubt I ever would have come close. It was the perfect timing, the perfect location, and the perfect throw.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Tue Jul 06, 2021 5:03 pm

Holman wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:31 pm ** FRAUD ALERT **

Today I got a collection notice in the (paper) mail from "Allied International Collection Corp." It claims that I have a debt of $697 owed to creditor "EBAY" and that I need to pay up or legal action will be taken etc etc. Nothing in the letter suggests that they know my eBay identity or even my email, just my name and street address.

In reality I have no balance at eBay, and a web search reveals that "AIC Corp" has been running this scam for a few years now. It is a real collection agency, however, and the physical/web addresses on the letter match those listed with the Better Business Bureau.

Unfortunately, eBay's website makes it very difficult to contact them. Their customer support system is a nested set of options that never gets to "Report Fraud" (except wrt to buyers/sellers) or even a generic "Other." Eventually I learned that you can forward scam emails or scanned letters to spoof@ebay.com, but the automatic reply I received doesn't give me confidence.

What further action should I take?

Follow-up on the above!

I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau about Allied International Collection Corp, and today I learned that the collection agency responded and closed their claim on me.

Here's their response through the BBB complaint system:

Thank you for bringing the concerns of [me] to our attention. I have reviewed the file in question and have made the following findings:

On June 4, 2021, a file listed to "[me]" was assigned to Allied International Credit Corp., (US) from our client, eBay. A letter explaining the matter was sent to the address listed on file.

On June 29, 2021, our office received this complaint from [me] pertaining to this account. We immediately ceased collection activity while undertaking our investigation of this complaint. We forwarded [my] complaint to eBay for review. eBay responded to us, advising that they have reviewed the account "[some account that isn't me]" and suspended it for ID theft.

We sent a letter to the mailing address listed on file to advise of the fraud findings and that [me] is not responsible for the amount due listed on the original letter sent on June 4, 2021.

To confirm, Allied International Credit Corp., (US) has closed the subject file and have not reported this matter to any credit reporting agencies.

Should [me] require further assistance regarding this matter, he may contact eBay directly. I trust this addresses all concerns and we consider the matter closed.

Sincerely,

[name]
Compliance Officer

If this is on the up and up, it seems that someone was using my identity to do eBay stuff and owed money to them. My own actual eBay account was never involved and shows no history of suspicious activity of any kind (and in fact no activity at all for years). Yet the collection agency had my name and my address somehow associated with the scammer account.

Both eBay and the collection agency seem to have put in writing that the scammer is not actually me, but I'll keep an eye on my credit rating anyway. I checked it when all this started and it was still excellent.

I suppose it's still possible that the collection agency was the real scammer but that they're doing a volume business and they just back down from any BBB involvement.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Jul 07, 2021 1:17 pm

My office built a silent room for better vibrometer related testing. Two seconds in there is disturbing and my ears feel like there is a pressure change going on, like driving a car and both the back windows are opens and sucking all the air out of the front of the car without replacing it, like they're searching for real sound to subdue the tinnitus. It's very strange, as I don't have a very good sense of hearing at all. I wouldn't think I'd miss ambient white noise. I was wrong. I miss it immediately.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Jul 07, 2021 1:30 pm

Ive heard you can go nuts in those. You can hear your own blood flowing through your veins.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jul 07, 2021 1:31 pm

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Jul 07, 2021 1:34 pm

That's what the room looks like except the floor isn't built out like that.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:32 pm

Cymbal monkeys. They're pure, clanky evil. I've hated them since I was a kid, when they scared the living crap out of me after seeing one on TV... somewhere. It was in something that terrified me, but I could never remember what. I've asked before, and everyone always assumed it was Monkey Shines that did it, that I'd caught a trailer on TV - except that Monkey Shines came out when I was 15. This was sometime in the late 70s. I remember that a short while after I went to visit my aunt and uncle in LA and they had one in their bedroom that they took down to show me, which resulted in me screaming and running in genuine terror. They still give me the creeps, and the cymbal monkeys in Fallout 4 weren't just annoying, they were jump scares. I despise the little bastards.

I finally figured out what it was. It was Fantasy Island. Yeah, really. I loved that show when I was a kid, but then there was one episode that scared the crap out of me. I would have been five at the time it came out in 1978. All I remembered was that there was fire and a skull - not the rest - until I found a clip of it today. Apparently Fantasy Island a lot darker than I remember it being. Slipping this into a show that was popular with kids... It's also part of the reason I wouldn't watch horror movies for years.

Spoiler:

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:57 pm

I remember Fantasy Island being very dark, like there was always some sort of PG level of macabre or psychological torture every episode but that it all worked out in the end after one of the guest stars of the week faced their demons.

However, I can't recall the details of a single episode all these years later. All I recall is that it was on after Love Boat, for which I can't recall the details of a single episode either.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Jul 07, 2021 4:04 pm

That is weird. I watched both shows as a kid all the way through and dont remember anything either. Well other than their intros.

We've been programmed!

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:22 pm

Always wanted to try Mead to drink. I stopped by the store and grabbed a bottle. Its like a wine. I always thought mead was like a beer. You see it drank from mugs usually like at festivals and such and in movies. Came with two spice packets if I want to mull it. Weird.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:35 pm

Daehawk wrote: Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:22 pm Always wanted to try Mead to drink. I stopped by the store and grabbed a bottle. Its like a wine. I always thought mead was like a beer. You see it drank from mugs usually like at festivals and such and in movies. Came with two spice packets if I want to mull it. Weird.

You have to drink it out of the skull of an enemy.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 4:05 pm

Daehawk wrote: Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:22 pm Always wanted to try Mead to drink. I stopped by the store and grabbed a bottle. Its like a wine. I always thought mead was like a beer. You see it drank from mugs usually like at festivals and such and in movies. Came with two spice packets if I want to mull it. Weird.

It is wine. It is simply wine that uses honey for sugar instead of grapes. FWIW, most bottled mead isn't worth bee spit. Camelot is a widely available one that is pure blech. If you can find it, Dansk Mjod Viking Blod Mead is one bottled variety that's actually really good.

I've had quite a bit of home brewed mead from a few different people, and it is (generally) fantastic.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 4:21 pm

hehehe I almost bought Camelot but the owner suggested a different one that was much darker in color called Chaucer. I love it. They had some other brands with unique bottles but they ran $37 a bottle and theres no way I could afford that.

I spoke to another store a bit ago and they said they sell a beer mead in cans. So maybe I got the wrong stuff. Glad I did as I love it. Smooth, sweet, and tastes like honey for an aftertaste.

gilraen · Post by **gilraen** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 7:49 pm

I used to go to an annual wine festival in western Colorado, and I would always buy meads from local wineries. It's not the stuff that ever makes it to liquor stores, since it's produced in quantities too small for mass retail. Maybe they have decent stuff in the stores now, but it's been a long time since I've looked.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 8:07 pm

Until I tried it, I think I always assumed mead was more like beer than wine.

Probably because pop culture associates it with Vikings, and Vikings seem more like beery dwarves than winey elves.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 8:17 pm

as i mentioned in the kombucha thread, jun is the 'green tea/honey' version of 'black tea/sugar' kombucha, and i much prefer the flavor, but the making of it is more annoying (and expensive) as it requires a much faster brewing time (and honey is significantly pricier than sugar)

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 9:50 pm

Went to the VA to get cataract surgery on the other eye today. 9 hours this time.
When I die I'm going to demand two more days of life back for having to wait so long there.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 10:15 pm

I hope your results are wonderful though. My dad got both his done this year, and as a side effect doesn't have to wear glasses for the first time since he was a kid (outside of reading).

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 7:30 am

My eyeballs are too bad to not wear glasses but it looks like I won't have to wear bifocals anymore. And I can see my computer without glasses.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:13 am

Good luck, man!

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:14 am

My wife and I just bought land in Vermont to build on. She did 99% of the leg work with attorneys, agencies, realtors, and all associated paperwork. We purchased it jointly, but she was absolutely the person who made it happen. I did 99% of the work to get our existing home that we'll be moving from, so it seemed fair.

The final papers came in the mail today, and my name is primary on everything. My wife is secondary or tacked on as a "and also".

She's rightly pissed. It's bullshit that she did all this work and gets jammed into the second position because my name is masculine and hers is feminine. She's even alphabetically first.

I've strongly encouraged her to raise a stink with whoever sent those documents to us so it can be corrected.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:56 am

One of these days I'm going to remember the difference between "commiserate" and "commensurate" when writing them.

In college, it was "emancipation" and "emaciation", so I guess it's an improvement.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:06 pm

Texted... texted... texted... that just does not roll off my tongue right. texted... I think I need to head to the watcha smokin thread. texted texted 1 2 3 4.

Also to hepcat's thought, reflection and refraction. Who thought it would be a good idea to make two different ways for light to get its groove on be named almost the same?

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:14 pm

All those Latin folks.

Fract as in fracture, to break. Flect as in flexion, to bend.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:16 pm

And "tion" from the Latin meaning "to make a word longer".

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:29 pm

I get it. So fract is the passed tents way of saying broken in Battlestar Gallactica. "Dude, you are so fract." "I can't get this frac-ing thing to work." but by their mythology wouldn't that make it really Greek, not Latin?

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:30 pm

And Frack as in Fuck.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:35 pm

It's actually Frak as in Jonathan Frakes. Famed etymologist, inventor of the word "Cattywampus" and all around number 2 guy.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:38 pm

Number 2? He's a super frake super frake. He's super Frakey.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:40 pm

Make it so

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:44 pm

I think you mean "Make it soiled"

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:53 pm

This year's Scripps National Spelling Bee champion is even more intimidating than usual.

The 14-year-old from Harvey, Louisiana, is a basketball prodigy who owns three Guinness world records for dribbling multiple basketballs simultaneously and hopes to one day play in the WNBA or even coach in the NBA.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:59 pm

While were on words, does anyone every actually use the word eponymous, except when they are embarrassingly drunk and trying hold a discussion involving the hypothalamus but keep accidentally trying to say hippopotamus and even missing that mark?

And to get things back on topic, when was the last time you heard someone playing Savage Garden, a band whose name always made them sound like a glam metal band, rather than bubblegum.

Oh, I want you, I don't know if I need you
But oh, I would die to find out
Oh, I want you, I don't know if I need you
But oh, I would die to find out

stimpy · Post by **stimpy** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 6:01 pm

Wtf is with Amazons search feature?
I am looking for a battery operated desk clock with colored numbers and or backlit.

Search results give me a whole host of unrelated options......outlet operated, no backlight, no colored numbers.....
Thousands of search results that I have to sift thru....

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 6:18 pm

stimpy wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 6:01 pm Wtf is with Amazons search feature?
I am looking for a battery operated desk clock with colored numbers and or backlit.

Search results give me a whole host of unrelated options......outlet operated, no backlight, no colored numbers.....
Thousands of search results that I have to sift thru....

Seems to me that is one many problems that has been busted for a while. I rarely shop on Amazon any more for this and a few other reasons (Marketplace trustworthiness, and problems with fulfillment promises), but then I've never been a prime member and don't feel invested in them. They're search is worse than searching Google for technical information and their marketplace has ebayified. Big turn off for me. I'm sure they're sweating the reduced shopping habits of one infrequent non subscription customer.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 8:23 pm

I wonder if Taco Bell changed up their meat formula. Its actually pretty amazing. I stopped by on my way home. Wasn't really hungry as it hadn't been long since I ate but I wanted a couple soft tacos for later. I had planned to eat a little then put the rest back. But when I opened the first one it smells so good and different. Looked different too. And ya it tasted waay better than normal. I couldn't help myself and scarfed them both down. Man they were good. I hope they keep them tasting that way.

Also they seemed way more expensive. A soft taco used to be about $1. Maybe they super charge for extra beef and sour cream. Not sure but 2 soft tacos with extra beef and sour cream came to $7.50! I was expecting like $4.50. Even as good as they are I cant afford that but rarely.

Unagi · Post by **Unagi** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 8:31 pm

Pretty sure they use less wood pulp these days.