The Water Cooler, Scuttlebutt, Chit Chat Thread
10-10-17, 01:17 PM
#1451
Senior Member
Alright already, what started as a bad joke on myself got taken too far. Mainly by me.
None of us could resist making their kid's first bike less awful for the 6 months before they outgrow it. Realizing a life dream of owning a large outdated book is way nerdier. Let's just move on.
None of us could resist making their kid's first bike less awful for the 6 months before they outgrow it. Realizing a life dream of owning a large outdated book is way nerdier. Let's just move on.
Originally Posted by Douglas Adams
In many of the more relaxed civilizations on the Outer Eastern Rim of the Galaxy, the Hitchhiker’s Guide has already supplanted the great Encyclopaedia Galactica as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects. First, it is slightly cheaper; and second, it has the words "DON'T PANIC" inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.
10-10-17, 02:39 PM
#1452
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I'll see your Douglas Adams and raise you 2 of my favorite quotes from the Guide
Originally Posted by Douglas Adams
It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.
Originally Posted by Douglas Adams
“It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..."
"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?"
"No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford. "It is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?"
"What?"
"I said," said Ford, with an increasing air of urgency creeping into his voice, "have you got any gin?"
"I'll look. Tell me about the lizards."
Ford shrugged again.
"Some people say that the lizards are the best thing that ever happenned to them," he said. "They're completely wrong of course, completely and utterly wrong, but someone's got to say it."
"But that's terrible," said Arthur.
"Listen, bud," said Ford, "if I had one Altairian dollar for every time I heard one bit of the Universe look at another bit of the Universe and say 'That's terrible' I wouldn't be sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.”
"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?"
"No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford. "It is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?"
"What?"
"I said," said Ford, with an increasing air of urgency creeping into his voice, "have you got any gin?"
"I'll look. Tell me about the lizards."
Ford shrugged again.
"Some people say that the lizards are the best thing that ever happenned to them," he said. "They're completely wrong of course, completely and utterly wrong, but someone's got to say it."
"But that's terrible," said Arthur.
"Listen, bud," said Ford, "if I had one Altairian dollar for every time I heard one bit of the Universe look at another bit of the Universe and say 'That's terrible' I wouldn't be sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.”
10-10-17, 03:23 PM
#1454
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I thought road racing dribbled out after turkey day there with just a few races like the NYD hill climb before the season kicks off in February. It's not like PHX where it gets too hot or most other places where it gets too cold or wet.
10-11-17, 07:04 AM
#1457
Senior Member
i know there are a few soccer fans here, last night's world cup qualifiers were fantastic, well as far as my rooting for the collapse of the US (I may be American, but I still cheer for my portuguese roots, that's the benefit of being a first gen American lol). I guess there won't be any "i believe that we will win" this year!
10-11-17, 07:10 AM
#1458
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A guy got murdered in my neighborhood last night. Second one since we moved here 8 years ago.
That seems like a lot.
(Technically, it's not my neighborhood, but rather the adjacent neighborhood, but apart from the style of houses and a small sign, the roads directly connect.)
That seems like a lot.
(Technically, it's not my neighborhood, but rather the adjacent neighborhood, but apart from the style of houses and a small sign, the roads directly connect.)
10-11-17, 07:11 AM
#1459
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It's a good thing that NJ has experts trained to pump gas for me since I'm incapable of doing it myself. I would never be so smart as to overfill the tank and waste gas and pollute the environment, or leave my gas cap half-way off causing a check engine light that I can't get to go away. I also seem to forget to smoke near the gas pumps too, silly me.
Thankfully they're there to protect me and my car from myself.
And yes, the US failing to qualify is impressively bad. They never fail to disappoint. I'm not sure who I'll root for next year. I'll still watch because soccer is just fun to watch, and I especially like national team games that mean something. The national pride is fun to watch.
Thankfully they're there to protect me and my car from myself.
And yes, the US failing to qualify is impressively bad. They never fail to disappoint. I'm not sure who I'll root for next year. I'll still watch because soccer is just fun to watch, and I especially like national team games that mean something. The national pride is fun to watch.
10-11-17, 07:23 AM
#1460
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It's a good thing that NJ has experts trained to pump gas for me since I'm incapable of doing it myself. I would never be so smart as to overfill the tank and waste gas and pollute the environment, or leave my gas cap half-way off causing a check engine light that I can't get to go away. I also seem to forget to smoke near the gas pumps too, silly me.
Thankfully they're there to protect me and my car from myself.
Thankfully they're there to protect me and my car from myself.
10-11-17, 07:38 AM
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Nope. Illegal. Supposedly the folks of New Jersey aren't capable of pumping gas without setting themselves on fire.
10-11-17, 07:45 AM
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Having seen both, I'm not surprised about either. Those partaking in sing-a-long's in the woods and Microsoft employee # 548754864864000784 or owning a multiple acre garden and JERSEY SHORE sums up amazing percentages of the population. The common people always outnumbering the elite, it's a good law in both places. Everyone else middle class and up rightly look it as a fast disappearing job segment that has always existed.
10-11-17, 08:31 AM
#1463
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My mother in law, who moved nearby after living in NJ her whole life, had to learn how to pump her own gas at the age of 70. She was terrified of it.
10-11-17, 08:39 AM
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My college roommate, who grew up in Brooklyn before his parents moved to Jersey, also didn't know how to pump gas. I think he even pulled into a station and sat there waiting for a guy to come out, not realizing it wasn't full service everywhere.
10-11-17, 08:40 AM
#1465
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A guy got murdered in my neighborhood last night. Second one since we moved here 8 years ago.
That seems like a lot.
(Technically, it's not my neighborhood, but rather the adjacent neighborhood, but apart from the style of houses and a small sign, the roads directly connect.)
That seems like a lot.
(Technically, it's not my neighborhood, but rather the adjacent neighborhood, but apart from the style of houses and a small sign, the roads directly connect.)
yikes
Where are you? NC?
10-11-17, 09:02 AM
#1466
out walking the earth
A couple of years before we moved here there was a murder suicide across the street. It was a rental property and it was some sort of illegal sale gone bad, but still it's weird.
10-11-17, 09:20 AM
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A guy got murdered in my neighborhood last night. Second one since we moved here 8 years ago.
That seems like a lot.
(Technically, it's not my neighborhood, but rather the adjacent neighborhood, but apart from the style of houses and a small sign, the roads directly connect.)
That seems like a lot.
(Technically, it's not my neighborhood, but rather the adjacent neighborhood, but apart from the style of houses and a small sign, the roads directly connect.)
10-11-17, 09:30 AM
#1468
Senior Member
my buddies in undergrad lived in this house:
Johns Hopkins Med Student Kills Thief With Samurai Sword - NBC4 Washington
Johns Hopkins Med Student Kills Thief With Samurai Sword - NBC4 Washington
10-11-17, 09:32 AM
#1469
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i know there are a few soccer fans here, last night's world cup qualifiers were fantastic, well as far as my rooting for the collapse of the US (I may be American, but I still cheer for my portuguese roots, that's the benefit of being a first gen American lol). I guess there won't be any "i believe that we will win" this year!
On the positive side, I've always told people the US could win the WC if we had a Ronaldo / Messi / Bale caliber player (although even then its still a stretch) and we may have that guy. Pusilic is the real deal, the kid can flat out play.
10-11-17, 02:35 PM
#1471
Cat 2
I've been told off for pumping my own gas in Oregon. We would cross and forget we had gone across the border. Also has happened that we wait and wait and finally give up and just do it ourselves.
New coworker just moved to Utah from Oregon. He told me he had to ask for help.. Sad.
New coworker just moved to Utah from Oregon. He told me he had to ask for help.. Sad.
10-11-17, 03:57 PM
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I've forgotten a few times in OR. Not a wise move in small mountain towns with drug problems! Normally it was just like Ttoc6 said, crossing the border and hopping out without thinking.
10-11-17, 04:23 PM
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I had no idea that people still pumped your gas for you. I remember one shop that did that when I was 16 or so, and then it went out of business the next year. Have never seen another one in the SE or mid west.
Sounds a bit irritating. Do you have to tip?
Sounds a bit irritating. Do you have to tip?
10-11-17, 06:37 PM
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Is Divine Comedy one of those books that everyone pretends to love to look smart but secretly nobody actually enjoys it? I enjoy reading basically anything, but I'm struggling to get this one.