The Question Thread

[O Really]

Drives me nutz that there's so much media focus on the weakest links like Cawthorne, Tubberville, etc. - particularly those who just got to Congress and haven't found where the restroom is yet. C'mon, isn't there enough distrust and disparagement of government already that they have to showcase the true fools? It's like if they were covering the dog show they'd only highlight the dogs that were frightened and peed on their handler, or on handlers that tripped on their display round. If they were film reviewers, they'd only tell you about the bloopers and errors and never tell you what the story was about.

[Vrede too]

Drives me nutz that there's so much media focus on the weakest links like Cawthorne, Tubberville, etc. - particularly those who just got to Congress and haven't found where the restroom is yet. C'mon, isn't there enough distrust and disparagement of government already that they have to showcase the true fools? It's like if they were covering the dog show they'd only highlight the dogs that were frightened and peed on their handler, or on handlers that tripped on their display round. If they were film reviewers, they'd only tell you about the bloopers and errors and never tell you what the story was about.

Drives me nutz that Cawthorn and Tuberville are mainstream Repugs these days. Though rookies, they are perfect representatives of the brand.

[Vrede too]

Why does bleach have a safety seal but toothpaste doesn't?

[neoplacebo]

Why does bleach have a safety seal but toothpaste doesn't?

After taking the cap off the bleach, you have one more chance to not drink it.
Toothpaste tubes grow on trees with the toothpaste already inside.

My question is this: why does the drive up ATM machine have braille on it?

[billy.pilgrim]

Why is Michael Jackson still a thing? Are there any other pedophiles who have been given the kind of pass he continues to get?

I just don't understand it. I do understand that young girls often partied with the band, but that was the "normal" then. No one sought out and groomed children like Michael did.

I've seen several articles lately where he was mentioned in a positive light. I just don't understand.

[O Really]

I'm guessing - guessing - that if he had stayed alive and the lawsuits and testimony kept hammering him, he might have been worse off, but dying fairly suddenly faded some of that away. I guess. And he was also always seen as a bit weird anyway. A lot of entertainers have been flat out canceled for a lot less.

Back in '84 I wasn't much of a fan, but V.1 and I got tickets for the "Victory" tour, one of the first big stadium concerts and where ticket prices were an outrageous $45 or so. It was a great concert and everybody who went came out being more of a fan than when they went in, no matter where they started.

[Vrede too]

Why is Michael Jackson still a thing? Are there any other pedophiles who have been given the kind of pass he continues to get?

I just don't understand it. I do understand that young girls often partied with the band, but that was the "normal" then. No one sought out and groomed children like Michael did.

I've seen several articles lately where he was mentioned in a positive light. I just don't understand.

He was a weirdo and engaged in questionable and inappropriate activities with kids that probably would not be tolerated today, but it was never quite proven that he sexually abused children. I skimmed his Wiki page to refresh my memory and found:
* Accusing parents and later kids whose motives were iffy given that they sought money - not a huge number of either;
* Parents and later kids who claimed that nothing icky happened - a fair number of both;
* A settlement and no charges with the first accusation;
* Lack of hard evidence;
* Family, friends and employees that mostly backed him;
* An acquittal;
* An FBI exoneration;
* His own childlike nature making it plausible that he sought (creepy) like companionship rather than sex;
* Dying before #MeToo and the (occasionally incorrect) assumption that the victim is telling the truth;
* No avalanche of bombshell revelations since his death.

I appreciated his talent, but was never a huge fan and never spent money on him. So, I never had to make the hard choice as to what I believed, and I'm GUESSING that his fans saw/see enough gray area that they convinced themselves of his innocence.

[Whack9]

I've noticed an uptick of the word "ask" being used as a noun. I've worked in a corporate setting well over a decade. Only in the six months to a year or so have I noticed people starting to use the word ask as a noun. It's spread like wildfire among my colleagues and others.

Examples:

I have one ask. Please do X.
The only asks I have are X,Y, and Z.
Please refer to the customer ask.

I understand this isn't new. But it's definitely a fad that's gained a lot of traction.

Ugh. Business talk.

[Vrede too]

I've noticed an uptick of the word "ask" being used as a noun. I've worked in a corporate setting well over a decade. Only in the six months to a year or so have I noticed people starting to use the word ask as a noun. It's spread like wildfire among my colleagues and others.

Examples:

I have one ask. Please do X.
The only asks I have are X,Y, and Z.
Please refer to the customer ask.

I understand this isn't new. But it's definitely a fad that's gained a lot of traction.

Ugh. Business talk.

Askholes.

[O Really]

Maybe you could reach out to "ask" stakeholders so that they can circle back with their input and at the end of the day you'll be fully engaged with the term.

[O Really]

Rightwingers like to tout all the "millions" of people "deserting" California for places like Texas and Idaho. They make it sound like they are refugees escaping a dungeoned hellhole.

But here's the thing: California has about 40 million people, about 20 million of whom live in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, and surrounding counties. If a million or so right-wingers (real "net" number more like 250K) leave for Texas, why on earth should Californians care?

[billy.pilgrim]

Rightwingers like to tout all the "millions" of people "deserting" California for places like Texas and Idaho. They make it sound like they are refugees escaping a dungeoned hellhole.

But here's the thing: California has about 40 million people, about 20 million of whom live in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, and surrounding counties. If a million or so right-wingers (real "net" number more like 250K) leave for Texas, why on earth should Californians care?

Spoiler:

https://youtu.be/d-diB65scQU

[billy.pilgrim]

Over the past 20 years pedophile hate seems to have gone to increasingly new levels. Like Me Too, there's no room for defense. An accusation means guilt, no questions asked.
So, why does anyone support still Michael Jackson?

My position may be a little weak as I've never liked his music and see his silliness on screen is mostly cover for his lack of musical abilities.

But still, how does the media hold up this abuser of small children, while destroying the careers of those who barely crossed th 18 year old line?

[Vrede too]

Over the past 20 years pedophile hate seems to have gone to increasingly new levels. Like Me Too, there's no room for defense. An accusation means guilt, no questions asked.
So, why does anyone support still Michael Jackson?

My position may be a little weak as I've never liked his music and see his silliness on screen is mostly cover for his lack of musical abilities.

But still, how does the media hold up this abuser of small children, while destroying the careers of those who barely crossed th 18 year old line?

viewtopic.php?p=174757#p174757

[O Really]

Maybe you could reach out to "ask" stakeholders so that they can circle back with their input and at the end of the day you'll be fully engaged with the term.

Speaking of business buzzwords, below is a list of those proclaimed (by Forbes) to be the "most disliked". I read through and agreed that they're annoying, but if you try to find a non-buzzword replacement that expresses the same thought as clearly, it's not that easy to find. For example, instead of "low hanging fruit" you'd say "we can focus on the parts of this project that are easier and quicker to do before we start the hard parts" but it's not as graphic. What would you say if you weren't using the buzzwords?

New normal
Culture (e.g., “Company culture”)
Circle back
Boots on the ground
Give 110%
Low-hanging fruit
Win-win
Move the needle
Growth hacking
Think outside the box

[Vrede too]

Speaking of business buzzwords, below is a list of those proclaimed (by Forbes) to be the "most disliked". I read through and agreed that they're annoying, but if you try to find a non-buzzword replacement that expresses the same thought as clearly, it's not that easy to find. For example, instead of "low hanging fruit" you'd say "we can focus on the parts of this project that are easier and quicker to do before we start the hard parts" but it's not as graphic. What would you say if you weren't using the buzzwords?

I don't really mind these buzzwords, but if I had to use alternatives:

Spoiler:

New normal Modern
Culture (e.g., “Company culture”) Ethos
Circle back Revert
Boots on the ground In-person
Give 110% Exert
Low-hanging fruit Easy pickins. I know, same-same (there's another one )
Win-win Mutually advantageous
Move the needle Improve
Growth hacking I had to look that one up: The use of data-driven experimentation to grow a business. I don't like "Growth hacking", but I've got nothing pithier.
Think outside the box Innovate

[neoplacebo]

Speaking of business buzzwords, below is a list of those proclaimed (by Forbes) to be the "most disliked". I read through and agreed that they're annoying, but if you try to find a non-buzzword replacement that expresses the same thought as clearly, it's not that easy to find. For example, instead of "low hanging fruit" you'd say "we can focus on the parts of this project that are easier and quicker to do before we start the hard parts" but it's not as graphic. What would you say if you weren't using the buzzwords?

I don't really mind these buzzwords, but if I had to use alternatives:

Spoiler:

New normal Modern
Culture (e.g., “Company culture”) Ethos
Circle back Revert
Boots on the ground In-person
Give 110% Exert
Low-hanging fruit Easy pickins. I know, same-same (there's another one )
Win-win Mutually advantageous
Move the needle Improve
Growth hacking I had to look that one up: The use of data-driven experimentation to grow a business. I don't like "Growth hacking", but I've got nothing pithier.
Think outside the box Innovate

I think I can come up with new ones, each of them having the word "stomp" or some derivative of it, but I figure you all get the idea.

[O Really]

So it turns out you don't have to accept Alexa's answers to questions. Lady O gets up, gets coffee and asks Alexa "what's the weather today?" Typically, Alexa gives the standard weather from weather channel or wherever. Yesterday, Lady O asked about the weather and Alexa answered "Why don't you look outside (Lady O), it's another beautiful day in Oceanside."

https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/s ... -routines/

[neoplacebo]

If a machine got smart with me, I'd stomp it.

[O Really]

Random thoughts from a trip to the grocery.

Saw a street person barking at his bicycle. Then I wondered if maybe he was just a Repug barking at the moon.

I'm not a motorcycle person, but will motorcycles not idle at a traffic light without constant revving? Or is that just part of the bikers code, like having to park backed in everywhere. I'm guessing the backing in started with Angels or some gang making it easier to escape.

I wonder why the other grocery stores don't give you a hand-held scanner like Walmart does. It's way easier. Most stores register the weight of each item scanned and you can't even move it around without the machine yelling at you. We use mesh bags for produce and sometimes have to take the item out to scan it. If you don't weigh the bag with the item, it won't let you put it back in the bag.

I wonder how many blind people shop unaccompanied and actually use those horrid cart/teeth-rattling bumps outside the doors.

If I found a grocery that wasn't effin' freezing inside, I'd shop there even if their prices were higher.