Friday Ephemera
Nest relocation of note. || Things girls don’t often do, a possible series. || A feel-good ass-kicking. || Grandma’s still got it. || How to test goggles. || Today’s words are bat genitals. || His is bigger than yours. || How many atoms are in your body? (h/t, Elephants Gerald) || Skills detected. || Dall-E 2. || Ladies at large. || Department store scenes. || 10 hours of New York penthouse ambience. || The progressive retail experience, parts 423, 424, and 425. || Act casual, say nothing. || “Do not open the window or sing.” || Somewhat related. || Assorted structural shortcomings. || You can’t say that. || You must affirm toy’s toyself. || Font crisis. || And finally, when your opinions are fashionable, but not load-bearing.
Wishing a Happy Beer Day to everyone in America.
“Do not open the window or sing.”
So has Minority Report dethroned Demolition Man for most accurate depiction of the future?
And finally, when your opinions are fashionable, but not load-bearing
“I don’t know the answers to these questions!” is telling. He’s never thought about this issue for one second, but he knows how he’s supposed to respond. It’s Pavlovian.
“Do not open the window or sing.”
That’s some straight-up, BladeRunner dystopia shiznitt.
I could actually hear those Vangelis horns . . .
Act Casual say nothing
hey, I thought it was some fancy roll, too . . . I was surprised as he was.
A feel-good ass-kicking.
Karma. 🙂
Ladies at large.
I’m not a biologist, but…
Morning, all.
I’m not a biologist, but…
I, too, have questions. I did enjoy how the taxi driver slowly pulled away. Having presumably seen the same drama many times.
He’s never thought about this issue for one second, but he knows how he’s supposed to respond. It’s Pavlovian.
And so, for many educators, the ideal modern student.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/oberlin-must-pay-record-31m-award-to-bakery-it-defamed-as-racist-says-appeals-court
This barely reported story is an isolated case of where the progressive retail experience didn’t end well, mainly for the Oberlin faculty members who for once failed in their attempt to re-write reality.
“Ladies at large.”
Inside every Scouse cabbie, there must be a book to be written…
an isolated case of where the progressive retail experience didn’t end well, mainly for the Oberlin faculty members who for once failed in their attempt to re-write reality.
Some background to the drama here.
Note that recreational shoplifting, bare-faced lies, vindictive hysteria, vandalising people’s cars, and attempting to destroy the livelihoods of entirely innocent people are described as “brave student activism.” And note how supposedly grown adults, professional educators and college administrators, were all too willing to indulge in the kinds of behaviour one associates with delinquent children.
She has seven buttons.
She seems to think they’re magical.
She has seven buttons.
The checkers at my local grocery store like to wear buttons to signal their virtue. But the joke is on them as Kroger slowly replaces checkout stands with self-checkout. Which I like to use to minimize any time interacting with button wearers.
And I remind people – even if I agree with your sentiments, if you have over three stickers on your car, you’re crazy. I suppose I will apply the same rule to button wearers.
Remember when it was all ribbons, all the time? It’s like the stupid LGBTQPIA2S+ flag, they ran out of colors and patterns.
if you have over three stickers on your car, you’re crazy.
Apparently, we’re supposed to be fascinated by her buttons, and have both the time and inclination to squint and read them, and then defer to whatever messages are inscribed upon them.
Somewhat related, magic earrings.
self-checkout. Which I like to use to minimize any time interacting with button wearers.
Ah, there I differ. Not the button-wearing bit, the self-checkouts. I detest using them. My general feeling is that if I’m spending money in a store, the least the owner can do is have a human being acknowledge me as I hand over said money. Ideally, while stuffing my purchases in a bag. Doesn’t seem a lot to ask for.
Font crisis.
*snort*
*snort*
Along similar lines.
On the subject of buttons and flags has anyone else noticed that the latest alphabet version with the tasteful blue and white chevron would make an excellent apron to be worn in an intersectional Masonic Lodge.
…and then defer to whatever messages are inscribed upon them.
In this case they are pronouns, they/them and he/his, which explains why she is in a snit over being “misgendered”. Hard cheese, missy.
I detest using them…he least the owner can do is have a human being acknowledge me…Ideally, while stuffing my purchases in a bag.
Agree if in a smaller shop, but a big chain grocery or big box store, I can get out quicker and, having done it one summer long ago, bag better.
The progressive retail experience…
Another one that despite the holy incantation, didn’t turn out quite as expected. (Language caution)
Agree if in a smaller shop, but a big chain grocery or big box store, I can get out quicker…
At the start of the pandemic drama, a local pharmacy, part of a big chain, installed two self-checkout stations, and closed one of the two conventional tills, having seemingly fired half the staff. As pharmacies tend to have lots of elderly customers, few of whom fancy grappling with an unfamiliar device, the stations weren’t at all popular and I rarely saw them used. Or indeed functional, judging by the beeps that signalled an error of one kind or another, and which went unaddressed due to the sudden shortage of human staff. Faced with disgruntled customers, many of whom needed items from behind the counter and therefore couldn’t use self-checkout, and growing queues for the one remaining till, the appeals to use the new, improved, high-tech option became increasingly plaintive, almost desperate. The whole mood of the place changed quite noticeably.
I don’t shop there anymore.
Another one that despite the holy incantation, didn’t turn out quite as expected.
Today’s words are unreliable narrator.
Ladies at large.
I’m afraid that thong doesn’t quite have the intended effect, unless sumo wrestling really was part of the night’s plan.
The parents were initially told they had “misinterpreted” the content of the classwork.
Of course they did, being gap-toothed hillbillies sending their kids to private schools in Manhattan. (NY Post, but possibly NSFW)
The parents were initially told they had “misinterpreted” the content of the classwork.
Danger, Will Robinson.
a local pharmacy, part of a big chain, installed two self-checkout stations, and closed one of the two conventional tills, having seemingly fired half the staff… The whole mood of the place changed quite noticeably.
Same happened at my local Boots.
Same happened at my local Boots.
The change in atmosphere was hard to miss. From a place where the elderly or unwell could ask staff for advice, easily, or for help finding what they needed, and generally feel acknowledged, to a big room with a bad mood in it. And lots of tutting.
And then of course there’s the irony of a pharmacy, with signs insisting that customers wear masks and maintain social distancing at all times, simultaneously telling customers to share the same touchscreen as hundreds of other people, despite said items being notorious bacteria farms and an excellent way to spread disease.
It was, in hindsight, almost funny.
You must affirm toy’s toyself
Hold on. How come I’ve only got one set of pronouns?
Not fair!!!
♪♫♪My little town blues
They are melting away
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York♪♫♪
I stand corrected.
Fake or not, it is on brand.
Look out, “Lia” Thomas, you have competition.
a local pharmacy, part of a big chain, installed two self-checkout stations, and closed one of the two conventional tills…
The big Walgreens chain experimented with them a few years before the COVID pandemic. I believe it didn’t work out well, and they eventually went back to human cashiers. (But it’s possible that my perception is colored by the fact that I have not been in a downtown Walgreens in years.)
the beeps that signalled an error of one kind or another
I have more or less mastered the self-checkout stations at my local supermarket, but there are defects that cannot be escaped, such as the robotic “please put the item in the bag” voice when you scan an item which weighs so little as to not be detected by the scale under the bag.
Self-checkout advantages: Much less waiting in line. Can bag fragile produce separately so it does not get crushed. Low-IQ bagger does not slowly examine each item before putting it in bag.
Checkout clerk advantages: Faster scanning and bagging. Human interaction! Immediate help if something scans wrong. Human interaction.
Some background to the drama here.
Kudos for pointing out Oberlin’s “culture of theft”. That does give a very important clue to the true nature of “progressive” ideology.
Kudos for pointing out Oberlin’s “culture of theft”.
The well-heeled and scrupulously progressive students, the ones banging on about “social justice,” were amusing themselves by stealing from local businesses, routinely, for laughs, and abusing people they considered their social inferiors. And that’s before they gleefully set about trying to destroy their reputations and livelihoods, and vandalising their property, and menacing random people.
That’s really big of Facebook to acknowledge “you can disagree with this decision.” Why, thank you.
… didn’t end well, mainly for the Oberlin faculty members …
Good.
Fuck ’em.
The parents were initially told they had “misinterpreted” the content of the classwork.
No, probably not. It alarms some parents, but the furor will quickly die down. Of course the school is completely unrepentant.
Dalton — our faculty, staff, administration, and trustees — continue to stand firmly behind this program and those who teach it
So it’s a long battle.
… didn’t end well, mainly for the Oberlin faculty members …
Yes, although the outcome I hoped for involved judgements that bankrupted the faculty members, dooming them to life-long poverty: The only way to get leftists to behave is fear of ruinous consequences.
Dalton — our faculty, staff, administration, and trustees — continue to stand firmly behind this program and those who teach it
I knew a Dalton graduate. On balance, taking the good with the bad, the world would be better off without him.
I would say the goggle testing is also things girls don’t do often. hahahah so many things I’ve done that girls would never think to do, just because boys are full of T and can’t help it. When a girl says she is really a boy, does she have an urge to climb trees, get in fights, juggle random stuff, catch snakes, see how far from home you can ride your bike? No, probably not.
It’s worth pointing out that the Oberlin College case was about the university, in the form of its employees, libeling and slandering the store. It’s members passed out student flyers and ginned up the protests, and when the University Student Senate (snicker) passed a resolution libeling the store, the university let the resolution stay up (as in posted under glass) on university property.
In fact, the appeals court in the latest ruling specifically said: “This has nothing to do with the student protests, which is protected by the First Amendment,” but by what the college did and said.
Which didn’t prevent Robert Shibley over at Instapundit to still try to claim the store’s lawsuit “holds the college responsible for the speech of its student government.” Which inspired a raft of commenters saying, in essence, “read the fucking ruling, asshat. It says no such thing.”
Which points out that one of the deficiencies of a democracy, in which everyone has a voice, is that the stupid — when their illogical, mis-informed arguments are proven wrong — don’t shut up and go away, but insist on repeating said arguments like a fuckin’ parrot.
[/rant off]
Two Americans were walking down the street and one said to the other, “Have we really achieved full Progressivism? Is this it? Is this full Progressivism?” His friend replied, “Oh Hell no, things are going to get a lot worse.” [ paraphrasing from Ronald Reagan ]
I would say the goggle testing is also things girls don’t do often.
That too. Unless, of course, the ladies know better.
Here’s another thing that girls don’t do often.
A thing that aspiring rappers do often.
A thing that aspiring rappers do often.
It does seem that black lives don’t matter all that much to black people. Life is cheap in the ‘hood.
Oberlin: a lefty publication tried to spin it that now a college admin is responsible for the speech of students…this is a lie. The admin encouraged the activism/boycott, dropped the bakery from their vendor list, printed fliers for the protesters and brought them snacks, called them racist in emails, etc.
7 buttons: to read them, I would have to lean in and violate her personal space–and be staring at her chest. She needs large neon flashing signs to signal her virtue so no one can miss it.
How come I’ve only got one set of pronouns?
Don’t be shy, invent some for yourself.
As pharmacies tend to have lots of elderly customers, few of whom fancy grappling with an unfamiliar device, the stations weren’t at all popular
One of the large chain pharmacies in Canada recently added the automated check outs. It offers seniors a discount (20%) on Thursdays if they have a loyalty card. The loyalty card doesn’t identify the customer as a senior, so the cashier has to manually enter this information into the till. The way these retail geniuses deal with this on Seniors day is to open one cash and have one or two floaters working the automated check outs so they can enter the senior code. Meanwhile the seniors line up to the back of the store to use the cashier. We’re doomed.
Speaking of fonts, what’s going on with the font in the comment box? It has changed and appears to be bold or semi-bold. On my computer anyway.
Speaking of fonts, what’s going on with the font in the comment box?
Looks the same as usual to me.
|| A feel-good ass-kicking. ||
I need to keep this handy for the next time one of my drinking buddies says we need to defund the police. This may not be what they have in mind, but it’s fer damn sure what they’ll get!
Automated ordering popped up in several fast food places (US) just before covid. When the pandemic started, they shut them all down because of germs–they would have to go out and sanitize them all every time used, which defeats the purpose. Still not activated.
Looks the same as usual to me.
That’s what you said about the bar snacks. ?
The font does seem somehow different, but it’s possible my judgement is affected by a lack of coffee.
7 buttons
The only button I’d be interested in would do a cold boot.
I would say the goggle testing is also things girls don’t do often.
Probably not. But as tomboy in my youth back in the days when summer meant being outside all day with you neighborhood friends, unsupervised by adults, it was bike riding, tree climbing, fort building, dirt clod fighting, games of tag/Red Rover/baseball, drinking-from-hose when thirsty. Only running inside the house for lunch or money for the ice cream man.
And somehow, I never ever wanted to be a boy.
And somehow, I never ever wanted to be a boy.
Next thing you’ll be telling us is that you never worried about pronouns. ?
Those who cannot create, steal and destroy.
Why draw the line at addition?
That’s some straight-up, BladeRunner dystopia shiznitt.
I had the exact same reaction. I was already looking for the movie footage when I saw you beat me to it. “A new life awaits you in the off-world colonies!”
I gotta confess, if the woke anti-colonialists refused to participate, I’d be sorely tempted to board a colony ship today.
“How many atoms are in your body?”
I’be been trying find a video of the sketch where Gregor Fisher (of Rab C. Nesbitt fame) plays an Aberdonian scientist to post here on a Friday for years. “Noo, ye tak’ yer wee aatom there, an’ ye split it in twa’…”
“Dall-E 2.”
Well, there’s a coincidence. In the abscence of that video, imagine the “Teddy bears mixing sparkling chemicals as mad scientists, as a 1990s Saturday morning cartoon” in an accent halfway between Groundskeeper Willie and the Swedish Chef.
That’s going to have interesting ramifications for copyright.
“You can’t say that.”
From down the thread:
Precisely what crosses my mind whenever I see this kind of thing.
On a vaguely related note, instead of teaching kids how Roman slavery, while still abhorrent, differed from the American variety, let’s just pretend it never happened instead.
Oh boy, that brings back some memories, though. Caecilius in triclinio sedet. Cerberus est in horto.
Darleen,
I engaged in all those activities–plus snake and insect catching. About the only thing I didn’t do was seek out fights. Even today, at 60 years old, I head off on solo runs that last 6 hours, stop to pick up non-rattler snakes on trail, take pictures of the scat I find (bear? fox? coyote?), pee in the woods, pick up and inspect dead animals…
And yet, like you, I never wanted to be a male. I sure do like hanging out with them, though.
Governor Squid — Here you go, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZNzz4SaTYk
addition: she uses the Historical % of black judges (when yes things were racist) to condemn today. Then admits that 80% of judges are white–a slight over representation, but remember most judges went to law school before affirmative action.
Innumeracy is handy when you have an agenda.
My apologies to Lady Theo and Darleen: there weren’t many girls doing those things that I saw as a kid. No aspersions on girls who do. But still less likely.
The almost entirely unreported arrests and unsurprising identities of the Sacramento mass murderers (for that is surely what they would have been called over and over again on each and every news site had they been white) is similar to the Oberlin ruling whereby incontrovertible facts which go against the narrative never make it to the mainstream media.
On a far more important note the kitchen in the “girls don’t do this often” post with its unfinished chipboard units and vomit green paint has appeared on here before – it’s not a sight anyone is likely to forget.
I have more or less mastered the self-checkout stations at my local supermarket, but there are defects that cannot be escaped, such as the robotic “please put the item in the bag” voice when you scan an item which weighs so little as to not be detected by the scale under the bag.
The key is to push down in the bag with your hand or fist as you put the item in. The scale registers force, that’s it.
I do it often when I have large items that I want that won’t fit in a plastic bag. Scan it, press down on the scale with my one hand and just put the item on the floor or shelf with the other. The scale doesn’t know the difference and the bored pink hair teenage girl at customer service never looks up from her TicTac videos.
On media distortion: somewhere I saw side by side pics of Lia Thomas from his win (wet, in the water) with the version that appeared in print: they air brushed his pic to look more feminine. ugh
Making Beethoven Woke
But, of course, he is deaf to all entreaties
The font does seem somehow different, but it’s possible my judgement is affected by a lack of coffee.
My browser upgraded itself last night. Perhaps it’s reading the html differently, or changed its base fonts, or is now using the font it should have been using all along but couldn’t render. Who knows? But it’s definitely different
I don’t so much mind the self-check if I have only one or two items. But even with a line, I’m going to a cashier every time I buy soda (I buy it rarely, but in bulk). There are no baggers in most of the checkout lines, and I’ve resigned myself to doing it on my own most of the time, but there simply isn’t enough space to put the contents of a full grocery cart in even if I weren’t being forced to do the work of two potential employees.
On the other hand, I am firmly in favor of the kiosk method of ordering fast food. I can order in a language I don’t speak, have no question whether the cashier took my order correctly, and all I have to watch for is my number coming up. The receipt is printed in the local language and my own, in the same order, so I can clearly point to anything that is incorrect. And the menu is so simple that there really is almost no room for ambiguity.
It does seem that black lives don’t matter all that much to black people. Life is cheap in the ‘hood.
Relevant.
when you scan an item which weighs so little as to not be detected by the scale under the bag
I’ve always thought that was an odd error condition. Oh no, you scanned something, paid for it and then failed to remove it from the store! Uhh….darn?
Relevant.
I hope it makes a difference, but consider this key quote:
“I’m not gonna be a part of killing somebody that looks like me…”
How about vowing not to kill people who aren’t black, either? That “looks like me” part is certainly attention-getting, but it reminds me of the black radicals of earlier decades who were fine with killing whites and Jews and so on.
By “attention-getting” I meant effective way to propagandize the target audience. Unfortunately, the target audience has strong racist tendencies.
Relevant.
Followed the map app to somewhere north of here, and the route took me right through a more vibrant side of town I generally avoid. Granted, most of this city is vibrant – we even had a local rapper killing not too long ago – none of which makes the news. Just ho hum another day in the neighborhood. But on a street corner in this vibrant section of town was a sign similar to this one, although it was more of a plea – something along the lines of “please stop killing each other”, and was posted by a local church.
That “looks like me” part is certainly attention-getting, but it reminds me of the black radicals of earlier decades who were fine with killing whites and Jews and so on.
True, but given he got the idea while praying, that may not have been the guy’s intention, even as the wording choice was rather poor. The black radicals tended to gravitate to the religion of peace if they were religious at all, I thought. Nation of Islam and all. But maybe there are some black churches preaching hate whitey.
True, but given he got the idea while praying, that may not have been the guy’s intention…
I agree. I do not question his motives.
…even as the wording choice was rather poor.
And that can lead to the painful question, how can you reach these people? They are already so badly damaged, individually and collectively, that it seems virtually impossible to find words that will move them. But perhaps the answer to that is that one should not dwell on reaching everyone but just think about reaching individuals and hope to slowly make a difference, like the metaphor about the raindrops that slowly wear away a hill.
Would that be with fava beans and a nice chianti?
For some authors this might be a very suitable bookmark. (Via the often funny Mike’s Towing.)
Somewhat related.
For the best cyberpunk dystopia experience, dress appropriately.
In the supermarket where I shop, the self-checkout is a group of kiosks with no conveyor belt, and a sign that says “Express Self-Checkout”. The traditional express lanes (sometimes open) have a sign adding “14 items of less”. Unfortunately, the express kiosks don’t add that, so way too many people try to go through with a lot more than 14 items, and worse, a bunch of produce that needs to be weighed.
If everybody followed the express rule, the kiosks would work great. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen, and it’s frankly enraging. (I stop off at work one or two days a week and usually use the kiosks since I have half a dozen items. When not all of the kiosks are occupied, it’s so much more convenient.)
It is understood that prison bosses are treating the demands seriously…
Here you go; “Protocol For Dealing With Prisoners Who Decide They Are Babies: 1) Just Say No.”
No it isn’t, Helen Keller could see it is the latter.
Please send 15,000 Imperial Dollars for the consultation to the Better Optimal Outcomes Towards Increasing New Justice Of Criminal Knowledge foundation.
It is understood that prison bosses are treating the demands seriously…
Perhaps because they know there are “human rights” lawyers eager to file lawsuits on behalf of the criminals.
The traditional express lanes (sometimes open) have a sign adding “14 items of less”. Unfortunately, the express kiosks don’t add that
I strongly suspect that is because the supermarket wants as many people as possible to use the self-checkout kiosks regardless of how many items they have.
I’ll bet this thing has tentacles.
Making kids do homework is just like being Derek Chauvin and George Floyd.
The comment box font disease has also affected Tim Worstall’s blog. Must be a WordPress thing (if this blog is based on WordPress).
Harsh but sadly true.
The comment box font disease…
The least of our problems, fortunately.
I’ll bet this thing has tentacles.
I won’t take that bet. 🙁
Yeah, that’s what the people of Ukraine need right now:
A Canadian leftist wants to teach a class on “social justice and collaborative conflict resolution.”
It’s okay. Another leftist imbecile just vowed today to send Zelensky another $100 million Canuckistani kopeks. And unfortunately this one is in charge of the national cheque book.
His second in command is an odious little toad with dubious Ukrainian family roots.
For fun type “Freeland Nazi grandfather” into duckduckgo.
All the news that’s fit to suppress.
Harsh but sadly true.
When you stop listening to the self-deluding justifications and just look at the etiology, things become much clearer.
“Russia is a diddle, wrapped in a misery, inside an enema.
–author unknown
He just assumed he had fell on hard times . . .
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=911801555943392&id=712622129194670
Adbusters presents how to get a beatdown.
Adbusters presents how to get a beatdown.
They are the shitty little brats in the checkout lane of life.
Adbusters presents how to get a beatdown.
Be careful with that beatdown thought…
I had a solicitor come to my house during dinner the other night. I told him I wasn’t interested, this is a posted “no soliciting” neighborhood. He would not go away, questioned why I did not like the company he represented, and started to get pissy with me as I increasingly got irritated that he would not leave. I finally came out of the house and marched him, Sgt. Carter/Goomer Pyle style to the street. At which point he threatened/dared me to step out into the street for physical altercation. Since I had already made my point and my pierogis were getting cold I ignored him. When I was out for my morning walk it occurred to me that such a person might have domestic issues or such and maybe I ought to report it. Yes….no..maybe…no…meh. As luck (?) would have it a couple cops were two houses down the road this afternoon and as I was a bit on the fence about it I thought maybe it was a sign that maaaybe I should ask Officer Friendly his thoughts. Rather stupid of me in retrospect. Officer Friendly went into robo-cop mode and fed me the story that I was wrong to do such a thing and the proper way to handle these things is to shut your door, close your blinds (we don’t have blinds on the windows in the kitchen table area where we happened to be eating that night) and call the police. Yes. We should hide in our houses, clear the dinner table and run to another room, and call Big Brother to handle all our issues. What a sad pussy-ass world we live in.
David, are you still watching Picard? Because you’re in for a real treat.
I cringed so hard I think I pulled a muscle in my back. Double martini please and don’t spare the olives.
David, are you still watching Picard?
Dear Lord, no. As discussed at the time, the first season was bewilderingly bad. The writers seemed to keep forgetting whether one character was human or not; other characters made bizarre decisions in practically every episode; objects of plot importance given to one character inexplicably appeared in the possession of another, despite the two being separated by 40,000 light years. I have no confidence whatsoever in Mr Alex Hilary Kurtzman and his woke-but-incompetent writing staff.
And from what I’ve heard of season two, and the clips I’ve seen, the standard of writing has not improved significantly. But I see the ham-fisted, obnoxious, and immoral politics has been brought to the fore. So there’s that. And it’s interesting how the more they try to make a grittier, more grown-up Star Trek, one more attuned to the modern progressive mentality, the more it feels delinquent, nihilistic and psychologically adolescent.
the more it feels delinquent, nihilistic and psychologically adolescent
So, are you going to tell us what you really think of it?