[Abyss]

Tiste Simeon, on 16 October 2024 - 01:17 PM, said:

Abyss, on 15 October 2024 - 08:04 PM, said:

Cause, on 15 October 2024 - 06:56 PM, said:

Todays first world problem:

My new apartment is lovely, and my bathroom is pretty decent. I thought it was time to upgrade to a modern Japanese like bidet toilet. Life's too short not to poop in luxury. I have realized though that there is no way to get a power outlet anywhere near my toilet and as a renter I probably can't get one out it. Frustrating.

There are models that don't use power but I feel the drop off in luxury is probably quite large.

diesel fueled generator.

Indeed there is nothing that says pooping in peace quite like the noise and smell of a diesel generator!

the better ones come with bluetooth speaker, cupholder, and GPS.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Abyss, on 16 October 2024 - 03:39 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 16 October 2024 - 01:17 PM, said:

Abyss, on 15 October 2024 - 08:04 PM, said:

Cause, on 15 October 2024 - 06:56 PM, said:

Todays first world problem:

My new apartment is lovely, and my bathroom is pretty decent. I thought it was time to upgrade to a modern Japanese like bidet toilet. Life's too short not to poop in luxury. I have realized though that there is no way to get a power outlet anywhere near my toilet and as a renter I probably can't get one out it. Frustrating.

There are models that don't use power but I feel the drop off in luxury is probably quite large.

diesel fueled generator.

Indeed there is nothing that says pooping in peace quite like the noise and smell of a diesel generator!

the better ones come with bluetooth speaker, cupholder, and GPS.

And a complementary bouquet of truck nuts and Trump Bibles (no King Edward Hotel bar mix though---that could be Canada's competitive edge in the global (/ future interplanetary) market...).

[Cause]

Do you know how efficient I could be if I could eat the king Edward’s bar mix while already sitting on the toilet?

[Mezla PigDog]

I woke with a terrible cold, body aches all over. I would ideally have taken the day off but I'm behind on something for a client which I only took over because someone else went off sick. So I thought better to power through and face the physical consequences rather than the professional ones. Then I get a request from my boss that makes me seriously regret my decision. Why oh why did I bother?

I work for a company with no share holders. We're for profit but all profit is invested back into the organisation and its people. You would think it would be a utopia. Yet somehow, the top brass STILL manage to be money grabbing arseholes. I wouldn't mind but I have to sit through endless town hall meetings where they go on about how proud they are to lead a purpose driven organisation. Why are you making us grow 10% a year every year, in that case, you pillocks!

[Lady Bliss]

Mezla PigDog, on 18 October 2024 - 01:38 PM, said:

I woke with a terrible cold, body aches all over. I would ideally have taken the day off but I'm behind on something for a client which I only took over because someone else went off sick. So I thought better to power through and face the physical consequences rather than the professional ones. Then I get a request from my boss that makes me seriously regret my decision. Why oh why did I bother?

I work for a company with no share holders. We're for profit but all profit is invested back into the organisation and its people. You would think it would be a utopia. Yet somehow, the top brass STILL manage to be money grabbing arseholes. I wouldn't mind but I have to sit through endless town hall meetings where they go on about how proud they are to lead a purpose driven organisation. Why are you making us grow 10% a year every year, in that case, you pillocks!

On the town hall meetings, I learned the trick of arranging to have the service desk call me with an “emergency” so I could leave early. Worked like a charm.

[amphibian]

To a certain degree, revenue needs yearly growth to match raises, fringe costs, and costs of doing business - especially as more regulations accumulate. If that doesn't happen to the degree required to keep core staff and leadership there, it all goes to pieces.

That being said, I think sometimes the business people get lost in the sauce and unattach themselves from the staff doing the things that make the money and/or the organization go. Copying the infinite growth models that higher finance pushes to get explosive growth (also extractive growth) becomes easier because that's what the superstars are doing and maybe success here means that happens or an opportunity to personal move up into that world.

I'm working for a government that needs to hire many more people on all fronts, needs to raise wages, be more diverse/inclusive/accessible, welcome parents far more, and do so while a big segment of the public doesn't believe in doing any of this for government staff. Oy...

[Lady Bliss]

amphibian, on 18 October 2024 - 09:16 PM, said:

To a certain degree, revenue needs yearly growth to match raises, fringe costs, and costs of doing business - especially as more regulations accumulate. If that doesn't happen to the degree required to keep core staff and leadership there, it all goes to pieces.

That being said, I think sometimes the business people get lost in the sauce and unattach themselves from the staff doing the things that make the money and/or the organization go. Copying the infinite growth models that higher finance pushes to get explosive growth (also extractive growth) becomes easier because that's what the superstars are doing and maybe success here means that happens or an opportunity to personal move up into that world.

I'm working for a government that needs to hire many more people on all fronts, needs to raise wages, be more diverse/inclusive/accessible, welcome parents far more, and do so while a big segment of the public doesn't believe in doing any of this for government staff. Oy...

So are they hiring? :-).

[amphibian]

Yes, take a look at the NYS jobs site and the HELPS site. The second site is a bit different to navigate, it's a sped up version of getting into state employment without taking an exam etc.

I'm going to be of very little help in terms of knowing where the jobs within the state are for what you do because I only cross over into the tech world for accessibility reasons and when I bump into the higher ups at tech focused agencies.

But I can be of help for the how to of applying, what the interview/hiring process is like etc.

[Cause]

I went to king Richard’s faire in MA. I’m glad I went as I have always wanted to go to one but it was underwhelming. Some reviews seem to suggest it’s been going down hill the last few years but I can’t say. More than half the people there dressed up which was nice, the entertainment was very mixed. A trained dog show, a joust, a musical comedy (so bad). Food was very overpriced since they have you as a captive audience. The viral sensation Jacque ze whipper apparently decided not to attend this year which was disappointing.

On the plus side I am certain that women’s fashioned peaked in ye olde times. Corsets, bodices and off the shoulder everything. I have a type that apparently includes sexy witches, sexy peasant women, sexy wenches, sexy barmaids, sexy pirate ladies.

[Macros]

So Halloween is your peak then

[Tsundoku]

Macros, on 20 October 2024 - 09:20 AM, said:

So Halloween is your peak then

I would have thought "climax" to be more appropriate ...

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Macros, on 20 October 2024 - 09:20 AM, said:

So Halloween is your peak then

Very soon you should be able to get some AR glasses and swap out everyone with a different sexy Who(/Witch-)ever (randomized by default, or of your choice)---with ghostly name-tags to remind you which is which.

Sexy dragons, even... or the monsters from the movie Cats (horrible parodies of the divine (feline---not human, of course) forms as they are...).

[Briar King]

Yes but tell us how it’ll work please. We are in so much suspense to find out.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Broke my fast because my bedroom closet flooded (but caught most of it in plastic bins) and the crack in the ceiling from previous water damage, which they hadn't bothered fixing, has grown considerably bigger. Unfortunately prolonged fasting temporarily suppresses the immune system (before causing it to regenerate), and I'll have to wait for maintenance to come---not worth risking long covid. Not to mention the risk from possible mold---I'm not allergic and have never had symptoms when my apartment's had mold in the past, but apparently it can be much worse for people with compromised immune systems.

Maybe I'll try again in a week or two, if maintenance finishes up in a timely fashion and five days after they finish I pass another molecular covid test. Good chance they won't even bother fixing the ceiling unless I demand it. More water would just bring it down again eventually anyway. I am a little concerned that infected air could come in through the hole, depending on where holes in other apartments and intermediary structures may be located, but I'd guess it's probably not a major issue. Might want to get a second air purifier to put in there just in case. Or try to fill the gap with covid masks or other material if maintenance doesn't want to fix it. I haven't explicitly said so but they seem to have correctly inferred from my masking and blasting the air purifier that I'm very concerned about covid and would therefore prefer it if they came in as little as possible.

Oh well. Fast was going well. But it's been years since I fasted for more than a day, so a warm-up fast to get my body accustomed to it again before going the full five days might actually make it easier. At least fasting for just over a day and a half will have boosted my HGH levels, though I'm not sure if that will still be in my system when I electrocute my abs for five hours later today (maybe get in a few push-ups and squats too):

Quote

researchers found that during a 24-hour fast, the amount of energy your body uses during various activities dropped, while growth hormone levels rose by a lot.

WebMD

See also:

What One Lifter Learned from Not Eating for 60 Hours

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 26 October 2024 - 01:30 PM

[Macros]

I direct you every single bit of logic that says historically we never willfully starved ourselves, wise the fuck up, eat a balanced healthy diet without processed foods and die on the golf course not in a hospital bed comatose after 5 years of vegetation at 103

[Macros]

Or you know
Whatever

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Macros, on 27 October 2024 - 01:17 AM, said:

I direct you every single bit of logic that says historically we never willfully starved ourselves, wise the fuck up, eat a balanced healthy diet without processed foods and die on the golf course not in a hospital bed comatose after 5 years of vegetation at 103

From NIH (that's the US National Institute of Health):

Quote

Fasting has been practiced for millennia, for religious, ethical, or health reasons. It is also commonplace among different species, from humans, to animals, to lower eukaryotes. Research on fasting is gaining traction based on recent studies that show its role in many adaptive cellular responses such as the reduction of oxidative damage and inflammation, increase of energy metabolism, and in boosting cellular protection. In this expert review, we recount the historical evolution of fasting and we critically analyze its current medical applications, including benefits and caveats. Based on the available data, we conclude that the manipulation of dietary intake, in the form of calorie restriction, intermittent fasting, dietary restriction with the exclusion of some nutrients, prolonged fasting, and so forth, is anthropologically engraved in human culture possibly because of its positive health effects. Indeed, many studies show that fasting ameliorates many biochemical parameters related to cardiovascular and cancer risk, and neurodegeneration.

[...] several periods of prolonged, that is, several days fasts carried out during the year are part of many Buddhist traditions, for example, danjiki in Japanese Tendai, geumchok in Korean Seon, or zhai in China.

Traditional and Medical Applications of Fasting - PMC

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 27 October 2024 - 01:39 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Seems like Audible Plus has recently revised the meaning of "available until [day X]" to be "no longer available starting on [day X]"; I could swear that a title that was "available until" some recent date (the 25th maybe?) was still available to play on that date, but the titles that were "available until" the 28th were no longer available at least as of 10:30 AM EST.

Thankfully I finished the Chathram Voyage a day early.

Last night I did end up listening to Cormac McCarthy's Child of God at x2 speed, got about 2/3rds of the way through, listened to a bit more this morning, then had to restart my computer and bam, no longer available. Oh well, I didn't like it very much anyway. Audiobook not particularly good (or bad, or beyond...). Could probably finish it in half an hour at just about any library or bookstore (reading with my eyes, that is...).

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 28 October 2024 - 04:06 PM

[Cause]

Even CNN now locks behind stories behind a conscription. I prefer to consume my news for free. So it annoys me and just forces to me to find the story elsewhere. However the ability to do so gets harder every day

May have to bite the bullet one day but it’s not this day.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Cause, on 28 October 2024 - 07:51 PM, said:

Even CNN now locks behind stories behind a conscription. I prefer to consume my news for free. So it annoys me and just forces to me to find the story elsewhere. However the ability to do so gets harder every day

May have to bite the bullet one day but it's not this day.

If you haven't yet you might want to try right-clicking and selecting "open link in incognito window (Chrome) / open link in InPrivate window (Microsoft Edge)"...

Funny how the Washington Post adopted "Democracy Dies in Darkness" as their slogan and then put up a paywall (or was it already up? I don't remember).

A lot of paywalled news content is made available for free over RSS feeds and in Microsoft Start.