Random randomness

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Mon May 02, 2022 3:00 pm

shoulda done it earlier!

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon May 02, 2022 4:14 pm

I smelled gas on the patio today and swiftly determined that my gas grill hose was leaking again. It's a 2006 Weber and the part design changed in 2011, so generic replacements won't do. I know this because this is the fourth new hose I've had to buy. This time, a squirrel gnawed through it, which turns out to be a very common problem. That's most likely what happened last time. Weber doesn't make a stainless steel version so I'm stuck with getting another rubber one.

Fortunately, the hardware store had a spiral wire cage for exactly this circumstance. It's not long enough to cover the entire hose but ought to shield the part that's outside the cabinet. That should keep the squirrels away.

Weber gets $38 + shipping, with delivery whenever. I found the same part at the same price from an Amazon seller with free shipping and delivery on Thursday. The seller is a hardware store claiming it's a genuine Weber part.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon May 02, 2022 4:24 pm

Shouldn't the gas be turned off at the tank when not in use? Why is there gas streaming out the hose?

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon May 02, 2022 5:06 pm

When all the parts are tight it's enough to turn it off at the control knobs. Any seepage is undetectable. I'm going to start turning it off at the tank as well. It's just a small extra step that I need to make a habit of.

After 16 years this grill is on its last legs anyway. I hope to get two more seasons out of it and then buy a new one when we move in a couple of years.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Mon May 02, 2022 5:24 pm

You know the stereotypical scene of a college instructor holding class outside and talking about poetry while the students sit around enjoying the sunlight and (presumably) the poetry? That was me today.

Also, I brought my dog. There's no better way to turn jaded college students into kids again.

Even better, both my Department Chair and the Dean of the College strolled by and played with the dog. Today was a big win.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Mon May 02, 2022 10:14 pm

Today I went out and flew a kite in the park.
Except I don't have a kite, can barely walk and we had major thunderstorms.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon May 02, 2022 10:17 pm

I was looking back on the calendar to 2011 when we had the tornado here and realized this year and 2011 share the exact same dates on the same days. Its a mirror year...like so many other.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon May 02, 2022 11:35 pm

There are only 14 possible calendars

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue May 03, 2022 12:37 am

Unless you count the year of the rat.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue May 03, 2022 1:03 am

There are only 14 possible Gregorian calendars

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue May 03, 2022 3:00 am

I haven't gone to a supermarket for a long time, so I have no idea what prices are nowdays, as my "western" groceries almost always come via Amazon Fresh (previously Amazon PrimeNow!)

A fresh round of nosebleeds reminds me I'm a bit too heavy on my cola habit (somehow if I drink more than 2-3 diet colas a day my nose starts to bleed, or feel as if it's about to) so I'm switching to clear diet sodas, at least for the near term.

Except finding such sodas at a decent price is an adventure.

Previously I've reported that on AmazonFresh, 24-pack of Diet Coke 12oz Cans are now up to $14, while Diet Pepsi 24 pack is still at about 10 to 10.50. I've also previously bought some Diet Pepsi Cherry when it was on sale for like 4.75 for 12 pack.

Checking AmazonFresh for diet soda shows only 12-packs are available, and they are all in the $7 range. Eeek! Even the Pepsi family ones. Even the weird flavors like Diet Mtn Dew blast or whatever.

So time to check Safeway... They are selling 12 packs for $9. !!!!!!!!! (and that's before tax and CRV)

I searched InstaCart and picked Foodmaxx, which is one of those grocery discounters. Then I realized something... I'm in San Francisco, so why is it showing me a store in FREMONT, which is like 25 miles away? WTF?! At least their prices are reasonable... 12 pack about 5.50 each.

Kept switching... Remembered Restaurant Depot which is local, and a sorta wholesaler of stuff, think Costco but for restaurants. Instead of tahini in small jars, they sell them by 4 pound tubs. They do have diet 7-up at about $5.70 for 12 pack. Order 6. With tax, "free delivery", and fuel surcharge, and tip, which isn't that different from what I pay for AmazonFresh delivery. We'll see how the delivery goes tomorrow.

Jaymon · Post by **Jaymon** » Tue May 03, 2022 9:48 am

This was some years back - I, for one, am exactly aware of what food poisoning is. After a company lunch, I spent much of the night on the toilet, trying to shit my insides out. It was horrendous and painful. By the time morning came, I was empty enough to brave going to work. But the office was empty. Only about 10% of staff showed up out of the several hundred folks who worked there, the rest called out sick.

Did not take long to figure out the non-sick folks were either vegetarian, or did not attend the event. Some folks took several days to recover, I don't know if anyone went to the hospital. We got a memo later saying the gumbo had bad meat in it.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Tue May 03, 2022 9:48 am

Even if I was inclined to drink soda regularly, I'd've given up and settled on drinking water long before getting to the end of that process.

gilraen · Post by **gilraen** » Tue May 03, 2022 10:54 am

Or switch to SodaStream to mix your own soda. It can't possibly taste any worse than Diet Coke or whatever clear diet sodas you end up drinking.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue May 03, 2022 11:30 am

LordMortis wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2022 11:04 am Apparently the whiff a really quitting means something to WOW. They have service my Internet to no effect how many time over the years. Today a tech came on site to replace the cabling end to end to my house. My Internet speed is 5x what it was before he came and this morning it was behaving exceptionally well. For the first time ever I have something nice to say about WOW since it started going up in price from $40 to eventually $175. Now I'm back down to $100 and the service, at least for the moment, isn't utter shite.

And they are billing me for fixing their problem and won't discuss the bill until the 21st. I may be cutting the cord after all.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed May 04, 2022 8:42 am

Dave Chappelle: US comedian gets Will Smithed on stage in Los Angeles

US stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage on Tuesday during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Clips shared on social media showed someone running into the star.

Further videos appeared to show the comic apparently unharmed after returning to the stage at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival.

Chappelle faced criticism and protests last year when his Netflix special was accused of being transphobic.

After returning to the stage on Tuesday, the 48-year-old made light of the controversy, suggesting to the audience that the attacker "was a trans man".

According to ABC journalist Stephanie Wash, fellow comic Chris Rock - who was slapped on stage by Will Smith at the Oscars in March - then came on stage with Chappelle.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed May 04, 2022 10:39 am

When the mob came up with the slogan "What happens in Vegas stays in Lake Mead" they obviously didn't allow for climate change.

Receding waters of Lake Mead uncover a body. Police expect to find more.

The remains of a person who died an estimated 40 years ago were discovered over the weekend in a corroding barrel at Nevada’s Lake Mead as a severe drought has caused the water levels to reach record lows, authorities said.

The remains were found Sunday near Las Vegas at the largest reservoir in the United States, police said. Las Vegas Metro police homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said investigators think the person was a murder victim who died of a gunshot wound. He told CBS affiliate KLAS-TV that there will probably be more such discoveries.

“There is a very good chance as the water level drops that we are going to find additional human remains,” he said.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed May 04, 2022 11:24 am

Im sure its just some accidental drowning victim who went out in a barrel and was too drunk to swim out of it.. - local mafia spokeperson

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed May 04, 2022 11:56 am

Maybe Hep can give a review of this one....

The Man with a Penis on His Arm

Three men with new or replacement penises tell their story. Including Malcolm, who has a new penis hanging from his arm, which he hopes will be moved to his groin finally.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed May 04, 2022 12:59 pm

Oh Amazon, When will I learn. Order placed last Friday from Amazon (choice, not from a marketplace seller). Due to arrive today. This morning it still shows as not shipped. I figure, whatever, they have two distribution centers within 10 minutes of my house. Item is probably warehoused in one.

Nope. Today, the arrival date changes from today to Saturday and the item shows as located at and shipping from Illinois by USPS as of now.

For a logistics company they are sure losing the logistics edge to WalMart, BestBuy, Target, Home Depot, and just about everywhere else. They don't leverage a price advantage anymore and I'd sooner order in store pickup at anyone of these retailers who have never missed a delivery date. The only reason I even placed this order instead of picking up from Brick and Mortar was because I had gift cards to cover the cost.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed May 04, 2022 6:35 pm

LordMortis wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 12:59 pm For a logistics company they are sure losing the logistics edge to WalMart, BestBuy, Target, Home Depot, and just about everywhere else. They don't leverage a price advantage anymore and I'd sooner order in store pickup at anyone of these retailers who have never missed a delivery date. The only reason I even placed this order instead of picking up from Brick and Mortar was because I had gift cards to cover the cost.

A number of us have reached the same conclusion in the Prime thread. I think a lot of people shop at Amazon out of habit. They've come to believe it is the cheap option because it used to be. It isn't anymore. It's often more expensive than anywhere else.

And that doesn't even touch on the vast number of knockoff products, counterfeits, unsafe products, and scammers using the marketplace (and I've encountered every single one of those - more than once each.)

My last encounter was in buying a set of high-quality card sleeves. Thick, matte, and of a brand before. I got the boxes, opened them up (they were not wrapped), and they were filled with some of the cheapest, thinnest, glossiest sleeves I've ever seen. Someone had either switched them and sold the cheap ones at the premium price hoping nobody would notice, or someone had bought them, switched them, and returned them - after which Amazon sold them as new (I checked.)

Unreliable, slow, and expensive. I avoid them as much as I can, and go direct to manufacturers for bigger items now.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed May 04, 2022 7:57 pm

I don't have Prime so I didn't want to piss in that thread. It's no biggie I suppose. In the past, I've been pretty high strung about getting what I ordered when it was promised. Now it's easiest enough to hit any one of their competitors. When the last of my gift card money is gone, likely I will be as well. Amazon has broken their covenants with me enough.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed May 04, 2022 8:17 pm

LordMortis wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 7:57 pm I don't have Prime so I didn't want to piss in that thread.

You obviously don't spend much time in the thread. It is 80% piss. The other 20% is rage.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed May 04, 2022 8:28 pm

I only go Amazon for convenience. If I can find the stuff I want locally (I don't own a car, so it'd be VERY local) I will get them locally, but I'm not about to get on a bus for 45 minutes each way for one or two items. I don't need them that badly to avoid the evils of Amazon.

You *can* often find stuff elsewhere cheaper than Amazon. The catch is, of course, do you have time to search through the websites and do comparison shopping then call up each one to verify availability and all that? Those people who do have the time are monetizing that by doing arbitrage (buy up the clearance elsewhere and sell them on Amazon. The rest of us may have time better spent elsewhere.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed May 04, 2022 8:55 pm

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 8:28 pm
You *can* often find stuff elsewhere cheaper than Amazon. The catch is, of course, do you have time to search through the websites and do comparison shopping then call up each one to verify availability and all that?

Do what now?

If it is an item that is either important or more than 30 bucks, I just open the manufacturer's site and see if they have it (and I have yet to ever have to call to see if something is in stock - the site generally shows that on the item page.)

And you don't need to find clearance sales to get it for less than Amazon. As often as not, the manufacturer's full price plus shipping is less than Amazon, and often faster (although it may be slower if you live in an urban center.) A huge number of manufacturers now offer free shipping.

Amazon charges the seller a fee. That is passed to the consumer. Amazon forces free shipping at their price point. That translates as another mark up (for example, a bottle of paint that goes for $3 plus $4 shipping from the manufacturer sells for $7 with free shipping on Amazon, and five bottles cost $15 plus $7 shipping from the manufacturer, but $35 on Amazon, as the shipping isn't combined.) And if it is a popular product that may sell out from the original source on Amazon, you can add an additional markup from the third parties that are listing it.

Amazon is no longer a discount seller. Once their reputation as fast and cheap was established, they became more expensive and slower. And people constantly pay more than retail or other online shops on Amazon because they still believe that it is the lowest price.

And again, this doesn't even touch on the huge, huge fraud issues, the counterfeiting, the scams, or the ethics of how they treat employees.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed May 04, 2022 9:42 pm

You are correct when it comes to name-brand items. Amazon's FBA (fulfillment by Amazon) fees are size and weight-dependent and can be expensive for large items.

Third-parties who sell on Amazon tries to watch Amazon's participation, as Amazon will ruin their day if A came in with a load of inventory and tank everybody else's prices, but Amazon can't stock everything in demand, so the arbitrage sellers still have a chance of making profit.

If you know exactly what you want then yes, your search should be short: it's among the manufacturer, specialty retailer, or Amazon.

For stuff sold at various retailers, outlets, and so on, it gets much more tedious trying to find the lowest price among different sellers.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed May 04, 2022 9:48 pm

I need a gas hose for my grill, and I want to grill this weekend. On Monday I went to Weber's site and found it in stock, but shipping is expensive and fulfillment is slow. So I walked to the local hardware store, which is a Weber dealer, but they didn't have the right part. An Amazon seller had it for Weber's price with free shipping, and it will be here on Thursday. Amazon wins.

When it's reasonably convenient, I've been buying locally more often in order to reduce packaging waste. Wife, who's an avid consumer, still defaults to ordering everything thru Amazon. Hardly a day goes by without some small package arriving on the porch. She has no complaints about shoddy merchandise or late delivery -- it rarely matters if something takes a day or two longer to arrive than expected.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Thu May 05, 2022 10:42 am

I now own a Green Bell G-1201 nail clipper.

In related news, I now know that until today I have never used sharp nail clippers. This thing is so sharp that there is no sense of pressure when cutting a nail.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Thu May 05, 2022 11:44 am

Max Peck wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 10:42 am I now own a Green Bell G-1201 nail clipper.

In related news, I now know that until today I have never used sharp nail clippers. This thing is so sharp that there is no sense of pressure when cutting a nail.

Welcome to the club! It's quite the eye-opener when you realise just how rubbishy typical clippers available from big box retailers and pharmacists tend to be in comparison.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Thu May 05, 2022 11:51 am

Yeah, I remembered that post when I finally got around to buying a new clipper (my old one was literally falling apart). I looked for the G-1008, but the price was double that of the G-1201 so I selected the latter instead.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu May 05, 2022 12:42 pm

Thanks for the reminder. My dog's nail clippers broke the other day when i went to clip his nails. Need to order a new pair made for little dogs again. The ones he had worked great but the plastic handles suck. They did last 12 years or so.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu May 05, 2022 1:30 pm

Dafuq?

Shipped with USPS
Tracking ID:xxxxxxxx
Thursday, May 5
11:33 AM
Package arrived at an Amazon facility.
Trenton, New Jersey US
1:56 AM
Package left an Amazon facility.
Plymouth, Michigan US
Wednesday, May 4
11:12 PM
Package left the carrier facility.
Plymouth, Michigan US
9:47 PM
Package arrived at an Amazon facility.
Plymouth, Michigan US
9:41 AM
Package left the carrier facility.
Matteson, Illinois US
Carrier picked up the package.

So the package shipped yesterday, the day it was supposed to arrive. It made it to my Amazon distribution center last night... where it was promptly shipped to New Jersey for its anticipated arrival at my house 3 days late? I guess that's one way to keep your "too many workers" working.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Thu May 05, 2022 1:56 pm

Speaking of Amazon, about five miles from me is a new Amazon distribution center, that "last mile" facility where they transfer from big trucks to delivery vans. I'm assuming it's for Amazon because of a news story from a few months ago. The building looks to be finished, all the nice outside landscaping and trimming is done and the parking lot nicely paved, painted and lined. There are even very nice covered benches for those employees riding public transport to sit. A really nice facility. However, there's no one there

. It's been complete for over two months and there hasn't been a person or a vehicle there to be seen. Our area is definitely growing so maybe it was built in anticipation of being used.

And in other news, today we were driving home from lunch in the Orlando area on one of our favorite back roads and were passed by this big truck. It's one of these full sized pickup trucks with the larger tires, stickers in the back window, etc. And on the tailgate were these words in large letters:

MY TRUCK IDENTIFIES AS A PRIUS

It made me smile

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Thu May 05, 2022 5:39 pm

Anonymous Bosch wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 11:44 am
Max Peck wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 10:42 am I now own a Green Bell G-1201 nail clipper.

In related news, I now know that until today I have never used sharp nail clippers. This thing is so sharp that there is no sense of pressure when cutting a nail.
Welcome to the club! It's quite the eye-opener when you realise just how rubbishy typical clippers available from big box retailers and pharmacists tend to be in comparison.

My clippers have served well, but I'm sad to have broken my trusty nail file. It's important to smooth down the corners and edges after clipping. Snagging your socks on a nail angle is no good.

I know files are cheap and easily replaced, but this one had been with me for a while.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu May 05, 2022 6:44 pm

I was just looking at my nail set.Still with case and original box. Been using them for 40 years. My mom's friend who lived a couple houses down gave them to me in Christmas of 82. I was 13 and thought it was a silly give for me but didn't let on of course. 40 years later I still have them with me and still use them. Came with a nail clipper, fingernail clipper, file, and a little knife something combo. Wilma is long gone...must have been in her 40s then. One of the best gifts I ever got after all.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Thu May 05, 2022 7:20 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 5:39 pm
Anonymous Bosch wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 11:44 am
Max Peck wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 10:42 am I now own a Green Bell G-1201 nail clipper.

In related news, I now know that until today I have never used sharp nail clippers. This thing is so sharp that there is no sense of pressure when cutting a nail.
Welcome to the club! It's quite the eye-opener when you realise just how rubbishy typical clippers available from big box retailers and pharmacists tend to be in comparison.
My clippers have served well, but I'm sad to have broken my trusty nail file. It's important to smooth down the corners and edges after clipping. Snagging your socks on a nail angle is no good.

I know files are cheap and easily replaced, but this one had been with me for a while.

Like the clippers, spend a little extra and you won't regret it. Switch to using a glass nail file -- which pretty much lasts indefinitely, and works far more effectively -- and there's no reason to ever bother with cheap and easily replaced junk again.

I've used a Victorinox glass nail file for years, and it still works superbly:

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu May 05, 2022 11:12 pm

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 1:56 pm MY TRUCK IDENTIFIES AS A PRIUS

My eyes... my eyes!

(I use a dark theme, and those letters are just the right shade to cause chromostereopsis, making them 'float' off of the page and causing me to go crosseyed.)

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Thu May 05, 2022 11:44 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 11:12 pm
jztemple2 wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 1:56 pm MY TRUCK IDENTIFIES AS A PRIUS
My eyes... my eyes!

(I use a dark theme, and those letters are just the right shade to cause chromostereopsis, making them 'float' off of the page and causing me to go crosseyed.)

To save your sanity I reverted the original post to non-colored text

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Fri May 06, 2022 12:28 am

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 11:12 pm
jztemple2 wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 1:56 pm MY TRUCK IDENTIFIES AS A PRIUS
My eyes... my eyes!

(I use a dark theme, and those letters are just the right shade to cause chromostereopsis, making them 'float' off of the page and causing me to go crosseyed.)

I noticed a few years back that there are certain shades of blue that I simply can't focus on. Not good when driving at night. Though, usually at least, they are business signs and I don't need to worry about them.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri May 06, 2022 10:51 am

LordMortis wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 1:30 pm Dafuq?

So the package shipped yesterday, the day it was supposed to arrive. It made it to my Amazon distribution center last night... where it was promptly shipped to New Jersey for its anticipated arrival at my house 3 days late? I guess that's one way to keep your "too many workers" working.

Friday, May 6
10:08 AM
Package arrived at an Amazon facility.
Brownstown Charter Twp, Michigan US
Thursday, May 5
1:26 PM
Package left an Amazon facility.
Trenton, New Jersey US
11:33 AM
Package arrived at an Amazon facility.
Trenton, New Jersey US
10:42 AM
Package left the carrier facility.
Robbinsville, New Jersey US
1:56 AM
Package left an Amazon facility.
Plymouth, Michigan US
Wednesday, May 4
11:12 PM
Package left the carrier facility.
Plymouth, Michigan US
9:47 PM
Package arrived at an Amazon facility.
Plymouth, Michigan US
9:41 AM
Package left the carrier facility.
Matteson, Illinois US
Carrier picked up the package.

I didn't even know they had a center in Brownstown. That is definitely not the first nor second center closest to me. I'm wondering if goes from there to Plymouth of Livonia or if they think 40 miles away is the best way to ship to me.