Manga Shoggoth's pre holiday Random Banter Thread #246

[Batcathat]

Obviously(?), SAUSAGE is Special Assistant to the United States Attorney GEneral.

That sounds like the Dwight Schrute of the Attorney General's Office.

[Peelee]

Reusing an existing acronym means a lost opportunity to use a new acronym, though. Fondness is a many-splendored, and many-faceted, thing.

Aye. The vast majority that i have been dealing with and will be dealing with aren't even on the list. And they barely include any agencies at all to boot, and the ones they do seem random.

[Ionathus]

Short version, I listed three separate bodily functions stalling the progression from "stopped producing (enough) insulin" to "dead", long enough for diabetes to be identified and treated. It's very easy to think human bodies are stupid due to the convolution, as I did for quite some time; but when you think about the everything a body has to deal with it is, in fact, remarkable the kinds of conditions and timespans in which it can continue operating.

Yep. The resiliency of most organic life is just astonishing when you really stop to think about it. We naturally fixate on the ways things go wrong (rightfully so, and I don't mean to downplay anybody's medical struggles), but the complexity of how our bodies find a way to tirelessly keep us moving through a borderline-inventive array of obstacles is one of my favorite things about existence.

Bill Bryson's The Body: A Guide for Occupants has a great section about this right away in the intro that puts the body's (usual) resilience into very clear imagery. Immune by Philipp Dettmer is likewise fascinating in how it illustrates the complexity of the human immune system alone. And for the condensed version, here are two of my favorite XKCDs 2720 | 1839

I know you didn't ask for a bibliography but this is one of my favorite topics.

[halfeye]

There's all kinds of stuff that's funky like that.

Why are we physically capable to reproducing before we're, on average, emotionally mature enough to perform the act let alone actually raise a child?

Callous answer: that's probably because "emotional maturity" has a rather low relevance from an evolutionary perspective. Otherwise: humans are social animals that develop very slowly and the individual harbouring individual ambitions and shouldering individual burdens as a perceived positive is a relatively modern notion.

Because the early stages of development are simple to deal with, hard but not difficult? Families exist too.

Why can we grow back our livers and fingertips but not heal a spinal injury?

Mammals (not restricted to humans) are notably bad at replenishing their supplies of nerve tissue.

I knew someone who lost finger parts to a machine saw, was still missing them 40? years later. The nerve thing is probably because our nerves are part of a neural net, and you can't grow that without training it at the same time, and that's very difficult? what happens with strokes is that other brain areas are repurposed to serve, and it takes a very long time and is never as good (may not still hold if we get to the point of living to thousands of years).

Why is our ability to self-repair noticeably inferior to the amount of damage we accrue form continuous use?

Gee, why doesn't every organism ever live for an arbitrarily long (to the point of being indefinite) amount of time by default? (Also: stuff erodes. This isn't a human problem. Yes, PLANTIES (like me!) are way better at fixing ourselves, but even that has its limits.)

So that new people have room to live? we are still more or less adapted to living in the stone age, natural selection hasn't yet caught on to modern, and because modern is a moving target, probably never will.

The oldest things tend to be strange; Greenland sharks:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_shark

Oldest trees:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_trees

[Anonymouswizard]

Here's a pretty barebones list.

I am very disappointed that the list isn't called the US-GAL. But somewhat amused at USA being on there.

Then again I come from a country with a First Sea Lord, I shouldn't be mocking over governments

[Jasdoif]

Then again I come from a country with a First Sea Lord, I shouldn't be mocking over governments

Nonsense. The best part of mocking along with the best of us is that "the best of us" is "all of us", so you don't have to decide who's the best in advance before you join in!

[Rater202]

Have you ever been talking and realized that your audience is asleep with their eyes open?

I've got a weird cat, man.

[TaiLiu]

Short version, I listed three separate bodily functions stalling the progression from "stopped producing (enough) insulin" to "dead", long enough for diabetes to be identified and treated. It's very easy to think human bodies are stupid due to the convolution, as I did for quite some time; but when you think about the everything a body has to deal with it is, in fact, remarkable the kinds of conditions and timespans in which it can continue operating.

Oh, gotcha. Yeah, that's pretty neat.

[Keltest]

Have you ever been talking and realized that your audience is asleep with their eyes open?

I've got a weird cat, man.

Is that... not a cat's default state of being?

[Anonymouswizard]

Nonsense. The best part of mocking along with the best of us is that "the best of us" is "all of us", so you don't have to decide who's the best in advance before you join in!

Yes, but we have so much pomp it's unfairly easy. Like I'm fairly certain that Congress doesn't have a yearly ritual of slamming the door in the President's face and then loudly grumbling when they have to go along anyway.

Is that... not a cat's default state of being?

Only for two thirds of the day, otherwise they're awake but disinterested.

[Rater202]

If you dress up like a cowboy, does that mean you did some ranch dressing?

[Lord Raziere]

Tried to upgrade computers ram, now monitors showing no signal, will be on phone until this problem is sorted out, might take at least a day

[Rater202]

Tried to upgrade computers ram, now monitors showing no signal, will be on phone until this problem is sorted out, might take at least a day

We had to replace the line going from the well to the house.

The problem was framed that figuring out where exactly the line was and digging it up was the hard part and switching it out would only take a few minutes.

Took five hours.

And the bathroom ink keeps attacking me now.

[Keltest]

Tried to upgrade computers ram, now monitors showing no signal, will be on phone until this problem is sorted out, might take at least a day

Does the computer boot up, or just stall out and beep when you hit the button?

[Anonymouswizard]

And the bathroom ink keeps attacking me now.

Look, if you don't keep a squid in your bathroom you won't have this problem. Just get bottled ink like normal people do

More seriously, you've gotta love how these jobs go. Not had to deal with them myself, but I know people who have had both the 'well this won't take three days' and the ridiculous consequences.

[Lord Raziere]

Does the computer boot up, or just stall out and beep when you hit the button?

It’s running but it’s all black screen I tested the monitor and it fine with another computer as for the the ram…. Turns out I was wrong despite being the same company/whatever and compatible the little teeth things were slightly different so it was never compatible. But now the old rams installed back it’s still the same problem, ugh I screwed myself

[Rynjin]

It’s running but it’s all black screen I tested the monitor and it fine with another computer as for the the ram…. Turns out I was wrong despite being the same company/whatever and compatible the little teeth things were slightly different so it was never compatible. But now the old rams installed back it’s still the same problem, ugh I screwed myself

Make sure you really jam the suckers in there, if they're even a little bit loose you'll get this issue. You have to be way rougher with those RAM sticks than you'd expect.

[Anonymouswizard]

Make sure you really jam the suckers in there, if they're even a little bit loose you'll get this issue. You have to be way rougher with those RAM sticks than you'd expect.

I've been messing around with a 90s machine recently, and I had to push ISA cards much harder than expected.

I'm also having issues getting it to register the PS/2 keyboard, I'm not sure if I have to push it in harder or if that'll damage the port... (not that I've ever had much luck with PS/2 devices)

[Rater202]

So apparently there was a meme going around a few years ago saying that you rap name was "Lil" and then the last reason you were at the hospital.

Fond another one: Your Gangster Name is the color of your shirt and the last thing you ate.

...Brown Buttered Baguette?

Brown Bread and Butter?

...Can I translate it into cockney slang? Be Brown Fred Rudder? That sounds like it could be the name of a classic gangster. "Look out, it's Brown Fred Rudder and he's got a gat!"

[Anonymouswizard]

Fond another one: Your Gangster Name is the color of your shirt and the last thing you ate.

...Brown Buttered Baguette?

Brown Bread and Butter?

...Can I translate it into cockney slang? Be Brown Fred Rudder? That sounds like it could be the name of a classic gangster. "Look out, it's Brown Fred Rudder and he's got a gat!"

Nonexistent Chicken Sandwich!

...I'm not quite enjoying this as much as the Batman name generator.

[Rater202]

Nonexistent Chicken Sandwich!

...I'm not quite enjoying this as much as the Batman name generator.

...I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with that one.

[Anonymouswizard]

...I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with that one.

I'm sure you can guess the joke

[Rater202]

We had to replace the line going from the well to the house.

The problem was framed that figuring out where exactly the line was and digging it up was the hard part and switching it out would only take a few minutes.

Took five hours.

And the bathroom ink keeps attacking me now.

So it gets worse.

My stepfather randomly decided to do some work on the septic tank while he had the backhoe.

He did this without telling anyone and started in the afternoon.

Our sewage line has been disconnected for at least the last six hours and I could have been longer since he only told my mother that as they left on a grocery run.

The water is running but we can't use it for anything.

Edit: Turns out it was 10 hours.

For 16 hours total without the ability to run the water.

[Keltest]

So it gets worse.

My stepfather randomly decided to do some work on the septic tank while he had the backhoe.

He did this without telling anyone and started in the afternoon.

Our sewage line has been disconnected for at least the last six hours and I could have been longer since he only told my mother that as they left on a grocery run.

The water is running but we can't use it for anything.

Edit: Turns out it was 10 hours.

For 16 hours total without the ability to run the water.

Im sorry, but this is phrased like he stole the backhoe? Or did you guys not have a contractor come out and do it?

[LaZodiac]

Im sorry, but this is phrased like he stole the backhoe? Or did you guys not have a contractor come out and do it?

It seems likely that they rented a backhoe to perform some other activity, and his step-father decided "You know while I have this, I'm going to do something incredibly stupid" and then because he was in a backhoe and not surrounded by sensible people, he proceeded to do so.

------

I have been afflicted with the Indigo Prophecy remaster. I woke up today and received an email from GOG thanking me for my purchase of the game... despite me not having had purchased it.

A check of my accounts show that nothing has been charged for it. A search of my GOG account shows that I did in fact have an order for about an hour ago for that game, but unlike every other order it does not say how the purchase was paid for, simply what the price of the game is. The price is not the currently discounted price that the game is on, the full nine dollars instead of the current three buckaroo-banzais.

I did my checking, and discovered that the email alerting me to this purchase is in fact legitimate and from the proper GOG email that sends whenever you buy a game. By all accounts, I have simply been given a video game for free, from GOG, as a gift, without any indication as such- which is against how they usually do this, usually they mark it as a gift and notably DO NOT TELL YOU that you receive a gift from GOG. I have opened my GOG account before and found games in it I've never purchased because GOG will just sometimes randomly give you a video game and not tell you as a gift.

But this time I was told, told that I purchased this, and now I have it. In basically any other situation this would be weird but the fact that it's god damn Indigo Prophecy makes it all the funnier since that's a weirdo conspiracy theory game.

Does anyone know why this happened?

also unrelated Steam's navigation window has suddenly become non functional with regards to moving and adjusting its position???? Tech is not treating me kindly today...

[Rater202]

Unrelated, I took a nap yesterday and dreamt that I was involved in a high-tech AR game type thing where I was wearing special AR glasses and every week an AR "slasher" would attack my house in the evening and I could either kill them with whatever I have on hand or abilities from my class or prevent them from 'killing' me three nights in a row... You know, basically FNAF sans the serial numbers and actually taking all night.

And it was easy enough, keeping the doors locked at night and **** like that was doing it, mostly, and I think I gotta bonus for pacifist routing it because one of the slasher's was a house cat possessed by a ghost and after clearing it I got the cat as a companion...

Then I saw a youtube video about how three internet celebrities who had been involved in 'the challenge' had just up and gone missing and I realized that the cat was still there out of game hours and other people could see it without the AR glasses.

Which meant that this was somehow real.

Then I got the alert that the final round had started and I had an hour to prepare for 'the gauntlet... On the night everyone was over for a party and were coming in and out of the house.

Every time I nap I dream a nonsensical horror movie.

[Anonymouswizard]

It seems likely that they rented a backhoe to perform some other activity, and his step-father decided "You know while I have this, I'm going to do something incredibly stupid" and then because he was in a backhoe and not surrounded by sensible people, he proceeded to do so.

This was all so much funnier when I could imagine that a backhoe was like a specialised how, not a proper big diggy machine.

I have been afflicted with the Indigo Prophecy remaster. I woke up today and received an email from GOG thanking me for my purchase of the game... despite me not having had purchased it.

A check of my accounts show that nothing has been charged for it. A search of my GOG account shows that I did in fact have an order for about an hour ago for that game, but unlike every other order it does not say how the purchase was paid for, simply what the price of the game is. The price is not the currently discounted price that the game is on, the full nine dollars instead of the current three buckaroo-banzais.

I did my checking, and discovered that the email alerting me to this purchase is in fact legitimate and from the proper GOG email that sends whenever you buy a game. By all accounts, I have simply been given a video game for free, from GOG, as a gift, without any indication as such- which is against how they usually do this, usually they mark it as a gift and notably DO NOT TELL YOU that you receive a gift from GOG. I have opened my GOG account before and found games in it I've never purchased because GOG will just sometimes randomly give you a video game and not tell you as a gift.

But this time I was told, told that I purchased this, and now I have it. In basically any other situation this would be weird but the fact that it's god damn Indigo Prophecy makes it all the funnier since that's a weirdo conspiracy theory game.

Does anyone know why this happened?

also unrelated Steam's navigation window has suddenly become non functional with regards to moving and adjusting its position???? Tech is not treating me kindly today...

That's weird. I'd recommend contacting GOG customer service just in case something has messed up. At worst you'll lose a copy of Fahrenheit and, like, it's Fahrenheit, is it really that bad if you lose it?

I mean I don't know, I have a copy but have never finished it.

[LaZodiac]

That's weird. I'd recommend contacting GOG customer service just in case something has messed up. At worst you'll lose a copy of Fahrenheit and, like, it's Fahrenheit, is it really that bad if you lose it?

I mean I don't know, I have a copy but have never finished it.

It turns out that this is in fact GOG giving it as a gift to anyone who owns the original through them. They just... did it atypically to how they've always done this.

[Anonymouswizard]

It turns out that this is in fact GOG giving it as a gift to anyone who owns the original through them. They just... did it atypically to how they've always done this.

Ah,, okay. Honestly I did check my GOG library to see if they were giving it to everyone, but I only own it on Steam. My GOG is mostly Ultima and other classic CRPGs.

I would get Diablo for it, but I want to get a boxed copy once I get my retro box working.

[Rater202]

Comic Book trivia: The white hair at Reed Richards's temples is stress-related, dating back to his post-college military service.

Before he was Mister Fantastic, Reed went to war and he saw some ****.