I was once working with a team in India to resolve a database issue. During a particular call, we had to export data several times to create backups. Exporting the DB data is done with “dump” commands and my Indian counterpart would repeatedly tell me that he “took a dump just now”.

WOW! Not much in the news has shocked and surprised me as much as this article has.

Victor Willis says he will take legal action against any news organization that suggest “Y.M.C.A.” is a gay anthem beginning in January 2025

I’m really curious to know what legal action he intends to take. Doesn’t he have to show some sort of damages for any hope of not throwing his money away on frivolous lawsuits that will go nowhere?

Here are a couple of items that I wish that I had picked up earlier. They are not required, but they greatly simplified my life.

• headlamp: Trying to balance or prop up a flashlight while working used to result in so much frustration.
• tin sheers: I love these so much that they have replaced scissors in most day-to-day applications
• flexible drill bit extender: So many screws are in places inaccessible to a drill body. This inexpensive item solves that problem. Magnetic wristbands: Keep those screws and bits from getting lost.
• level that is at least 2ft long: I really appreciate having a level that can span two studs (16")
• precision / mini needle nose pliers: I don’t need them often, but when I do I am always happy that I have them
• painters tape: I am surpised how often I use painters tape for all sorts of applications

It’s easier and generally more acceptable to ask here than in the grocery store.

Maybe I want clear enough, so allow me to expand.

Some events, like the cited example of award shows, have their outcomes decided on before they are announced. If I gain this ability after that the decision is made but before the outcome is announced, then I could place a wager on it now without impacting anything in the past. This is where the “depending on the timing” qualifier comes into play and why I said “already decided but not yet announced”.

The ability would be see back to any year. I could just look back at any specific event within the year. I wouldn’t need to memorize anything if I can just observe it.

I already consider myself a fairly happy individual. I would be pursuing financial independence, not happiness. Besides, why would I assume that the acquisition of knowledge would have an impact on my emotional state.

This year. Having near omniscience about recent events would have so many useful applications.

My stock predictions would be crazy accurate if I could observe what decision makers were planning but had not yet implemented or were still in the process of implementing.

Depending on the timing of when this ability takes affect, I might be able to also place wagers on events, like awards shows, that have already been decided but not yet announced.

My ability to solve crimes by observing how they were committed and what happened to the evidence would propel me to Sherlock Holmesian level of noteriety.

I am also sure plenty of influencial people would be willing to do favors for me in exchange for my silence on some of their various recent activities.

Those aren’t even the imaginative ideas.

A few uneducated thoughts:

I feel like there should be a way to use tides to track the passage of time. Maybe by monitoring the shifting water at fixed points?

While a clepsydra may not work underwater, a inverse one that slowly releases air instead of water might. Similarly, any container that slowly releases sand, or other such substance, at a constant rate could be used. Either by adjusting a scale, releasing counterweights, or even tracking how much has been released into another container (like an hourglass).

I think social media provides a good reference to start speculating an answer to your question.

The problem with statements like this is that they only ever seem to be made by narcissists who thinks work is only those efforts that directly benefit them. The end of my “work day” is when I start my other job of working for myself. I manage my home, I take care of my garden, I put effort into maintaining or improving my physical and mental well being, I foster and build the relationships in my life that I care about, etc. All of that is work, it’s just work that I do for myself and don’t get a paycheck for.

The big ones for me were joint pains, chronic headaches, and cramping that made me feel like I needed to take a painful crap. For some strange reason, that last one only occur in the middle of the night and it would last for a good hour or so.

Drink water.

So many odd physical conditions ended up being the result of dehydration and went away once I started drinking water throughout my day. I was in my 30s when I learned that one.

So true. If you are lacking knowledge on a topic, asking questions is always the best approach.

None.

When a man lies he murders some part of the world.

– Merlin (Excalibur, 1981)

If you know something to be false and try to pass it off as truth, that is lying. It doesn’t matter how you phrase it or try to hide behind symantics like “I’m just asking questions” or “it’s just a hypothetical”.

That being said, it does not mean that you cannot contribute to a conversations if you are not an authority on a subject. If you are not sure or cannot recall a credible source for your information you can preface your comment with something like “I never confirmed the validity of this, so I may be completely wrong, but…”.

I am really curious what “beliefs and faith” people think Trump is going to champion. I keep hearing similar statements but nobody (except racists) ever goes into what those beliefs are or why they think Trump will uphold them.

Former President Trump said the “biggest mistake” of his presidency was picking “bad, disloyal people” to join his administration.

(source)

It boggles the mind that anybody would be expecting Trump to consider anything but loyalty for his appointments.

I imagine the conversations going a bit like “You are going to be part of my cabinet. I’m told it’s not the type of cabinet you put things in, but a group of people that make decisions and handle all the boring stuff. My cabinet is going to be the best most beautiful cabinet anyone has ever seen. Here’s the hat with available positions. Let’s see what you get.”

Wait. They are serious? The Onion actually bought InfoWars and this is not the typical joke Onion article?

I had to check to make sure that this was not an old April Fools Day joke article.

It’s been a few years since I last bought a TV, but I’ve been happy with my Sony. About once or twice a year I get a “software update available” message, which is weird since it has never been connected to any network, but I just dismiss it and continue my regular usage.

I hope a significant number of them get new jobs and quiet quit to get that double paycheck for as long as they can.