The Distract me from 2020s P&CE Thread Part Trois

1. Who the fvck are billionaire fanbois
2. I used to live just south, on Sacramento Street near Divisadero

 

Here's an early review of Brave Browser:

It seems to be a little slower than Chrome, but it's nice to have no ads again. The YouTube ads were really getting to me. As much as I support the idea of people being paid for their work, enough is enough.

Tor Browser? Yeah, that seemed a lot, LOT slower, but I guess I didn't make myself available to help tunnel other users...it's like using a torrent but not helping seed, from what I understand.

 

I'm guessing those are the 20 most gullible people in the Bay Area.

 

Ummm... you can pay YouTube directly and not have ads if that is your actual position.

 

Yeah, but let's say I have Apple Music...why would I double-pay?
Plus, based on my basic research, it seems YT Music has that "see what others are listening to" so-called "feature" that Spotify has. I don't like that. I don't care one iota what music_lover_3939 is listening to or what's trending based off some random influencer.

Now get off my porch.

 

24 connects to The Simpsons (although I'm not sure if animated shows should count even though Jack and Chloe were Simpsons characters) which is a spinoff of The Tracey Ullman Show. If animated shows do count, then The X-Files connects to The Simpsons, 24, and all that stuff you said above.


How the hell did I forget about the Simpsons/Family Guy crossover?

Family Guy shared a universe with The Cleveland Show and American Dad.

Therefore:
Tracey Ullman
The Simpsons
The X-Files (Agents Mulder and Scully were Simpsons characters)
Family Guy
The Cleveland Show
American Dad
24 (maybe...Jack Bauer and Chloe O'Brien were Simpsons characters)

I think the Law and Order-verse is bigger. Not only does it have infinite seasons of the various L&O shows (SVU alone has like 30 seasons), I believe it has crossed over with the Chicago-verse, and the inclusion of Richard Belzer's character tied it to Homicide: Life on the Street, and marginal connections to a couple of other shows where Belzer played the same character, like The X-Files and Arrested Development.

The internet tells me that St. Elsewhere - the show that ended with a kid looking at a snowglobe with the St. Elsewhere hospital in it, implying that the whole show was in that kid's imagination - links even more shows together, but I'm not sure I want to jump into that rabbit hole right now.

So it might be conceivable (if not a hell of a stretch) that Cleveland/Family/A-Dad are all part of the St. Elsewhere and L&O-verse.

Original discussion:
https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/refried-boogaloo-trump-just-sucks.2136027/page-288#post-43371781

At this point, what shows *aren't* part of St. Elsewhere?

 

I generally fly more than the average person (business travelers excluded).

My most important rule of thumb is carry-on only, even if the trip is for 2 months (I've traveled with students enough to know that it is not at all a rare situation to arrive only to find your bags didn't make the flight). Second is to always give myself lots of time (both in arriving at the airport and in connections) - I would much rather sit around for 3 hours (preferably in a lounge) than fret about missing a flight because of: a) traffic on the road, b) baggage drop/check-in lines, c) security lines, d) delayed inbound flight, e) equipment problems ... (hell, I won't generally bat an eye if I have an 8 hour layover for an international flight, especially if I have lounge access; I've done it many times, especially when I have purchased the flight tickets separately to save lots of money). Third, have status with the carrier if possible (even if it is through a credit card) - this especially helps in the US with getting your carry-on bags in the overhead bin. Basically, anything and everything that reduces stress is important.


The flying experience is very different in the US compared to how it is in Europe or across the Pacific. Not better, not worse, just different. Essentially, the things you have to worry about are very different on the different sides of the Atlantic and Pacific.

In the US it is definitely best to travel with only a carry-on, especially if you have connections. Make sure you enroll in TSA precheck (or Clear) and if you can get lounge access through your credit card, all the better.

In Europe traveling with only a carry-on is also the best way to go (and there is generally a lot more overhead space), but they make it a lot harder to do, given size restrictions, additional ticket costs, etc. (And I'm not talking about just the budget carriers like Ryan Air or EasyJet). Because it's much easier to get a direct flight to your destination in Europe, there are less risks with checking a bag in and with some airlines that is actually cheaper than having a carry-on. I've also found lounges aren't as worthwhile in Europe if you're doing short haul (not that many of the American domestic ones are that great, mind you). I've never really had an issue with security in Europe and they are taking steps to make it easier.

Air travel in New Zealand is generally a breeze, although Air NZ has been having its issues lately (the former CEO who was previously with Wal-Mart is credited by many of my acquaintances with putting the airline into a nosedive by Wal-Marting it). Unfortunately, the new CEO is also not very equipped for the now monumental task at hand, given his previous experience was on the digital side of the airline, which has always lagged behind American carriers - in fact, as I type the Air NZ long haul flight service crew is on strike (and they definitely have my support, given what they have been having to deal with of late). Otherwise, security, lounges (albeit crowded), carry-on is all generally very pleasant compared to what you find in the US. And as far as security goes, if you are on a regional flight (aka propeller plane), there's a good chance you won't have to clear security at all (at least I didn't the last several times I've done it). And the nice in-flight feature of Air NZ domestic is their trivia games on the drop-down screens. It keeps you entertained for the relatively short flights and you can learn a bit about NZ in particular.

I won't discuss Australia as I've been limited to Melbourne, but let's just sum up my Australian experience with what seems like a near 100% average for additional "random" security screenings. They just love me there.

 

I think it's just basic enshittification. They make it so awful that you'll be willing to pay money to have it be just slightly less uncomfortable. Bog-standard neo-liberalism.

 

Guess people hoping for a million cash handout like the (F)Elon Musk did in his bribing people to vote for the tanman.

 

I would add that if you need to check a bag, add an airtag and take a photo of your baggage claim receipt. Also, fly a non-stop route whenever possible. making connections with checked bags is the main ingredient in the lost luggage recipe.

 

Isnot this shit of IOC entitlement not going too far and do they need a good kick you know where!!!

The beers that, according to the IOC, looked too much like Olympic rings. © Bavaria/Royal Swinkels

 

Underground Railroad passageway found in historic Manhattan home

The Treadwell family lived there from 1835 until 1933. Their residence is frozen in time, from a ruby-red front parlor complete with its original piano to the kitchen with its cast-iron coal-burning stove.

But when visitors head upstairs to the bedrooms on the second floor, there’s something strategically hidden within the walls of Manhattan’s first landmarked building: a link to the Underground Railroad.

“We knew it was here, but didn’t really know what we were looking at,” Camille Czerkowicz, the curator for the Merchant’s House Museum, said.

Now they know that the Merchant’s House was also a “safe house” for enslaved Africans who escaped bondage in the South.

Architects and preservationists recently investigated the building’s hidden vertical passageway along the west wall and examined it for themselves.

“I’ve been practicing historical preservation law for 30 years, and this is a generational find. This is the most significant find in historic preservation in my career, and it’s very important that we preserve this,” Michael Hiller, a preservation attorney and professor at Pratt Institute, said.

https://ny1.com/nyc/manhattan/news/...-underground-railroad-discovered-in-manhattan

 

From a guy who calls himself Dr. Grammar on BlueSky:

 

Stay outta the kitchen!

Florida pickleball brawl involving up to 20 people results in paddles to the face and felony charges

Anthony Sapienza, 63, and his wife Julianne Sapienza, 51, were arrested after multiple people sustained injuries, including a 70-year-old man.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...0-people-results-paddles-face-felo-rcna258969

 

The last time I played pickleball was over 40 years ago when I was in high school. At the time it was a local Seattle-area sport. It's so weird to think that it's now worldwide, even in the Cook Islands!

 

Wow, a life's journey through 3 continents ended as the oldest man in the Netherlands, who died 112 years old.

John Huang has died at the age of 112.
He was the oldest resident of the Netherlands and died yesterday after a short illness in his home in Laren, reports De Gooi- en Eemlander.
At the beginning of this month, Huang celebrated his birthday, but according to the newspaper, he was already in bad shape.
De Gooi- en Eemlander writes that Huang was born in Vietnam in 1914 and left for Suriname at the age of 17. He then ended up in the Netherlands, where he lived in Hilversum for decades. His wife died in 2020. Since last year, Huang had been living in a residential care center in nearby Laren.

Birthday
On February 1, Huang celebrated his birthday, as it turns out for the last time. Where his birthday was celebrated last year with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, this year it was a lot more subdued, according to the Noordhollands Dagblad. The 112-year-old's health had deteriorated sharply. According to the newspaper, Huang was bedridden and could no longer communicate properly.
Last year, Huang said to the NOS Youth News that he felt good.

Oldest man in the Netherlands
Huang was the oldest inhabitant of the Netherlands and, as far as we know, also the oldest man ever in the Netherlands. Last year John of Ireland died at the age of 111, he was the oldest man born in the Netherlands at the time. Huang became the oldest Dutchman in 2024, after the death of Marina van der Es-Siewers from Hippolytushoef.

 

Nadine freed her husband from prison with a helicopter on Valentine's Day: 'Police looked up with open mouths'

Shortly after Michel's escape, Nadine put the helicopter on the grass on the outskirts of Paris, where the couple took flight. Detectives are investigating the aircraft and its surroundings. © ANP / AFP

Seems she thought "Why don't I just take helicopter flying lessons to get him out of jail".
Love such a modern Bonny and Clyde thing

 

Your snow shovel might get a workout this week. It looks like Donner Pass is supposed to get six feet of snow in the next few days.

 

And a lot more after that ...



We were talking about it here: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/w...te-earth-space-storms-weather-thread.2137333/

 

There's a new kid on the block:

Luis Cano, who was born in Colombia and now lives in Linden, celebrated his 111th birthday on Dec. 9. His age was validated after his most recent birthday by LongeviQuest, an organization that tracks the world’s oldest people. The group ranks Cano as the 12th oldest man in the world.

Asked how he feels about the milestone, Cano offered a simple response: "Good."

Cano was born Dec. 9, 1914, in Colombia.

He later served in the Colombian Army and, after his military service, owned and operated a fleet of buses that transported people through rural areas.

10 children, 11 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great-grandchildren.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fox5ny.com/news/oldest-man-us-luis-cano.amp

Dropped Valentines Day flowers off at my mom's house today. She's 93. When I came in she got up and said "let me make you something to eat" and started off in her walker. I told her to slow down, I got Panera.