Random Musings (and associated non sequiturs) v. 3.0

general
2603

I’m almost embarrassed to post my commute…

3.4 mi according to Google Maps.

About a 10 min drive if I get the right traffic… as long as 35 if I get stuck in the city/ college/ rush hour mess.

It’s kind of wacky: When we bought the house wife and I were both working elsewhere. We both changed jobs almost immediately after we bought, and ended up working closer to home.
And when I changed from the hospital system to where I am now, I extended my drive my 2/10 of a mile… then we moved 6 years back to RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from my old hospital system office.

2604

So, Nuance and several other companies and organizations around the world got hit with a ransomware attack, except that two security firms are saying it’s a “disguided wiper”. Meaning, they don’t want to extort you for money. They want to erase the data.

Just like everything, cloud computing and storing data in the cloud works great until it doesn’t, or in this case, has to be shut off to prevent damage from spreading.

2605

It’s still raining here.

I did an outdoor show 2 weeks ago. Tornado warnings got us up and out of there after only 2 hours.
I did an outdoor show in the same location a week ago. Mine was the last tent standing after a gigantic rain and hailstorm blew through and everyone left in a whirlwind of disaster and tears.

I have another outdoor show tomorrow. Canada Day. It says rain and thunderstorms. I’m ready. Still, a little sunshine wouldn’t hurt. I’ll be set up in the cocktail garden next to the drinks trailer and a wine seller, so it could be worse.

It isn’t easy being a rain god.

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2606

My brother works as a subcontractor doing desktop/network/server support for a very large multinational conglomerate whose products you’ve almost certainly used. He got a call at 8:30 PM yesterday not from his boss, but one of her peers (boss wasn’t even in the loop), that he needed to be on the first available flight to $City today to spend Friday and Saturday working (6 PM flight out Saturday).

He was not told what he’d be doing beyond “patching,” nor where he’d be going exactly. He was unaware that there was even a site in that general vicinity that they supported, as is the manager he spoke with this morning. He was told to rent a car when he arrives in $City, but not told where to drive to. One of his peers was given the same instructions.

I told him to switch on location tracking so we know which seedy motel he’ll wake up in surrounded by ice and missing a kidney.

2607

It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. At least I know who to blame when it rains on my parade now. :slight_smile:

2608

You need to visit Oz. We’re in the middle of yet another drought.

2609

I try not to be superstitious. I find it kind of silly that people put restrictions and requirements on themselves for tenuous and not-logical reasons.

That being said, I’ll pass on this advice: If you’re ever thinking about getting a new car, do not talk about it while driving the vehicle you’re going to be replacing, even if you’re keeping the vehicle as a backup.

I’m beginning to think my truck said to itself, “So, he’s planning on getting rid of me, eh? After the twenty-five years of service I’ve given him? Of all the ungrateful… Let’s see how he likes these apples!”

A minor problem became an almost complete failure of the part during rush hour traffic. After all, you don’t really need a gas guage, do you? You’ve got plenty of gas, don’t you? Ordered a remanufactured unit, but it’s already exibiting the first signs of the same problem, so it’s probably the sensor inside the gas tank that’s the source.

Three days later, the door handle stops returning the home position, so the latching mechanism it’s connected to might be about to break.

Got a warning about the brakes a couple of months ago. Need to have them inspected to see if they’re inducing a vibration in steering while braking or if the steering vibration is separate.

Turn signal lever is a bit sloppy since the place that repaired it when it broke two years ago didn’t tighten things up all the way. Now, gravity and vibration is enough to make it make intermittent contact. Luckily, I can still hear the click even if the indicator doesn’t turn on, so I can bump it back up slightly to the off position.

 
This is beginning to turn into a race. How quickly can I get things together, do research on vehicles and get one bought, before I might have to divert some of that money to a repair that can’t wait?

2610

My dad got t-boned in his old car on the way to turn it in as a trade-in. They’d already signed the offer so he was technically driving the dealer’s car. It was totaled.

So, could be worse?

2611

Oh, is that why my car couldn’t wait for new tires and an oil change before the end of the year when I plan on selling her and replacing her? She’s been getting loud, too, so I hope that muffler will last! :wink:

I already have a buyer lined up, but I don’t plan on buying the new car until the end of the year.

2612

Ash-hatted pikachu just sounds wrong. I’m going to call it the hip-hop-achu.

2613

Chirps are pretty good. I guess crickets are tasty.

Yeah. I’m bored at work today.

2614

Getting into an accident is worse, so I’m just making good-natured complaints. So let’s also throw in the fact that the ignition module might be going bad again in less than a year.

2615

OK, considering at this point in time audio can be faked, pictures can be faked, video can be faked… how long until a Public Notary morphs into a Fair Witness?

For reference.

Will news reports carry DNA markers on video that put an individual’s or network’s word/money on the line as to the accuracy of the recording shown? If The Onion, or SNL, or Fox, or MSNBC whoever can have a totally accurate facsimile of an individual do whatever they want it to, how can you know what is real?

Hell, people already thought Chevy Chase was Ford and Tina Fey was Palin. People at all levels of journalism have been faking news since pen was put to paper, but a news story accompanied with a video showing it happening is pretty hard to disbelieve. We can’t count on news organizations to stay honest, they don’t do it now when they can easily get caught, why would they do it later when they can get away with it?

Standard eye witnesses aren’t worth spit, but maybe specially trained observers who are licensed and bonded could do it. According to Fair Witness supported reports, this is what happened…

2616

There’s a corruption scandal going on in Pakistan about whether the ruling family used public funds to buy properties in London. The Prime Minister’s daughter submitted photos dated 2006 as proof she was a “trustee and not the owner” of the properties.

Someone spotted that the font the documents were typed in was Calibri. The only way to have gotten that font at the time the documents were dated was to be a beta tester for Windows Vista or get the font from someone who was a beta tester. It was publicly available in January 2007 when MS Office 2007 and Vista went on sale.

Within hours, the Wikipedia page for Calibri started being edited, with about two dozen edits in less than a day before the page was locked. Many of the edits came from Pakistan and were attempts to change who created the font and when.

2617

I took a trip on the new train yesterday. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I still was amazed at the number of people who don’t have a clue on train etiquette. Things like, don’t let your kids run rampant on a train that is standing room only, keep them from screaming, let elders have the seats, etc.

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2618

Note to self: Don’t go for pre-dawn walks on garbage pickup day.

2619

Sounds pretty trashy.

2620

Badump bum. :drum: :

It’s the people digging through the trash cans that’s trashy. Kind of scary, too.

2621

Recycling at it’s best. Every trash day there are pickup trucks that roam around my area picking up stuff. It’s amazing what people throw away.

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2622

Mrs and I are in our second house. The first was in a … well… seedier neighborhood.

It was expected, almost, that anything you put in the trash would be swiped. It was comical in its extreme:
We set out a gas range to be picked up. It came with the house and we bought new as soon as we could scrape the $$ together. It was broken, dangerous. It leaky gas, it leaked fumes while the oven was on, the fancy little electric heater shelf above the burners was grounding to the frame and would shock you.
The cross-the-street neighbors took it from our trash pile and put on their backyard deck. Not hooked up… guess they planned to do that later… just out there in the rain/ snow/ sun.

We politely told them no, we didn’t care if they took it but 1) problem, 2) problem, 3) problem… two potentially FATAL.
They kept it, anyway.

Current neighborhood is more upscale. While we get the occasional roving trash pickers, mostly what hits the curb stays there.