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

[21C]

[/list]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Ancestry stuff is always great.

Share what you can/want, but any big surprises or significant things you didn't know?

Originally Posted by sterlingice

That's really cool - to have a resource like that to connect you back to a family member and family history, even some of the darker stuff.

I pretty much knew the broad strokes of my mother's life before I read it but I definitely discovered some details I was unaware of.

I also found that the process of dictating it all gave me my mother's voice again. I wasn't reading it like her (unless she had a monotone and e-nun-ci-ated every syllable) but I definitely had her voice in my head as I read.

Here is a brief rundown of her life:

• Born in 1926 in a part of Poland that now belongs to Ukraine
• Her village was overrun with Germans and Russians during the war - and Ukrainian nationalists after the war
• Escaped from German transports twice where people were being rounded up for labor camps
• After the war, while working in Soviet occupied territory, she did not get paid for 3 months work so she took 500 rubles and left town
• She was tracked down and accused of taking 6000 rubles and sentenced to 10 years in a Soviet prison
• Had a child to a fellow prisoner who turned out to already have a wife and children
• After the death of Stalin, all mothers were released from Soviet prisons
• Eventually traveled back to Poland where she contacted relatives in Australia who knew my father
• My father arranged to bring her (and my oldest brother) to Australia where they wed and had two more sons

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I literally have no idea what we are going to say. I suspect most people in this spot have a lot to say, but I have never felt like there was anything missing from my life so I have never played out this scenerio.

Fully expect an update on this today.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by 21C

[/list]
I pretty much knew the broad strokes of my mother's life before I read it but I definitely discovered some details I was unaware of.

I also found that the process of dictating it all gave me my mother's voice again. I wasn't reading it like her (unless she had a monotone and e-nun-ci-ated every syllable) but I definitely had her voice in my head as I read.

Here is a brief rundown of her life:

• Born in 1926 in a part of Poland that now belongs to Ukraine
• Her village was overrun with Germans and Russians during the war - and Ukrainian nationalists after the war
• Escaped from German transports twice where people were being rounded up for labor camps
• After the war, while working in Soviet occupied territory, she did not get paid for 3 months work so she took 500 rubles and left town
• She was tracked down and accused of taking 6000 rubles and sentenced to 10 years in a Soviet prison
• Had a child to a fellow prisoner who turned out to already have a wife and children
• After the death of Stalin, all mothers were released from Soviet prisons
• Eventually traveled back to Poland where she contacted relatives in Australia who knew my father
• My father arranged to bring her (and my oldest brother) to Australia where they wed and had two more sons

Any idea on the child or that part of the family tree?

[21C]

The child that she had was my oldest brother whom she came to Australia with.

No idea about the fellow prisoner and his family. I have some addresses of other cousins in Ukraine and Russia but it is too hard with Cyrillic letters to do translations.

I only reconnected with family in Poland about 15 years ago. Up until then, I wasn't terribly fussed about family history. I have now become my family's unofficial historian since I kept all of the old documents and photos from my parents' home when we sold it.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Fully expect an update on this today.

So nothing really exciting to update. We had a nice conversation. Started it off by both admitting we really don't know how to start which was funny. We learned about each other and kept it open that we want to get to know each other but I also made it clear I have a family and am not looking for another one. I think he was really relieved that I was raised about as well as can be. It was fun to hear things from him that I do. I didn't ask about my mom he hasn't seen her in 47 years. He did mention he wasn't sure what he would tell me if I did ask because it is her business, which I agree with. I have been sending him some pictures and the only time I got emotional was when he told me my daughter has my mothers eyes. For some reason that got me.

[21C]

Originally Posted by Lathum

So nothing really exciting to update. We had a nice conversation. Started it off by both admitting we really don't know how to start which was funny. We learned about each other and kept it open that we want to get to know each other but I also made it clear I have a family and am not looking for another one. I think he was really relieved that I was raised about as well as can be. It was fun to hear things from him that I do. I didn't ask about my mom he hasn't seen her in 47 years. He did mention he wasn't sure what he would tell me if I did ask because it is her business, which I agree with. I have been sending him some pictures and the only time I got emotional was when he told me my daughter has my mothers eyes. For some reason that got me.

It sounds like it would have been emotionally draining for you. I'm glad that you were able to do it on your terms. Any more plans to meet or is that it?

[Edward64]

Some funny signs

https://twitter.com/Kwintarget/statu...11316473774080

[albionmoonlight]

The first episode of the Simpsons (Dec 17, 1989) aired closer to the Eisenhower administration (Jan. 20, 1961) than today.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Kinda funny. I chuckled at each pic but think 6/25 would get my vote.

Mullet Championship: Meet the top kid's finalists

And the winners are ...

(My pick for kids was #2)

[Edward64]

FWIW, Mullets came from France

What country do mullets come from?

The hairstyle was first worn by French fashion guru Henri Mollet in the early seventies. The "Mollet" did not see much light apart from in the french underground dance scene, until it was ressurected by popular television personalities such as Pat Sharp, the word having been anglicised by this point to "Mullet".

[Ksyrup]

I'm sure there are very precise requirements/definition of what constitutes a mullet, but I feel like some of the ones I've seen border on "hair metal band bassist" hair, as opposed to a mullet. For instance, Fisher Monds up there just looks like a dude with long hair. The top looks a bit too long/shaggy and/or the back is too long to qualify, IMO.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I'm sure there are very precise requirements/definition of what constitutes a mullet, but I feel like some of the ones I've seen border on "hair metal band bassist" hair, as opposed to a mullet. For instance, Fisher Monds up there just looks like a dude with long hair. The top looks a bit too long/shaggy and/or the back is too long to qualify, IMO.

I will defer to your expertise

[Edward64]

Britney, you look great for 40.

I'm not sure if you are crying out for help, or still really happy about your independence, or looking for a comeback. Maybe all of the above. But if I was you, I'd first begin the process to repair the relationship with your kids.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Chh0F...5-f6f313afa8eb

[NobodyHere]

I hate it when a woman calls you by your coworkers name during texting.

[GrantDawg]

It would be worse during sex.

[Lathum]

If I had a grocery cart full of groceries and someone was in line behind me with only a couple items, especially an older person, I would always let them go ahead of me. Since they installed self checkout machines I don’t do that anymore. Not sure if that makes me an asshole and I don’t care.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Lathum

If I had a grocery cart full of groceries and someone was in line behind me with only a couple items, especially an older person, I would always let them go ahead of me. Since they installed self checkout machines I don’t do that anymore. Not sure if that makes me an asshole and I don’t care.

I think it makes you Lawful Neutral

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

It would be worse during sex.

I mean, if you're doing your co-worker's partner you could probably let it slide.

[tarcone]

I sported a mullet because of Dwayne Schintzus.

Yes, that is what I said.

[Edward64]

I guess Doppelgangers are for real (and not just siblings separated at birth).

You have a doppelganger and probably share DNA with them, new study suggests - CNN

People who resemble each other, but are not directly related, still seem to have genetic similarities, according to a new study.
:
“We were able to see that these look alike humans, in fact, they are sharing several genetic variants. And these are very common among them,” Esteller said. “So they share these genetic variants that are related in a way that they have the shape of the nose, the eye, the mouth, the lips, and even the bone structure. And this was the main conclusion that genetics puts them together. ”

These are similar codes, he said, but it is just by random chance.

“In the world right now, there are so many people that eventually the system is producing humans with similar DNA sequences,” Esteller said. This likely was always true, but now with the internet, it’s a lot easier to find them.

Below quote also caught my eye.

Among those who had these genetic similarities, many also had similar weights, similar lifestyle factors, and similar behavioral traits like smoking and education levels. That could mean that genetic variation is related to physical appearance and also, potentially may influence some habits and behavior.

[Ksyrup]

It makes sense, given what we see from DNA labs that are able to provide a computer picture of what a potential suspect looks like from their DNA. Similar DNA, similar features.

[Edward64]

Hmmm, that's dedication

Domino's employee stuns everyone by delivering a pizza to the top of Mount Fuji
:
According to news reports, the dedicated worker went all the way by traversing up the mountain for close to six hours (starting at the store), before he delivered the pizza pie and collected his payment of JPY3,776 (US$27.50), which was pretty cheap considering the herculean task he had to do.

His trip was even recorded on the social trekking platform YAMAP, which included photos of his long hike and the final delivery to the customer.

[Sweed]

I turned on Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless for some background noise a day or two ago. Hadn't watched them in quite a while.

They were talking about the chance of Skip's Cowboys being the number one seed in the NFC and Dak winning MVP.

Where did they come up with this idea? Well..

It was what Madden spit out when EA simulated the season.

[sterlingice]

I think if I made a bar chart of the number of times I washed my hair in a given shower, I'd have very few 0s, a lot more 2s than I'd like to admit, and I'm not sure what happened the day there was a 5 on the chart but I wouldn't really doubt it happened, either.

SI

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Hmmm, that's dedication

sad thing is, it ended up being free because it took longer than 30 minutes

[PilotMan]

Minor League baseball comment.....Frontier League. I'm a fan, we have a local team, the league as a whole merged with a couple of other teams from the Can Am and the American Association this year and expanded. I was casually looking at the standings and see a team in the East that might have the worst record ever. I thought, hmm, must be an exhibition team.....no.....

I give you the Empire State Greys

Current record...6-80

Empire State Greys – Official Club of the MLB Partnered Frontier League

Would you like to buy some merch?

[JonInMiddleGA]

I guess the Greys outcomes kinda make sense, they're a league-operated club that plays only on the road, formed on the fly to fill the schedule slot lost when another club folded.

So basically, a team of scraps cobbled together.

[Edward64]

Not much of an art fan but I'd consider the pic as good of artwork as some of the other crap out there. I think the critics will have to join the Chess & Go communities and accept it.

The artist says he wrote the prompt to create the painting using an AI tool called Midjourney. According to the Washington Post, Midjourney has become one of the most popular AI art generators largely because it allows anyone to freely create new images on command. Using the prompt “/imagine,” a user can type in whatever they want to see, and the AI will return four newly created images in 60 seconds.

Allen says he poured more than 80 hours into the piece and made more than 900 versions of it until it was perfect. But, his blue ribbon and $300 cash prize doesn’t sit well with some in the art community who say it is not art.
:
The debate over AI has gone viral on Twitter with over 100,000 interactions. Some say the human experience and creativity are stripped with AI and the technology is the demise of artistry, but others like Allen say it’s a new era of art.

“Rather than shooting the messenger or hating the new technology, I think we need to recognize we’re in a new state,” Allen said.

[GrantDawg]

There is a guy circling Tupelo, Mississippi in a small plane threatening to crash it into a Walmart. I have no idea why.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...issippi-plane/

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

There is a guy circling Tupelo, Mississippi in a small plane threatening to crash it into a Walmart. I have no idea why.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...issippi-plane/

He just wants attention.

Everyone should ignore him.

Imagine how sad and depressed he would be.

ETA: I didn't know you could track the flight

https://www.flightradar24.com/N342ER/2d530a2d

[GrantDawg]

Sort of hard to ignore a flying missile that could hit anywhere. Looks like he has started flying further east. It looked like he was headed toward Memphis at one point.

[GrantDawg]

Looks like he is circling a rural area now. He sent out a Facebook message that said he doesn't want to hurt anyone else. Suicide by stolen plane I guess. I just wonder why the original threat to the Walmart.

[PilotMan]

Here's a nightmare story to kickstart your weekend:

Ohio man who suffered 20,000 bee stings and ingested 30 bees wakes up from coma, family says

[sterlingice]

Nope. Not reading that.

SI

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Looks like he is circling a rural area now. He sent out a Facebook message that said he doesn't want to hurt anyone else. Suicide by stolen plane I guess. I just wonder why the original threat to the Walmart.

The culprit.

Cory Patterson lands stolen plane after threat to dive bomb Walmart

The pilot is reportedly Cory Patterson of Shannon, Mississippi.

But nothing on why. I'm guessing got fired or dumped.

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Here's a nightmare story to kickstart your weekend:

Ohio man who suffered 20,000 bee stings and ingested 30 bees wakes up from coma, family says

People will try to snort everything up their nose nowadays because of the cocaine supply line shortage

[miami_fan]

Taylor Hawkins son, 16, on drums.

Imagine doing this after your dad passed.

Imagine your son doing this after you passed.

I can’t stop thinking about it.

pic.twitter.com/5uRgILFRqI

— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) September 4, 2022

[Edward64]

Holy crap. Amusement park ride gone (really) wrong.


https://twitter.com/i/status/1566482280134377472

[GrantDawg]

I have no idea what happened on the "Don't Worry, Darling" set, but I have a feeling it will eventually make an even better movie.

[NobodyHere]

There's more than one Rainmaker out there !?!?!

Singapore Hunts for Global "Rainmakers" With New Expat Visa

[whomario]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

I have no idea what happened on the "Don't Worry, Darling" set, but I have a feeling it will eventually make an even better movie.

I clicked on a Tweet with a funny Chris Pine GIF and now my feed is a tornado of crazy Stories, GIFs and Memes surrounding that movie and especially that event in Venice I gather only 10% of this shit is even remotely true (and some body language et al takes are just stupid) but that would still be quite something. Like, there is no way that Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine in a crowded theater with a gajillion cameras pointed at them but after an hour if this craziness i kinda started to entertain the notion that Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine in a crowded theater with a gajillion cameras pointed at them

[stevew]

Harry Styles is dreamy

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by stevew

Harry Styles is dreamy

He looks like Greg Kinnear and Kevin Bacon had a baby. And he definitely spit on Chris Pine.

[NobodyHere]

The other day I sent a drunken email to my congressman. I actually got a response.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

The other day I sent a drunken email to my congressman. I actually got a response.

I actually had a phone conversation with my congresswoman when I lived in Oregon about daily fantasy sports. She was really accommodating and actually wanted to learn about it.

[JonInMiddleGA]

The Friends main cast are now all older than the youngest cast member of The Golden Girls at the time the latter premiered.

[bhlloy]

We filmed a campaign ad with our congressman in our back yard. It was absolutely awfully awkward. It aired as well locally and I’ve honestly never been more embarrassed of anything in my life, and I didn’t even have to speak.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

We filmed a campaign ad with our congressman in our back yard. It was absolutely awfully awkward. It aired as well locally and I’ve honestly never been more embarrassed of anything in my life, and I didn’t even have to speak.

Any chance it's on youtube? Link?

[bhlloy]

It is, and absolutely no chance

[cartman]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

The other day I sent a drunken email to my congressman. I actually got a response.

from the FBI?