Random randomness

[dbt1949]

The smoke from the fires out west are clouding my view and I can even smell it. Not counting killing my sinuses.

[hitbyambulance]

everyone gets to share the pain every summer (and probably autumn) from now on. best get an air filter rated for your room size...

[Max Peck]

The laundromat in my apartment building has used smartcards for a few years now. Previously, you loaded the card from a terminal in the laundry room using a credit/debit card. They've just upgraded the system so that in order to load the card you need to:

• Go online to their website and either:
  • Create/log in to an account, or
    • (If you create an account, you set a password that is limited to 6-16 characters, that may be letters or numbers but not symbols. There is an option to include your mobile number and request an authentication code, which may or may not be related to 2F authentication but we'll never know because it doesn't work. You also enter the smartcard number and security code -- we'll get back to that later.)
  • Access it as a guest
• Select the amount that you want to load in the smartcard.
• Enter your payment information (credit/debit card). If you're logged in to an account, there is an option to save the payment information, but you don't do that because they forced you to use a weak password and don't have secure 2F authentication.
• Then they email a code to you, even if you're logged into an account with a linked smartcard. If you were able to successfully link your account to your mobile phone, perhaps it would be sent in an SMS, but we'll never know because that doesn't work.
• Then you need to go to the laundry room, put the smart card into the terminal and manually punch in the code that they emailed/texted to you.

This is progress?

[Pyperkub]

The laundromat in my apartment building has used smartcards for a few years now. Previously, you loaded the card from a terminal in the laundry room using a credit/debit card. They've just upgraded the system so that in order to load the card you need to:

• Go online to their website and either:
  • Create/log in to an account, or
    • (If you create an account, you set a password that is limited to 6-16 characters, that may be letters or numbers but not symbols. There is an option to include your mobile number and request an authentication code, which may or may not be related to 2F authentication but we'll never know because it doesn't work. You also enter the smartcard number and security code -- we'll get back to that later.)
  • Access it as a guest
• Select the amount that you want to load in the smartcard.
• Enter your payment information (credit/debit card). If you're logged in to an account, there is an option to save the payment information, but you don't do that because they forced you to use a weak password and don't have secure 2F authentication.
• Then they email a code to you, even if you're logged into an account with a linked smartcard. If you were able to successfully link your account to your mobile phone, perhaps it would be sent in an SMS, but we'll never know because that doesn't work.
• Then you need to go to the laundry room, put the smart card into the terminal and manually punch in the code that they emailed/texted to you.

This is progress?

You are getting trained...

[Max Peck]

Now that I've loaded the card for the first time, I see that I was completely wrong about how it all works.

Rather than manually punch in the code, I simply needed to manually confirm the code. That changes everything.

[dbt1949]

Nevermind

Punchline from Saturday Night Live.

[Skinypupy]

Power’s been out for the past 4 hours, and they’re saying it probably won’t come back on until sometime tonight.

Good thing it’s only supposed to be 98 degrees here today.

[Isgrimnur]

Time for a Timpanogos Cave outing.

The caves are cold (45 F, 7 C) and dark

[Sudy]

At least your apartment laundromat uses cards. Despite replacing all units a couple years ago, we're still stuck on change like it's 1987 or something. I actually have to walk into the bank and buy rolls of change if I want clean clothes. It's the only thing I use cash for since covid, and I barely used cash before that.

[hitbyambulance]

might it be due to trying to avoid per-transaction credit-card fees? if you load the pre-paid cards up separately, more money can be loaded on at once and thus only one credit-card fee (as opposed to using individual credit card transactions for every single washer/dryer load)

[Max Peck]

might it be due to trying to avoid per-transaction credit-card fees? if you load the pre-paid cards up separately, more money can be loaded on at once and thus only one credit-card fee (as opposed to using individual credit card transactions for every single washer/dryer load)

It never worked that way. You loaded up the old smartcard to a max of $50 at a time originally, which was lowered to $30 at a time for some reason which was totally not because they had a $3.50 "convenience fee" per transaction for allowing you to use the terminal instead of the nonexistent local office. The new system doesn't seem to have a fee tacked on and also allows you to load more into the card at one shot, so I grant that it is an improvement in that sense.

[Max Peck]

At least your apartment laundromat uses cards. Despite replacing all units a couple years ago, we're still stuck on change like it's 1987 or something. I actually have to walk into the bank and buy rolls of change if I want clean clothes. It's the only thing I use cash for since covid, and I barely used cash before that.

I used to save all my loonies and quarters for laundry. Now I just use them at the local bakery, because even a year and a half into the pandemic they are still a cash-only operation.

[hitbyambulance]

might it be due to trying to avoid per-transaction credit-card fees? if you load the pre-paid cards up separately, more money can be loaded on at once and thus only one credit-card fee (as opposed to using individual credit card transactions for every single washer/dryer load)

It never worked that way. You loaded up the old smartcard to a max of $50 at a time originally, which was lowered to $30 at a time for some reason which was totally not because they had a $3.50 "convenience fee" per transaction for allowing you to use the terminal instead of the nonexistent local office. The new system doesn't seem to have a fee tacked on and also allows you to load more into the card at one shot, so I grant that it is an improvement in that sense.

sorry, i meant the transaction fee on the vendor's end (the fee the credit card companies charge the merchant)

[Max Peck]

might it be due to trying to avoid per-transaction credit-card fees? if you load the pre-paid cards up separately, more money can be loaded on at once and thus only one credit-card fee (as opposed to using individual credit card transactions for every single washer/dryer load)

It never worked that way. You loaded up the old smartcard to a max of $50 at a time originally, which was lowered to $30 at a time for some reason which was totally not because they had a $3.50 "convenience fee" per transaction for allowing you to use the terminal instead of the nonexistent local office. The new system doesn't seem to have a fee tacked on and also allows you to load more into the card at one shot, so I grant that it is an improvement in that sense.

sorry, i meant the transaction fee on the vendor's end (the fee the credit card companies charge the merchant)

The old system used a payment terminal in the laundry room to load money into a smartcard, and the smartcard was used to operate the washers/dryers, not your credit card. If you load the same amount onto the card with the new system, there would be exactly the same number of credit card transactions as previously. The only real difference is that they don't seem to be tacking a surcharge on when you load the smartcard now, so it costs a little less to load the same amount on the card now.

[hitbyambulance]

i think i'm not being fully understood here...

The old system used a payment terminal in the laundry room to load money into a smartcard, and the smartcard was used to operate the washers/dryers, not your credit card.

yes, this was never in doubt and was understood from the beginning.

If you load the same amount onto the card with the new system, there would be exactly the same number of credit card transactions as previously. The only real difference is that they don't seem to be tacking a surcharge on when you load the smartcard now, so it costs a little less to load the same amount on the card now.

i was only referring to why the smartcard is being used in the first place.

without the smartcard, the credit card would have to be used for every single load. every single time the credit card is used, the vendor in charge of the washing equipment will get dinged a surcharge every single time a card is approved for payment.

with the smartcard, the end user is indirectly encouraged to load the smartcard with more funds than for just a single load. this way, the vendor is dinged only once for the bulk funds transfer, because each use of the smartcard now doesn't have to go through a credit card company (and get dinged for the surcharge).

[Max Peck]

Ah, OK. I had no idea what you were getting at, obviously.

The smartcard was never the issue, it's the only way to go cashless unless they wanted to install and network a credit/debit card reader in every machine in the laundromat.

I was just grumbling about how they've made the whole process more cumbersome than it used to be, all in the name of... progress?

[Pyperkub]

I work with a Product Called OnBase for document management and am running a kickoff meeting this afternoon.

I'm starting with this classic bit!

I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen the full “Who’s On First” bit before. The timing on that is incredible.

Abbott and Costello marathon on TCM today apparently.

[Blackhawk]

I've developed a bad habit: I get an idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't. Then I get another idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't.

I spend a lot of time getting ready to do things, but little to no time actually doing them before moving on to the next. I can't figure out which twisted corner of my psyche is responsible for this, or I'd spank it back into its corner.

[dbt1949]

It's cheaper that way than actually doing the idea.

[Blackhawk]

It's cheaper that way than actually doing the idea.

I wish! Most ideas have the cost front-loaded. Tools, supplies, 50-gallon drums, etc.

[wonderpug]

I've developed a bad habit: I get an idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't. Then I get another idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't.

I spend a lot of time getting ready to do things, but little to no time actually doing them before moving on to the next. I can't figure out which twisted corner of my psyche is responsible for this, or I'd spank it back into its corner.

Do you tell people about the thing you’re about to do? What you’re talking about sounds really similar to a common self-sabotage phenomenon where you get the “I did it!” endorphin rush for telling people about your awesome idea or plan, and then suddenly you don’t really care about doing the thing because your mind/body already feels like it did it.

[Anonymous Bosch]

I've developed a bad habit: I get an idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't. Then I get another idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't.

I spend a lot of time getting ready to do things, but little to no time actually doing them before moving on to the next. I can't figure out which twisted corner of my psyche is responsible for this, or I'd spank it back into its corner.

Write everything down or type it out.

This will allow you to decide, plan, and execute:

1. Decide: Step one is to decide what you're going after. What is your end goal? Your first step is all about developing the end picture as clear as you can before moving onto the next step. Go into as much detail as you can, describe everything you can about your end goal. When do you want to achieve it? What is your motive? What benefit will the goal serve once you have it?
2. Plan: With your final goal clarified and laid out in front of you, consider the steps you will need to carry it out. How, exactly, do you get from the present to your final goal? Make the steps as detailed as possible. Do not be vague, and do not hold back on information. Outline every single step you’re going to take to ensure you achieve exactly what you want. Make sure to tie the goals to a timeframe; this will create a timeline for you to follow when achieving your goal. With your plan written or typed out, you're ready to move on to the final step.
3. Execute: Now you know what it is you want, how you are going to achieve it, and precisely what steps are necessary to do so. So you're ready to execute. Execution is the most crucial aspect, and where most people typically fail. But taking the time to write down or type out your plan makes it much, much easier to carry out. More often than not, it also goes a long way towards providing you with the correct mindset and motivation to succeed.

Having said that, writing down or typing out your plans or ideas obviously does not necessarily mean they will always succeed. But going through this process will help you better determine the feasibility of your ideas and spotlight potential flaws. It also makes it easier for you to acknowledge and correct for mistakes when you can see your ideas documented.

[Madmarcus]

Having said that, writing down or typing out your plans or ideas obviously does not necessarily mean they will always succeed. But going through this process will help you better determine the feasibility of your ideas and spotlight potential flaws. It also makes it easier for you to acknowledge and correct for mistakes when you can see your ideas documented.

I hate the set of steps. On some projects it is needed. But on others it serves to kick my analysis paralysis into overdrive. If everything has to be decided before anything gets started than everything is on the table. Of course I can be really good at not seeing the forest because of the trees.

[Blackhawk]

I've developed a bad habit: I get an idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't. Then I get another idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't.

I spend a lot of time getting ready to do things, but little to no time actually doing them before moving on to the next. I can't figure out which twisted corner of my psyche is responsible for this, or I'd spank it back into its corner.

Do you tell people about the thing you’re about to do? What you’re talking about sounds really similar to a common self-sabotage phenomenon where you get the “I did it!” endorphin rush for telling people about your awesome idea or plan, and then suddenly you don’t really care about doing the thing because your mind/body already feels like it did it.

Nope. I keep it to myself. Sometimes rabidly.

It's more that I absolutely love the inspiration, research, planning, and collection phase so much that I over-focus on that.

[Blackhawk]

This will allow you to decide, plan, and execute:

1. Decide: Step one is to decide what you're going after. What is your end goal? Your first step is all about developing the end picture as clear as you can before moving onto the next step. Go into as much detail as you can, describe everything you can about your end goal. When do you want to achieve it? What is your motive? What benefit will the goal serve once you have it?

Goal? That's a thing? To be honest, 90% of the time the goal is 'engage in activity.'

Let me give an example from my past.

Around... 18 years ago, I got the itch to learn flight sims. I grew up with aircraft-obsessed father (historical aircraft), and it rubbed off on me. I read up on it. I saved and spent probably a thousand dollars on a pro-quality throttle, flight stick, pedals, and a TrackIR pro (which tracked your head position to let you look around with your head.) I collected flight sims - Flight Simulator 2003, X-Plane, IL-2 Sturmovik, Falcon 4.0, Jane's WWII Fighters, Longbow 2, Lock-on: Modern Air Combat, probably a few others. I read flight sim magazines. I loved it! I poured time, energy, money, inspiration, and passion into it. When I needed a new coat that year, I bought a bleeping Alpha Industries B-15 flight jacket, the jacket issued to military pilots from after WWII until the end of the Korean War, made by the same company. I read biographies of pilots (Greg Boyington was a huge asshole, by the way. Ba-ba my ass.)

I spent maybe two hours playing flight sims.

My goal? Play flight sims because I like planes.

Maybe I need better goals, but I don't always see how to get them out of 'engage in activity.'

[LordMortis]

I've developed a bad habit: I get an idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't. Then I get another idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't.

I spend a lot of time getting ready to do things, but little to no time actually doing them before moving on to the next. I can't figure out which twisted corner of my psyche is responsible for this, or I'd spank it back into its corner.

Do you tell people about the thing you’re about to do? What you’re talking about sounds really similar to a common self-sabotage phenomenon where you get the “I did it!” endorphin rush for telling people about your awesome idea or plan, and then suddenly you don’t really care about doing the thing because your mind/body already feels like it did it.

I'm the other way. I tell people I'm going to do something because it commits me and there is a sense of horrid failure if I say I'm going to do something and not follow through. This also keeps me from making a lot of commitments.

[Anonymous Bosch]

This will allow you to decide, plan, and execute:

1. Decide: Step one is to decide what you're going after. What is your end goal? Your first step is all about developing the end picture as clear as you can before moving onto the next step. Go into as much detail as you can, describe everything you can about your end goal. When do you want to achieve it? What is your motive? What benefit will the goal serve once you have it?

Goal? That's a thing? To be honest, 90% of the time the goal is 'engage in activity.'

Let me give an example from my past.

Around... 18 years ago, I got the itch to learn flight sims. I grew up with aircraft-obsessed father (historical aircraft), and it rubbed off on me. I read up on it. I saved and spent probably a thousand dollars on a pro-quality throttle, flight stick, pedals, and a TrackIR pro (which tracked your head position to let you look around with your head.) I collected flight sims - Flight Simulator 2003, X-Plane, IL-2 Sturmovik, Falcon 4.0, Jane's WWII Fighters, Longbow 2, Lock-on: Modern Air Combat, probably a few others. I read flight sim magazines. I loved it! I poured time, energy, money, inspiration, and passion into it. When I needed a new coat that year, I bought a bleeping Alpha Industries B-15 flight jacket, the jacket issued to military pilots from after WWII until the end of the Korean War, made by the same company. I read biographies of pilots (Greg Boyington was a huge asshole, by the way. Ba-ba my ass.)

I spent maybe two hours playing flight sims.

My goal? Play flight sims because I like planes.

So write that down. Your goal need not be anything profound or earth-shattering. But the act of writing it down will make it more tangible and attainable. YMMV, but I've found it to be remarkably effective.

[Blackhawk]

I'm actually wondering if the problem is that I'm not giving myself a goal. I could pick one and then go from there. Going back 18 years I could have gone with 'complete a campaign in a flight simulator' or something.

[Kraken]

I've developed a bad habit: I get an idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't. Then I get another idea, I get inspired, and I get ready to do [idea thing]. Then I don't.

I spend a lot of time getting ready to do things, but little to no time actually doing them before moving on to the next. I can't figure out which twisted corner of my psyche is responsible for this, or I'd spank it back into its corner.

Do you tell people about the thing you’re about to do? What you’re talking about sounds really similar to a common self-sabotage phenomenon where you get the “I did it!” endorphin rush for telling people about your awesome idea or plan, and then suddenly you don’t really care about doing the thing because your mind/body already feels like it did it.

I'm the other way. I tell people I'm going to do something because it commits me and there is a sense of horrid failure if I say I'm going to do something and not follow through. This also keeps me from making a lot of commitments.

Me too. Not like I know any people to tell anything anymore, but back when I interacted with humans I only issued declarative statements when I knew they were a lock. Otherwise it was "I was reading about x and thinking of maybe trying it someday, or maybe not."

[Anonymous Bosch]

I'm actually wondering if the problem is that I'm not giving myself a goal. I could pick one and then go from there. Going back 18 years I could have gone with 'complete a campaign in a flight simulator' or something.

Indeed, that may well be part of your problem. Suffice to say, writing your goals down can be a significant boon towards actually accomplishing them. And, conversely, it also clarifies whether you're just spinning your wheels. Either way, it helps you separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.

[Holman]

This will allow you to decide, plan, and execute:

1. Decide: Step one is to decide what you're going after. What is your end goal? Your first step is all about developing the end picture as clear as you can before moving onto the next step. Go into as much detail as you can, describe everything you can about your end goal. When do you want to achieve it? What is your motive? What benefit will the goal serve once you have it?

Goal? That's a thing? To be honest, 90% of the time the goal is 'engage in activity.'

Let me give an example from my past.

Around... 18 years ago, I got the itch to learn flight sims. I grew up with aircraft-obsessed father (historical aircraft), and it rubbed off on me. I read up on it. I saved and spent probably a thousand dollars on a pro-quality throttle, flight stick, pedals, and a TrackIR pro (which tracked your head position to let you look around with your head.) I collected flight sims - Flight Simulator 2003, X-Plane, IL-2 Sturmovik, Falcon 4.0, Jane's WWII Fighters, Longbow 2, Lock-on: Modern Air Combat, probably a few others. I read flight sim magazines. I loved it! I poured time, energy, money, inspiration, and passion into it. When I needed a new coat that year, I bought a bleeping Alpha Industries B-15 flight jacket, the jacket issued to military pilots from after WWII until the end of the Korean War, made by the same company. I read biographies of pilots (Greg Boyington was a huge asshole, by the way. Ba-ba my ass.)

I spent maybe two hours playing flight sims.

My goal? Play flight sims because I like planes.

Maybe I need better goals, but I don't always see how to get them out of 'engage in activity.'

This sounds familiar to me.

I'm a wargamer, purportedly because I love wargames. I follow all the major wargame developers (both electronic and tabletop) and consider myself a connoisseur, even a snob. I obsess over reviews and discussion boards, and I go deep into research on topics related to wargames I want to play.

In the end, I spend far more time on preparation than playing. I remember a few years back when I got excited about a Napoleonic game and read (this is no exaggeration) 4,000 pages of Napoleonic history and fiction. I played the actual game for maybe four hours.

[disarm]

When it comes to hobbies, does failing to reach a specific goal really matter if you're still enjoying yourself along the way? As long as you're devoting time to something and gain pleasure out of that effort, I wouldn't say it's a waste of time or failure at all.

[Daehawk]

My granny used to say when I asked for money for the arcade "You might as well go throw it in the creek"....and I always had to tell her "But I wouldn't have any fun doing that" She thought newspapers, magazines, movies and all her stuff was worth money but putting it in an arcade machine was a waste because I had nothing to show for it....same as movies I shoulda told her.

[dbt1949]

When I was young I felt a lot like your granny did. In addition I thought it was a waste to spend money on food because you ate it and had nothing left to show afterwards.
I have changed my mind about that since then.

[Madmarcus]

The size of my belly after a year an a half of Covid restrictions shows me that something remains after spending money on food!

[Blackhawk]

I think tabletop wargames were probably my biggest offender. I spent an insane amount of time getting things ready to play Warhammer, despite rarely actually playing Warhammer.

When it comes to hobbies, does failing to reach a specific goal really matter if you're still enjoying yourself along the way? As long as you're devoting time to something and gain pleasure out of that effort, I wouldn't say it's a waste of time or failure at all.

If you're investing your limited resources into things that don't see use, then possibly. If you decide you want to, say, work stained glass and have fun preparing and learning about it, no. If you buy a thousand dollars worth of expensive tools and supplies that never come out of their packaging, yes.

What I need to do is find a hobby where I can constantly prepare for things as the hobby.

In addition I thought it was a waste to spend money on food because you ate it and had nothing left to show afterwards.
I have changed my mind about that since then.

I still feel that way. And that goes double for the time spent shopping, cooking, and eating it. Each week I spend (conservatively) 12-15 hours on food, plus the financial element. I would happily switch to a singe swallow nutrition pill if I could get that time back.

[Daehawk]

Got a real fright this morning. I kicked and turned and went to the kitchen until about 5am when I dozed off finally only to wake up less than an hour later to a almost dark room. I was so sleep zonked I wasn't sure what was wrong but my mind knew something was but couldn't put a finger on it for a few moments. Then I noticed how dark it was and saw my monitor was in standby mode and the screen was black. Uh oh.

When I finally got up I couldn't get it to work. Just would say display port not found. I wasn't sure if it was the monitor or the card. Either one would kill my pc use from now on. I wiggled the DP cord, changed cords..nothing. Stole my PS4s HDMI cable and after trying 2 other ports on the card I finally found the damn hdmi one. Figures it was the last one. Still nothing. This time hdmi not found. Oh joy.

Had to turn the pc off with the PSU button because I couldn't see how to do it with no monitor. Not like the old days when power or reset actually worked instead of windows asking you a dozens questions about if you're sure or not. Thank goodness it came back up on hdmi. Shit getting old at 10 years lol. Hope hdmi doesn't go out.

[Daehawk]

Spoke too soon. Went to the bathroom and it was off again and hdmi port no signal. Again I had to turn off the PSU and then back on to have the screen come back up. For shits I plugged the DP cable back in too and switched to it using just the monitor. It worked too.

So now I dont know wtf is going on. I also hear a 'budum' type sound every now and then. The type you hear when a app fails or something closes. But dont see anything.

So Im guessing this is yet another EVGA card dying. Its old as hell but been good. Im not sure what it is or how long Ill be able to be online from now on. Just in case it totally dies Ill see ya all in a few years maybe lol...kidding not kidding.

Edit: I think I still have my old gtx 270 as a backup.

[Daehawk]

And offagain. Im on my tablet now as my typing shows. Ill fiddle with it until im mad ten I have a shotgun. Ill start a thread for this in hardware later.

[Blackhawk]

Try pulling and reseating the card. See if you have a different PCI-E (I assume) slot you can move the card to (most mobos have two, and some allow you to switch.)

If it happens again, isolate the issue. Try hooking it to your TV instead of a monitor. If it works, the monitor is the issue. If not, it's the system.