Octopus Overlords

Z-Corn wrote: Fri Jul 07, 2023 8:07 am

Kraken wrote: Thu Jul 06, 2023 9:05 pm Because Wife is vegetarian I don't cook many steaks, and I usually buy boneless, so it's not something I'd use often.

One of my favorite things to cook low temperature, i.e. sous vide, is carrots.

I bring them to 160F and hold for 20 minutes and then bring them up to 183F and hold for 20 more minutes. The lower temp rest allows the starch to convert to sugar and the higher temp finishes breaking down the cellulose to "cook" them.

These are the sweetest carrots you will ever taste and they need NOTHING added to them. No butter, no salt, no honey...

Sous vide corn on the cob also provides the corniest, juiciest corn you've ever tasted, with butter perfectly distributed deep down between each and every kernel.

gilraen wrote: Thu Jun 29, 2023 2:36 pm

hitbyambulance wrote: Thu Jun 29, 2023 2:16 pm so i have Alarm Clock Xtreme on the Amazon app store already, looks like i need to register the Fire to access it - but i've never registered this with Amazon. guess what? registering first-gen Fire tablets no longer appears to work??? (yes, i've added the 2FA code to the end of the password, as suggested in one forum). going to have to contact Amazon support for this, but i am not sure it's going to go anywhere. possible solution: root and install custom generic Android firmware on this.

I think you are overcomplicating this. You can sideload Google Play Store on a Fire tablet without having to root it, it's pretty easy.

i actually got this working on the Proscan tablet - going to test drive it to see how it works in daily use...

40 years ago I wanted a VW Thing.

dbt1949 wrote: Fri Jul 07, 2023 4:49 pm 40 years ago I wanted a VW Thing.

Wasn't the Thing basically a slightly-updated version of the WW2 German Kubelwagen?

Yes, pretty much. The whole body was put together using bolts so it was really easy to take apart and put together in case you needed to repair or modify it.

Id take a Thing VW or a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

I'd take a car with windows that roll down.

There's only two cars I've wanted in my life, the VW Thing and a 1967 Stingray.

My first thought on waking up and rolling over this morning. My arm is still sore.

Fall Out Boy's updated cover of We Didn't Start the Fire doesn't mention COVID. Does that mean that they did start that particular fire?

Miffed ‘Rainbow Six Seige’ player sentenced for swatting Ubisoft Montreal’s offices

A disgruntled Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Seige gamer who called in a fake emergency to Ubisoft’s Montreal office was sentenced this week to three years of community service, according to The Montreal Gazette. Yanni Ouahioune, 22, was handed the sentence on Monday in Paris following his call to authorities about a fake hostage situation in November 2020.

Police say Ouahioune called in the hoax because he was angry he had been banned several times from Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. In response to the bogus call, a heavily armed squad of police officers surrounded the building. The officers secured the headquarters — and closed several nearby streets — before confirming there wasn’t an active threat. Ouahioune allegedly called from his parents’ house using Russian servers to mask his identity (unsuccessfully). After being charged, La Presse reported (via Polygon) that Ouahioune pleaded for Ubisoft to unban his account. “Can you say that I am kindly asking the Ubisoft team to ‘unban’ my account please,” Ouahioune said. “I have put over $1,500 in cosmetic enhancements in my profile.”

The sentencing also includes Ouahioune’s alleged part in a DDoS attack against a French government office and making threats against Minecraft developers. The convicted hoaxer will reportedly be required to “compensate victims, undergo treatment for a mental health problem and either work or undergo training” in addition to the community service.

dbt1949 wrote: Fri Jul 07, 2023 5:49 pm There's only two cars I've wanted in my life, the VW Thing and a 1967 Stingray.

Growing up I wanted 3 cars:
A T-Bird
A Karmann Ghia
A Mustang

I sold the T-Bird because I couldn't afford to fix it. The Karmann Ghia rusted away and I sold it for $10. The Mustang got rear ended and totaled while parked in front of my house about a week after I paid it off.

Started with a Corvette then I moved to a Lambo Countach. Kinda never had other car crushes.

Jaymann wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 12:23 am Growing up I wanted 3 cars:
A T-Bird
A Karmann Ghia
A Mustang

Mine were a Mustang, a Triumph, a Datsun Z, and an MGB. That's four but two of them are roadsters so I get a pass.

I test-drove an used MG once and really REALLY wanted to buy it, but its best days were already behind it and I couldn't afford to resurrect them.

I owned a 1974 Mustang II, which is the Mustang Ford wishes we would forget. It passed for sporty in the era of econoboxes and Wife says it's one of the things that attracted her to me, along with my leather hat and my cat. I nailed her, so mission accomplished.

Never had a close encounter with a Triumph.

I did own a Datsun 710 but that was a long way from the Z.

My first car was a 1972 Opel GT. Maybe you detect a pattern.

For the past 19 years I've driven Miatas. British roadster engineered by the Japanese FTW.

Here is what my Mustang looked like (but red) until some drunk A-hole in a pickup truck turned it into a subcompact.

Good ridd....I mean go in peace my son.

A beautiful long haired blonde girl I knew and had a crush on had a Triumph xr-7. Luckily my granny knew her granny and set it up so this girl gave me rides to summer school in 1985. Hey we were both going..why not ....That car had a shitty reverse gear. It was damn luck if it worked after grinding a bit. She drove like a maniac which I loved. Taught me a few traffic tricks too when it came to getting around red lights.

Man. Mustangs, for a while there, they looked like any old car.

Thank god they had the good sense to hire someone to take back and reclaim the old look of the traditional Mustang.

I don't believe that there was ever a real* car that I wanted. I always looked at cars the same way I looked at the city bus - a utility for getting around.

*When I was 9, I did want a Knight Industries 2000.

I’d settle for a William Daniels GPS at this point

I know I said it as a joke, earlier, but my current car (2000 Buick Regal) is falling apart. The fuel gauge doesn't work, none of the internal electrical systems work, the radio doesn't work, the dash lights don't work (which makes it difficult to drive at night), the warning lights don't work (they're all on permanently), the heater doesn't work (which makes it undriveable if it's cold enough to fog the windows), the windshield wipers don't work (which makes it undriveable in any kind of precipitation.)

Plus the AC doesn't work, which in 90-degree, 80% humidity Indiana summers makes it lots of fun when you consider that the windows are electrical and won't roll down. Ah, except for the driver's side. That window rolls down whether you want it to or not - it sits loose in the slot. It's not off of the track, it's just that the electric mechanism doesn't support it anymore, so it just drops all the way down if I let it. I actually have it wedged into place with two rubber door stoppers. That lets me get a tiny bit of air when driving (but it's only one window, so there is no real airflow.) The problem is that it likes to open on its own, so if it pours down rain, there's a moderate chance that I'll an inch of standing water in the car when I go outside.

Know what's fun? A driving a car full of standing water in 90-degree, 80% humidity with the windows all up. The inside of the car spikes to probably 100+ degrees, 100% humidity. I'm driving a mobile sauna.

I've looked into repairs, and sadly, the issue underlying most of that is so deep that the repairs would cost thousands. The car isn't worth thousands. A 23-year-old car with all of those issues, covered in patches of visible rust. Realistically, even as a trade-in, it's worth zero. If it ever dies, it will probably have to go to a salvage place for a hundred bucks.

I drive as little as humanly possible. I combine any necessary errands into a single trip once per week. Other than that, I stay home or walk. My kids walk to work. If the car dies, I'll likely be unable to replace it.

Don't you get in trouble for the warning lights always blinking?

Jaymann wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 2:03 pm Don't you get in trouble for the warning lights always blinking?

The warning lights (service engine, temperature, oil, seatbelt, etc), not the hazard lights (double blinking lights.)

Good Lord twin! Its the same for me. I go out only if I HAVE to and only early as I can. Wish some places would open earlier than they do .

Plus the AC doesn't work, which in 90-degree, 80% humidity Indiana summers makes it lots of fun when you consider that the windows are electrical and won't roll down. Ah, except for the driver's side. That window rolls down whether you want it to or not - it sits loose in the slot. It's not off of the track, it's just that the electric mechanism doesn't support it anymore, so it just drops all the way down if I let it. I actually have it wedged into place with two rubber door stoppers. That lets me get a tiny bit of air when driving (but it's only one window, so there is no real airflow.) The problem is that it likes to open on its own, so if it pours down rain, there's a moderate chance that I'll an inch of standing water in the car when I go outside

Blackhawk wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 2:45 pm

Jaymann wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 2:03 pm Don't you get in trouble for the warning lights always blinking?

The warning lights (service engine, temperature, oil, seatbelt, etc), not the hazard lights (double blinking lights.)

Oh, well that is MUCH better.

I see and read about the Aztec and Mayan human sacrifices. Would it be possible for them to take out the hearts and they were still beating?

Jaymann wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 5:19 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 2:45 pm

Jaymann wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 2:03 pm Don't you get in trouble for the warning lights always blinking?

The warning lights (service engine, temperature, oil, seatbelt, etc), not the hazard lights (double blinking lights.)

Oh, well that is MUCH better.

In MA you can't get an inspection sticker if your Check Engine light is on. Blackhawk's car wouldn't be on the road here. Which might be justifiable if states with inspection laws had safer roads, but the data don't bear that out. Inspection laws benefit inspection stations and repair shops -- often one and the same -- and raise costs for drivers without any quantifiable safety benefit.

I have to get Wife's car inspected by the end of this month and mine next month. I'll get my annual oil change at the same time, so Quality Fuels will take in at least $100 to put stickers on our windshields for another year.

They dropped that inspection sticker crap here in Arkansas over 20 years ago.

I'm usually friendly to government regulation, but inspection stickers are an exception.

Kraken wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:26 pm In MA you can't get an inspection sticker if your Check Engine light is on. Blackhawk's car wouldn't be on the road here.

Blackhawk's car isn't allowed to be on the road here, either, due to the non-functional windshield wipers. I only drive it in clear weather, and wait it out if I'm out and starts up, so it's never an actual safety issue, but it's technically illegal.

My alternative is to not have a vehicle in a location where most services are 30 miles away.

Blackhawk wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:42 pm

Kraken wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:26 pm In MA you can't get an inspection sticker if your Check Engine light is on. Blackhawk's car wouldn't be on the road here.

Blackhawk's car isn't allowed to be on the road here, either, due to the non-functional windshield wipers.

This makes me feel safer.

The most common reason for vehicles to fail inspection is tailpipe emissions, and who gives a crap about those, amiright?

dbt1949 wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 6:37 pm I see and read about the Aztec and Mayan human sacrifices. Would it be possible for them to take out the hearts and they were still beating?

Not in my experience.

dbt1949 wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 6:37 pm I see and read about the Aztec and Mayan human sacrifices. Would it be possible for them to take out the hearts and they were still beating?

They Do!

They have their own ‘electrical system’ and are not told to pump by your brain or any other part of your body.
Heart transplant surgeons all report on hearts continuing to pump for a brief little while after being removed.

Apparently, if you could feed them oxygen rich blood, they would pump it ‘indefinitely’ …

Kraken wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 1:31 am

Blackhawk wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:42 pm

Kraken wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:26 pm In MA you can't get an inspection sticker if your Check Engine light is on. Blackhawk's car wouldn't be on the road here.

Blackhawk's car isn't allowed to be on the road here, either, due to the non-functional windshield wipers.

This makes me feel safer.

The most common reason for vehicles to fail inspection is tailpipe emissions, and who gives a crap about those, amiright?

Northern VA does - all cars up here have to pass an emissions test when our car registrations need renewal.

The NYT just reported that Erdogan has agreed to let Sweden into NATO.

pr0ner wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 9:34 am

Kraken wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 1:31 am

Blackhawk wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:42 pm

Kraken wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:26 pm In MA you can't get an inspection sticker if your Check Engine light is on. Blackhawk's car wouldn't be on the road here.

Blackhawk's car isn't allowed to be on the road here, either, due to the non-functional windshield wipers.

This makes me feel safer.

The most common reason for vehicles to fail inspection is tailpipe emissions, and who gives a crap about those, amiright?

Northern VA does - all cars up here have to pass an emissions test when our car registrations need renewal.

Many, many years ago Florida used to have yearly car inspections. Back then it wasn't for emissions, but to verify proper working of lights, horns, safety equipment, etc. And these were state operated facilities, not your local mechanic who could be given a gratuity to look the other way . We do still have car safety inspections, but only...

Under Florida law, car owners are only required to conduct a safety inspection on their vehicles when:

They purchase a new vehicle from outside of the state; or
They purchase a used vehicle in Florida.

In these situations, vehicle owners will need to follow the proper inspection protocols, which includes submitting a copy or physical imprint of the VIN. Car owners, however, who purchased a new vehicle from somewhere in the state, won’t be required to obtain an inspection report, which is deemed the responsibility of the dealership. If a person is found to have circumvented these rules and drove an uninspected and unsafe vehicle, then he or she could be required to compensate anyone who was injured as a result.

Note that if you buy a used vehicle from a dealership, the dealership usually submits the proper forms.

When I lived in California (50 years ago) you didn't have to have inspections every year but they had roadside random inspection roadblocks all over the place.

Never had inspections in my state. Im supposed to have 4 CATs and I dont run with any..big headers to dual muffs.

Checking streams and having a smooth fun great buzz going on I see one girl with 2000+ viewers live then see another girl just like her, almost same content, same great looks....everything, and she has maybe 30 viewers. Doesn't make sense. Then it hit me....the universe is 'programmed' this way.


Hhhehehe lol was one of those buzz moments brought to you by your friends at CheMLaB.

I was watching some Twitch the other day in order to claim a couple of drops. I opened up the participating stream. The first one had a prominently displayed Pepe. The second was a woman with considerable assets wearing lingerie sitting spread-legged with a controller. The third had Pepe.

I watched (well, selected) the fourth.

So my trusty old cable modem died on me tonight. Much fun was had getting through to the ISP tech support via text chat on my phone to confirm that there was no network issue and the problem seems to be that the modem just stopped working. The power light on the front panel is on, but none of the other status lights are working at all, not even so much as a random blink. Now I just have to wait for the tech to show up on Thursday morning to install the new modem and the IP-TV box that functionally replaces my old cable box (not that it got much use these days anyway).

On the up side, I did figure out how to tether my phone to the PC so that I have connectivity via my mobile data. Tethering the phone was simple and intuitive, but getting the PC to use the tethered link was tricky. I could see the active network connection but the PC wouldn't use it until it occurred to me to disable the dysfunctional network connection from the network settings. It didn't occur to me until just now, but I wonder if simply disconnecting the ethernet cable would have accomplished the same thing...

Edit: Yeah, disconnecting the ethernet cable switches the network status from "no network access" to "network cable unplugged" and Windows apparently stops insisting on using it and starts using the tethered connection.