Pigo

>be prepared to walk away

Like everything, it depends on the situation. But this seems to be key to me. Most people seem to walk in with expectations of leaving with something. If you're not willing (or able) to walk away, you're at some kind of disadvantage.

^not

I love how you guys make me feel like I'm not an odd person. I have a hard time explaining what it's like in my head to other people, including my own wife. If nothing else, it's comforting to know other people struggle with interactions because of the multiple internal threads constantly churning.

I'm familiar with the etiquette of posting such links on here, I'm not sure I ever have before. Thanks for the help.

Every time there is talk of pandemic, this is immediately what comes to mind. https://youtu.be/SQXqZ8JJktw?t=7

Stephen King really tapped into one of our worst fears. I always thought it was brilliant that it was just a strong version of the flu, and not something exotic.

As long as corporate welfare is there to bail them out, I feel like we're at least partly to blame for expecting something different.

Interesting, I'll check that out.

I always thought scraping was a fun idea, I just couldn't find the right use-case for it. I'm not a sports guy, and the big sites have pretty extensive API's. Something music related would be of interest to me, but I can already get updates on events like concerts (since the monopolies make a fortune selling tickets). I'm not sure what could be useful.

The last several years it seems I've encountered a lot less abrasive, condescending superior-intellect types. In the past I've worked with people with egos the size of the Sun. I've been wondering if I've just been lucky recently, or if there's just less of them out there.

Then again, it could just be that I've learned to tolerate various personalities better as I've gotten older.

I drive past this transmitter every day on my way to work, passing through Mason. Several times my son has asked what would happen if someone snapped on the support cables.

Interesting, I'll check that out. What's always surprising to me is that along with all the hair, there seems to be some grease/black stuff that builds up with the hair. Not sure if that's something other people find.

That's actually a good idea, as far as I'm concerned. Do you think the girls will appreciate it, or is it a big adjustment for them?

My wife has two daughters from a previous marriage. It's been my first foray into having girls in the household. I've learned to just accept that the shower will clog with hair occasionally, and we have to buy 4 times as much toilet paper now. I've become a part time plumber.

I had a spontaneous pneumothorax a couple times in highschool, so I ended up having a lung surgery to prevent them when I was 18. To this day my mom refuses to reveal the things I said to her while I was in recovery, and the following days when I was on Demerol. It drives me crazy because there is a lot I could have said, did I mention I was 18? I know she's probably doing me a favor, but it seems unfair.

I've since wondered if I have a big mouth when I'm dosed because that's who I really am underneath my impulse control, or if that's how everyone is.

Sometimes I think downloading an mp3 on mIRC was to me what taking a picture with a Polaroid was like to my great grandfather (or whatever tech was first coming out). Downloading anything means very little to my son, but I still remember the joy I got from downloading Tears_in_Heaven-Eric_Clapton.mp3 in some room on Dalnet.

As someone who had not read the books before seeing the movies (I know, I know) it added a lot of context when I found out why the elves were leaving at the end. I remember wondering why everyone was leaving if they had won. I know it was already long, but I wish they'd explained the ring's connection to magic better. It also would have explained why everyone was so willing to take the rings of power in the first place, and given more weight to the somber tone at the end.

Of all those movies LOTR was the only one with a reason to have a dual part finale.

That sounds like Hollywood's famous accounting practices. They claim movies that makes 100's of millions have lost money by inflating costs that are paid to production companies and such. I'm sure someone can explain how they get away with it. But it's astounding how they claim these movies lose money, in order to shaft whomever they want.

An interesting aspect to me is that a collective intelligence can easily create a diffusion of responsibility. It's a lot easier to kill or give into base impulses when the blame is shared by the whole. Bees and ants don't tolerate nonconformity, they'll kill a queen if she's not filling her role.

I didn't enjoy To Kill a Mockingbird, but I think it's good for kids to read it.

I'm glad to see this, and I hope it's a strong competitor. Stronger competition pushes everyone and we end up with better results as users.

That said, browser debates often come off like the Nintendo versus Sega arguments I remember as a kid. It's funny how people become married to one.

I eventually found the right woman, and started a family. But that could have happened anyways.

I'd say it's more that I exercise more now. I discovered that I like woodworking. And I started creating more things myself on the computer. I've deployed a few Android apps to the play store, and I discovered that I like Rust.

Yeah, it's not that I wish I had never played Everquest. It was the amount of time that I played, which I regret now.

So much this. Our time on this Earth is so short. I used to love video games, but now I'm trying to make up for the time I wasted playing Everquest. There's so many experiences out there waiting to be had.

I also thought there was going to be some actual mystery about this painting I've seen before, but don't know much about. I guess CNN got my click, I feel duped.

Just out of curiosity, how was op supposed to phrase that sentence in order to keep from being toxic? Was it just the pronoun that was offensive, or was it just having any critique at all?

Disagreement and critique is a positive thing if it's done with respect. Handling someone with kid-gloves is demeaning.

A lot of people think we didn't land on the moon, and that the Earth is flat.

I agree that many programs/departments need more funding, but the places with the most money seem to be doing the worst. It seems like more money is only part of the problem.

I think if they showed better efficiency and results, the public would be much more inclined to contribute. There's a lot of cynicism from witnessing so much waste and mismanagement.

I'm curious why this got down-voted. Was my opinion invalid or something?

I'm talking about services like this http://www.sfspecialneighborhoodpolicing.org/about_us.html

I've read that some building/condos/whatever have HOA's that require them to fund it. I'm not providing an opinion. I just found it surprising, if true.

I've heard even worse things about Portland, for instance. But I just heard that the wealthy in San Francisco have started employing private police forces to handle the homeless and sanitation issues in their neighborhoods. Some areas have mandatory taxes (somehow) for homeowners to finance them.

Maybe it's a good thing, not for me to say, but that does seem like a very clear indication of mismanagement.