rravenwood Posted October 30, 2022 Report Share Posted October 30, 2022 10 hours ago, death tribble said: Extra hour in bed. Definitely a cause for cheer! 10 hours ago, death tribble said: The clocks went back. I'll say no more, as it would need to go into the "cranky" thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ternaugh Posted November 6, 2022 Report Share Posted November 6, 2022 I broke down and bought an Xbox Series X the other day, and the store notified me this morning that it was in. I picked it up after work, and set it up tonight. I had a few teething problems with my audio/video setup. My receiver handles 4K but not HDR; I use a switch to split the video and audio into two separate HDMI lines. The switch is sometimes a bit finicky, and requrires an occasional hard reboot, as well as a reboot of the connected devices. My internet connection decided to drop at one point, which knocked me out of my game. It turns out that you have to make the device primary in order to play downloaded games in offline mode. That's been adjusted. Loading times are extremely fast, and the interface is much more responsive than my old Xbox One. The optical drive handled a 4K movie fine, though I still prefer a real remote control over a controller. I'll give it more of a test over the next few days, but so far, I'm very happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted November 10, 2022 Report Share Posted November 10, 2022 No classes or meetings tomorrow. Friday's a federal holiday. 4-day weekend! W00t! tkdguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted November 10, 2022 Report Share Posted November 10, 2022 On 11/5/2022 at 8:48 PM, Ternaugh said: I broke down and bought an Xbox Series X the other day, and the store notified me this morning that it was in. I picked it up after work, and set it up tonight. I had a few teething problems with my audio/video setup. My receiver handles 4K but not HDR; I use a switch to split the video and audio into two separate HDMI lines. The switch is sometimes a bit finicky, and requrires an occasional hard reboot, as well as a reboot of the connected devices. My internet connection decided to drop at one point, which knocked me out of my game. It turns out that you have to make the device primary in order to play downloaded games in offline mode. That's been adjusted. Loading times are extremely fast, and the interface is much more responsive than my old Xbox One. The optical drive handled a 4K movie fine, though I still prefer a real remote control over a controller. I'll give it more of a test over the next few days, but so far, I'm very happy. I got a remote for our Xbox (which is also our main box for watching Disney+, HBOGO, and Amazon Prime). They exist. Ternaugh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ternaugh Posted November 10, 2022 Report Share Posted November 10, 2022 8 hours ago, Old Man said: I got a remote for our Xbox (which is also our main box for watching Disney+, HBOGO, and Amazon Prime). They exist. I might look into getting one, thanks. I think that it handles the surround sound better than my Roku, but I'll experiment a bit more with both. When I purchased my Xbox One, I had looked into getting a media remote for it, but they required the Kinect camera to pick up the remote's IR signal, which I was too cheap to buy. Good to know that they've put an IR receiver in the front of the Series X. I had a bunch of games on an external hard drive that was connected to the Xbox One, and I moved it over to the new Series X last night. A few games are receiving updates, but the system happily recognized the 100 or so games on it with no issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted November 11, 2022 Report Share Posted November 11, 2022 We had a star party last night, taking a gamble on weather that worked out well. Three planets (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, from west to east) and a Moon less than 24 hours after full. Decent turnout of students, as well. I felt really rusty; it was the first such event in more than three years. Considering that back in 1977-78 there were times when I did that five nights a week, there was something nostalgic about it in more ways that one. Old Man 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Walsh Posted November 17, 2022 Report Share Posted November 17, 2022 My wife and I went on vacation last month. The resort we've been visiting for 15 years has been subjected to so much cost cutting and so many price hikes that it's no longer fun to be there. They can't even handle basic functions like keeping things working or preparing food safely any more. But we realized whereas in years past we would have been effectively stuck there because we would have flown in, this time we'd driven. So we decided to get what we could from the hotel to compensate us for the terrible time we had (which involved food poisoning, backed up drains, and more), and then bug out halfway through our planned vacation. And that's just what we did. We got a voucher for the nights we'd stayed and a refund for the nights we hadn't yet stayed, along with a credit for our food purchases and the like. Then we left. We had a great vacation from that point on! We took a long route home and enjoyed the drive and our time in LA, TX, and OK. It was the best vacation we'd had in years. So we've decided to do more of that in the future. More driving vacations where we spend a little time in a number of new-to-us places, doing new things. It's nice to be excited about our future vacations again. Ternaugh, Logan D. Hurricanes, rravenwood and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted December 4, 2022 Report Share Posted December 4, 2022 went up to London technically on Friday as I caught the sleeper which left at 23:56 on Thursday. Got to Reading at 4:30 in the morning when police boarded and arrested a girl and took her off. Didn't hear what for. Got into London at 5:20 (scheduled 5:08). I did not have one of the sleeper cabins. At least 1 and half times what I paid for a seat. Put money on my Oyster card to use buses and the tube. Got a bus to Oxford Circus and then walked down through to Trafalgar Square. From there to Parliament and then across Westminster Bridge heading toward Waterloo and the hotel. Not the usual one as it was one and a half times what I paid for the Waterloo one. Had a McDonalds breakfast burger as I had not eaten in over 10 hours. Then onto the hotel. I was able to leave my bag there and then headed off to a pub for the scheduled breakfast with old DTI (Dept Trade and Industry) staff. I was close to Big Ben as it struck 8 which was nice. Although it was cold I was able to enjoy meeting up with people. Breakfast was at 10, baked beans a tomato, bacon, mushroom, sausages, two eggs and two slices of toast. Coffee to finish and Prosecco before we even started. Nice to catch up as a lot of them had not seen each other due to Covid and I had not seen them since before 2015. After breakfast I headed up West. I then beheld the curious sight of recognising someone that I met but was somehow familiar. It was former Prime Minister Theresa May. She was out with who I presumed to be her husband. Went into Gerry's which is a shop that sells alcohol. Think of a supermarket. What they don't sell is the kind of things Gerry's does. Last there November last year. Got some more booze and had a tasting of Gin. Bought a bottle of Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin which was nice. On then to Foyles the biggest book shop in the world. Got my mother a couple of crime solving books which will be her Christmas present. Then onto Orc's Nest and the guy at the till remembered him as I recalled him. Got myself Wingspan Asia which will be my Christmas present. Back to the hotel with the electronic key which would not open the door. Cleaning staff got me in and I showered, changed, took the key back and explained the problem, got a new one, took it back and tested it, went out to Trafalgar Square and had a spiced German sausage and Mulled Wine. Returned to the hotel and crashed out. Saturday I packed up, left the hotel and set off for Hammersmith and the Convention. Had a bit of problem with navigating before finding it and running into one of the group almost straight off. One of the group could not make it due to a health visit. However other friends of the Reading side turned up which was nice. Saw a Wacky Races board game which intrigued me. Also major Chaosium presence and that resulted in me getting one book for myself and getting another as a combined birthday and Christmas present which was then signed by the author which was nice. The bring and buy had the Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion for the bargain price of £200 and Battlestar Galactica board game for £115. Also got as a combined birthday and Christmas present a game called Those Magnificent Men. Now I like the film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines so we checked to see if as a group we would play it. Consensus was yes so Took over refereeing 3D Settlers of Cataan which was good because the board is just great, all the cards are pre-covered and it can be over quickly. Played the new version of Judge Dredd and came second after an initial draw for first place with two of us on 44 points each. Got a Christmas present for one of the group as the others got the new Dredd game. Some of the group were staying in the hotel which I checked up on for myself and found was extortionate, over 4 and a half times what I paid for my room. Had to do an odd route back to the station to leave and had a McDonalds Big Tasty for dinner. Got the 19:04 (depart 19:09) train home. Finished the Scarlet Pimpernel as we got in. Had to walk home as no taxi (so what is new) and was in before midnight. Went to bed knackered but nice little jaunt out and first time we have had 4 meetings of the group since before 2018. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted December 13, 2022 Report Share Posted December 13, 2022 Finally finished grading stuff and posted course grades, 25.5 hours before the deadline. Man, what a slog. Joe Walsh and Old Man 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted December 13, 2022 Report Share Posted December 13, 2022 One of the things that kept me away from becoming an English teacher is I don't want to grade essays. Any kind of long form that requires interpretation, no thanks. Around the holidays that would be even worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted December 13, 2022 Report Share Posted December 13, 2022 I can grade essays for scientific content, as long as they're short and well-defined. I give such an assignment. Basically it's writing an executive summary (no more than 500 words) of a portion of a chapter out of the text, which is also the subject of a dedicated lecture. 1st draft, peer reviews (anonymous ones) and instructor review, final draft. The worst part (for me) is writing the instructor review. Marshaling all the peer reviews makes for an annoying evening. Grading the final drafts is quick, though often annoying. I won't grade writing mechanics. I utterly refuse to be a grammar Nazi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted December 13, 2022 Report Share Posted December 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Cancer said: I won't grade writing mechanics. I utterly refuse to be a grammar Nazi. Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! Pick me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted December 17, 2022 Report Share Posted December 17, 2022 I am working on organising the artwork I have favoured on Deviantart into folders like Nature, Cars and Steam railway for example. I have 169,000 favourites so it is some job. Some was already organised but I have also found several other artists who do Superheroes and Villains and added them to my collection. And today I reached 10,000 favoured images for Superheroes and Villains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 Based on my listening and playing preferences Youtube threw up a New Wave collection that someone had made, Now I am on volume 5. Very nice. 2 and a half hours at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 7 hours ago, death tribble said: ... Youtube threw up ... If it barfs at New Wave, I expect it to commit seppuku over hip-hop.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted December 19, 2022 Report Share Posted December 19, 2022 36 minutes ago, Cancer said: If it barfs at New Wave, I expect it to commit seppuku over hip-hop.... It's given me Mongolian tribal country folk metal and it's not dead yet. I'll keep trying though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted December 20, 2022 Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 I have all but completed the Snowball fight on Deviantart. I made the top 25 catching list but to my great surprise I also made the top 25 throwing list. I may drop off the one but not the other. It was great fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted December 21, 2022 Report Share Posted December 21, 2022 Today, December 21st 2022, a date which will live in infamy, I was awarded the Fancy Llama badge on Deviantart. It has taken me years to get this. I want parades. I want celebrations. I want parties. I want fresh coffee. I want a bigger office. I want a new car with reclining leather seats that goes really fast and has really bad gas mileage ! Anyway start having fun. Or else....... Cancer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted December 21, 2022 Report Share Posted December 21, 2022 You know how the saying goes 'One person can make a difference' ? Well that is me. I am shilling for several people on the snowball fight and this helped one knock me down the list on top 25 catches as a result of my targeting an individual. Now I am seeing if it works for someone else. I ran out of ammo and stated that this was so but I also publicly thanked all who had helped me. Consequently I have been attacked again, recharged my armoury and returned to the fight. This will go down to the wire. Some of the poitions in the catch list are separated by just one hit tkdguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted December 23, 2022 Report Share Posted December 23, 2022 The final result on the Snowball fight is in. I made top 20 on throwers but came 3rd in catching. I don't produce art, I commission it so it is my comments that get the attention. It is outrageous but engaging in sustained warfare with some people who continue this with you is what got me the placing. I have thanked those responsible for my triumph and said sorry to those I failed to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted December 25, 2022 Report Share Posted December 25, 2022 I tend to eat chocolate with coffee. I now have enough chocolate that I will not need to buy any until at least February, maybe March. tkdguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted January 16, 2023 Report Share Posted January 16, 2023 Looks like my laptop keyboard is working normally again. It was messed up for a while after I spilled coffee on my laptop, so I had to borrow an external keyboard from my friend. Now I can go back to using my regular one. rravenwood 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 Storn is putting up some of my commissions on Deviantart and he started with Britannia. We are doing it as a joint project so I am including my notes. tkdguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted February 6, 2023 Report Share Posted February 6, 2023 First scones of the year. Also got my second pair of spectacles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted February 17, 2023 Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 I have more scones and work on my collection of Deviantart favourites has reached a few milestones. My overall favourites dropped after one user was suspended and their gallery removed and several others have gone or reduced presence due to a disagreement about how to handle AI images. It is still 167k images. Of these 49k odd were in Featured Favourites. I have reduced that number to around 22.5k. The Cityscapes folder went through 1k images as have Glamour, Nature Other, Nature Animals and Nature Landscape. It took a very long time for the Landscape folder to breech the 1k mark. But what has surprised me is the length of time it took for Military and the Film/TV Sci Fi folder to accumulate over a 1000 images apiece. But that has been done and I can take a break. The Superheroes folder is around 13k images. The other large ones are Sketchbook, Glamour, Nature Other and Nature Animals. I have to work backwards and I have reached the end of July 2021. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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