Thoughts at large

**Bigb23** · May-20-19, 10:51 AM

^^^^

If you could run those off busted up pallets around here, you could go 24/7. But boiler explosions on sidewalks seem to be a setback.

But this is my DIY fantasy bike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnr6uGIV8no

Or if you REALLY want to cheese off your neighbors -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rmBwCR1HVg

And STILL an asshat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJUXMT8bmcM

**Bigb23** · June-14-19, 07:03 PM

I wish EVERY commercial on TV could be as enjoyable as the always new
Geico insurance commercials.

Just saw the Antarctic station Karaoke one.

**Jimaz** · June-18-19, 07:49 AM

That time pretending "capitalism never obstructs commerce" backfired visibly:

Target’s stock drops after weekend register meltdown

“With a chain-wide outage for a full-day ... the revenue impact would be [a loss of] approximately $200 million,” he said. “Even if some of those sales migrated online to a functional web store ... the sales hit was still easily nine-figures. And that estimate does not include any future loss in sales from customers abandoning the store completely and spending their money elsewhere.”

... On Saturday afternoon, for roughly two hours, Target cash registers across the country stopped working, preventing customers from making purchases in stores....

Then, on Sunday, Target’s payment processor NCR had technical issues at one of its data centers. As a result, Target again couldn’t process credit-card payments at some stores for about 90 minutes....

Beavis: "Somebody must have hit the socialism button by mistake."
Butthead:"Dude, there is no socialism button."
Beavis: "Shhh! Don't tell them that."

Note the ambiguity of the acronym in "POS terminal."

**Bigb23** · July-12-19, 07:27 PM

After seeing my 100th YouTube video of a chargeable device blowing up, I ran across a Reddit commenter who uses a steel ammo can to charge his devices in.
For $17-$21 [[used-new), shipped free, [[Amazon Prime), this could offer piece of mind while you are in another room chillin'. I got one, $21.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa66OztdP6U

**coracle** · July-14-19, 12:01 PM

This week had we an innocuous Pending Charge on our credit card from Amazon of [[only) $13.77; not dated; for “other services”, and was charged against my wife’s number, whereas the card is in my name and my wife hasn’t ordered items on it for weeks.

[[“other services” was CustomerServiceSpeak for Amazon Prime).

It has all the appearances of a SCAM to me. So I spoke with some difficulty to their Customer Service in very “broken English” [[hers, not mine) and she said it was probably MY mistake, but she would email me a cancellation.

When I got the email I had to go through “hoops” to do the cancelling myself. One choice I was given was to let it stand until Aug 15 before cancelling![[so that I might forget about it no doubt).

I can’t prove that I didn’t mistakenly order Prime with my wife’s card number [[2 mistakes); but I don’t think so!

**Bigb23** · July-14-19, 01:31 PM

Scammers make a better business out of mom's basement than the 9-5 group.

https://www.komando.com/happening-no...er-the-country

**Carolyn.F** · July-28-19, 07:06 PM

I used to be able to spell without help then autocorrect was invented.

**Zacha341** · July-31-19, 09:54 PM

^^^ I can spell ok, but my poor typing is my undoing...

...

**rb336** · August-06-19, 11:25 AM

If you are a billionaire and your employees cannot, on what you pay them, a) provide for their families or b) provide for their own retirement, you are evil.

**Canadian Visitor** · August-06-19, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by rb336

If you are a billionaire and your employees cannot, on what you pay them, a) provide for their families or b) provide for their own retirement, you are evil.

^^^^^^^^ This!

**Jimaz** · August-06-19, 06:52 PM

Referring back to that Target register meltdown story up there^.

Recently I asked the CVS clerk if they had a manual fallback plan in case their computers crashed. I was shocked when she said no.

Just at that moment her terminal crashed.

I'm not making that up. She was able to use the adjacent terminal so it wasn't really a problem. It's just that the timing was so freaky I worried she thought I was pranking her.

So I told her the story about how every time the power failed at work I'd yell out "It worked! I can't believe that worked!"

That kind of relieved the tension.

**jcole** · August-07-19, 06:27 AM

Other countries have high rates of mental illness and play the same video games we do. Just sayin'

**Bong-Man** · August-08-19, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by jcole

Other countries have high rates of mental illness and play the same video games we do. Just sayin'

True....and is there really a difference between killing people on a video game as opposed to melting the heads off of plastic army men with a make-believe flamethrower ?...a toy cap gun ?....or that whole row of toy 6 shooters, grenade launchers, and other war toys we played with as kids ?

**Jimaz** · August-09-19, 02:20 PM

On the DetroitYES! reCAPTCHA form there's a checkbox for "I am not a robot" but there's no box for "I am a robot."

So what are robots supposed to do?

**Richard** · August-20-19, 12:43 PM

Was rewatching the series The Wire

It is Interesting that in the days of the beeper,a private residence that had security cameras was considered a drug dealer or had something to hide in order to justify that level of security.

Now the question that is asked,as cheap as security cameras are,how come you do not have them.

Does that meen we all have something to hide?

**Zacha341** · August-20-19, 01:06 PM

^^^ LOL! More to the point you want to KEEP what you have.

Theft, in broad daylight, flash-mobbing mall stores, stuff taken off porches boldly, lawn equipment taken while in use... etc. ETC. Well, a photo or two might help...

...

What do think??

**Dan Wesson** · August-20-19, 01:36 PM

**Zacha341** · August-20-19, 02:03 PM

^^^ Funny-forgot about that song! Then there's always this version:

I'm sooooo,oooo TIRED...

**Richard** · August-20-19, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

^^^ LOL! More to the point you want to KEEP what you have.

Theft, in broad daylight, flash-mobbing mall stores, stuff taken off porches boldly, lawn equipment taken while in use... etc. ETC. Well, a photo or two might help...

...

What do think??

On a personal level we collect and protect stuff that we buy that in the end either gets tossed into a big green dumpster or sold for pennies on the dollar to some stranger.

So are we more upset that somebody stole our stuff or violated our private sanctuary or space?

If somebody steals ones tools of thier trade that is pretty low and not much you can do but replace them,in my state anyways,if somebody enters your private space or home you can end thier life in order to protect yourself and space.

The stores have been placed in a position of being unable to protect thier means of making a living by the liberal courts.

Most have a no chase policy out of fear of being sued if an injury occurs in the process.

So people just take what they want and walk,it kills the whole raising your children to abide by the whole of if it is not yours do not take it.

Now it has become,grab as much as you can and walk,do not run because you may get hurt if you trip,and no running in the store anyways.

But if you do trip and fall in the process and get hurt there is also a lawyer for that.

So it is a win win situation.

**Shelby_** · August-20-19, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by Richard

Was rewatching the series The Wire

Now the question that is asked,as cheap as security cameras are,how come you do not have them.

Because they are a waste of money.

Americans are living in the safest place at the safest time in human history.

It's not just the US either: around the globe, household wealth, longevity and education are on the rise, while violent crime and extreme poverty are down.

In the US violent crime has been trending down since 1991.

We live in the safest time in human history, yet at the exact same time we're armed to the teeth, live in gated communities, and surround our compounds with cheap cameras that do little more than catch the neighbor's dog crapping on our lawn.

Why?

Fearmongering.

There's money to be made if people can be kept in a perpetual state of fear.

For mass media, insurance companies, big pharma, lawyers, politicians, ADT, Ring Doorbell, SimpliSafe, and so many more, your fear is worth billions.

Politicians use our fear and anxiety to their advantage as well. Illegal immigrants are coming in caravans to storm our border. We have to build a wall, deport them all. They want to take our guns.....etc.

24 hour news broadcasts events practically as they happen, right into the safety of American's homes.

Fortunately for them, your fear is also very easy to manipulate.

Sociologists call it “amygdala hijacking.”

The fear and rhetoric triggers the emotional response before the logical thinking brain can even catch up.

Evolution lent a hand as well. Our brains are wired to respond to fear.

Thousands of years ago, our evolutionary forefathers who ignored danger signs often found themselves plucked from gene pool. Those who overreacted to every noise, no matter how insignificant, lived to reproduce.

So what can we do about it?

Recognize that most fear is irrational, and easily used against us for the financial benefit of someone else.

Know that you are being manipulated and stop letting them do it.

Don't buy that security camera.

**Zacha341** · August-20-19, 04:31 PM

^^^ I'm hearing you -- indeed there are triggers, including that which embolden some to prey on the weak and available. IMO one must be aware w/o going crazy, yet don't be available for crime. Chicago for example is running a very high crime numbers. Detroit's is very rough and dangerous in certain areas, times, no doubt. San Fran well...?

You can't live your frozen life in fear but being wise is, WISE! Considering that there are those among us who are in the depths of serious psychosis, with agenda based behaviors that can also BE triggered. Walking about with a face stuck in phone oblivious to your surroundings. Not good.

I had a cousin and hubby home invaded in one of the very best subdivisions of Detroit. It was very scary and life changing withstanding the man ran back out quickly when confronted. They decided to stay, in their but entry area needed to be addressed. Direct personal crime must be met with response/ and action.

I say if you wanna camera, buy one but review brands/ features. Some are junk rendering a photo not clear enough to identify much. Like the latest of anything security items there are the scammers about. Hah!

**Richard** · August-20-19, 04:32 PM

That holds true on the marketing of fear but is not fear essential to our survival?

The military trains to harness fear otherwise nobody would storm the beach.

You fear touching the stove burner ring until you find out it hurts when it does then you can control that fear and no longer fear it.

Fear is also a form of self preservation,and you do steps to not expirence that.

On the monetary aspect of it,for instance if I want to spend the night out on the boat in the ocean.

I spend money on things not based on the fear of something might happen but just in case of if they do or take preventive measures based on the fear of what may happen and even the odds of survival.

I wear a life vest because if something happens,my fear of drowning is reduced.

I have radar that emits a warning if a big 100 ton ship is going to run me over or a storm pops up while I sleep.

I have emergency locator beacons,flares,a radio that sends an emergency beacon to the coast guard in the event of an emergency and countless other safety stuff that costs thousands of dollars.

Some may argue that I would be playing to my fears,but is it really when there is evidence and many cases of where those who did not have that equipment,never made it back alive.

So we do utilize material things in order to harness our fears.

We also have perceived fears that may or may not happen,we may fear going to the doctor because we do not like shots but go and never receive the shot.

Then there is fear confusion,or telling people they have nothing to fear when the evidence proves otherwise.

If you walk past somebody every day and they punch you in the mouth you are going to fear going past that person everyday.

People say,do not worry that is just fear,but you know if you walk past that person the same thing is going to happen,so you take measures in order to remove that fear and walk the next block over.

I grew up not having to lock the front door at night,even sleeping with the windows open,gasp,I cannot do that now so I take protective measures,that is not fear mongering that is the reality of things.

The dangerous part really comes in when we forgo the reality for the fears.

**Zacha341** · August-20-19, 04:47 PM

^^^ I hear you... I try to keep it simple. Not too lofty: basic prevention helps cut down the percentage of crime and theft coming your way. And if percentage means nothing, then well?

Prevention, preparedness, and staying in touch with priorities reduces percentage. Fearfulness can freeze you from realizing how your own actions and posture can prevent crime, especially if you don't reason ahead of time how to avoid being a victim of criminality.

I have thwarted a few scenarios where I could've been open to a breach upon person and/ or property. Most attempts are based on being distracted which is an increasing problem as we ramp up with more to do and think about. So we're back to 'priority'!