Random Thoughts That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread Go Here

[albionmoonlight]

Big Congrats to Judge Judy on signing her contract extension thru 2020 from a Devout Fan!

— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) March 3, 2015

I love the idea of Harbaugh lifting weights at 3AM, watching cable, and yelling at the TV "You Tell 'Em, Judy! Yeah!"

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Big Congrats to Judge Judy on signing her contract extension thru 2020 from a Devout Fan!

— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) March 3, 2015

I love the idea of Harbaugh lifting weights at 3AM, watching cable, and yelling at the TV "You Tell 'Em, Judy! Yeah!"

Must not be a Lasertag night.

[Grover]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Store managers do not get enough credit for how hard their job is. I worked as a bagboy/stockboy at a grocery store in high school. And, from what I could tell, the manager's job was to (1) have every bitchy customer in the store directed to him, (2) actually keep the store running, and (3) deal with all of the random stuff (like above) that came up that there really is no way to deal with and that's why you got the manager.

People do not realize how much creative energy that job takes on a day to day basis.

Absolutely. I do not miss the position one bit.

[molson]

I entered the top 24 FOFC posters who were active as of this week and entered them into a Hunger Games Simulator. Here were the results:

Day 1
Radii killed by stevew
QuikSand killed by EagleFan
sabotai killed by hoopsguy
EagleFan killed by muttation attack
ISiddiqui killed by muttation attack
Mizzou B-ball fan killed by JonInMiddleGA
molson killed by Ben E Lou
Young Drachma killed by Poli
Poli killed by Eaglesfan27
SirFozzie killed by stevew
Chief Rum killed by MrBug708

Day 2
Kodos killed by MizzouRah
MizzouRah killed by Danny
Ben E Lou killed by Abe Sargent
JonInMiddleGA killed by environmental disaster
Alan T killed by Eaglesfan27

Day 3

Day 4

Danny killed by Eaglesfan27
cartman killed by hoopsguy
MrBug708 killed by stevew
Lathum killed by Abe Sargent

Day 5

Day 6

Abe Sargent killed by food poisoning
stevew killed by environmental disaster
Eaglesfan27 killed by hoopsguy

The victor is: hoopsguy

Ripred.Net - Hunger Games Simulator

Obviously I didn't bother with the male/female category distinction. I might do another one with "alliances" later.

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by molson

I entered the top 24 FOFC posters who were active as of this week and entered them into a Hunger Games Simulator...

So silly, I L'd-OL.

[stevew]

Shit, I have a good body count.

[Lathum]

lol.

I sat around doing nothing for 4 days only to get killed.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Lathum

lol.

I sat around doing nothing for 4 days only to get killed.

I think you and I were playing heads up poker the whole time

[CU Tiger]

Least surprising result ever?

Mizzou B-ball fan killed by JonInMiddleGA

lol

[Kodos]

Curse you, MizzouRah.

[Chief Rum]

No way Bug would kill me. We're much more likely to form an alliance.

[Logan]

I'm such an idiot. Until I got to the very end, I was trying to figure out how I missed a guy named "environmental disaster" being such a long time poster here.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Curse you, MizzouRah.

Well, it looks like you at least put up a fight and left MizzouRah in a weakened state, allowing Danny to pick up the scraps and put him out of misery shortly thereafter.

[jeff061]

Originally Posted by Logan

I'm such an idiot. Until I got to the very end, I was trying to figure out how I missed a guy named "environmental disaster" being such a long time poster here.

I'm still trying to figure out who killed environment disaster.

[molson]

I kind of want to change my username to "environmental disaster". If I knew I'd be posting here 13 years later maybe I would have put more than 1 second of thought into my username choice.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by molson

I kind of want to change my username to "environmental disaster". If I knew I'd be posting here 13 years later maybe I would have put more than 1 second of thought into my username choice.

Seriously. I would've never used the underscore.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by jeff061

I'm still trying to figure out who killed environment disaster.

manbearpig

[jeff061]

Cereally?

[Barkeep49]

Does liking a candidate's Facebook page equate to an endorsement? How about a friend request?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

Does liking a candidate's Facebook page equate to an endorsement? How about a friend request?

Not automatically IMO. I've liked/followed a candidate's page or social media while I'm still in the determining my choice phase of a race. Now once I've eliminated them from consideration I typically unfollow but for informational purposes I don't see an issue with the connection.

[ISiddiqui]

Damn you muttation attack

[NobodyHere]

So I've finally tried some cola with natural sugar after hearing for years that it is sooooooooo much better.

It tastes on par to me with the artificial sweetener.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

So I've finally tried some cola with natural sugar after hearing for years that it is sooooooooo much better.

It tastes on par to me with the artificial sweetener.

Personally, I find the aftertaste to be the difference with sweeteners. Sugar's sweetness decays very quickly with the cleanest, and least aftertaste. Corn syrup's sweetness and taste is similar to sugar, but the aftertaste is a bit more cloying, and sticks around on my tongue a little bit longer, and almost all artificial sweeteners have an aftertaste that is too long, and tastes a bit off/chemical.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

So I've finally tried some cola with natural sugar after hearing for years that it is sooooooooo much better.

It tastes on par to me with the artificial sweetener.

I think the Glass Bottle Mexican Coke is great but the Pepsi flavors with natural sugar and the Mt. Dew throwback flavors aren't that great.

I do like Jarritos a lot.

[path12]

I just got an internal email that starts with:

Cheery Greetings Valued Team!

Jesus Christ.

[B & B]

Originally Posted by stevew

I think the Glass Bottle Mexican Coke is great but the Pepsi flavors with natural sugar and the Mt. Dew throwback flavors aren't that great.

I do like Jarritos a lot.

I hereby declare stevew to be 2/3 mexican

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

So I've finally tried some cola with natural sugar after hearing for years that it is sooooooooo much better.

It tastes on par to me with the artificial sweetener.

Pssst...wanna try some cocaine?

[lighthousekeeper]

the weather channel website might just be the most frustratingly, tabloidy awful website in existence.

[timmae]

Note to self: You need to print you boarding pass at least 45 minutes prior to your flight departure in order to check your luggage. Failure to do so will result in needing to switch your flight and waiting an extra 5 hours in the airport.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by lighthousekeeper

the weather channel website might just be the most frustratingly, tabloidy awful website in existence.

This.

Not only is it cumbersome as all hell, but the stories they have on there are so far from weather related its absurd.

I usually just use the app, much better.

[Lathum]

I always sleep in eithe pajama pants and a t-shirt or gym shorts and a t-shirt. Unless I have sex with my wife, then I always sleep without a shirt.

Up until recently I always wore underwear under my shorts or PJs, but lately I haven't been and I have to say I am enjoying the freedom.

[britrock88]

weather.gov, everyone.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Or wunderground.com

[Logan]

I don't care what weather website you use as long as it doesn't lead to you posting about your state of nakedness after taking your wife to Pound Town.

[Honolulu_Blue]

This is a good point. I pretty much always sleep in just pajama bottoms - either full length or shorts. I rarely, if ever, wear a t-shirt because I over heat easily.

Luckily, now I will always think of Lathum taking his wife to Pound Town when I get ready for bed.

Thanks for that!

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

This is a good point. I pretty much always sleep in just pajama bottoms - either full length or shorts. I rarely, if ever, wear a t-shirt because I over heat easily.

Luckily, now I will always think of Lathum taking his wife to Pound Town when I get ready for bed.

Thanks for that!

Well thats all I think about when getting ready for bed!

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I always sleep in eithe pajama pants and a t-shirt or gym shorts and a t-shirt. Unless I have sex with my wife, then I always sleep without a shirt.

Up until recently I always wore underwear under my shorts or PJs, but lately I haven't been and I have to say I am enjoying the freedom.

Since you worded it that way, safe assume you wear something else?

Like a ball gag?

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

Since you worded it that way, safe assume you wear something else?

Like a ball gag?

leather

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Lathum

leather

obligatory saldana reference

[Dutch]

Just got to experience a landing so smooth I wasn't convinced we even touched down until we started breaking....and the pilot didn't even come out for high fives. Also got to see a rocket taking off from the Cape from the plane!

[timmae]

Hey Dutch!! I am in your city buddy... Need to swing by ybor on Monday to grab some sticks!!

[Dutch]

I'm a travellin' man....in NC on Monday. Friday...Saturday...Sunday...if you're around then.

[cartman]

A buddy of mine in California has just finished his new racing project. He somehow shoehorned a Viper V10 into a Honda S2000.

[Dutch]

I wonder if the power to weight ratio makes it crazy to drive....and steer?

EDIT: Stupid smart phone...

[Buccaneer]

In my on-going fascination with generation gaps and trends, I enjoyed this opinion piece (enjoyed, as in made me think about it)

Silicon Valley to millennials: Drop dead - CNN.com

David R. Wheeler is a writer and journalism professor living in Lexington, Kentucky. Follow him on Twitter @David_R_Wheeler. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN)We have no problem taking Wall Street executives to task for decisions that leave American families financially devastated, yet we give Silicon Valley billionaires a pass when they do the same thing. America needs to realize that instead of creating jobs, Silicon Valley is erasing them, leaving millennials financially stranded before their careers can get off the ground.

Silicon Valley is tossing millennials aside like yesterday's laptop.

The commonly held belief is that with hard work and a good education, a young person in America can get a good job. But despite falling unemployment, college grads age 22 to 27 are stuck in low-paying jobs that don't even require a college degree. The percentage of young people languishing in low-skill, low-paying jobs is 44%, a 20-year high.

David Wheeler
David Wheeler
Only 36% of college grads have jobs that pay at least $45,000, a sharp decline from the 1990s, after adjusting for inflation. Perhaps most depressingly, the percentage of young people making below $25,000 has topped 20%, worse than in 1990. In other words, those with a bachelor's diploma were better off before the digital revolution.

If this comes as a surprise, that's because images from popular culture push the idea that young college graduates are shrugging off bad employment prospects with their do-it-yourself attitude. In our collective imagination, millennials are saying, "No jobs? That's OK — I'll create my own!" And then they solve their own problems by heading to Silicon Valley with little more than an iPhone and an idea to create the next hip app that supposedly will turn them into overnight millionaires.

A fictional example of this new breed of young idealistic entrepreneur would be Mike Bean, founder of Internet behemoth Gryzzl on the show "Parks and Recreation." Played by Blake Anderson, Bean might best be described as "barefoot and pregnant with ideas." The bumbling entrepreneur conquers the world practically by accident, armed only with his digital savvy, a can-do spirit, and a penchant for invading users' privacy. You get the idea that his success came easily.

Privacy concerns aside, the Mike Beans of America are just about as rare as the Mark Zuckerbergs. In fact, the percentage of people under 30 who own private businesses has reached a 24-year low. Garages across the country are not exactly humming with millennials launching tech startups.

But wait — won't the digital economy eventually lead to better jobs? After a period of adjustment, won't things get better? Unfortunately that's not the path we're on. One of the biggest misconceptions about the digital economy is that for every middle-class job rendered obsolete by technology, there's a new, equally good (or better) job created by Silicon Valley.

But exactly the opposite is happening. The digital economy is vaporizing the good jobs and replacing them with two kinds of jobs: minimum wage jobs (think Amazon warehouse employees) and so-called "sharing-economy jobs" (think Uber drivers).

The sharing-economy jobs are even worse than minimum wage jobs because they offer no stability or protections for workers. Sharing economy jobs aren't really jobs at all; they're freelance gigs.

Sure, Silicon Valley doesn't owe America jobs. But something is wrong with the picture of a handful of tech billionaires overseeing a kingdom of falling wages, decreased worker protection and zero job security.

This "winner-take-all" digital economy is not sustainable. People on both sides of the political spectrum are worried. Liberal luminary Robert Reich, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and former secretary of labor under Bill Clinton, calls the sharing economy the "share-the-scraps" economy. Speaking of tech companies that utilize on-demand labor, such as Uber, Instacart and Taskrabbit, he says, "The big money goes to the corporations that own the software. The scraps go to the on-demand workers."

Meanwhile, conservative columnist Ross Douthat fears a dystopian future in which "a rich, technologically proficient society will no longer offer meaningful occupation to many people of ordinary talents."

Put simply, Silicon Valley's utopia is the rest of America's dystopia. And those who are punished more than anyone else are recent college graduates, whose lifetime earning potential has already suffered an irreversible setback.

And if you think your own job is safe, think again. New research predicts that nearly half of all jobs are susceptible to automation over the next two decades. This is a giant leap backward, but it's deceptively described as technological "progress." As anyone who's talked to an automated system on the phone lately can attest, "automated" usually means "worse."

What can be done? How can we fight this slide back toward the Middle Ages? If we take no action, we're headed toward a kind of digital world feudalism where there are a handful of kings, a lot of peasants and no middle class.

There's no easy fix, but we can do three things immediately. First, we can stop glorifying tech titans and start talking openly about Silicon Valley's questionable tactics and its real job creation record (i.e., just follow the numbers). Second, we can encourage more lawsuits against the abusive practices of "sharing-economy" powerhouses. Third, we can elect leaders who are vocal about holding Silicon Valley accountable for their power over the entire American workforce, including white-collar employees.

The fictional Gryzzl's tagline borrows some millennial slang: "Wouldn't it be tight if everyone was chill to each other?" Indeed it would. And if we want a better future for millennials and the generations after them, we need to challenge the prevailing Silicon Valley ethos before it's too late.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

In my on-going fascination with generation gaps and trends, I enjoyed this opinion piece (enjoyed, as in made me think about it)

Silicon Valley to millennials: Drop dead - CNN.com

In the end, it really keeps coming back to "too many people", population that is surplus to needs.

[Lathum]

Grown up decisions suck.

[timmae]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Grown up decisions suck.

Go with the 24 pack. (Sorry about whatever it is that is tugging at you..).

[Easy Mac]

I think I get more joy in life from putting my boss in his place than from like 95% off everything else I do in life. Maybe if I didn't constantly get thrown under buses, I wouldn't take such joy out of it.

[ColtCrazy]

So the news ran a story about how the city just 5 miles north of ours is now an HIV infested hell hole of drugs and prostitution. Couple that with my state governor's idiotic ideas, and my wife has decided this is all the last straw and wants to move. Currently polishing up my CV to apply for a position at the school in England where I used to work in the summers.