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jaybird3rd

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Status Updates posted by jaybird3rd

  1. Good riddance! "The Big Bang Theory" (aka "Blackface for Nerds") is finally being cancelled after 12 interminable, unfunny seasons.

    1. Show previous comments  29 more
    2. Cobra Kai

      Cobra Kai

      Sheldon has some cool shirts, in particular the Astroblast shirt, I love that one. The comic book geekery isn't my cup of tea though, but there are quite a few video game appearances/references as well as some good board game representation in the show too

       

    3. adam242

      adam242

      The inane theme song always irked me. All history of civilization and no cosmology. If you're talking about the BBT, an awful lot occurred before 'the Earth began to cool'.

    4. LS650

      LS650

      Hurrah! About time someone took that horse to the glue factory.

  2. 34 years ago today, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after liftoff. I saw it on TV on the day it happened. I was 9 years old.

    1. Show previous comments  27 more
    2. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      ^^ Yes, they were eventually recovered.

    3. Flojomojo

      Flojomojo

      @Kobra Kai the remains were at the bottom of the ocean, and the salvage operation took 12 weeks, 25 ships, 2000 servicemen, 10 million dollars. https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/20/us/all-shuttle-crew-remains-recovered-nasa-says.html

    4. thanatos

      thanatos

      @Flojomojo Wow.  I was always a NASA and astronomy buff, and somehow I never heard that story of the recovery of the remains.  Obviously not going to be printed in the old science magazines I got as a kid.  And of course, back then, no Internet, etc...

      However I remember many months of coverage about fault, O-Rings and what not, and waiting until the next shuttle would launch again.

  3. Somebody keeps cutting the locks on my storage unit! This is the second time it's happened. Nothing inside seems to be missing, and nothing was added, but still ... pretty disconcerting.

    1. Show previous comments  25 more
    2. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      Yeah that's what I mean Free Drugs! (Joke)...Seems like all of our storage places around here have cameras everywhere...There's even a camera recording you as you punch in the security code to open the gate to come into the complex...

    3. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      This isn't exactly a high-tech storage facility: it's part of a trailer park, and some of the trailers burned down, so rather than replacing them, the owner cleared that part of the lot and put storage lockers in their place. I use it because the rent is relatively cheap and it's close to home, but there's no gate and no cameras.

    4. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      Makes sense. I figured as much.

  4. I've been talking lately to anxious college students (mostly in computer science) who are nearing graduation. Some have struck out at their first interviews and are wondering how they'll ever be able to break in to the field. I'm curious to know what advice the people here would give to them.

    1. Show previous comments  19 more
    2. Flojomojo

      Flojomojo

      Be prepared to work, but don't worry if you have to leave if it's a bad fit and you're miserable.

    3. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      I had a career for 15 years as a Broadcasting Tech, and when I left to "semi-retire" there was tears and cake, but even in that example, my initial employment with the company was held up for 4 months by a pencil pushing dimwit (Who didn't even last there very long)...I had multiple friends within the company who went to bat for me just to even get on initially, and many friends who would have been good workers were turned away at the gates while the company hired misanthropic num...

    4. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      Also, cliched though it may be, it's happiness and not money that won out in the end for me :)

  5. I'm watching the 1983 special "From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga" on VHS. They spend a lot of time talking about all the work that went into the "Lapti Nek" music number from the original "Return of the Jedi"; it's sad to think that it was all ripped out and replaced with an inferior CGI-fest in the "Special Edition."

    1. Show previous comments  18 more
    2. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      There are lots of screenshots that compare the original and special editions, so perhaps seeing the pictures would persuade her.

       

      I bought the "limited edition" 2004 DVDs with the (letterboxed, non-anamorphic) theatrical versions grudgingly included as "bonus discs." Those are the best-looking "official" releases, so until we get something better, that's what I watch.

    3. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      I would also add I like that the special editions kept Star Wars relevant in the theaters for a time...Like they were remastered (plus additional content) so we could see them on the big screen again. I also avoided any bad feelings, because I somehow missed that scene with Han not shooting first...I got very mad later haha...

    4. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      Trekker your wife is a keeper! She's like me with regards to Battlestar Galactica; The series absolutely ended in 1979. We only ironically acknowledge Galactica 1980 to mock it, and don't get me started on anything syfy where they act like Cylons were made BY Humans and want to pretend to BE Humans, ummm No, You cant' utterly destroy a mythos and expect me to acknowledge...STFU!

  6. Yet another tornado has struck.  We lost several trees and power lines are obliterated.  It will likely be a few days (at least) before power is restored.

    1. Show previous comments  15 more
    2. schuwalker

      schuwalker

      X, your post about taking refuge under a overpass reminded me about this video. I lived about 40 minutes east of where this was shot. This was a EF4. This basically leveled a town called Fairdale along Rt. 72

       

       

    3. x=usr(1536)

      x=usr(1536)

      @schuwalker: I hit the 'like' button on that is that we don't have one for, "watching that really does send more than a couple of chills down my spine."

       

      Great footage, though.  And an excellent lesson in why nature will quite literally eat you alive.

    4. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      Well, we finally got our power restored yesterday afternoon, about five days after the tornado!  Our power meter was ripped down and damaged by a falling tree, so having to replace that was one reason for the delay.  Most of our neighbors got theirs restored a day or two earlier, which is good.  Now, to clean up all these toppled trees!

  7. The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 35 years ago today. I was one of the kids watching it live on TV. I was nine years old.

    1. Show previous comments  15 more
    2. doctorclu

      doctorclu

      I was in the 7th grade I want to think when Challenger happened.   The "end of an era" comment above by MrMaddog reminded me of something interesting I found in the Astro City comic book series.   There were two timelines and the point that things split was the destruction, or saving, of the Challenger.   The comic series followed the slightly brighter, and more tech advanced world where the Challenger was saved.

    3. zylon

      zylon

      I was in 2nd grade, but had the day off because my grand-uncle Joe took me to see it there. I still have the 35mm film he shot of it, just holding in the button. It looks like a flip-book.

    4. CPUWIZ

      CPUWIZ

      I was six months in, working on my first game, but I do remember watching this in Germany.  Doubtful is was live over the pond.

  8. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

    1. Show previous comments  15 more
    2. Rick Dangerous

      Rick Dangerous

      And to you all!! Had to check in once today on my other family, AA :)

    3. DZ-Jay

      DZ-Jay

      Happy Thanksgiving to all -- and ... of course ... THANKS!

    4. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      Yeah to you guys as well! Cheers!

  9. If there's anything that pi$$es me off as a teacher, it's students who repeatedly CHEAT, even after being caught and warned before!

    1. Show previous comments  14 more
    2. shadow460

      shadow460

      What pangasinan said. Incentive to not cheat is well provided by the Board of Education.

    3. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      Well, both students are getting a zero for this particular assignment, and I'll think about escalating it from there. My no-cheating policy was described in detail in the syllabus, so they have no excuse.

    4. Emehr

      Emehr

      I'm with Andrew on this one. Make this kid an example.

  10. I hate to say it, but a sizable percentage of college students seem to be functionally illiterate.  If you provide written instructions on how to do something, they often cannot follow them.  However, if you explain it verbally to them, even using the exact same words as in your instructions, somehow that makes more sense to them.

    1. Show previous comments  13 more
    2. x=usr(1536)

      x=usr(1536)

      @frankodragon: I once received a resume from someone who claimed to have experience with token ring.  Note that this was in 2018, and in response to an entry-level IT support position.

       

      After a quick phone interview, it was pretty clear that this person was a) born after Token Ring as a network protocol ceased to be widely-found in the wild, and b) probably overselling his capabilities eight ways from Sunday.  Six or seven solid candidates were already lined up, so I decided to bring him in just to find out where and why he had decided to put 'token ring' on his resume.

       

      As it turned out, what he was referring to was a two-factor authentication token his mom had been issued by her employer.  It was RFID-based, and in the shape of a ring that could be worn on a finger.  Hence, token ring.

       

      Points to him for discovering the term 'Token Ring', but minus several thousand for bullshitting poorly.

    3. cybercylon

      cybercylon

      Then you have the problem of either mom or dad calling the dean if you don't give an extension, hold their hands, etc. I tried teaching in higher ed many years ago and decided it wasn't for me. Unfortunately, education has become customer service, and that adds to the issues.

    4. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      My first thoughts (before I even read the above comments).  Learning is different for different people.  Verbal instructions are more immediate.  Have ya ever been playing a video game and your friend tells you something about it, because you're doing it wrong?  And you're thinking,  Oh,  That makes sense...Could swear I even read the manual on this one!   (Not disagreeing with most above points,  just a bit of Devil's Advocacy)...

       

      And (Conversely perhaps),   I'll bet if you Texted the instructions to them, then they could follow it!   For some reason Millennials, etc. will always pay attention in short bursts,  if their phone makes a noise. 

  11. :mad: There's nothing more frustrating than students who blatantly CHEAT, especially after the instructor (me) goes out of his way to be available to answer questions, in and out of class, even answering e-mails late at night. :mad:

    1. Show previous comments  13 more
    2. Random Terrain

      Random Terrain

      "Look, I paid for college, so why should I even study? I paid you, now you owe me. If I go anywhere else (restaurant, grocery store, car dealership, etc.), I get something in return for my money. McDonald's doesn't make me take a quiz and refuse to give me a milkshake if I fail."

    3. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      ^ That's pretty much the attitude.  I hear it all the time, especially at the end of the semester: after getting an (already generous) grade of, say, 77% on an assignment, the student will write me back and say "You know, that's pretty close to a 'B.' If I get a 'C,' it might hurt my scholarship, so I'd really like to get a 'B' for this, please."

    4. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      ^ (Actually, that's a slight exaggeration.  They usually don't say "please.")

  12. Reading about modern consoles only makes me more grateful for my classic consoles: no updates, no reboots, no DLC to nickel and dime me to death, and no DRM or prohibitions against used games. They JUST WORK.

    1. Show previous comments  12 more
    2. RJ

      RJ

      LIKED!

    3. shadow460

      shadow460

      "always work" Hmmm, you must not own an NES. :P

    4. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      I actually just acquired an NES. Haven't had any issues yet, although the controllers need work. I take good care of my stuff, so it usually doesn't give me trouble.

  13. They're calling the blizzard that hit the east coast a "bomb cyclone." I grew up in New Jersey, and I've never in my life heard the term "bomb cyclone" before today.

    1. Show previous comments  12 more
    2. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      I think the worst storm I lived through in NJ was in January 1996. I don't recall how much snow fell overnight, but my car was completely buried by morning. After I dug myself out, I went to work pretty much as usual. I don't remember anyone using terms like "bomb cyclone" at that time.

    3. Random Terrain

      Random Terrain

      I'd have to look it up, but I think it was in December of 1978 when Roanoke, Virginia had a horrible snow and ice storm that lasted for days. My mother was forced to work and I had to stay home alone with the power off. Seemed like hardly a second would go by before you heard a large branch or tree fall. It was amazing, scary, and pretty all at the same time. The song “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor was on AM radio constantly during that ice storm.

  14. The mediocre reviews of "Alien: Covenant" make me realize that, despite all the marketing hype whenever an original director returns to a genre or franchise they pioneered, it hardly ever seems to work. Except for George Miller ("Mad Max: Fury Road") and Sylvester Stallone ("Rocky Balboa" and "Rambo"), how many have succeeded in even matching the quality of their earlier work?

  15. So, if California breaks up into three states, what would the state abbreviations be for Northern California and Southern California? NC and SC are already taken.

    1. Show previous comments  11 more
    2. Dragon Princess Yushira

      Dragon Princess Yushira

      Cali was almost split into 6 before. If calexit occured, would people be deported there if they were born there like myself?

    3. Bakasama

      Bakasama

      I think Southern Arizona is more likely to break from the rest of the state than California breaking up.

    4. _The Doctor__

      _The Doctor__

      lol like this isn't the same ploy to get 4 or so more reps in the capitol, bad enough the voter rolls are already fiction, just like the break up.... fiction

  16. It's hard to believe that the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster happened 31 years ago today. I still remember it vividly.

    1. Show previous comments  11 more
    2. Nathan Strum

      Nathan Strum

      I was in college in a music history class. I remember overhearing some student tell another, "The shuttle blew up" and thinking, "That's kind of a tasteless joke" - not knowing it had actually happened. Only walking through one of the common areas later where there were TVs did I realize they weren't joking, as they replayed the footage over and over. I just kept hoping somehow they survived.

    3. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      Happened on my 18th birthday...I was in high school and all classes were told to turn on their TVs...

    4. 7800fan

      7800fan

      Me too. Didn't hear about it until I saw it on 5pm news.

  17. I've been re-watching two of my favorite 80s TV shows, "Knight Rider" and "Airwolf", and I was pleased to discover that Atari 800 Pac-Man makes an appearance in both of them!

    1. Show previous comments  11 more
    2. SoulBlazer

      SoulBlazer

      Old games show up in new shows sometimes also. For example, an episode of 'Alias' had one of the team playing Asteroids on his 2600 during his lunch break.

    3. SoulBlazer

      SoulBlazer

      (Actually, that whole show seemed video game positive -- other episodes had a PS2, a Xbox, and a Game Boy.)

    4. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      I knew a gaffer from Alias...

  18. Maybe I'm just out of touch, but I'm not getting the massive appeal of Minecraft. Whenever I see my nephews and their friends play it, all they do is make buildings and other shapes out of the blocks. If you take the "Video Graffiti" mode of 2600 Surround, make it 3D, change the background into a green field, and add different-colored blocks, you've pretty much got Minecraft, as far as I can tell.

    1. Show previous comments  11 more
    2. MrMaddog

      MrMaddog

      I know what you mean... I'm so use to "blowing things up" in games that just building stuff instead seems boring. Especially when you have to build a shelter before those things come out at night and kill your defenseless self! But I won't knock anyone who likes Minecraft and glad kids are enjoying it. Right now I'm getting my Crafting kicks from Fallout 4 when I'm not out shooting stuff.

       

    3. Gabriel

      Gabriel

      I like creative games, but I'm the same way. I don't see the appeal of Minecraft at all.

  19. Well, I'm about to go in for an interview and presentation for a full-time faculty position at my university. Wish me luck!

    1. Show previous comments  11 more
    2. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      Well, I just learned that I got the job. Very exited! :D

    3. Random Terrain

      Random Terrain

      Be sure to take a photo of yourself now with a big smile on your face and hang it up at your new job. Then you can look at it when the thrill is gone and get excited again. :D

    4. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      Well, I'd never put up a picture of myself, but I have saved a few "mementos" from the process as future reminders.

  20. I visited a self-storage unit I'm renting and found that someone had apparently cut the lock. Thankfully, nothing inside was missing; I've got a large part of my collection in there! I replaced the lock and will tell the owners tomorrow. Very strange ...

    1. Show previous comments  11 more
    2. Keatah

      Keatah

      These storage places are shit. They have minimal or no real security. When ours was busted into we closed the account. By some strange coincidence I had moved the bulk of valuable material just weeks before. And we had the locker rented for quite some time! What luck. What was still there was of no interest to whomever broke in.

       

      We wrote the company complaining about security, and when they didn't respond favorably we canceled our account.

       

    3. Bryan

      Bryan

      Sorry dude. I used to break in to people's storage units and steal their stuff until I realized the part I really enjoyed was cutting the lock.

    4. Random Terrain
  21. If you like Winamp, you'd better grab it while you can ... the site will be unavailable after tomorrow: http://www.winamp.com/media-player/en

    1. Show previous comments  11 more
    2. CGQuarterly

      CGQuarterly

      What I liked so much about Winamp was the ability to quickly drag-and-drop songs into the playlist window, so that I could quickly make a playlist based on what I wanted to listen to that day. I just downloaded Winamp beta for OSX, so we'll see.

    3. NE146

      NE146

      I liked winamp, but with the lightweight foobar2000 around, that has pretty much replaced it as the be-all-end-all music player.

    4. Austin

      Austin

      I had to move off of WinAmp a few years back, as it was proving to be far too unreliable and was crashing.

  22. The original "Star Wars" opened in US theaters 42 years ago today, on May 25, 1977. Also, the original "Alien" was released (on a limited basis) on the same date 40 years ago today: May 25, 1979.

    1. Show previous comments  10 more
    2. schuwalker

      schuwalker

      Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade turned 30....let that sink in

    3. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      I watched original Star Wars at a Late Show and fell Asleep the first time...Stayed awake the second time just fine. (Age 9)..Also had a cassette and story book with photos from the movie...Lots of action figures too :)

    4. GoldLeader

      GoldLeader

      Pretty sure I also had T-Shirts of Star Wars and Close Encounters as a kid.

  23. I mentioned a few prominent movie anniversaries recently, so here's another: "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock", which premiered 35 years ago this Saturday, on June 1, 1984. A good, solid, underappreciated Trek movie.

    1. Show previous comments  10 more
    2. jaybird3rd

      jaybird3rd

      ^ So do I. IV was a good movie, but if I were to rank my favorites, I'd put it in third place, with III and TMP tied for second place and II in first place.

    3. Flojomojo

      Flojomojo

      Christopher Lloyd as the Klingon ship captain was crazy inspired casting.

       

      I

       

      HAVE HAD

       

      ENOUGH

       

      OF YOU

       

      (Kirk kicks Kruge in the face, to his death in the flaming chasm below)

    4. digdugnate

      digdugnate

      we quote the scene with Bones and the alien at the bar ALL the time at the house: 'How can you be deaf with ears like that?'

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