Coconut Monkey Cornerclub

[BeardyHat]

Well, I got sleep...and I've rarely felt this exhausted. May end up sleeping a lot more today.

Obviously, I'm not trying to equate this with your more serious issue, but...

I'm pretty tired today too. Got woken up at 2am by an earwig crawling across my chest. This house we're staying at is absolutely infested with them; they come out of the coffee pot, they're hiding in the hand towels, even found one inside my earplug case with little bug turds all over inside too.

Much as I'll have a panic attack while flying today, I cannot wait to be home this evening. I do wonder how many stowaways have made it into our bags, but at least the spiders in my house will take care of any intruders...

 

[Zed Clampet]

I'm pretty tired today too. Got woken up at 2am by an earwig crawling across my chest. This house we're staying at is absolutely infested with them; they come out of the coffee pot, they're hiding in the hand towels, even found one inside my earplug case with little bug turds all over inside too.

As for flying, let's put this into tabletop game terms. You'd have to roll an 800 million sided die and get a 1 to die in a plane crash.

As for the bugs, that's pretty disgusting. A long time ago, we had an infestation of silverfish. I used enough pesticide to create a Chernobyl-like anomaly zone that stretched into surrounding states. Totally worth it to get rid of those things.

 

[Colif]

Answering questions on my course at 2.00 am and find a question that wants me to make a video of me using a LAN cable tester... erm? I don't have one?

Seems I need to buy one of these

Antenna Accessory Network Test Tool

Ensure your network and telephone cables are flawlessly connected with this essential test tool, confirming proper terminal connections and seamless point-to-point communication. Key Features: Identify cable continuity, open circuits, shorts, and miswiring. Includes detachable remote cable...

www.antsig.com

Great, waste money on something I will never use again.

Found a USB extension cable so now my USB hub is way closer to me and cables aren't as stretched. Think I need to reorganise cabling in my room.

 

[Colif]

i live in Canberra, we are meant to have rain but for the last 24 hours the closest it ever gets is just outside of town, and then it just fades away. Its coming from the coast so its not like it isn't trying, it just fails

Only advantage is it keeps temperatures up. We just had the coldest June since 1960 so its nice to be above 0c for a change.

 

[BeardyHat]

As for flying, let's put this into tabletop game terms. You'd have to roll an 800 million sided die and get a 1 to die in a plane crash.

As for the bugs, that's pretty disgusting. A long time ago, we had an infestation of silverfish. I used enough pesticide to create a Chernobyl-like anomaly zone that stretched into surrounding states. Totally worth it to get rid of those things.

Oh, logically I'm well aware. But my logical, rational brain just flees every time I'm on a plane.

That said, this time I had 2 1/2 Old Fashioneds at the Chili's before we boarded. I'm sober now, but it helped significantly. We had some turbulence on landing, but thankfully it was only about 15 minutes worth.

i live in Canberra, we are meant to have rain but for the last 24 hours the closest it ever gets is just outside of town, and then it just fades away. Its coming from the coast so its not like it isn't trying, it just fails

Only advantage is it keeps temperatures up. We just had the coldest June since 1960 so its nice to be above 0c for a change.

I'm currently stuck on the plane because we're having a rain/lightning storm. We're just sitting on the taxi way, cause crews can't come out to the plane when there's risk of being hit.

We don't get these often in Colorado, but here we are. Thankfully my kids are mostly behaving.

 

[Colif]

its just rain, no lightning in it. Only concern I had last night was the wind, possibility of knocking down power lines. Lucky it didn't happen and I could sit here all night doing homework. Mostly up to date now, that hardware I need to buy to answer a question might slow it down a little.

 

[Zloth]

You know, back in days of yore, huge swarms of locusts would fly out of Colorado and sweep over Kansas.

If that starts happening with huge swarms of earwigs, I know who to blame.

 

[BeardyHat]

You know, back in days of yore, huge swarms of locusts would fly out of Colorado and sweep over Kansas.

If that starts happening with huge swarms of earwigs, I know who to blame.

Kansas has it coming.

 

[Zloth]

After going through a new exercise bike every year or so, I got a Nautilus. Paid extra but it lasted a good 15 years and kinda works even now, but changing the resistance no longer does anything. I guess it's time.

Anyway, while poking around Amazon, I ran into this little gem:

"【HARISON Cares Every Details】"

Suuuure ya do, Harison!

The bikes are all cheap now. I tried to find reviews from people saying they had their bike for a year, but the best I found was six months, and just one of those. One was three months, saying their bike was dying already. All the rest were just a few weeks. Well, at least the "a card in the box said I could get $30 if I leave a 5 star review, so here it is" reviews seem to be gone. AI-generated people using the bike in photographs are starting to be in, though.

I guess I'll pick out something, but I bet it breaks in less than two years.

 

[Colif]

https://character.ai/
1/5th the traffic Google search gets per second. 2.7 million AI companions made already.
Bubble creation.

Glad I don't get lonely (very often), glad I don't want to talk to a machine - I talk to my PC sometimes, telling it to stop doing things, but I don't want/expect an answer.

Its too late to expect people not to think these are real... people believed they were in the 1960's as per video.
Not at all surprised by age groups. Most people over 65 don't spend their entire lives online. They were the generation before it started to be normal. Wait 60 years and see what age groups are. I won't be here to see it though...

 

[BeardyHat]

https://character.ai/
1/5th the traffic Google search gets per second. 2.7 million AI companions made already.
Bubble creation.

Glad I don't get lonely (very often), glad I don't want to talk to a machine - I talk to my PC sometimes, telling it to stop doing things, but I don't want/expect an answer
Its too late to expect people not to think these are real... people believed they were in the 1960's as per video.
Not at all surprised by age groups. Most people over 65 don't spend their entire lives online. They were the generation before it started to be normal. Wait 60 years and see what age groups are. I won't be here to see it though...

Don't have a chance to watch this any further at the moment, but the other problem is that people just don't want to put forth the effort either. They've become so used to screens and talking to people via text that chatbots are the natural end-point of that. I've been trying for years to get neighbors to participate in neighborhood events, but I'm constantly met with evasiveness and non-committal; no one wants to be part of a community anymore, because everyone is so afraid of being the slightest bit out of their comfort zone and talking to people can sometimes be awkward; far easier to doomscroll tiktok and develop parasocial relationships with Youtube personalities than to speak with some neighbors. I get it to a big extent; I'm an introvert and a homebody, I don't want to do much of this stuff either, but I've realized that it's very good for my mental wellbeing.

I could complain about this endlessly.

In lighter news: It's gratifying to see how happy my dog is upon my return home. He was so upset that I took my youngest to bed immediately and shut the door so he couldn't follow and since then, hasn't really left my side, just licked my face and wanted to be as close as possible; he had plenty of attention and love while I was gone, but it's just satisfying...

Otherwise, I gotta get motivated this morning. I'm still beaten from all the travel, but I have a lot of clean-up to do, as well as the need to make a run to the grocery store, as we're pretty much out of everything, which we had planned prior to this trip. My only question is, do I want to take the kids? They could probably use a trip out of the house, but so could I, by myself.

 

[Frindis]

In lighter news: It's gratifying to see how happy my dog is upon my return home. He was so upset that I took my youngest to bed immediately and shut the door so he couldn't follow and since then, hasn't really left my side, just licked my face and wanted to be as close as possible; he had plenty of attention and love while I was gone, but it's just satisfying...

Look how the hair on the muzzle (between the dogs eyes) is pushed every so gently down. That is probably because of years with all them loving head rubs and hugs🐶🐶

 

[BeardyHat]

Look how the hair on the muzzle (between the dogs eyes) is pushed every so gently down. That is probably because of years with all them loving head rubs and hugs🐶🐶

He's a good boy. Best dog I've ever known; I'm not sure if that's up to genetics and temperament or if it's all the training I did with him. I'm afraid to get another dog, because I can't fathom how they could ever be as good as him.

 

[Zed Clampet]

After going through a new exercise bike every year or so, I got a Nautilus. Paid extra but it lasted a good 15 years and kinda works even now, but changing the resistance no longer does anything. I guess it's time.

Anyway, while poking around Amazon, I ran into this little gem:

"【HARISON Cares Every Details】"

Suuuure ya do, Harison!

The bikes are all cheap now. I tried to find reviews from people saying they had their bike for a year, but the best I found was six months, and just one of those. One was three months, saying their bike was dying already. All the rest were just a few weeks. Well, at least the "a card in the box said I could get $30 if I leave a 5 star review, so here it is" reviews seem to be gone. AI-generated people using the bike in photographs are starting to be in, though.

I guess I'll pick out something, but I bet it breaks in less than two years.

Life hack: for furniture, exercise equipment, etc. look for the models made for fat people.

****

If every generation is defined by its worst members, Gen Z is going to be known as the generation that just wanted to spend time alone fantasizing about sex with monsters.

 

[Frindis]

@BeardyHat A couple pictures of the Dobermans I grew up with as a teenager. Both with completely different personalities. Miss them

Shiva, the black one, was more guard dog material, but also very calm, observant and intelligent. She would never use much force in a fight (when a neighbors dog was loose and tried to attack her) and instead hold the other dog down to show dominance. Very strong and loved to play in water, especially swimming in the lake.

Ili, the brown colored one, was much more a social doberman and would always meet and greet visitors. She also loved water and could at times run back and forth in small trenches hunting the water or attack water from farm sprinklers. She was very active and learned new tricks fast, like finding hidden cheese bits around the house.

 

[BeardyHat]

@BeardyHat A couple pictures of the Dobermans I grew up with as a teenager. Both with completely different personalities. Miss them

Shiva, the black one, was more guard dog material, but also very calm, observant and intelligent. She would never use much force in a fight (when a neighbors dog was loose and tried to attack her) and instead hold the other dog down to show dominance. Very strong and loved to play in water, especially swimming in the lake.

Ili, the brown colored one, was much more a social doberman and would always meet and greet visitors. She also loved water and could at times run back and forth in small trenches hunting the water or attack water from farm sprinklers. She was very active and learned new tricks fast, like finding hidden cheese bits around the house.

I like the cocked ear on Shiva and that attentive stance; both handsome doggos and funny the very different personalities surrounding water versus my dog! Bishop (mine) is terrified of water, so much as to walk out into the street if there's sprinklers on and even leap over or do whatever he can to avoid a puddle.

Do you have dogs still?

Actually reminds me that back in the 80's and 90's, there was this fear surrounding Doberman's as dangerous. I remember my Mom warning me off them and I would generally be scared if I saw one, since I was told they were dangerous. Very much reminds me of the zeitgeist around Pitbulls now, which Bishop is, but I've never met a sweeter, gentler dog who is so excellent with babies and little kids.

 

[Zed Clampet]

I like the cocked ear on Shiva and that attentive stance; both handsome doggos and funny the very different personalities surrounding water versus my dog! Bishop (mine) is terrified of water, so much as to walk out into the street if there's sprinklers on and even leap over or do whatever he can to avoid a puddle.

Do you have dogs still?

Actually reminds me that back in the 80's and 90's, there was this fear surrounding Doberman's as dangerous. I remember my Mom warning me off them and I would generally be scared if I saw one, since I was told they were dangerous. Very much reminds me of the zeitgeist around Pitbulls now, which Bishop is, but I've never met a sweeter, gentler dog who is so excellent with babies and little kids.

Statistically Dobermans are more dangerous than average and Pitbulls are vastly more dangerous than any other breed. I won't bore you with the statistics, but in addition to being generally more dangerous, they are also a bit crazy and unpredictable and will seem perfectly normal for years and then attack people, usually the children, in their own family. The statistics regarding fatal attacks on children in their own house are terrifying.

HOWEVER, 94 percent of Pitbull attacks come from unneutered males. If you are a responsible owner and neuter your Pitbull, you really don't have anything much to worry about.

Personally, I've only ever met two dogs I considered dangerous, and neither of them were Dobermans or Pitbulls.

I actually started carrying a gun whenever I had to be around my mother-in-law's German Sheppard. This was after one time when I arrived at the house by myself, and the only thing that saved me from a violent confrontation was Guido running outside and grabbing the dog by the collar. I had already accepted I was about to fight a full grown German Sheppard and had pulled my knife out of my pocket.

It was weird, if the dog saw me inside the house, it was okay with me, but when it saw me outside, it completely freaked out.

The other dangerous dog had rabies, so that really didn't count.

 

[Colif]

I had a corgi when I was a kid. I don't really remember her any more as she died when I was 11.... I don't remember that long ago.
I did own half of a Rottweiler, he was cool... they not bad dogs if treated well. Two of my friends owned them in the 1990's.

I don't have space for pets. I used to have a four foot fish tank in my room but I had to choose between them and a PC, and the PC won about 15 years ago. I miss them sometimes but I don't miss the water changes and all the other hassles. I still have my tank, I assume its still okay.... fish are too expensive now. They used to be cheaper when we had them.

 

[Pifanjr]

Don't have a chance to watch this any further at the moment, but the other problem is that people just don't want to put forth the effort either. They've become so used to screens and talking to people via text that chatbots are the natural end-point of that. I've been trying for years to get neighbors to participate in neighborhood events, but I'm constantly met with evasiveness and non-committal; no one wants to be part of a community anymore, because everyone is so afraid of being the slightest bit out of their comfort zone and talking to people can sometimes be awkward; far easier to doomscroll tiktok and develop parasocial relationships with Youtube personalities than to speak with some neighbors. I get it to a big extent; I'm an introvert and a homebody, I don't want to do much of this stuff either, but I've realized that it's very good for my mental wellbeing.

I could complain about this endlessly.

You know that philosophical question of whether you would choose to leave your current life behind to live in a perfect virtual world? I feel like this isn't just a theoretical question any more. Phones give you access to an almost endless, curated selection of entertainment and considering how many people bury their nose into their phone instead of interacting with the world around them, it seems most people have decided to leave the real world as much as possible already.

It's a connection I realised today and it's renewed my distaste towards doomscrolling.

In lighter news: It's gratifying to see how happy my dog is upon my return home. He was so upset that I took my youngest to bed immediately and shut the door so he couldn't follow and since then, hasn't really left my side, just licked my face and wanted to be as close as possible; he had plenty of attention and love while I was gone, but it's just satisfying...

Otherwise, I gotta get motivated this morning. I'm still beaten from all the travel, but I have a lot of clean-up to do, as well as the need to make a run to the grocery store, as we're pretty much out of everything, which we had planned prior to this trip. My only question is, do I want to take the kids? They could probably use a trip out of the house, but so could I, by myself.

My wife left today for a four day trip and my dog spent a couple of hours whining and moping around. He is crazy about her and really hates it when she leaves. He's probably going to be moody the entire time she's gone.

If every generation is defined by its worst members, Gen Z is going to be known as the generation that just wanted to spend time alone fantasizing about sex with monsters.

If only we would be so lucky that that's the worst they could do.

Statistically Dobermans are more dangerous than average and Pitbulls are vastly more dangerous than any other breed. I won't bore you with the statistics, but in addition to being generally more dangerous, they are also a bit crazy and unpredictable and will seem perfectly normal for years and then attack people, usually the children, in their own family. The statistics regarding fatal attacks on children in their own house are terrifying.

HOWEVER, 94 percent of Pitbull attacks come from unneutered males. If you are a responsible owner and neuter your Pitbull, you really don't have anything much to worry about.

Personally, I've only ever met two dogs I considered dangerous, and neither of them were Dobermans or Pitbulls.

I actually started carrying a gun whenever I had to be around my mother-in-law's German Sheppard. This was after one time when I arrived at the house by myself, and the only thing that saved me from a violent confrontation was Guido running outside and grabbing the dog by the collar. I had already accepted I was about to fight a full grown German Sheppard and had pulled my knife out of my pocket.

It was weird, if the dog saw me inside the house, it was okay with me, but when it saw me outside, it completely freaked out.

The other dangerous dog had rabies, so that really didn't count.

There's a dog in our neighbourhood that gets really aggressive if it sees our dog, but only when its on a leash. If it's walking around freely it hardly even acknowledges our dog.

I've been bitten twice by a dog. Once was as a kid by a jack russel or a similar small dog which kept trying to bite the sleeves of my jacket. My dad scared it off before it could do more than graze my thumb with its teeth.
The other time was also as a kid by a big white dog, like a Samoyed, while we were visiting some friends of my parents. I was petting it and it suddenly barked twice and bit me in the side. I don't think it drew blood, but I was pretty terrified of most dogs for a good few years afterwards.

 

[BeardyHat]

HOWEVER, 94 percent of Pitbull attacks come from unneutered males. If you are a responsible owner and neuter your Pitbull, you really don't have anything much to worry about.

I'm going to also drop that the media tends to report all dog attacks as coming from Pitbulls, which are frequently misidentified and deliberately so, so as to push a narrative.

But, I've only ever seen non-neutered dogs in the hands of irresponsible owners. I've interacted with many people from all walks of life and all of those with non-neutered dogs were generally of a certain social bracket that tends to have certain ideas of masculinity, of which not neutering your dog goes along with. Not to mention, treating it in a particular way, which tends to encourage the dog to behave in a poor manner. I'm trying to put this delicately, as I want to be sensitive, as well as not provoke any political talk, but yeah, there tends to be a certain machismo that goes along with this type of dog owner.

Now, that said, the only dog that has ever bitten one of my kids or acted aggressively towards them has been a Chihuahua, which is no longer allowed near my children. It belongs to my sister and every day I hope that a hawk comes and carries it off to relieve our family of such a burden...

Though I've also been bitten by a dog, the same dog, several times, which is a Doberman/Rottweiler mix. That dog in particular has a major anxiety/protective issue with its owner and unfortunately for said owner (who is a good friend), I will not go over to their house anymore.

You know that philosophical question of whether you would choose to leave your current life behind to live in a perfect virtual world? I feel like this isn't just a theoretical question any more. Phones give you access to an almost endless, curated selection of entertainment and considering how many people bury their nose into their phone instead of interacting with the world around them, it seems most people have decided to leave the real world as much as possible already.

It's a connection I realised today and it's renewed my distaste towards doomscrolling.

Yeah, it's kind of insane. I try not to be judgemental, but the amount of people I see sticking their noses in their phones whenever the briefest moment presents itself is pretty amazing. I don't know what it is about me, but I usually tend not to look at my phone at all when I'm out and about, even if I'm doing something "boring" like taking the kids to the park. I like to enjoy my surroundings, which includes people watching; but my grandfather was the same, so maybe it's just genetics.

But I do also think that with all the information we have in our pockets, people feel obligated to look at their phones. On another forum I'm on, I had someone arguing that it was of essential importance to be up to date on world events, which I just cannot agree with. Even major world events, which are occurring now, don't have much bearing on my life, so I can't imagine why I need constant notifications and anxiety about keeping up with all of them. Don't get me wrong, I keep track of things and am aware of current goings on, but I don't need to examine them in depth or develop an opinion on every little thing going on in the world. In fact, things are generally so nuanced, to have an opinion on much of them seems silly, because it that ends-up being something black and white, you're either on this side or that side, which just isn't true or economical.

My wife left today for a four day trip and my dog spent a couple of hours whining and moping around. He is crazy about her and really hates it when she leaves. He's probably going to be moody the entire time she's gone.

Gotta keep the pack together. My dog hates it when the kids run ahead on a walk or are on their bikes and get away from the group or what have you. If he had his druthers, he'd be off the leash so he could run forward to check on the kids, run back to check on us and repeat ad nauseam.

In other news, I just finally primed some new models I got several months ago. It took me months and months to get them built, but I finally finished them a couple of weeks ago and now today finally got them on some cardboard to hit them with the rattle can. I'm really excited to start getting some paint on them, as it's been several months since I last painted anything. I have a goal for this year to finally finish all my US Forces, of which I have about 40 infantry, three tanks (one of which isn't built) and a vehicle or two. But I also want to get a new vehicle to replace an old one, which looks a bit crap because it's missing a lot of pieces.

 

[BeardyHat]

Ok, now I'm just delaying.

Feeling tired and don't feel like cleaning the kitchen and getting dinner started. I'm intending to make fish tacos tonight, as well as some refried beans (I found 25lbs of dried Pintos at Costco yesterday for $16! In all the years I've been going there they've never had them. The lady who checked me out told me it's been 25-years since she last saw em at that store. I should have bought more) and I'll probably use some peaches, corn and tomatoes to make a salsa for them. But, if I'm being honest, part of the reason I'm delaying is that I don't particularly want fish tacos.

Fish is fine, but I'd rather not eat it if I didn't have to. My wife likes it, so she'll be happy and I've already had chicken today for lunch, so I feel like I should have a "healthier" option and not eat even more land based meat. But fish is just...not exciting.

 

[Zed Clampet]

You know that philosophical question of whether you would choose to leave your current life behind to live in a perfect virtual world? I feel like this isn't just a theoretical question any more. Phones give you access to an almost endless, curated selection of entertainment and considering how many people bury their nose into their phone instead of interacting with the world around them, it seems most people have decided to leave the real world as much as possible already.

I have my perfect virtual world handy whenever I need it. No reason to leave my current life.

Oh, and I realized right after I wrote it, but the hook to get us to put the brain/computer interface in our heads will be the lure of supposed immortality on a chip.

 

[Pifanjr]

Gotta keep the pack together. My dog hates it when the kids run ahead on a walk or are on their bikes and get away from the group or what have you. If he had his druthers, he'd be off the leash so he could run forward to check on the kids, run back to check on us and repeat ad nauseam.

My dog cares very little about what our kid is doing. He's always happy to see her when she comes home from school, but if we're out he has no problems letting her wander off and he doesn't whine if she isn't home.

By the way, I'd never seen the word "druthers" before. Apparently it originated from a contraction of "I'd rather".

Oh, and I realized right after I wrote it, but the hook to get us to put the brain/computer interface in our heads will be the lure of supposed immortality on a chip.

If I had to guess I think brain chips will be installed into children by overbearing parents first, just so they can always track exactly what they're doing, especially in the USA. Then about 2-3 generations later chipping your child becomes mandatory, "for their own good". 2 more generations and humans are just directly plugged into the Matrix while their bodies are used as batteries by our AI overlords.

 

[Zed Clampet]

If I had to guess I think brain chips will be installed into children by overbearing parents first, just so they can always track exactly what they're doing, especially in the USA.

The US is known for overbearing parents? Maybe it was the backlash to the 20th century when there was no parental control and hundreds of active serial killers. We've solved the serial killer problem by letting people just shoot kids in school. It's more convenient for everybody.

I suppose people might use chips for tracking, but every kid is carrying a phone these days, and you can already track them that way. At least with iphones, it's easy to see where everyone in your family group is. Plus there are some apps you can download that get more invasive if that's your thing. For instance, they can notify you when your child breaks the sound barrier in their Yugo. Or in the case of my talented children, have a "sudden deceleration incident". I don't know what else the apps can do. It's the mother's job to be annoying, so I never paid any attention to it.

 

[Frindis]

Do you have dogs still?

I have been thinking about getting a new dog since I miss having a four legged family member. I have been enjoying more and more trekking, so having a dog would be also perfect now. Long trips and yummy food for dog

Bishop (mine) is terrified of water, so much as to walk out into the street if there's sprinklers on and even leap over or do whatever he can to avoid a puddle.

One thing both dobies did not like one bit was walking on a boat jetty. They would walk super stiff and not one bit comfortable. Boat life was not something they liked, so land it was most of the time. The first dog I grew up with called Lussi (King Poodle) loved the boat life and would even sit on the bow or stern letting the wind blow the ears back. (Not the best picture, but imagine those fluffy ears blowing in the wind)

I blame Dobermans movies/series for the stereotypical aggressive and dangerous dog. They were bred for protection and police work, so they do have a focus on protecting close area and family. There is also a difference between American and European Dobermans in how social they are, though I do think the difference is minimal.

They can be very protective, but they have very good self-control if they ever do attack/defend, which is also why they are not among the top breed for fatal attacks. Dobermans are one of the more intelligent dogs, so it is easy to train them to respond to commands.

My own experiences was that both dogs were good family dogs with differences in how social and protective. It's a breed that needs a lot of mental and physical stimuli because of high activity level. That said, both dobies loved to lay besides me on the sofa also or sitting on the porch and enjoying the sun.