Random randomness

[Daehawk]

I think next McDonalds trip Ill order a large no ice cola.

[Isgrimnur]

[Kasey Chang]

Bear in a tree caused police to order the neighborhood into shelter-in-place in Petaluma, CA. The 400-500 pound bear apparently got scared and climbed up about 75-85 ft of a 150 ft tall tree.

News reported that the bear eventually came down and disappeared toward the golf course.

[dbt1949]

And shot a par 4 on the first hole.

[Max Peck]

It was a Golden Bear?

[Jaymann]

It was a Golden Bear?

[golf]

[dbt1949]

No, his name was Arnold.

[hitbyambulance]

At some point in the future (post-Christmas), I need to replace our worn-out, 20-year-old Wal-Mart table lamp.

It' surprisingly hard to find something that doesn't look like it belongs in my grandmother's house.

it's posts like this that make me lament the inequitable distribution of 'stuff' just in our own country. i see decent looking lamps all the time in thrift stores here - or cheap/free on nextdoor/craigslist - or even just sitting on a street corner. i had one here i had to give away to goodwill because no one wanted it for $0.

[Blackhawk]

It's more a style thing for me. 98% of everything is the same urn/vase/pillar style that's been in everyone's grandmother's house. I eventually found a few that I like that are a little different, although most of them are way too expensive for me. Some of them are more... out there than what I wanted, but nothing in my house looks like a Victorian urn or lathed pillar. Why would I want this one item to look like one? They fit me about as well as floral wallpaper.

Examples:

Spoiler:

[telcta]

Anyone know what this little doo-hickey thing is above the traffic lights and cameras? I'm seeing more of these popping up and first thought it was a camera until I saw this picture. Maybe a light... But it seems small for that. Someone said it could be a sensor for emergency vehicles to control the lights, or possibley detect wrong-way drivers?

[Smoove_B]

That's a weird one. I believe the device that emergency vehicles use to change the lights is the tiny black vertical rectangle off to the right of the light, on top of the mounting bar - it almost looks like a bird at first glance.

The thing you're pointing to looks like a light, but that doesn't make any sense. Maybe it's connected to the operation of the cameras somehow?

EDIT: The internet is telling me it's a traffic detector.

[Isgrimnur]

The Bold Italic

In truth, the small white squares, Proxim Wireless transponders to be exact, perched atop a selection of the city’s intersections have more to do with ensuring safety than anything else. Recently in Los Angeles, the fire department has started implementing “Traffic Signal Preemption Systems,” or radio transponders slapped on to the sides of their fire trucks that interact with other sensors connected to streetlights to change the lights from red to green.

[Daehawk]

The bell shaped thing? Its a camera.

[telcta]

The bell shaped thing? Its a camera.

That’s what I originally thought but I don’t understand what the purpose of a camera pointing straight down would be since ther are other cameras.

It doesn’t have a flat surface like what Isgrimnur posted. I’ll see if I can get under one of those and take another picture. maybe I could zoom in and see if it’s a lens.

[Daehawk]

The bell shaped thing? Its a camera.

That’s what I originally thought but I don’t understand what the purpose of a camera pointing straight down would be since ther are other cameras.

It doesn’t have a flat surface like what Isgrimnur posted. I’ll see if I can get under one of those and take another picture. maybe I could zoom in and see if it’s a lens.

Supposedly its a 360 degree camera. I dont think this one is finished yet.

[telcta]

Interesting!

That actually looks like an audio XLR cable plugged into the post.

[Daehawk]

Gridsmart makes them. Hence the G on the thing covering the lens area I guess.

https://gridsmart.com/products/the-bell-camera/

[telcta]

Thanks, Daehawk! I think that’s it.

[Daehawk]

Cool. You're welcome. Hope thats what it was you were interested in and not the box. Finding any sensible info on 'box shaped thingy on red light camera' is a headache of Google returns.

[telcta]

Your searching skills were much better than mine. I was trying to figure that one out for awhile now before I turned to the experts here.

[Kraken]

Your searching skills were much better than mine. I was trying to figure that one out for awhile now before I turned to the experts here.

Next time, come here first. We have Isgrimnur on retainer.

[dbt1949]

And my wife has a bridge.

[Isgrimnur]

Your searching skills were much better than mine. I was trying to figure that one out for awhile now before I turned to the experts here.

Next time, come here first. We have Isgrimnur on retainer.

I got this one wrong, tho.

[telcta]

Your searching skills were much better than mine. I was trying to figure that one out for awhile now before I turned to the experts here.

Next time, come here first. We have Isgrimnur on retainer.

I got this one wrong, tho.

Merely a blip in your algorithm... no problem . I got out this morning and grabbed a picture from underneath another location. It's exactly the one Daehawk posted.

[Smoove_B]

And now you're on camera taking a photo of it. Wishing you the best.

[Anonymous Bosch]

And now you're on camera taking a photo of it. Wishing you the best.

[telcta]

And now you're on camera taking a photo of it. Wishing you the best.

If I were to disappear, no one here would notice so I need to post more.

On that note... I'm trying to change up some of my eating habits, eating less carbs and cutting way back on alcohol consumption. One thing I never was able to get into was yogurt, tried a couple times many years ago, couldn't get past the smell and taste.

Wondering if things have changed, I decided to visit a part of the grocery store I never go to... the yogurt section. Holy cow there is a ton of different options and so many look downright unhealthy, like...



I picked up a Black Cherry flavored low sugar greek yogurt that was surprisingly very good.


I can see myself eating more yogurt, so it's time to experiment with different options.

Yogurt? You like?

[Isgrimnur]

Sugar is the yogurt wildcard, as you can see. "But look how little fat we have!"

[gilraen]

I love those Chobani Flips but they are more snack/dessert than a healthy breakfast

[LordMortis]

I'm a fan but I don't eat yogurt that's good for me. Most yogurt on the shelf is pasteurized, killing all the stuff that's supposed to be probiotic and then they either add sugar to make up for the fats.

[telcta]

I did see some probiotic specific yogurts and was curious about that. I'm just happy that I didn't gag trying yogurt, they really seem to have improved the taste since I last tried it holding my nose.

[Daehawk]

Noosa is the only yogurt for me since I found it this year. All the flavors I've tried are great. Its fruit on bottom type. But even the yogurt on top is amazing by itself.

[Blackhawk]

I'm a fan but I don't eat yogurt that's good for me. Most yogurt on the shelf is pasteurized, killing all the stuff that's supposed to be probiotic and then they either add sugar to make up for the fats.

Those that are probiotic are pasteurized and then have fresh bacteria added back in. Look for yogurts stating, "Live and active cultures."

[Anonymous Bosch]

Yogurt? You like?

I do, but if you want to step up your yogurt-y prowess with a view towards eating healthier and saving money while you're at it, I'd recommend avoiding premade flavoured yogurt pots. Because as gilraen aptly observes, they tend to be more snack/dessert than much else.

Instead, consider purchasing a big tub of plain yogurt with live and active cultures + a suitable frozen berry blend. Mix together ~6-8oz of yogurt with a handful of berries in some glass snapware containers, and set 'em back in the fridge to defrost overnight. If you're not averse to a minimal amount of healthy carbs, consider also adding in some old fashioned oats, nuts, flax seeds etc. for good measure. If you require more sweetness stir in a little honey just prior to consuming, and you'll have something that tastes much better -- and is much better for you -- than any premade flavoured yogurt pots. And costs a whole lot less to boot.

You can also add vanilla extract or some suitable sugar-free Torani syrup to flavour however you prefer.

[telcta]

Yogurt? You like?

I do, but if you want to step up your yogurt-y prowess with a view towards eating healthier and saving money while you're at it, I'd recommend avoiding premade flavoured yogurt pots. Because as gilraen aptly observes, they tend to be more snack/dessert than much else.

Instead, consider purchasing a big tub of plain yogurt with live and active cultures + a suitable frozen berry blend. Mix together ~6-8oz of yogurt with a handful of berries in some glass snapware containers, and set 'em back in the fridge to defrost overnight. If you're not averse to a minimal amount of healthy carbs, consider also adding in some old fashioned oats, nuts, flax seeds etc. for good measure. If you require more sweetness stir in a little honey just prior to consuming, and you'll have something that tastes much better -- and is much better for you -- than any premade flavoured yogurt pots. And costs a whole lot less to boot.

You can also add vanilla extract or some suitable sugar-free Torani syrup to flavour however you prefer.

Thank you! This is where I ultimately would want to end up. I ignored yogurt for so many years it’s time to see if it’s not as bad as I had thought.

Even with sales where you get 10 cups for $10, it still seems expensive and a waste. For now it’s good to see what I would like and gravitate to a certain brand. I love the idea of mixing your own fruit… I usually get some frozen fruit from Aldi. Oooo, that reminds me, I should see what Aldi has.

I’m new to all this yogurt and seeing sooooo many options, it’s difficult to know where to start. I think I can safely ignore all the snack types with candy and chocolate.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

[telcta]

Noosa is the only yogurt for me since I found it this year. All the flavors I've tried are great. Its fruit on bottom type. But even the yogurt on top is amazing by itself.

Nice! I’ll keep an eye out for that brand.

[LordMortis]

Extending ABs thought, there is a whole thing on "overnight oats" which is basically taking oats, yorgurt, and fruit and letting sit in the fridge

https://www.google.com/search?q=overnight+oats

[Anonymous Bosch]

Extending ABs thought, there is a whole thing on "overnight oats" which is basically taking oats, yorgurt, and fruit and letting sit in the fridge

https://duckduckgo.com/overnight+oats

FTFY.

[telcta]

Extending ABs thought, there is a whole thing on "overnight oats" which is basically taking oats, yorgurt, and fruit and letting sit in the fridge

https://www.google.com/search?q=overnight+oats

I saw that on the menu at one of the coffee shops I go to. I’m on my way past there now and I’ll pick up one. That really seems like a good idea because I love oatmeal. I’ve been doing plain oatmeal and putting my own brown sugar on it to control the amount of sugar. The maple and brown sugar oatmeal packets are just too much.

[LordMortis]

I really should revisit duckduckgo as my search engine.