The Very-Many-Questions-Not-Worth-Their-Own-Thread Thread XLII

[Synobun]

What is the best controller for PC these days? Is it still Xbox?

Preferably something with native support. The last time I used a controller, it was for the PS3 and needed some third-party doodad to work on PC... and even then it wasn't all that great.

Follow-up question: How long do the AA batteries last in the base model of the Xbox controller? Also, what's with this "wireless adapter" thing? The product description says the controller itself works natively via Bluetooth on PC, but then there's the separate adapter for PC that... connects your controller. Does the adapter use something besides Bluetooth? Is it a more reliable connection? The product pages offer no information about any of this. I feel like a Boomer.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I feel like a Boomer.

I figured you would eventually come around....

 

[Arakhor]

I think you should get maybe 24 hours of use before needing to recharge the batteries.

 

[Synobun]

That seems okay, though I'm surprised the base model doesn't come with a rechargeable battery pack natively. I think the Elite does, but that's $130 more.

 

[Takhisis]

Synobun/Birdjaguar is the #1 slash pairing of the week.

 

[warpus]

Is there anything fun going on in Montreal between June 11th and June 14th?

I will be visiting, my friend got a promotion and we are celebrating. We have a list of breweries, pubs, and restaurants. Taking more suggestions! We want fun events (live music, running of the _____, etc.), good craft beer-like drinks, and good eats. We are staying centrally.

Tangential question: Is there like a 3 day long transit pass we can buy or do we have to buy daily ones? We will be near a subway stop, so we can travel to most parts of the city, etc.

 

[Samson]

Is this a two month out of date April fools joke? Does it make any sense?

Wiltshire Police say otters are killing expensive pet fish

In particular:

The force suggested people used welded mesh to cover the pond "with a decent secured overlap" so the otters can not dig or lift it.
"Otherwise a wire fence similar to that used for cattle which consists of a single wire around the pond supported about 4ft" from the ground."
​

Otters are like 4 inches from the ground, are they even going to know about a "single wire around the pond supported about 4ft" from the ground." I guess they mean an electric fence (you would have thought they would mention that), but the point remains.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Is there anything fun going on in Montreal between June 11th and June 14th?

I will be visiting, my friend got a promotion and we are celebrating. We have a list of breweries, pubs, and restaurants. Taking more suggestions! We want fun events (live music, running of the _____, etc.), good craft beer-like drinks, and good eats. We are staying centrally.

Tangential question: Is there like a 3 day long transit pass we can buy or do we have to buy daily ones? We will be near a subway stop, so we can travel to most parts of the city, etc.

Cirques du Soleil just opened a new show, Kooza.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Is this a two month out of date April fools joke? Does it make any sense?

Wiltshire Police say otters are killing expensive pet fish

In particular:

The force suggested people used welded mesh to cover the pond "with a decent secured overlap" so the otters can not dig or lift it.
"Otherwise a wire fence similar to that used for cattle which consists of a single wire around the pond supported about 4ft" from the ground."
​

Otters are like 4 inches from the ground, are they even going to know about a "single wire around the pond supported about 4ft" from the ground." I guess they mean an electric fence (you would have thought they would mention that), but the point remains.

Around here, fish ponds are raccoon buffets.

 

[Samson]

Around here, fish ponds are raccoon buffets.

I did think, what the the police doing telling people who have expensive fish about how to protect them from native wildlife. I would think about that before dropping a load of cash on some animal I am going to keep outside.

Also, I have answered my own question. They have a " after the ft, I bet someone has made a mistake between ' (foot symbol) and " (inch symbol). Probably metric educated, and the police and beeb are doing imperial to support BoJo

 

[warpus]

Cirques du Soleil just opened a new show, Kooza.

Ended up messing my knee on the dancefloor on our first eve there.. had to get crutches and a brace.. messed up our whole trip but we made the most of it. Going to try to get it looked at tomorrow

I'm falling apart

 

[Birdjaguar]

Ended up messing my knee on the dancefloor on our first eve there.. had to get crutches and a brace.. messed up our whole trip but we made the most of it. Going to try to get it looked at tomorrow

See, dancing is the devil's work!

 

[warpus]

I was trying to impress a lady

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I was trying to impress a lady

Did you succeed?

Honestly, most of the things guys do to impress women aren't actually necessary.

 

[warpus]

Did you succeed?

Honestly, most of the things guys do to impress women aren't actually necessary.

Honestly, we were just having fun and dancing. Not really trying to impress, but it sounds funnier that way

Whether she was impressed with my dance moves or not, I'm not sure But it felt great to be out there, meeting people, and mingling with them

As for a question to ask, to stay on topic... Why is it so common in North America (or at least this part of North America) for people to sit out on their front porch, when they have a much nicer backyard? I might have asked this question before.. I can't remember.. but.. what's the appeal? Hanging out in the garage also seems somewhat popular, even though there might be a much nicer backyard, with grass, and trees, and shade, and a deck.. and chairs.. a table.. and a bbq.. Is there a culture of people-watching here that doesn't exist in the other places I used to live? (Germany, Poland).. or.. what's going on?

 

[Birdjaguar]

As for a question to ask, to stay on topic... Why is it so common in North America (or at least this part of North America) for people to sit out on their front porch, when they have a much nicer backyard? I might have asked this question before.. I can't remember.. but.. what's the appeal? Hanging out in the garage also seems somewhat popular, even though there might be a much nicer backyard, with grass, and trees, and shade, and a deck.. and chairs.. a table.. and a bbq.. Is there a culture of people-watching here that doesn't exist in the other places I used to live? (Germany, Poland).. or.. what's going on?

I think that for most people backyards for social gatherings is pretty recent. Front porches faced the road where all the cool stuff happened. Front porches were the 'living rooms" for most people during much of the year. Not every house had a parlour. Backyard BBQs are also pretty recent things. Richer people had bigger houses with extra rooms for entertaining guests. Old cultural habits linger. I still see couches on front porches in Albuquerque. It is an indicator of their cultural heritage.

 

[warpus]

Old cultural habits linger.

That does make sense to me, but why are these dynamics not repeated in the parts of Europe I'm familiar with?

It also seems that suburbia (where this sort of thing happens most often, from what I've seen anyway) is generally also quite boring, in terms of stuff happening. That's what made me ask the question... There's beautiful back yards behind every house, and yet.. a lot of people seem to want to sit in the front, or even in the garage.

"Cultural habits linger" explains it, but.. we do get a lot of immigrants in Canada. They bring their own culture with them and are often completely new to Canadian culture. And yet, this sort of thing seems to linger with many of them as well.

So I get it, but it seems that there might be other dynamics at play as well. Or I'm simply overthinking it, as cultural artefacts are not always rational

 

[Birdjaguar]

but why are these dynamics not repeated in the parts of Europe I'm familiar with?

I think that they originated in rural America which was very different from rural Europe. I would go further and say that front porch couches are more common in the rural south than anywhere else (warmer climate). On our street we have about 12 houses. The ethnic mix is varied between Anglo and Hispanic. Only one house has a front porch couch: they are from Texas ranchland. They even remodeled their front yard to accommodate that couch.

 

[warpus]

I think that they originated in rural America which was very different from rural Europe. I would go further and say that front porch couches are more common in the rural south than anywhere else (warmer climate). On our street we have about 12 houses. The ethnic mix is varied between Anglo and Hispanic. Only one house has a front porch couch: they are from Texas ranchland. They even remodeled their front yard to accommodate that couch.

You are probably onto something w/ the rural south thing.. I am going to do some googling when I'm a bit more coherent in my thoughts (really tired out from the trip right now), thanks!

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Back yards are usually fenced. So not only do the residents have a bit of privacy from others, but it's also harder for them to see what's going on next door. Most front yards have much less privacy. You can see when people leave and arrive, who leaves and arrives, if there are deliveries, if they have company, if something odd happens...

For instance, the day my grandmother died, the paramedics and cops showed up. It was quite a show for the neighbors, who sat on their porch and watched the paramedics and coroner and cops coming and going all afternoon. Nobody quite had the bad manners to bring a bowl of popcorn, but it wouldn't have surprised me if they actually did. At least the neighbors' cat came over to offer some comfort (Wrecker was one of the sweetest cats I've ever known).

The climate here isn't kind to outdoor furniture unless it's made of wood or plastic. Everything else would either get mildew or rust. And most front porches are tiny in comparison to those that houses had in the past. Even the house we had before I moved just had a porch big enough to stand on or sit on the steps.

Contrast that with the houses my great-aunt and uncle had in BC... all of them had huge porches with plenty of room for couches and chairs and a table. We spent lots of time out there because it was cooler in the summer (but the tradeoff was more mosquito bites). These homes also had some cherry trees on the property, so it was almost like sitting a short stone's throw from an orchard.