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Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
Sometimes it passes faster than others. The will and needs of the people can not be permanently ignored if a representative democracy is to survive. People must come before profit or there will be no profit.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited November 2020
This is fun. Problem is, I actually remember the release of the original! (1968! Goodness, I'm old!! )
3
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Well it looks like Biden has won the American election. Thank goodness for that. Another four years of Trump would have been more than I could bear.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Someone on Fb declared they had still to cast a vote. I replied "Beware of voting for an over-the-hill dinosaur with a dubious history and slightly dodgy background.... oh.... wait...."
I don't envy Americans their choices. They really are between the Devil and the deep....
I feel like a front row member of the world's audience observing the America's dream pulling somewhat from a freefall into a gentler angled descent.
In the last 4 years of North American politics south of the 49 parallel, todays presidential news heralds some of the best I could have hoped for.
I guess like all change in governments .....Only time will tell...
Bearing in mine “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.
we had only two choices: Jump off the precipice or step back just a little. We chose to step back.
American politics is among the strangest. We have a "Representative Democracy" where every vote counts except when it doesn't. We have elected officials who, occasionally,somewhat represent their electorate. Some kick their electorate in the gut and are requested by that same electorate to keep kicking them. those electorates are the ones who think someone else is getting kicked, despite their bruises and internal injuries sustained to the contrary. but, every once in a while, enough people in enough areas say, "I've been kicked enough!", and replace the malcontent with a new kicker.
It is a terrible system. But it beats out most others. so, we keep it. Now, excuse me while I go apply more salve.
@Bunks the downside is any KIwi travelling to Oz will still have to quarantine when they arrive back in NZ, costing, around 3 thousand dollars for the 14 day hotel stay...
@Shoshin1 said: @Bunks the downside is any KIwi travelling to Oz will still have to quarantine when they arrive back in NZ, costing, around 3 thousand dollars for the 14 day hotel stay...
Ah yes! I hadn't thought of that......I was going to suggest to my ex that her mum can come visit now but that will probably be a no given the quarantine upon return.
@Shoshin1 said:
Aucklanders may have to go back into lockdown again if the health department can't find the source of this latest community transmission ....
Ah bugger!
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited November 2020
New ARM-based Apple laptops seem to be very shiny and quick (benchmarks), if you’ve always been annoyed at having to wait for computers to do things those days seem to be over...
That new MacBook Air in particular... you now get better than the performance of a laptop costing double the money early this year, with one and a half times the battery life. Seems like a good deal. It’s a leap forward for computing, I think.
But I’d like a Mac with a big screen for my next purchase.
The USA just elected a new President. But 48% of the electorate seem to think he lost. Go figure.
0
personDon't believe everything you thinkThe liminal spaceVeteran
I think over Trump's tenure we found out that many of our political norms and practices here are only norms and traditions and aren't actually laws.
His authoritarian attitude is what bothered me most about him. Thankfully he was more concerned about himself than building an authoritarian power structure. My hope for the next few years is that there can be a bi-partisan recognition and effort to place some regulations in place putting the presidency more in its place as a manager than a king.
When he was elected my hope was that he would act as a mild infection causing the country to enact defenses and build a better immunity to any sort of competent populist authoritarian that may come along after Trump.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
How many gadgets do you buy...
Computers... once every ten years
Smartphone... once every five years
Tablet... once every seven years
Watches... very rarely
Game consoles... three in my lifetime
Just been to the dentist and got two quotes for dental treatment, filling option $720 or crown option $4000....The cost will hurt more than the treatment...
3
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@Kerome said:
That new MacBook Air in particular... you now get better than the performance of a laptop costing double the money early this year, with one and a half times the battery life. Seems like a good deal. It’s a leap forward for computing, I think.
Very positive reviews following the shipping of hardware to the public. But unfortunately only two USB-C ports, and all my stuff is USB-A... I’d need some dongles and hubs to allow my iPad and iPhone to talk to this thing.
It's in the low to mid 20s here on the island...I've just been for a powerwalk along the beach before work, spied a Gannet driving for its breakfast An early Gannet catches its fish
When I reached the top of the bush track, a cute tiny black pug puppy ran at me, attaching my shoe lace, and as I lifted my foot it was still hanging on the lace, so I was lifting it up as I walked, it was funny to watch, the owner thought so too...
2
Fosdickin its eye are mirrored far off mountainsAlaska, USAVeteran
10 degrees F here, minus 12 C, sunny and cold. The house has become mouse infested, our old dog still clings to life, and I just saw a Pine Grosbeak scratching around outside for sunflower seed - first of the season.
3
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
For those who are following the commentary of the tech literati on Apple’s new M1-powered laptops, I found this to be a fair set of comments...
Went for a masked walk whilst it was still dark. Ate home made mince pies ... Santa really is on her way ...
OM SANTI SANTA SHANTI OM
Cowardly Lion: I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do! I do! I do! I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do! I do! I do! I do!
Well this afternoon I spent time in the torture chamber AKA dentist chair, first of three fillings, after which went for a mindful walk along the beach.... ..
The anaesthetic is wearing off, the gum is starting to feel sore where the needle went in ...Next torture in a fortnight...
The internet company said our building (1906 ca.) had such an old infrastructure that 10mbps was the maximum speed available... haha!!!
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Yes, it’s the last bit, the cable into the home which is usually the limiting factor. If all there is is copper telephone wires then you are a bit stuck. But where I live was built in 1970, and since then tv coax cable and even glass fibre have been laid, so we are spoilt for choice and can get 500 mbps if we want it. I just don’t want to pay for it. Basically the only places where you feel the extra speed is in downloading large files, like my MacBook Air takes about 120 seconds to download a 1.4 GB MacOS update over WiFi on our connection, it’s just not worth the extra 20 euro a month to make that 60 seconds.
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
I saw that Raspberry Pi computer integrated into the keyboard, very slick and a little bit old school, it reminds me of my Atari ST computer that I used to have when I was still going to school.
Yep that is the idea ... you can run an ST simulator or other olde computers.
I have just got it running on our HDMI 4k tv
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited November 2020
What kind of things do you do with your Raspberry Pi @lobster? I saw that it’s a 64-bit, 4-core computer with 4 GB of RAM so that sounds quite capable, but is it just something you play around with, or do you have a specific use for it? Do you do any programming?
I have a long history in programming computers, I got started in university with Pascal and Basic, but later on I spent 13 years coding in C++ on PCs, PS2 and Xbox. At one point I was architect and team lead for a group of 30 programmers.
Play @Kerome
I started with Pascal, Basic and C. However I like learning languages BUT I am a rubbish programmer. I have probably my most useful programs in shell script on Linux.
On the Raspberry Pi, I want to use Python a bit more.
I was very keen on a language called 'Curl' but sadly it was proprietary ...
I also like kid centric languages such as logo, net-logo was my favourite dialect. Scratch is another language for kids I Iike.
The last language I used extensively was Swift BUT only because of the tutorials which were in the form of game solving ...
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited November 2020
@lobster said:
The last language I used extensively was Swift BUT only because of the tutorials which were game orientated ...
When I was programming I was in games, I did some sports games on PC and PS2 with small teams. I was the first person in the company to get a PS2 devkit and rewrote the company’s 3D engine for it. Later on I did some larger strategy games and did some design as well.
Sometime back I decided to take a break from it, it had gotten quite stressful at times. But I’ve tipped my toe back in the water on occasion, last time I had a good look at the tech I did some experimenting with Unreal and Unity, which are engines used to make many games on different platforms.
So if you enjoy working with games I might be able to advise ;-)
The thing about the torture chamber dental clinic, one gets a spectacular view overlooking the bay from the dentist chair..... talk about pleasure 😎 & pain 😱 all rolled into one...
Comments
Just in passing ...
Sometimes it passes faster than others. The will and needs of the people can not be permanently ignored if a representative democracy is to survive. People must come before profit or there will be no profit.
This is fun. Problem is, I actually remember the release of the original! (1968! Goodness, I'm old!! )
Well it looks like Biden has won the American election. Thank goodness for that. Another four years of Trump would have been more than I could bear.
Someone on Fb declared they had still to cast a vote. I replied "Beware of voting for an over-the-hill dinosaur with a dubious history and slightly dodgy background.... oh.... wait...."
I don't envy Americans their choices. They really are between the Devil and the deep....
I feel like a front row member of the world's audience observing the America's dream pulling somewhat from a freefall into a gentler angled descent.
In the last 4 years of North American politics south of the 49 parallel, todays presidential news heralds some of the best I could have hoped for.
Trump! You're Fired...
Hmm music to my ears....
I just hope the USA hasn't swapped one decrepit dinosaur with a chequered history and a dubious past, with another...
Which seems to be all I can think about right now.
I guess like all change in governments .....Only time will tell...
Bearing in mine
“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.
~John Lydgate~
After the big storm last night....
A beautiful day for the world in general...
He seems to have started playing rounds of golf during Sundays. Good riddance.
we had only two choices: Jump off the precipice or step back just a little. We chose to step back.
American politics is among the strangest. We have a "Representative Democracy" where every vote counts except when it doesn't. We have elected officials who, occasionally,somewhat represent their electorate. Some kick their electorate in the gut and are requested by that same electorate to keep kicking them. those electorates are the ones who think someone else is getting kicked, despite their bruises and internal injuries sustained to the contrary. but, every once in a while, enough people in enough areas say, "I've been kicked enough!", and replace the malcontent with a new kicker.
It is a terrible system. But it beats out most others. so, we keep it. Now, excuse me while I go apply more salve.
Peace to all
Totally useless Quote? I just made up concerning Biden Victory:
Ugliness only wins where there is no Beauty and where Truth is utterly trampled.
BTW, truly germanic Grammar capitalizes all Nouns. That may be a useless Announcement, but in my Mind is an excellent Excuse for excusing me.
Like the quote, @Nirvana ...
British Grammar also dictates capital letters in the vast majority of cases...
Thanks, Fede!
Come on over @Shoshin1 - bring cash!
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-06/new-zealand-melbourne-flights-next-week-victoria-travel-bubble/12855932
@Bunks the downside is any KIwi travelling to Oz will still have to quarantine when they arrive back in NZ, costing, around 3 thousand dollars for the 14 day hotel stay...
No reason!
Ah yes! I hadn't thought of that......I was going to suggest to my ex that her mum can come visit now but that will probably be a no given the quarantine upon return.
Aucklanders may have to go back into lockdown again if the health department can't find the source of this latest community transmission ....
Ah bugger!
New ARM-based Apple laptops seem to be very shiny and quick (benchmarks), if you’ve always been annoyed at having to wait for computers to do things those days seem to be over...
That new MacBook Air in particular... you now get better than the performance of a laptop costing double the money early this year, with one and a half times the battery life. Seems like a good deal. It’s a leap forward for computing, I think.
But I’d like a Mac with a big screen for my next purchase.
Hedgehog practising zazen. Notice how the paper tube reminisces the former Fuke-shū sect.
PD: He knows how to take the paper tube at any moment. In fact, most hedgehogs enjoy this practice called tubing. Boogie boogie hedgehog!
The USA just elected a new President. But 48% of the electorate seem to think he lost. Go figure.
I think over Trump's tenure we found out that many of our political norms and practices here are only norms and traditions and aren't actually laws.
His authoritarian attitude is what bothered me most about him. Thankfully he was more concerned about himself than building an authoritarian power structure. My hope for the next few years is that there can be a bi-partisan recognition and effort to place some regulations in place putting the presidency more in its place as a manager than a king.
When he was elected my hope was that he would act as a mild infection causing the country to enact defenses and build a better immunity to any sort of competent populist authoritarian that may come along after Trump.
How many gadgets do you buy...
Computers... once every ten years
Smartphone... once every five years
Tablet... once every seven years
Watches... very rarely
Game consoles... three in my lifetime
WTF....Welcome to the asylum...AKA US politics...
Is God a Republican?
Just been to the dentist and got two quotes for dental treatment, filling option $720 or crown option $4000....The cost will hurt more than the treatment...
Very positive reviews following the shipping of hardware to the public. But unfortunately only two USB-C ports, and all my stuff is USB-A... I’d need some dongles and hubs to allow my iPad and iPhone to talk to this thing.
Our first real stinker here today! Nudging 35c and a little hotter in the car 😁
What else would you have on the way home from school ❤️
Here a cool 10 degrees C and rain, rain, rain... the leaves have fallen off many trees already, autumn turning into winter
It's in the low to mid 20s here on the island...I've just been for a powerwalk along the beach before work, spied a Gannet driving for its breakfast An early Gannet catches its fish
When I reached the top of the bush track, a cute tiny black pug puppy ran at me, attaching my shoe lace, and as I lifted my foot it was still hanging on the lace, so I was lifting it up as I walked, it was funny to watch, the owner thought so too...
10 degrees F here, minus 12 C, sunny and cold. The house has become mouse infested, our old dog still clings to life, and I just saw a Pine Grosbeak scratching around outside for sunflower seed - first of the season.
For those who are following the commentary of the tech literati on Apple’s new M1-powered laptops, I found this to be a fair set of comments...
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/11/mac-mini-and-apple-silicon-m1-review-not-so-crazy-after-all/
Funny to see lots of people eating their words after stellar technical performance by Apple.
Glory be to God, Cod, Buddha
Went for a masked walk whilst it was still dark. Ate home made mince pies ... Santa really is on her way ...
OM SANTI SANTA SHANTI OM
Cowardly Lion:
I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do! I do! I do! I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do! I do! I do! I do!
Well this afternoon I spent time in the torture chamber AKA dentist chair, first of three fillings, after which went for a mindful walk along the beach.... ..
The anaesthetic is wearing off, the gum is starting to feel sore where the needle went in ...Next torture in a fortnight...
I have the INTERNETZ.....
(from 0.7 mbps to 3.57 mbps)
Not much....but a lot better.....
Thats not very much... we get 250 mbps via cable. But its the difference between being able to watch netflix and not being able to, i suppose.
@Kerome What?! 250 mbps! What sorcery is that?!
The internet company said our building (1906 ca.) had such an old infrastructure that 10mbps was the maximum speed available... haha!!!
Yes, it’s the last bit, the cable into the home which is usually the limiting factor. If all there is is copper telephone wires then you are a bit stuck. But where I live was built in 1970, and since then tv coax cable and even glass fibre have been laid, so we are spoilt for choice and can get 500 mbps if we want it. I just don’t want to pay for it. Basically the only places where you feel the extra speed is in downloading large files, like my MacBook Air takes about 120 seconds to download a 1.4 GB MacOS update over WiFi on our connection, it’s just not worth the extra 20 euro a month to make that 60 seconds.
Got one of my rasberry pi computers running using Raspbian.
Here is the latest Pi ...
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-400-the-70-desktop-pc/
I saw that Raspberry Pi computer integrated into the keyboard, very slick and a little bit old school, it reminds me of my Atari ST computer that I used to have when I was still going to school.
Yep that is the idea ... you can run an ST simulator or other olde computers.
I have just got it running on our HDMI 4k tv
What kind of things do you do with your Raspberry Pi @lobster? I saw that it’s a 64-bit, 4-core computer with 4 GB of RAM so that sounds quite capable, but is it just something you play around with, or do you have a specific use for it? Do you do any programming?
I have a long history in programming computers, I got started in university with Pascal and Basic, but later on I spent 13 years coding in C++ on PCs, PS2 and Xbox. At one point I was architect and team lead for a group of 30 programmers.
Play @Kerome
I started with Pascal, Basic and C. However I like learning languages BUT I am a rubbish programmer. I have probably my most useful programs in shell script on Linux.
On the Raspberry Pi, I want to use Python a bit more.
I was very keen on a language called 'Curl' but sadly it was proprietary ...
I also like kid centric languages such as logo, net-logo was my favourite dialect. Scratch is another language for kids I Iike.
The last language I used extensively was Swift BUT only because of the tutorials which were in the form of game solving ...
https://www.apple.com/uk/swift/playgrounds/
When I was programming I was in games, I did some sports games on PC and PS2 with small teams. I was the first person in the company to get a PS2 devkit and rewrote the company’s 3D engine for it. Later on I did some larger strategy games and did some design as well.
Sometime back I decided to take a break from it, it had gotten quite stressful at times. But I’ve tipped my toe back in the water on occasion, last time I had a good look at the tech I did some experimenting with Unreal and Unity, which are engines used to make many games on different platforms.
So if you enjoy working with games I might be able to advise ;-)
Meditation over Zoom meeting: check
Accept people into the session: check
Set alarm (30mins): check
Ring the singing bowl three times: check
Become so absorbed that you ignore the alarm and continue for around 10 more minutes and then suddenly notice everyone has left: priceless
Hahahahahahah!
The thing about the torture chamber dental clinic, one gets a spectacular view overlooking the bay from the dentist chair..... talk about pleasure 😎 & pain 😱 all rolled into one...