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

[JPhillips]

All of these damned streaming services and nowhere to watch Bad Santa for free.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

All of these damned streaming services and nowhere to watch Bad Santa for free.

It always blows my mind when I can't find something for free somewhere. I also laugh at myself when I refuse to pay 2.99 to rent it.

[molson]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

All of these damned streaming services and nowhere to watch Bad Santa for free.

I've never seen that, but I saw Horrible Bosses on a plane recently and it was hilarious.

I realized the era of these R-Rated black comedies is probably over for now, and that watching them in 2021 actually makes them more edgy and subversive then they were when released. So now I want to watch all of them that I missed.

And my handy letterbox membership tells me that Bad Santa is available on Pluto for free (maybe with adds).

I spend the $3.99 on Redbox streaming if I really want to see something, and then I get a free rental with points or targeted offers every once in a while.

[sterlingice]

So, here's a dumb thing - I've taken to borrowing movies from our local library on DVD over the past few years. Free, if you don't want to watch something that instant.

SI

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by molson

I've never seen that, but I saw Horrible Bosses on a plane recently and it was hilarious.

I realized the era of these R-Rated black comedies is probably over for now, and that watching them in 2021 actually makes them more edgy and subversive then they were when released. So now I want to watch all of them that I missed.

And my handy letterbox membership tells me that Bad Santa is available on Pluto for free (maybe with adds).

I spend the $3.99 on Redbox streaming if I really want to see something, and then I get a free rental with points or targeted offers every once in a while.

The Pluto version is only in overdubbed Spanish. That got me this morning before I posted.

I highly recommend Bad Santa. Bad Santa 2, though, is in the running for the worst Christmas movie ever.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by molson

I've never seen that, but I saw Horrible Bosses on a plane recently and it was hilarious.

I realized the era of these R-Rated black comedies is probably over for now, and that watching them in 2021 actually makes them more edgy and subversive then they were when released. So now I want to watch all of them that I missed.

And my handy letterbox membership tells me that Bad Santa is available on Pluto for free (maybe with adds).

I spend the $3.99 on Redbox streaming if I really want to see something, and then I get a free rental with points or targeted offers every once in a while.

Originally Posted by JPhillips

The Pluto version is only in overdubbed Spanish. That got me this morning before I posted.

I highly recommend Bad Santa. Bad Santa 2, though, is in the running for the worst Christmas movie ever.

Add to "Bad Santa" Billy Bob Thornton's "Bad News Bears" that I think can be
steamed with Showtime.

Bad Santa2, yeah, not good.

[Ksyrup]

Another reminder of how old I am - I just saw a tweet that Andruw Jones' son is the #1 prospect for 2022.

I mean, hell... Andruw Jones' first season in the MLB was the year I graduated law school! Jeebus!

[Ksyrup]

I just learned that Greta Thunberg and Kyle Rittenhouse were both born on the exact same day. Someone's playing games with us down here.

[cuervo72]

Did not realize Cleopatra in the Caesar's ads is Halle Berry.

[RainMaker]

I didn't realize the Santa in the Capital One ads was Travolta.

[cuervo72]

I thought it may have been but then wasn't sure he'd do it. Never looked for confirmation.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I didn't realize the Santa in the Capital One ads was Travolta.

Yep. And if you notice, Samuel L. Jackson is wearing a shirt that references Pulp Fiction. I don't remember it exactly, but it's some riff on the "royale with cheese" line.

[tarcone]

Yay Tiktok. Someone posted that tomorrow is national shoot up your school day. Yeah, I have to deal with more stupidity on social media. I really need to find a really remote place and just drop out.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Yay Tiktok. Someone posted that tomorrow is national shoot up your school day. Yeah, I have to deal with more stupidity on social media. I really need to find a really remote place and just drop out.

Our town sent out communication about it and advised parents extra police would be at all the schools. We really are fucked as a society.

[tarcone]

A school in our conference got a specific threat and our wrestling team cancelled and that district cancelled school tomorrow

[molson]

I think I've seen enough of Kate McKinnon trying to walk in heels.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Yay Tiktok. Someone posted that tomorrow is national shoot up your school day. Yeah, I have to deal with more stupidity on social media. I really need to find a really remote place and just drop out.

Except that, well, it isn't. Or at least it wasn't until a lot of people fell for a hoax.

GoDaddy Security - Access Denied
edit to add: not sure why something didn't like Long Island Press dot com article, the key quote being “Please stop reposting,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told reporters during a news conference about the trend.

One of a growing number of articles this afternoon urging people to stop posting about this imaginary "event" so as to avoid triggering some unstable lone actor who thinks they're part of something big THAT DOESN"T ACTUALLY EXIST.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I just learned that Greta Thunberg and Kyle Rittenhouse were both born on the exact same day. Someone's playing games with us down here.

In today's episode of "I know nothing," I just learned that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is married to Cheryl Hines.

[cuervo72]

Despite what the national news broadcasts think, I do not give a rat's ass that Crashy McCrasherson is back on a golf course.

[AlexB]

I always play pool better after a few beers. Not sure how many beers I would need to be able to do this…

Amazing talent!
World champion pool player @GarethPotts shows amazing speed and accuracy to pot all seven yellows & the black ball in 30 seconds.#pool @8ballpool pic.twitter.com/VH12dj7DRS

— Dhanraj Nathwani (@DhanrajNathwani) December 18, 2021

[sterlingice]

On the one hand, this week of work is good - it's usually pretty light and there aren't that many customers. On the other hand, it can be really stupid to admin. Half of your resources are out, you're covering for a couple of people, and admins like to get cute and do things because load is low. For instance, you could spend all afternoon, fumbling around in the dark, trying to fix a persnickety app on your platform that you know nothing about since the guy who usually supports it is on vacation and because the print server admin decided this would be a good week to upgrade one of the print servers without telling anyone. Sigh.

SI

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

On the one hand, this week of work is good - it's usually pretty light and there aren't that many customers. On the other hand, it can be really stupid to admin. Half of your resources are out, you're covering for a couple of people, and admins like to get cute and do things because load is low. For instance, you could spend all afternoon, fumbling around in the dark, trying to fix a persnickety app on your platform that you know nothing about since the guy who usually supports it is on vacation and because the print server admin decided this would be a good week to upgrade one of the print servers without telling anyone. Sigh.

SI

I feel you. I started a new QA job on 11/22, so I've been trying to learn how all these systems work while multiple groups of folks take off every week since then & nobody is paying attention to anything. It's like the corporate equivalent of The Purge. No oversight for one month!

[bhlloy]

It’s especially fun when you have committed customer deliverables and you reply to the leadership chain you’ve been using to push things along and immediately get the massive flood of OOO back. I wasn’t the one who told the customer we’d get this fixed this week, but I’m the one left holding the can.

[NobodyHere]

I just made some great ham and cheese omelets. I'm quite proud of myself.

[spleen1015]

The internet showed this to me today, thought it was worth a share.

A field experiment in India led by MIT antipoverty researchers has produced a striking result: A one-time boost of capital improves the condition of the very poor even a decade later. : science

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

The internet showed this to me today, thought it was worth a share.

A field experiment in India led by MIT antipoverty researchers has produced a striking result: A one-time boost of capital improves the condition of the very poor even a decade later. : science

I was watching a YT vlogger who gave a poor family (think rural; goes to river for water, laundry; 10+ extended family living in huts/shacks) the average annual wage in that country. He had collected it via Patreon and apparently looks for someone/family that he wants to help. The family texted him a pic of a new motorcycle they bought to help them get to work & school. No idea how that family is doing now but love the idea.

[cuervo72]

You know, I'm not feeling Erin Andrews as a spokesperson either.

(Also, Melissa Stark is still doing sideline reporting? I completely forgot about her.)

[CrimsonFox]

GO MICHIGAN!

[MIJB#19]

Auto play of video's on websites is extremely annoying. It used to be obscure, but it's turning into norm to start videos without the consent of the visitor, who might just want to read something without having his device make noise.

[JonInMiddleGA]

My Facebook memories (and Will's ability to randomly recall other details) tell me that 12 years ago today we played Left For Dead 2 multiplayer. I believe that would have been a session with Kodos and Dataking.

Not hard to remember since I think I've maybe played a half dozen sessions on online mutliplayer with anyone I remotely knew in my life, across all games.

[Kodos]

I recall we didn’t exactly tear things up. But it was fun!

[molson]

I've watched every episode of 1,000 lb. sisters. I keep this close to the vest, but after a few beers, it sometimes comes up. It's just nice to come clean sometimes.

[Ksyrup]

We're currently at an Olive Garden with a parking lot that's a third full compared to what it usually is and it's an hour wait. We got in at a 30 minute wait and went to the mall to kill time. WTF?

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

We're currently at an Olive Garden with a parking lot that's a third full compared to what it usually is and it's an hour wait. We got in at a 30 minute wait and went to the mall to kill time. WTF?

Probably staffed entirely by two 14-year olds.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

We're currently at an Olive Garden with a parking lot that's a third full compared to what it usually is and it's an hour wait. We got in at a 30 minute wait and went to the mall to kill time. WTF?

I don't know if it's covid related now, but that was a business decision by Olive Garden at one point. They created a false sense of demand by shutting down certain seating areas, even during their busiest times, to create the wait times. It ended up backfiring as the economy recovered from the '08 crash and people made the transition to fast casual rather than sit down places.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I don't know if it's covid related now, but that was a business decision by Olive Garden at one point. They created a false sense of demand by shutting down certain seating areas, even during their busiest times, to create the wait times. It ended up backfiring as the economy recovered from the '08 crash and people made the transition to fast casual rather than sit down places.

That's dumb as hell. I'm glad they weren't rewarded for creating fake demand & purposely wasting customer's time.

[Ksyrup]

I'm guessing it's a combination of Covid, holidays, and lack of workers, but an hour wait at 5:15 in a nearly empty restaurant is crazy. While we waited, 8 people came in and left, 1 put their name down. And yes, we walked by an entirely shut down section.

[cuervo72]

For Olive Garden. No. Thanks.

[molson]

There's still a huge staffing shortage. A lot of times recently i've tried to go out for happy hour beers or food and the place is just closed due to lack of workers. There's a panera I stop at on my way to work sometimes, it's closed 50% of the time now.

Though part of that is the uniqueness of Boise - now America's least affordable city (cost of living v. Average income)

[Ksyrup]

The ridiculous part is we sat there for the last 10 minutes of our wait (we walked over to the mall for about 15 minutes) and stared at 6 people milling around at the check-in stand.

[spleen1015]

My wife does American Greetings cards and some of the Dollar General stores she works are only open during hours when people are willing to work. No one is willing to work at 9am on Wednesday? Fine. We'll open at 2pm instead.

[flere-imsaho]

I'm with molson - it's the huge staffing shortage.

[GrantDawg]

I had to stop by the local Kroger and the whole meat and seafood display was shut down. The lady back there was explaining it to a person who asked, and she said she was the only one of 5 people that showed up for work. She said the whole store was closing an hour early because they didn't have enough people to restock.

[cuervo72]

If there's a huge staffing shortage...maybe there are too many restaurants and retail outlets?

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

If there's a huge staffing shortage...maybe there are too many restaurants and retail outlets?

The math is interesting. Where did all these service workers go? Whatever extended/boosted unemployment benefits that folks insisted were extending these hiring shortages expired like a year ago. Every other industry is also using staffing shortages as an excuse, so there seemingly wasn't some mass exodus into office jobs. Did everyone who used to cook & serve your food quit to drive it around and deliver it to you (cold)?

[bob]

While we've seen the restaurant issues, today was another new one for us - local Wells Fargo branch was closed for staffing issues.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

The math is interesting. Where did all these service workers go? Whatever extended/boosted unemployment benefits that folks insisted were extending these hiring shortages expired like a year ago. Every other industry is also using staffing shortages as an excuse, so there seemingly wasn't some mass exodus into office jobs. Did everyone who used to cook & serve your food quit to drive it around and deliver it to you (cold)?

The one aspect I haven't been able to account for -- with many others covered by various forms of government programs or regulations -- is this: how'n the fuck these no-work folks paying for gas?

I don't think they're selling that many food stamps and vouchers to cover it, but the traffic flow hasn't slowed any around here, if anything it's actually worse now in midday/non-rush hour than it was pre-covid.

[bob]

On a related note, I have received mail once this week - on Wednesday. Now, I have received the email each day telling me what I should be getting, just none of it is actually delivered. And tomorrow is a holiday. So some day next week I'll get a shit ton of mail.

At best I get mail delivered 4 out of 6 days, and this has been going for at least two years, but this week has been the worst.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by bob

On a related note, I have received mail once this week - on Wednesday. Now, I have received the email each day telling me what I should be getting, just none of it is actually delivered. And tomorrow is a holiday. So some day next week I'll get a shit ton of mail.

At best I get mail delivered 4 out of 6 days, and this has been going for at least two years, but this week has been the worst.

Damn, that's worse than mine (which is horrendous). Here, it's packages or first class regular ol' mail, hardly ever both on the same day.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

The math is interesting. Where did all these service workers go? Whatever extended/boosted unemployment benefits that folks insisted were extending these hiring shortages expired like a year ago. Every other industry is also using staffing shortages as an excuse, so there seemingly wasn't some mass exodus into office jobs. Did everyone who used to cook & serve your food quit to drive it around and deliver it to you (cold)?

I thought I saw a decent analysis (that hasn't been debunked AFAIK) showing that 90% of the Covid employment exodus was workers 55 and over.