Octopus Overlords

When I got a msg that said "Your delivery driver Jesus is approaching with your order" I felt I should have ordered something more important.

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 2:48 pm (Or maybe the ushers walking through the theater once every 15 minutes...)

(Manpower costs . . . .)

(Parenthetical comment acknowledging theaters cutting all costs, including cleaning.)

I believe one of the glucose monitors has a separate pager like device for readings. We integrated into the cell phone since there’s an experimental app that feeds the data into an algorithm which provides instructions to the pump.

You can juggle 2 devices and do it manually. But kids lose things and don’t pay attention — except they’re rarely out of touch their phone. It turns a downside into a positive.

If there’s no cell service, we just don’t get notifications. And can’t either nudge them or send an ambulance to them.

Daehawk wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 2:49 pm When I got a msg that said "Your delivery driver Jesus is approaching with your order" I felt I should have ordered something more important.

Like a cross?

ImLawBoy wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 2:51 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 2:48 pm (Or maybe the ushers walking through the theater once every 15 minutes...)

(Manpower costs . . . .)

Ha...our theater doesn't even have anyone checking tickets before the "prime time" evening rush starts. You are supposed to go to the concession stand to have them scan your tickets. Last time we looked at the (long) concessions line, said "screw this" and just went in without showing our tickets. No one seemed to notice or care.

Movie studios need to sell tickets.

Movie theaters just need to sell concessions.

Our theatre has notices before the movie asking people to put their phones on airplane mode, and IMHO it should be up to the users themselves to put their phones, and I don't think it would be unreasonable to ask those to make phone calls to step out into the lobby, if the calls are that important that they would disturb those in the theatre anyway.

I went to see a movie (The Alto Knights) the same week that the Minecraft movie was opening and it was very busy, and I talked to one of the people working there and he said it was crazy, as they were understaffed. They didn't even have the usual person at the booth checking the tickets that day.

On the rare occasions that I get to go to a theater, I browse during the pre-trailer ads. When the lights dim, I turn it to vibrate only and set the brightness to zero. The only thing I use it for during the film is RunPee, which is a timer app that tells you when there are dead spots in the film in case you need to... run and pee. It's got the darkest interface they could manage, and with the zero brightness, isn't noticeable past the immediately adjacent seats.

I can't imagine actively using my phone during a film.

Went to the VA today to get some labs done. Among the tests I had to give a urine sample. They want to make sure I'm taking narcotics.

Rumpy wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 7:05 pm Our theatre has notices before the movie asking people to put their phones on airplane mode,

All of ours do this too. It's just that some people can't go an hour without checking their screen.

I've found that live theater can be even worse in a certain way. Some people feel compelled to take a selfie as the curtain rises so that they can post "I'm at [the show in question]!" on social media. Sometimes they feel they have to not only take the selfie but make the post right away, even as the performance is starting.

Movies are rare events for us (last one I saw was "Barbie") and we gravitate to unpopular days and times in hopes of finding a mostly empty theater. If people are dinking around on their phones, I haven't seen it. I always silence mine or turn it off before the movie starts.

We actually go to more plays than movies, and if you think a phone is disruptive in a movie theater, multiply that by 100 for live theater.

Holman wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 8:41 pm I've found that live theater can be even worse in a certain way. Some people feel compelled to take a selfie as the curtain rises so that they can post "I'm at [the show in question]!" on social media. Sometimes they feel they have to not only take the selfie but make the post right away, even as the performance is starting.

We go to a great dinner theater place in Fort Myers. And there are people there too who just can't seem to be able to stay off their phones. It's one thing to briefly check a message, but sheesh dude, you're watching YouTube videos? Yup, it happened

hepcat wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 5:34 pm

Daehawk wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 2:49 pm When I got a msg that said "Your delivery driver Jesus is approaching with your order" I felt I should have ordered something more important.

Like a cross?

At least a jug of wine.

Not to mention all-you-can-eat loaves and fishes.

salvation

A new Costco opened in Melbourne, Australia a couple of days ago. This was the line of cars trying to get in on opening day:

Jaymann wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 11:03 pm

hepcat wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 5:34 pm

Daehawk wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 2:49 pm When I got a msg that said "Your delivery driver Jesus is approaching with your order" I felt I should have ordered something more important.

Like a cross?

At least a jug of wine.

A bottle of water is cheaper. The driver can handle the rest.

Good thing I hadn't ordered a hooker

A Grimm Tales adult coloring book..Ill have to see if this is real. May take up crayons again
EDIT: I looked..couldn't find a Boris Vallejo one.

gilraen wrote: Fri Apr 11, 2025 10:19 am A new Costco opened in Melbourne, Australia a couple of days ago. This was the line of cars trying to get in on opening day:

Max Peck wrote: Fri Apr 11, 2025 9:03 am Not to mention all-you-can-eat loaves and fishes.

If it’s Jesus, he just needs to bring one of each.

hepcat wrote: Fri Apr 11, 2025 10:08 pm

Max Peck wrote: Fri Apr 11, 2025 9:03 am Not to mention all-you-can-eat loaves and fishes.

If it’s Jesus, he just needs to bring one of each.

Five loaves, two fishes of indeterminate color.-

Sometimes I dont get Walmarts shopper/delivery choices. Today I ordered a loaf of bread with my other items. It was out of stock. What did they choose to do? Not send me any bread at all. I mean come on they have a wall full of bread and should have simply substituted another loaf for it around the same price. But nope...rather not give me any bread at all for some reason. I dont get their reasonings.

Maybe liability reasons. Food allergies and all that. Plus, some people like one brand and hate another. So probably best to just have them specify an alternative instead of just assuming.

And there’s this Jesus guy going around handing out bread to everyone, so they may just think you went to him.

A family of three deer have been hanging around our yard at dawn and dusk for a couple of months. Usually they hug the edge of the woods and disappear when they notice us through the windows. Tonight they came right into the middle of the back yard and got within 30-40 feet of the house. Our cats were going nuts watching them. At one point Warren and I were both standing behind the sliding glass door and one of them, presumably a buck (although it doesn't have antlers), faced us head-on, locked eyes, and tossed its head while stamping its front hooves, alternating legs. I swear it was threatening to charge. Or maybe it wanted to mate. Whether it wanted to fuck me up or fuck me, I might need a gun.

TBH, I think its attention was mostly on Warren. Not sure it even noticed me.

Be sure to keep the cat's meds up to date. If you have deer around, you have ticks around.

gilraen wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 5:59 pm

ImLawBoy wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 2:51 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 2:48 pm (Or maybe the ushers walking through the theater once every 15 minutes...)

(Manpower costs . . . .)

Ha...our theater doesn't even have anyone checking tickets before the "prime time" evening rush starts. You are supposed to go to the concession stand to have them scan your tickets. Last time we looked at the (long) concessions line, said "screw this" and just went in without showing our tickets. No one seemed to notice or care.

There are a couple theatres I go to in the DC area that almost never check tickets at the times I go.

My last visit to Alamo Drafthouse was the first time I was ever asked for my ticket, oddly enough.