Coconut Monkey Cornerclub

[BeardyHat]

Taking my oldest kiddo to their first concert tonight. A year or so ago, I showed them a band I was pretty into around high school and they've discovered their own love for the band, so my wife and I are surprising them tonight with their farewell tour show at Red Rocks.

We've got some ear protection for them and ourselves, but hoping that they have fun and can make it until like 1130 - Midnight, which is probably when the headliners set will wrap up.

 

[ZedClampet]

@Pifanjr

Fact checking Snopes...

You had mentioned about Walt Disney being able to see a single frame of a nude woman in a film. I wanted to read more about that since I'm obsessing over the speed variances in people's vision. I ended up on Snopes.

First of all, they quote from a book written by someone who was a producer-director at Disney, and says he was there during the incident. He verifies the story and tells it slightly differently than the story normally goes and added a funny thing that Disney said after the incident, which was something along the lines of "If that girl had had any clothes on, I'd not of paid her any attention."

There is no reason to doubt the truthfulness of this guy's story, and yet Snopes, disbelieving it's possible to spot a single frame, says that they were unable to verify if the story was true or not. They end the article by saying that Disney was an ordinary human being.

Two things: One, they obviously are unaware of the recent research on the variations in the speed of vision from one person to the next.

Two, Walt Disney was certainly not an ordinary human. He was one of the most extraordinary humans of the 20th century, starting from nothing and building perhaps the most iconic entertainment company in the world. That he would have some skills and abilities beyond what the average person might have should be obvious to anyone.

End of rant. I'm sorry. I just can't stand it when people are skeptical even when there's plain evidence for them not to be.

 

[ZedClampet]

This 5 year old video is the best depiction of my marriage that I've ever seen.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyJUQuaECrg

 

[Brian Boru]

Just because you're paranoid…

I’ve Always Suspected My Phone Was Listening to Me—This Advertising Pitch Proves It

Advertisers listening to us through our phones sounds like science fiction hell. But it feels all too real.

www.makeuseof.com

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Just because you're paranoid…

I’ve Always Suspected My Phone Was Listening to Me—This Advertising Pitch Proves It

Advertisers listening to us through our phones sounds like science fiction hell. But it feels all too real.

www.makeuseof.com

Well, nuts. I know they dont need to listen to you directly to direct marketing based on search history, location, and a million other things but I didnt think this would ever have actually happened.

How isnt this completely illegal in any supposedly free country?

 

[neogunhero]

Something weird has been happening on my phone. I have an iPhone and just updated to the latest iOS 18 which came out this week. I’m not one to wait until the bugs are ironed out, as long as I feel confident that my phone won’t get bricked I’ll update to the latest version any chance I get.

Just about every website I visit, Safari gives me a pop asking if I want to download some file, most times called “occ”, other times something different. I didn’t change any Safari settings, yet this keeps popping up on my phone. I think it’s harmless, maybe something to do with cache or cookies, but I never accept the download. Very strange.

 

[Pifanjr]

Something weird has been happening on my phone. I have an iPhone and just updated to the latest iOS 18 which came out this week. I’m not one to wait until the bugs are ironed out, as long as I feel confident that my phone won’t get bricked I’ll update to the latest version any chance I get.

Just about every website I visit, Safari gives me a pop asking if I want to download some file, most times called “occ”, other times something different. I didn’t change any Safari settings, yet this keeps popping up on my phone. I think it’s harmless, maybe something to do with cache or cookies, but I never accept the download. Very strange.

From what I can find it seems to happen mostly on news sites and doesn't show up for people using ad blockers. It's possible that an ad that's mostly run on news sites is triggering something in iOS making it think it's trying to download something.

I doubt it's malicious (or any more malicious than ads usually are), but I would still keep declining the download until Apple sheds some light on this.

 

[Brian Boru]

How isnt this completely illegal in any supposedly free country?

Laws tend to lag ~a generation behind new tech. Got to wait for a tech to take hold—most fail so no point wasting resources on 'em—wait to see the unintended consequences, wait for the lawmakers to have a clue about the tech, wait for… yawn.

All that said, big biz are always being sued for various practices so it could well be illegal already in a lot of places. That's got nothing to do with preventing people and orgs from trying it tho if the expected profit outweighs the possible punishment.

file, most times called “occ”

Same as what Pifanjr found, Apple thread here.

 

[Frag Maniac]

On the subject of paranoia, I let my bank talk me into ordering a new debit card with new number yesterday over a rather suspicious email I got from a place in New York I bought a couple parts for my new vehicle. This biz wanted me to send pics of my ID and debit card saying their fraud dept flagged the purchase as possible fraud. I called my bank and let them know I wanted to wait at least a day to see if these clowns would cancel and fully refund the order, but he talked me into the more paranoid option, saying better to be safe than sorry.

Less than a half hour after responding to the biz' email asking for cancelation and refund, they emailed me agreeing to a full refund, which immediately showed on my account page as pending, and is now posted as a full reversal. So why am I saying all this? In my panic, I'd forgotten I just ordered a new saddle for my mt bike, which has been put on hold awaiting payment method update.

So the lesson here is do not always assume the worst unless you have good reason to. Paranoia can be contagious. My bank argued that only banks do fraud alerts, not businesses, but it might be that this biz just uses a small bank that has unorthodox methods to overseer their online transactions. What pushed me over the edge though is them asking for pics of my ID and debit card (which I didn't send of course).

Worse yet, I had to ask Amazon to contact the saddle seller to ask them to hold it until at least Mon so I could update my account with the new card, since their email was outgoing only and could not be responded to. And now when I look on the product page for this saddle it shows as being sold by a different vendor now. I'll be lucky if I can still even get it, as this is a model that is sold out on the manufacturer's website!

 

[Brian Boru]

LHC—no, we're not on the French-Swiss border near Geneva, this is Life Hack Central!

I think I figured out how to peel the plastic off of candy canes
A mouthful of plastic was the motivation to experiment, so pay attention at the back.

What finally worked is using a nail clippers to snip the 'bud' of plastic at the end of the cane. This opens it enough to let you start peeling it down along the long side. When it resists, pull away from the cane and the plastic 'should' split nicely along its seam.

Got 2 of 'em unpeeled easily this way—but I gotta ask, what's the idea wrapping 'em like that in the first place???

🍭 🦯

 

[BeardyHat]

The end of a long week, tomorrow.

LHC—no, we're not on the French-Swiss border near Geneva, this is Life Hack Central!

I think I figured out how to peel the plastic off of candy canes
A mouthful of plastic was the motivation to experiment, so pay attention at the back.

What finally worked is using a nail clippers to snip the 'bud' of plastic at the end of the cane. This opens it enough to let you start peeling it down along the long side. When it resists, pull away from the cane and the plastic 'should' split nicely along its seam.

Got 2 of 'em unpeeled easily this way—but I gotta ask, what's the idea wrapping 'em like that in the first place???

🍭 🦯

Nice tip. I'll definitely be trying this one. But... You're already eating candy canes?

My wife is coming back this morning, she was out of town as her sister has lost her fight, so just sadness all around. I'm pretty worried for her Dad, as he's in his 80s and I don't feel like he's really going to take it very well. It sucks, but what can I do?

Except clean the house, I guess. Our house is still in a state of construction, so it's still messy, but I got my kids to help me clean up a majority of their mess and then vacuumed and swept most of the rooms, which had a kind of surprising amount of filth. I do still want to sweep the kitchen, but I needed to take a break and have some coffee for a few minutes first.

 

[Zloth]

What finally worked is using a nail clippers to snip the 'bud' of plastic at the end of the cane.

Stop right there! Now shove the plastic down and eat what you want. When you're done, pull the plastic back up. It's now safe to set down on counters or whatever without having the sugar turn into cheap glue and bonding the candy cane to whatever you set it on. When you're ready for more, pull back more.

If it's big enough, the plastic will get too bunched up to push back anymore. No problem, get the nail clippers (or sharp scissors, or an axe, or a guillotine - whatever's available) and cut off more plastic.

P.S. Ever play Saints Row 4: How the Saints Saved Christmas? They used a big candy-cane bar to block a door. If you want in, you need to lick it. A lot.

View: https://youtu.be/gqZ6CE4vPbc?si=FrjhrGHiCKT_4nYn

 

[Brian Boru]

You're already eating candy canes?

Um… I'm a slow eater, they're the final goodies left from last Christmas.

Or if you don't buy that… there's been a box lying around which I finally noticed—environmental awareness not my strong suit—and decided to help fulfill its destiny.

what can I do?

Lots of TLC and extra consideration of her needs, get shoulder rust proofed so it's available anytime, and let her get thru it without any saying "It'll be alright" BS. It won't be, probably a rough month, somewhat less rough 3 months, and can be over a year before the pain fades—all very variable depending how close they were and how naturally resilient or not your gal is.

What you're doing is good, assuming she likes a clean place. God luck to you both, it's tough for a while.

set down on counters or whatever

Licked candy? Aw man, that's just shenanigans!

Wrapper off, cane broken into bite sizes which live out their final hours in a little saucer. Hmm, that Saints Row girl has the right idea

 

[Frag Maniac]

I got Baby Yoda in my Christmas Stocking last year and he says "Rot your teeth candy canes will",...so I avoid them like the plague!

 

[neogunhero]

Noticed @ZedClampet hasn’t been on since September 17th. Hope all is well with him.

I’ve been starting to get very unmotivated at work. It’s not what I want to be doing, which is the case with just about everyone in the world, but it pays very well and I can’t just up and change careers. I don’t feel miserable to be here per se, just wishing I was anywhere else doing anything other than this job. It’s cushy and easy, but I think that is the issue. It’s not challenging enough for me to keep me engaged and constantly productive.

Anyone else ever feel that way, and if so what did you do about it? Anyone here ever do a total career change? How did that go?

 

[Brian Boru]

Hope all is well with him

Yeah, Zed's fine.

Anyone here ever do a total career change? How did that go?

Yep, a couple.

After college I spent 15 years with 2 multinationals as an employee. Got tired of it like you are, and retired.

Spent next ~8 years trying out various freelance gigs and small biz ideas, while teaching adult classes in local uni in my old field. Interesting time, learned a lot.

Zeroed in on a career which would support the lifestyle I wanted—no commute, no fixed time schedules, no limit on earnings, leveraging skills I had or wanted to acquire. Been doing that for ~25 years now—slow start, then great for ~15 years, winding down now.

I can’t just up and change careers

If you do identify a self-employed side hustle of interest, have at least 6-12 months of living expenses in the bank before you jump into it full-time.

Working for yourself is the main way to avoid the dissatisfaction you're experiencing. But depends on your security feeling and resilience—you need to not be a worrier and be able to change course and bounce back if things don't go to plan.

Easiest is probably to leverage your existing knowledge and skills—write a book, open a video channel or podcast, start a paid 'Tips' newsletter… whatever fits your gig.

 

[Zloth]

Anyone else ever feel that way, and if so what did you do about it? Anyone here ever do a total career change? How did that go?

Oh hell yeah, though it wasn't a career thing. I had one job downtown where they hired me on as a contractor. I had done that before at a few places, so I knew to ask if I was going to get a cubicle and yes, I would.

So, I take it. They get me all set up to work on their program (not a given, I've had it take weeks before I could actually start working before). And I finished what they needed done in a week or so. They had nothing more for me to do, so I worked on the program more to make it nicer and clean up the code.

Some full time employee returned from a long vacation, and suddenly I had no cubicle. They set up a table in one of the wider hallways and sat me down there. I did all I could do in the program. They didn't give me access to anything else. So now what? Well, what else am I supposed to do? I started reading a book. Right there on display in front of everybody.

Not only did nobody say a word about that, but they didn't give me anything to do, either. This continued for months! I started putting in just 7 hours per day because I felt guilty getting paid to do nothing at all. What did they do about that? They hired another guy and set him on the table next to me!! He also had absolutely nothing to do whatsoever.

They eventually told us they were going to have us make a web page. Woo hoo! What's it going to do? They had no idea - but they wanted a web page of some kind. They never spoke of it again, though. The other guy at my table got fired after a couple more months.

Eventually, one of their full time employees got insulting in an email, throwing nasty names my way and complaining about how I never did anything - like I hadn't asked everyone multiple times for work. I forwarded the email to my supervisor, left my badge on her desk, and never came back. Eleven months driving through downtown traffic, and I had done a grand total of maybe one week's work. STUNNINGLY dull job. Nothing remotely satisfying about the job.

Oh, and that program I worked on in the early parts? Nobody used it. The distribute it to their locations, but it goes on computers in locked rooms that only people in the central office can access, and they don't need that program for anything.

 

[Brian Boru]

I had one job downtown

When it passes from Sir Real to surreal. Reminds me of the …Japanese?… guy who was discovered at his desk after he'd been dead for a week.

 

[Zloth]

guy who was discovered at his desk after he'd been dead for a week.

OH! That must be why they put me at a table in the hall!

 

[Pifanjr]

Noticed @ZedClampet hasn’t been on since September 17th. Hope all is well with him.

I’ve been starting to get very unmotivated at work. It’s not what I want to be doing, which is the case with just about everyone in the world, but it pays very well and I can’t just up and change careers. I don’t feel miserable to be here per se, just wishing I was anywhere else doing anything other than this job. It’s cushy and easy, but I think that is the issue. It’s not challenging enough for me to keep me engaged and constantly productive.

Anyone else ever feel that way, and if so what did you do about it? Anyone here ever do a total career change? How did that go?

I've felt that way, but I just changed companies instead of changing my career entirely. I like creating stuff, but, like @Zloth, I would be completely unsatisfied if my work was never used. But it being used isn't enough either, I want the stuff I make to contribute to a better society. My current job can be tedious at times, but at least the things I create improve people's lives.

 

[ZedClampet]

I have a weird, not very important "medical" type problem. I get nauseous when the heat kicks in. This is generally only in cars and houses. Hot summer days? Not a problem. Hot tubs and saunas can be problematic.

For instance, I got up the other morning and at some point our central air's settings had been changed, so the heat hadn't kicked in, and it was 62 degrees in the house. Trying to avoid my problem, I just turned the heat on for 64 degrees. By the time the house reached 64 (only a few minutes because we have natural gas), I was sweating and feeling like I needed to throw up.

One thing I have to do is keep the vent in my room covered during cold weather.

The only thing I can think of is that for some reason my body is slow to react to temperature increases, so my body temperature rises as the heat blasts away, and I experience some symptoms of heat exhaustion.

Anyway, TMI I suppose.

 

[ZedClampet]

You know that you are old and out-of-touch when you refer to Neil Patrick Harris as "that kid from Doogie Howser".

 

[Brian Boru]

Colif takes a Selfie:

Nice story too

 

[ZedClampet]

Colif takes a Selfie:

Nice story too

Oh crap. I didn't know @Colif 's pronouns were she/her. Sorry, ma'am.

 

[Colif]

I feel its best I don't comment on the above.

Lets just pretend it didn't happen.