European Tribune - Community, Politics & Progress.

Lazy Sunday Open Thread

by In Wales
Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 09:42:56 AM EST

Warm and sunny at the afew residence, how has your Sunday been?

It seems ever so quiet around here.

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Lazy Sunday Open Thread | 23 comments (23 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

Well, I have been reading, finished the new Kathy Reichs book and started reading Randy Pausch's 'The Last Lecture'.

Now I am going out in the sun again, yes, the sun came out this afternoon. :-)

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 10:50:22 AM EST

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

Put in a new CD/DVD drive yesterday. Also put in the DVD watching software that came with it. The hardware is OK. The DVD viewing software is garbage. So I've spent the first 20 minutes of my day uninstalling. If the purchase point wasn't an 80 mile round trip I'd return the whole thing and pick-up a regular old CD-ROM drive.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 11:14:08 AM EST

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

how was it bad?

Life should consist in at least fifty percent pure waste of time, and the rest doing what you please.

by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 12:24:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

The drive is an I/O Magic with software by Samsung.

When the software was loaded all kinds of extraneous garbage was included giving me all kinds of "Features" and "Functions" that I don't need, didn't want, and would only work for 30 days unless I sent them more money.

And the DVD player interface left much to be desired.

And it didn't come with installation documentation.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 01:21:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

Yeuch

Life should consist in at least fifty percent pure waste of time, and the rest doing what you please.

by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 01:33:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

Right. That's why I backed it out.

On the other hand, I got my little revenge. When the obligatory Registration screen came up I lied like a rug. So now, sitting their database, is a 16 year old girl who makes $200,000 a year, upgrades her system every six months, and is interested in receiving product information ... at their own email address.

I know how to Game the System.

;-)

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 01:40:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

good man, she sounds like someone who should visit everyone the next time theres a national census.

Life should consist in at least fifty percent pure waste of time, and the rest doing what you please.

by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 01:43:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

Yup.

In the last US census 57 people lived in our house. I was an unmarried Hispanic women, aged 8, with 40 kids making $3 a year. I graduated from university with Ph.d. and was working in a missile defense plant making knitting machines.

And so on and so forth.

The fools sent me the long form.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 02:03:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

Muaa ha ha.... When I called the local census office to find out if the long form was some sort of joke (here, let me tell you how much money I make, where I live, and when I'm not home), they indirectly threatened me-- if I didn't give them the information, they weren't saying the police would come to my door, but.... They also kept sending some poor dude out to leave "turn in your census" notices at all the vacant apartments in our building. They were checking our area so thoroughly, jokes wouldn't have had a chance. (I put something like "decline to state" for everything.)

"You can't be a successful crook with a dishonest face, now, can you?" -The Fourth Doctor

by lychee (lychee9393 A yahoo D com) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 03:11:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

LOL. Good going AT!

Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. --Charu Saxena.

by metavision on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 01:47:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

This is some kind of weird Japanese malady - they don't seem happy unless they supply a CD/DVD full of crap.

Apparently the domestic market likes it - for much the same reason that you can't sell a DVD player in Japan unless it has a splash on the front saying something like 'HyperInterpolation 24X Alien UFO Technology™'

I reviewed a monitor recently which had a sepia mode, and also a Gaussian Blur.

I mean - WTF? What kind of insane person wants to see their desktop in sepia? Or so blurred they can't read any of the text?

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 01:40:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

What kind of insane person wants to see their desktop in sepia?

These?

Life should consist in at least fifty percent pure waste of time, and the rest doing what you please.

by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 01:47:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

Having been in the room when such things were decided ...

Nobody ever asks the question, "Why would anyone WANT to do that?"

Besides, everyone in the company is united in bemusement that they can actually unload their garbage upon the public.

For MONEY!

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 01:51:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

Just use VLC.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 02:10:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

Thanks!

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 02:24:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

It is partly cloudy and 81F with 77% RH and light breezes here in North Central Arkansas today. We look to have an afternoon high of 85F with a heat index of >90F and the possibility of afternoon thundershowers. The last two days are the first since around August 10 that we have had a heat index of 90F or greater.

It has been an amazing August for Arkansas. The first ten days in August featured heat indexes of 105-110F. Since then daytime temps have rarely been above 80F and we have had about 3.5", (9cm) of rain. The nighttime lows have mostly been in the 60s. Everything is lush and green or in bloom and I have only watered the lawn once all summer, (I have a well that is still used for landscape watering.)

My wife has been in Tacoma, Washington since June 3 and reports that the summer has been unusually wet and cool even for the Pacific Northwest. She says that some trees are already starting to turn with fall colors. Locals there are expecting a cold winter. I have just purchased a return ticket for my wife on Sept. 4. Her twin seems to be tolerating chemo and radiation better than we feared and a family friend will be available in September to stay with her. We are both looking forward to her return. But now I have to get busy on the "honey do" list.

If sanity be culturally normative, then by the norms of this culture I claim insanity.

by ARGeezer (argeezer a in a circle yahoo dot com) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 12:41:19 PM EST

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

Watched the team saports finals at the olympics.

USA easily defeats Brazil in volleyball.

Then the great, great, GREAT USA-Spain basketball match - Spain began with a lead but then gave it away in minutes, however, for most of the time up until the end, they kept the difference in single digits, putting the best team the NBA could offer under real pressure. In the end, both teams above hundred points! But, heh, the biggest star in the arena was... David beckham on the tribune.

From half-time, I watched it in parallel with the Hungary-USA water polo finals. A very goal-rich first quarter (6-4), then the USA fought to level at 8-8, but the end was 14-10 - third olympics goal in series. (But also only third goal for Hungary in Beijing, weakest total in 84 years.)

Meanwhile, the hand ball finals began. Iceland was less stunning this time, France eliminated them by half-time, then let steam off for a 28-23 final.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 01:56:34 PM EST

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

American NBA players have always struggled with FIBA rules, but they're getting it now. The one thing I'd like to see changed is moving the 3 point line out to where it is in the NBA. The NCAA (American university, highest amateur level in the US) has the same problem, IMO - the line is even closer, and inferior teams can simply put a few small, good shooters on the outside and rain down 3's all afternoon. It's extremely boring when there is no inside game featuring strong, athletic interior shooters and rebounders.

TV coverage in the US was a lot better this year - it went from completely unwatchable in recent olympics to tolerable this year. The tape delay for the west coast was inexcusable, but at least 80% of the air time was devoted to the competition, whereas in the past it has been under 50%. Ugh.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 05:10:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 0)

They don't even play with an NBA three-point line? That's lame.

I'm more with you. I hate watching teams simply shoot three-pointers and long-range shots all day. But I'm a football guy, so teams more focused on the post in basketball always appealed to me.

But the little college players can't play that game. And, with the possible exception of Yao Ming, who was always too stupid and clumsy to really be worth a damn, the era of the big center has long since come to an end in the NBA.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 05:24:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

Silly bit of fun:

http://www.medaltracker.eu/

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 04:11:00 PM EST

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (none / 1)

lol...

I wonder who wins the medals per citizen ratio. Maybe Jamaica?

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 at 04:58:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lazy Sunday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

I think it was Bahamas then Jamaica. North Korea stormed to the top of the Medals/GDP...