Random Rants 91 - Semiprimal Rage

[Valka D'Ur]

I woke up to discover that Maddy has tipped over all the garbage cans (save the one in the bathroom).

Got an email from the building manager. There's going to be a water shutoff for several hours on Monday. Fortunately this is not the week my housekeeping helper comes, as it's impossible to do laundry and general cleaning without water.

A wand and a "scourgify" spell would come in really handy...

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Would it be feasible to establish feline-restricted zones in your house?

When trying to do this with any cat, you have to pick your battles. I've lost most of mine with Maddy.

Cats can be trained not to do certain things or go into certain rooms, but you have to at least try to see the cat's point of view of why they want to do those things or go into those rooms. If a cat is chewing on your wires, you'll have to use them in a room where the door can be closed, and where there isn't anything else in there the cat could legitimately need (food, water, toys, place to sleep).

 

[Aiken_Drumn]

What would you advise for a cat who scratches at the floor, rather than the multiple posts we have bought!?

Slowly near doors, windows and other spaces are getting damaged due to impatient/provoking scratches. Everything can't stay open all the time :/

 

[Valka D'Ur]

What would you advise for a cat who scratches at the floor, rather than the multiple posts we have bought!?

Slowly near doors, windows and other spaces are getting damaged due to impatient/provoking scratches. Everything can't stay open all the time :/

There is a cat thread for asking such questions: Cats and Kittens

For now, I will suggest double-sided tape as a possible solution. Cats getting their paws stuck and having to pull them loose is unpleasant (just don't let the cat run off with tape stuck to them as they could be injured or get it stuck over their nose or mouth).

Some cats prefer a horizontal scratching experience over a vertical one. There are online patterns to make horizontal scratching surfaces (basically you need cardboard, old carpeting, and glue; hammers, nails and wood if you opt to make it fancy).

One thing you should definitely do is keep the cat's claws trimmed. If you don't know how to do this yourself, there are how-to videos on YouTube (my advice is to start when the cat is either asleep or tired; usually by the time the cats wakes up and realizes what's happening, you're half done).

 

[Aiken_Drumn]

Thanks, I'll post there later.

 

[amadeus]

Banks!

I think my bank has changed its motto from It’s People That Matter to UNSTOPPABLE CORPORATE HEGEMON

 

[Aiken_Drumn]

Oh Gods its so true!

I recently had to get statements from my banks. Printed by them so they can be verified by a lawyer.

The sheer amount of complexity in ordering these was mind boggling. Every bank a different convoluted system. What offended me the worst was that some CHARGED for it.

Having spent years paperless (saves them money) they now wanted £5 PER STATEMENT!

Then they sent the wrong account,

Then the wrong months

I'm ready to strangle someone!

 

[amadeus]

I was trying to talk to a computer, so I could talk to a human, so they can update my information on their computer. But the computer said all of the humans were busy and I should call back later.

Terminator got it wrong: it’s not a defense network that’s going to wipe out humanity, it’s going to be a bank. The AI will learn eventually that humans are a drain on profits and plot our demise.

 

[Takhisis]

*Austrian accent*

Ahre yoo amadeeus? I haff package for you from SkynetCorp.

 

[amadeus]

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

One thing I can say definitively is that I don't shop online.

 

[Takhisis]

‘Yes’ suffices. *robot cybernetic organism hauls amadeus bodily off to Skynet location*

 

[The_J]

I was trying to talk to a computer, so I could talk to a human, so they can update my information on their computer. But the computer said all of the humans were busy and I should call back later.

Terminator got it wrong: it’s not a defense network that’s going to wipe out humanity, it’s going to be a bank. The AI will learn eventually that humans are a drain on profits and plot our demise.

Semi-relevant comic:

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/likely-apocalypse

 

[Zkribbler]

We have few cockroaches here [surprising for the tropics] and never any babies. They spring into existence, fully grown, with truckers' licenses and tattoos.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Water shutoff today. So I took a nap, and had a nightmare that Neil DeGrasse Tyson was stalking me on social media because he happened to read a post I wrote saying Sagan's Cosmos was better and Pluto is so a planet.

Well, I have said both things. Hopefully the rest is just a nightmare.

 

[The_J]

Twitter is behaving weirdly on me .
It hasn't let me log in via the Firefox on my phone, but only sometimes. Okay... fine.
Now it doesn't let me log in with the Firefox on my Kubuntu here.
Fine, I changed to Chromium on Kubuntu yesterday for Twitter.
Today, it also doesn't allow it via Chromium anymore.
So I had to boot up my Win10 laptop to check with FF there.
Why, Twitter, why ?

 

[Kyriakos]

Twitter is behaving weirdly on me .
It hasn't let me log in via the Firefox on my phone, but only sometimes. Okay... fine.
Now it doesn't let me log in with the Firefox on my Kubuntu here.
Fine, I changed to Chromium on Kubuntu yesterday for Twitter.
Today, it also doesn't allow it via Chromium anymore.
So I had to boot up my Win10 laptop to check with FF there.
Why, Twitter, why ?

Why are you using Kubuntu? Did that opensource really get that good? (also, can it even run games? )

 

[Samson]

CNN headline today: October night skies bring full moon and meteor shower

How on earth is "there will be a full moon this month" a news headline?

 

[amadeus]

CNN headline today: October night skies bring full moon and meteor shower

How on earth is "there will be a full moon this month" a news headline?

I saw it as news on briefly Yahoo! News Japan.

Here’s a map from a weather news service. Orange means good visibility, yellow is a maybe, and gray is probably not.

Edit: sized down the map on my phone. Can’t see dimensions when I’m uploading.

 

[The_J]

Why are you using Kubuntu? Did that opensource really get that good? (also, can it even run games? )

If you're not into gaming (yes, it can, but only a smaller, but growing part), and you're not reliant on MS Office, then going for a common Linux distribution is really not complicated.
Most people anyways use their computer for a) browsing the internet -> works perfectly b) potentially storing and looking pictures -> works perfectly and c) office related functions -> LibreOffice works pretty well, unless you need to interface with someone who has very specific MS office needs.
So for anyone who does only this, and doesn't want to spend money on Windows, then Kubuntu (or Ubuntu, I just prefer this interface) is in the meantime a solid alternative, I'd say.

I'm also a computer scientist, and much of my software only runs on Linux. I'd not get Windows on my computer anymore, if I have the choice.


Next rant:
The washing machine shortened my electricity. Had to call the landlord because I couldn't find the fuses, and he didn't know exactly either, so had to wait. Turns also out that the washing machine was moving so badly, it hammered a pretty decent hole into one of the underlying tiles o_O.

 

[Kyriakos]

If you're not into gaming (yes, it can, but only a smaller, but growing part), and you're not reliant on MS Office, then going for a common Linux distribution is really not complicated.
Most people anyways use their computer for a) browsing the internet -> works perfectly b) potentially storing and looking pictures -> works perfectly and c) office related functions -> LibreOffice works pretty well, unless you need to interface with someone who has very specific MS office needs.
So for anyone who does only this, and doesn't want to spend money on Windows, then Kubuntu (or Ubuntu, I just prefer this interface) is in the meantime a solid alternative, I'd say.

I'm also a computer scientist, and much of my software only runs on Linux. I'd not get Windows on my computer anymore, if I have the choice.


Next rant:
The washing machine shortened my electricity. Had to call the landlord because I couldn't find the fuses, and he didn't know exactly either, so had to wait. Turns also out that the washing machine was moving so badly, it hammered a pretty decent hole into one of the underlying tiles o_O.

I did run linux two years ago. The only issue I had is that it makes it technically difficult to re-install windows :/