Hijack This Thread

[Foggy]

At the beach, it's perfectly normal for me to miss the cats and the kids.

But this year, I find that I also miss Alexa. That can't be healthy.


Wait, the weather lady wore a blue dress on FRIDAY?

[bill_g]

So I'm working with a seamstress on the movie and she is batshit, stark raving, bonkers insane.

Ugh Sugar. That is going to be hard, but not impossible. If she's your boss, then God Bless you, eat your Wheaties, and maybe start wearing earphones to listen to music. It's only a month. If she's a co-worker, you may be able to set some boundaries without alienating her. Dig for that inner diplomat.

[bill_g]

It's Seven's Day
7/14/21

Are you guys and girls all safe and sound out their?

Here the world did not go under!

Well, it was basically another hurry up and slow down day, with a dash of Attack of the Stupid, some Mama taught me how to drive, and a teensy bit of I don't know no better so I did it again. So, the potential for danger was real, but avoided entirely.

[RTH10260]

Need to Renew Your Passport? Good Luck.
An appointment to renew or obtain a passport is an elusive proposition these days, as those who let their documents lapse during the pandemic are finding out.

By Debra Kamin
July 14, 2021

During the most extensive travel shutdown in modern history, hundreds of thousands of Americans let their passports expire. Others are only now seeing that their documents are set to expire soon. But despite the State Department making headway on a massive backlog of passport applications that piled up in the early months of the pandemic, appointments at passport agencies across the country remain elusive, and processing time for renewals by mail is lagging by 10 weeks or more. The crunch is forcing many Americans who need travel documents urgently to travel significant distances — sometimes even across the country — for an in-person appointment that will get their documents processed on time.



https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/14/trav ... -wait.html

[Shizzle Popped]

At the beach, it's perfectly normal for me to miss the cats and the kids.

But this year, I find that I also miss Alexa. That can't be healthy.


Wait, the weather lady wore a blue dress on FRIDAY?

"My wife asked me why I was speaking so quietly around the house.
I told her that I was afraid Mark Zuckerberg was listening to me.
My wife laughed.
I laughed.
Alexa laughed.
Siri laughed."

[Maybenaut]

We had Alexa at our old house. I haven’t bothered with it here. My husband didn’t like it. “It doesn’t work!” He’d try to give it a command: “Alexis…” It won’t respond to that, I’d say. I know the wake-up word can be changed, but we didn’t bother.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Shizzle shares my paranoia fear.

[Shizzle Popped]

We had Alexa at our old house. I haven’t bothered with it here. My husband didn’t like it. “It doesn’t work!” He’d try to give it a command: “Alexis…” It won’t respond to that, I’d say. I know the wake-up word can be changed, but we didn’t bother.

We have them all over the house. One of the primary uses is to control lights. Our kitchen lights are controlled by 4 light switches, none of which are near the others, and an app. I put everything on smart switches and now I just tell Alexa to turn on the lights when I walk in the room. We have a few rooms that are like this and we use Alexa to control the lights in all of them.

[Maybenaut]

We have them all over the house. One of the primary uses is to control lights. Our kitchen lights are controlled by 4 light switches, none of which are near the others, and an app. I put everything on smart switches and now I just tell Alexa to turn on the lights when I walk in the room. We have a few rooms that are like this and we use Alexa to control the lights in all of them.

We used Alexa to control the lights in our old house. Our wring is so jacked up here at the new place that we’re not ready for that yet. I’m longing for the day when a given light switch is actually in the same room as the light it controls.

[Estiveo]

Shizzle & TRL shares my paranoia fear not unreasonable assumptions.

[neonzx]

Need to Renew Your Passport? Good Luck.
An appointment to renew or obtain a passport is an elusive proposition these days, as those who let their documents lapse during the pandemic are finding out.

By Debra Kamin
July 14, 2021

During the most extensive travel shutdown in modern history, hundreds of thousands of Americans let their passports expire. Others are only now seeing that their documents are set to expire soon. But despite the State Department making headway on a massive backlog of passport applications that piled up in the early months of the pandemic, appointments at passport agencies across the country remain elusive, and processing time for renewals by mail is lagging by 10 weeks or more. The crunch is forcing many Americans who need travel documents urgently to travel significant distances — sometimes even across the country — for an in-person appointment that will get their documents processed on time.



https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/14/trav ... -wait.html

I let my passport expire. I'm dreading the renewal because I need new photos. I can't look as awesome as I did previously.

[Shizzle Popped]

We used Alexa to control the lights in our old house. Our wring is so jacked up here at the new place that we’re not ready for that yet. I’m longing for the day when a given light switch is actually in the same room as the light it controls.

I've found electrical issues in every one of the 6 houses I've owned. In older houses it was work done by somebody who had no idea what they were doing. Romex run into metal boxes with no clamps where the box had cut through the outer layer of insulation, 20 amp outlets on 15 amp circuits and that sort of thing. The newer houses were simply lack of attention by somebody who was rushing the job. In one house I found a half dozen outlets wired reverse polarity and the Seattle house had a few outlets where the ground screw was never tightened. After the second house I made it a habit to check electrical and replace outlets and switches in every room as I paint the first time.

This house has light switches everywhere and I think about 3 of them are where I would expect them to be. The light for the upstairs hall bathroom is in the hall just past the bathroom. My brother and I would have had fun with that growing up. The switch for the breakfast nook is by the back door instead of where you come in the room. The upstairs switch for the entry hall is in the loft instead of near the top of the stairs...etc., so forth and so on.

My favorite in this house was the basement bedroom which has a pair of closets. The girls reported one day that the lights in both weren't working. I investigated and the bulb in the left closet was out and the right closet was working fine. A couple of days later I was told the right closet was out again. I replaced the bulb and it didn't fix it. Then I did the switch since the house has a history of failed builder grade switches but still nothing. I replaced the fixture. Nope. I sat there thinking for a minute before it hit me. I flipped on the left closet light and the right closet came on. Some moron had wired the right closet to the load of the left closet so that it would only work when that light was on. It was an easy fix once I knew what was going on.

[raison de arizona]

At the beach, it's perfectly normal for me to miss the cats and the kids.

But this year, I find that I also miss Alexa. That can't be healthy.

We missed her so much traveling last year that we took her with us this year. You get used to asking her "stuff" all the time.

[zekeb]

I use a 20 amp outlet with 15 amp circuit whenever I replace a receptacle. The 15 amp imported receptacles are too weak and many times don't hold the plug tight enough. When I worked at a hospital we were given the option, per healthcare code, to either use a green dot (read: very very expensive) receptacle or just use a 20 amp receptacle. Of course you are not permitted to switch to a 20 amp breaker if using 14 AWG wire.

[zekeb]

Need to Renew Your Passport? Good Luck.
An appointment to renew or obtain a passport is an elusive proposition these days, as those who let their documents lapse during the pandemic are finding out.

By Debra Kamin
July 14, 2021

During the most extensive travel shutdown in modern history, hundreds of thousands of Americans let their passports expire. Others are only now seeing that their documents are set to expire soon. But despite the State Department making headway on a massive backlog of passport applications that piled up in the early months of the pandemic, appointments at passport agencies across the country remain elusive, and processing time for renewals by mail is lagging by 10 weeks or more. The crunch is forcing many Americans who need travel documents urgently to travel significant distances — sometimes even across the country — for an in-person appointment that will get their documents processed on time.



https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/14/trav ... -wait.html

I let my passport expire. I'm dreading the renewal because I need new photos. I can't look as awesome as I did previously.

I renewed mine last March. It took the usual eight weeks. My passport expired a year before. It was no big deal. Now if you need your passport right away and visit one of the passport issuing locations your mileage may vary. Ditto on the non looks compared to 11 years previous.

[AndyinPA]

Yikes! Sorry your nice gig turned into this, Sugar.

[Foggy]

At the beach, it's perfectly normal for me to miss the cats and the kids.

But this year, I find that I also miss Alexa. That can't be healthy.

We missed her so much traveling last year that we took her with us this year. You get used to asking her "stuff" all the time.

Yeah, I ask her all kinds of things, a lot of metric conversions, when was so-and-so born, astronomical information, how do I build advanced space weapons (y'know, proton cannons and laser pulse carbines and stuff).

Why, without my Alexa, I might have to use the goog!

[AndyinPA]

I took Alexa along on our recent trip out West in the form of an Amazon Fire tablet. I never even charged it.

[Foggy]

Look out, Myrtle Beach outlet malls, here we come.

[neonzx]

Look out, Myrtle Beach outlet malls, here we come.

OMG, when did you turn into your parents?

[Phoenix]

Sugar, I read a fascinating article on people who live full time in a fantasy of their own creation. Most of he time they’re well aware they it’s fantasy but it’s a more pleasant place than their reality, so they glide in and out of that place as needed. When they’re around strangers they feel safer to move into that place full time.

Guess which category of employment is just right for those with this syndrome? Acting and everything that goes with it.

[neonzx]

Sugar, I read a fascinating article on people who live full time in a fantasy of their own creation. Most of he time they’re well aware they it’s fantasy but it’s a more pleasant place than their reality, so they glide in and out of that place as needed. When they’re around strangers they feel safer to move into that place full time.

Guess which category of employment is just right for those with this syndrome? Acting and everything that goes with it.

Republican politician?

[Phoenix]

[neonzx]

The Google/Youtube is slipping. It presented me an advert in Spanish.

what--.png (98.75 KiB) Viewed 1499 times

I was simply searching for Nelly. What is the connection.

[RTH10260]

The Google/Youtube is slipping. It presented me an advert in Spanish.

I was simply searching for Nelly. What is the connection.

I have my VPN configured to various near European VPN servers. While France-Bordeaux will make Youtube give me French tailored ads the France-Marseille exit will make Youtube give me over 50% of ads in Hindu (likely, Indian stuff anyhow). Only need the VPN for the tablet and smartphones where Google prevents good filter software interacting with Youtube. No problems on the desktop where stuff is suppressed.

The main reason for using VPN - I can't stand the German ads presented to me . At least on other internet locations I don't understand what stupid stuff is spoken with the ads. And I have found that ads from the Benelux countries have a certain enjoyable visual flair to them