Coconut Monkey Cornerclub

[Colif]

Although now I'm wondering if AI Psychosis is actually real or just something CoPilot made up...

Or perhaps its boss made it up

Microsoft boss troubled by rise in reports of 'AI psychosis'

Mustafa Suleyman said there was still "zero evidence of AI consciousness today".

www.bbc.com

Or not

The Emerging Problem of "AI Psychosis"

AI may be fueling psychotic delusions in a phenomenon known as "AI psychosis" or "ChatGPT psychosis." New research explains the risks.

www.psychologytoday.com

 

[neogunhero]

Maybe changing the logo and interiors was not such a wizard move. That logo is pretty ugly compared to the old one, to the point of looking like something you made in PowerPoint in under a minute or so.

I thought a lot about that whole situation recently. For one, in a world where every corporate owned store and restaurant is going towards a more minimalist, modernized look, Cracker Barrel always stood apart with it's homestyle country western theme and decor. What a dumb move to redesign their restaurants to look like everything else. If it weren't for colors, you couldn't tell the different between the interiors of a McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King and similar chain restaurants these days.

Two, the move completely alienates a large demographic of their customer base: senior citizens. Seniors resonate with the old country themes more than younger generations, and it was a reliable place to get food that like. Most of America's grandpas and grandmas are not going to the local taqueria to get birria burritos or having some sushi omakase for dinner. They stick with what they know, what they grew up on, and Cracker Barrel was largely that for them.

They should look to Red Lobster for how to reinvent themselves. RL has a new young CEO who seems to take customer feedback to heart and apply it across the whole company, just from what I've seen and read. He introduced new menu items that people actually wanted and even made improvements to them after their initial rollout based on feedback from customers. They didn't make a change that pleased the chairholders, they made a change that seemed to be very customer focused. Now I never really liked Red Lobster so I probably wouldn't go there even after these changes, but it's refreshing to see something like that happening in the corporate restaurant space.

 

[neogunhero]

Seems the food is hit and miss, mostly miss. Maybe the cost cutting it showing its face there as well.

They used to have very good food for a chain restaurant. We ate at one a couple of weeks ago, and I didn't notice a difference, but I've heard people claiming the food has gotten worse.

I've always called it old people food... it's purposely under-seasoned and not very exciting, just like what grandpa grew up on. However it is solid and reliable. Younger generations are much more ambitious eaters, looking for huge flavor and unique foods. Old people aren't, that's why they love Cracker Barrel.

I haven't been to a fast food place in years, I stopped before 2020 though. We only get some occasionally now. Its too expensive and it can be hit/miss as to whether it was worth it or not. Might get some soon..need my brother to be better before we do.

Fast food has become almost as expensive as a sit down restaurant these days. Around 2020-2021, a lot of large chain sit down restaurants were doing some major deals to get people in the doors, for a while that actually was cheaper than feeding the same amount of people at the drive-thru. Not like the food was any better than fast food at certain restaurants though. Once your brother gets better you should have a celebratory fast food feast.

I'm not see how ubiquitous First Watch is, but it's a pretty good breakfast style chain and the food is definitely better than whatever Chili's is microwaving at a similar cost.

I used to work at First Watch as a cook and still have some recipes from them. Million Dollar Bacon is something I make on occasion.

But it just can't compare to the bigger cities I've lived in for ethnic food.

When I lived in Omaha there was a surprising number of ethnic restaurants throughout the whole city. I always heard it was because UNO had such cheap admission and had a large number of foreign students, it kind of sprawled out from there. Some of the best tacos, Indian food and 'semi-authentic' Chinese food I've ever had was in Omaha Nebraska of all places.

 

[Frindis]

I thought a lot about that whole situation recently. For one, in a world where every corporate owned store and restaurant is going towards a more minimalist, modernized look, Cracker Barrel always stood apart with it's homestyle country western theme and decor. What a dumb move to redesign their restaurants to look like everything else. If it weren't for colors, you couldn't tell the different between the interiors of a McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King and similar chain restaurants these days.

So, here is what I am kind of perplexed at: @Zed Clampet mentioned Covid, @BeardyHat mentioned liking the place, but it's been a while, @Colif talks about modernizing and how they might miss the audience. I mentioned that while not even knowing much about the place, I didn't like the logo.

WHY didn't they try to talk to their consumers in the first place? Maybe they did through polls and whatnot, but I hardly think so. It seems to me that the fault is in their leadership or perhaps I am missing something vital here ?

 

[Frindis]

To give an example (a bit off topic, but i'm winging it) of how I look at a hotel or restaurant for quality:

I look at the service, I look at the utensils, I look at the shower, the bed (better not be bed bugs!), the walls, the carpet, the corners and I guess just about anything else. If I find a lot of filth or bad service, I get slightly irritated because someone higher up is NOT doing their bloody JOB! There is no excuse in my mind (how narrow it may be) to be a business owner and let your company down so badly that it makes the customers have a bad day. There is NO EXCUSE!

Disclaimer: Not really mad, just rambling a bit in CAPS

 

[neogunhero]

WHY didn't they try to talk to their consumers in the first place? Maybe they did through polls and whatnot, but I hardly think so. It seems to me that the fault is in their leadership or perhaps I am missing something vital here ?

Who is Julie Felss Masino? Cracker Barrel's CEO says "things that you love are still there" amid backlash over its simplified logo

Popular American restaurant and gift store chain Cracker Barrel recently changed its logo, simplifying it by removing the man resting on a barrel and retaining only the brand's name.

www.sportskeeda.com

The CEO for the past two years has extensive experience in various leadership roles, so it's hard to say that it was purely a mistake. It's all a part of the move towards this minimalistic corporate design language that screams soullessness. We've seen it on the internet, every social media looks extremely identical these days whereas 20+ years ago it wasn't uncommon to have your very own website or blog that was customized by you. Websites had their own personality and unique design language, just like restaurants did back then. The CEO is defending it, which is the only thing a CEO could do, but people aren't happy whether they understand this being the reason or not.

 

[neogunhero]

I look at the utensils

I do this everywhere I go. A lot of times utensils just have water marks dried on them, indicative of a dishwasher in need of maintenance. Maybe this is surprising or maybe not, but the majority of restaurants at least in America don’t get their dishwashers serviced as often as needed. They are supposed to be calibrated to inject the correct amount of the various cleaning chemicals, but over time that calibration goes off, wear and tear happens, lack of upkeep and cleaning, anything could happen. I had to point this out to a manager at a restaurant I worked at and there was a noticeable improvement in the cleanliness of dishes. Since them I’ve become hyper fixated on the cleanliness of restaurant utensils. A quick wipe with a napkin usually does the trick.

 

[Frindis]

The CEO is defending it, which is the only thing a CEO could do, but people aren't happy whether they understand this being the reason or not.

I dunno, I see CEO's for different companies being totally transparent whenever people get sick because of their food - listeria, salmonella, so it seems to me that they at least are capable of better reasonings.

 

[Frindis]

I do this everywhere I go. A lot of times utensils just have water marks dried on them, indicative of a dishwasher in need of maintenance. Maybe this is surprising or maybe not, but the majority of restaurants at least in America don’t get their dishwashers serviced as often as needed. They are supposed to be calibrated to inject the correct amount of the various cleaning chemicals, but over time that calibration goes off, wear and tear happens, lack of upkeep and cleaning, anything could happen. I had to point this out to a manager at a restaurant I worked at and there was a noticeable improvement in the cleanliness of dishes. Since them I’ve become hyper fixated on the cleanliness of restaurant utensils. A quick wipe with a napkin usually does the trick.

Props for calling this out. Probably 50% or more of the resturants I visit have marks on the untensils. It irritates and saddens me, because it is such an easy problem to avoid. Like you said, even just a quick wipe could help and it would mean a lot for the customer. Also, why not just rinse it twice also in the first place if it does not get cleaned the first time? Cost more, but a better review, so a win I would guess.

 

[Frindis]

The absolute worst I have experienced is when you eat breakfast at a hotel and you notice that the breakfast is not fresh. I don't know about how long food can be in the fridge after the first day served @neogunhero (feel free to educate me here), but I would think that food like ham, chicken would be tossed away after being out aka you would not serve chicken the next day even if it has been out on chilled platter. Stuff like break bread, hard butter, caviar/mayonnaise tubes and the like, I guess would not be a problem.

 

[Colif]

Maybe its her upbringing, she used to work for Taco Bell and Starbucks, maybe she wants all the restaurants to look bland and not have any character... just like the food.

 

[Zed Clampet]

... just like the food.

Do you think so many people would be upset by this if they had bad food? It's good food. It's southern US cooking. You can get things there you can't get at other chain restaurants, like fried okra, chicken and dumplings, country fried steak, country ham, grits, etc. so the food has character, too. If you are hearing people say the food is bad (compared to other large restaurant chains) then they are just piling on. People love Cracker Barrel and don't want to see it change. That's the reason even you folks on the other side of the globe are hearing about it. If it sucked, no one would care.

 

[Zloth]

Steam's hardware survey is currently showing about 60% on Windows 11, 35% on Windows 10. There's just one month to go, and about a third of gamers haven't switched yet. Will Microsoft relent and give another year's worth of support to 10?

Remember MACO

Microsoft Always Chickens Out

(OK, so it's the Mako not the Maco... close enough for a cheap joke.)

 

[Colif]

At least I have the choice to ignore it

No thanks, don't want to talk to a program

I block spyware, that feels like asking it questions.

 

[Colif]

i was meant to do homework today but when I woke up I put the wrong glasses on and I didn't notice right away. You may think it would be obvious that I had reading glasses on instead of PC ones, but twice last week I had the right ones on and my eyes were still blurry.
Once I figured it out, my eyes were still wrong. Made me feel odd for a few hours.

Then mum tells me she has lost her debit card and I spend next hour helping her try to find it, and then report it lost. Bet she finds it now its reported lost. Its normally how it works.
So I didn't get to homework today and have to do it tomorrow now. I can't not do it tomorrow. Hardest part is getting started. Always is.

 

[Frag Maniac]

Then mum tells me she has lost her debit card and I spend next hour helping her try to find it, and then report it lost. Bet she finds it now its reported lost. Its normally how it works.

I did that once recently. I'd forgotten I had to buy something online too so it was extra annoying that I had to wait for the new card to be sent. I had a cringe moment talking to my bank on the phone when they said once they agree to send a new card you cannot use the old one anymore.

The lesson is don't panic, sometimes it's better to wait until the next day. A good night's sleep and eating a decent breakfast can do wonders to jog your memory.

 

[Colif]

We cancelled it on their website so if she does find it now, its too late. She has other cards she can access money from.
She had lost it day before and only realised yesterday when she went to buy something.

 

[Zloth]

You may think it would be obvious that I had reading glasses on instead of PC ones, but twice last week I had the right ones on and my eyes were still blurry.

I do that every few months between my normal glasses and computer glasses (set to work best at arm's length). I can tell I've got the wrong glasses on just looking at the hallway, but normally I'm not paying attention enough to notice. I know what the hallway looks like, so as long as it's close, I won't notice. The car dashboard being about an arm's length away doesn't help. But then I get out on the road and notice that I can't see signs and other cars as well as I should. Arg.

 

[Colif]

Most of the time it happens first thing in the morning and I am not awake enough just yet to notice. It is only when I turn PC on and notice I can't read it... it took about 10 minutes to realise I had wrong glassses on.
I have now put them away so that won't happen tomorrow.

I live in a blur until I put glasses on, and as I said, some days even the right ones don't work. Last week my PC glasses still didn't work right, so I swapped to an old pair... back on the new pair now. Could be my room is too dark as well.

Playing catchup on my course, and it just ticked over to a new week, so I looked at how many... 5. Did 4 of them already. That helps since I had some previous weeks I need to do still. Total of 8 now... I fix that this week... I think I said similar last week. Hardest part is starting.

Have a feeling this unit might need me to make a training program. I probably wrong as its not long enough.

 

[BeardyHat]

@Zed Clampet think I met your daughter this weekend! At least, that was my first thought, which I think is funny. Saturday afternoon a Ranger stopped by our campsite, she asked us to put out our fire, as there's a High fire danger. She was a young woman, which is why the thought occurred to me.

Had a good camping trip, just got back this morning. It was actually a lot of fun, but we were ready to leave this AM since we couldn't have a fire anymore, which kind of sucks a lot of the fun out of camping. But it was good to get home and get a shower; I still smell like campfire though.

 

[Frag Maniac]

I still smell like campfire though.

At least the trees don't!

 

[Zed Clampet]

@Zed Clampet think I met your daughter this weekend! At least, that was my first thought, which I think is funny. Saturday afternoon a Ranger stopped by our campsite, she asked us to put out our fire, as there's a High fire danger. She was a young woman, which is why the thought occurred to me.

Had a good camping trip, just got back this morning. It was actually a lot of fun, but we were ready to leave this AM since we couldn't have a fire anymore, which kind of sucks a lot of the fun out of camping. But it was good to get home and get a shower; I still smell like campfire though.

My daughter came to visit her dad this weekend, so it wasn't her Ranger story: They have two large caves in the park. One of them has been mapped out, the other one hasn't because it's considered too dangerous and difficult to navigate. The University of North Carolina came out and put sensors in the cave that isn't mapped, presumably because they knew no one would disturb them. I don't know what they were studying with the sensors, but this cave is very hard to explore. There are large sections of Army crawling as well as other challenges. A few months later, the university called the park and asked them if they could send the sensors back, so the park asked them if they had mapped out where they put the sensors, but they hadn't, so my daughter was sent to try to recover them (my daughter was designated as the spelunker who takes guests through the mapped cave). Apparently she was in the cave for several hours, and she found all but one of the sensors and miraculously, to me, found her way back out of the cave. They told the school if they wanted the last sensor, they would have to come get it themselves

So did you get to use all the stuff you printed out?

 

[Zloth]

If only she had brought along some graph paper and a pencil so she could map it out!

 

[Pifanjr]

You'd think we would have automated mapping technology by now.

 

[Colif]

I had to take a break from one course and do another - but it was only two days long. Hardest part of the course was getting any sleep on the three nights preceding it - had to try to change hours. Two nights I got approx four hours and last night I think I finally got 6. I actually felt alive today. Guess I should try to keep same hours as I have to go out Monday as well...

Always easier to sleep if I don't have an end time. Otherwise my brain has been known to calculate how many minutes I have left, and sit there thinking about crap I never think about when I am awake... my emotional brain overpowering my thinking one. Worst part is after a few nights of not being able to get any sleep I get stuck in a mode where I forget how to sleep... it eventually breaks but not before driving me mad

Like to sit here and do nothing but my other course needs my attention... I look at it tomorrow.