The Community
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Typhon on October 07, 2025, 02:39:52 PM
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Because we have a thread for things that are somewhat normal, today I felt the need to have one for things that seem not so normal. Case in point:
Last week my doctor said he wanted me to make an appointment to get what he called a Heavy Metal test reading. I immediately thought to myself that anybody in the Community would get a fairly high reading from this test. In fact, the reading for Charger and Thel would probably be sky high. But then the doctor explained to me that you receive an intravenous drip, then go home and save your urine for the next 6 hours, and then mail it off to a lab. The lab then calculates the amount of heavy metals that have accumulated over the years in your tissues.
So I guess it wasn't what I was first thinking. But because this whole experience still seemed a bit unusual, I feel it belongs in this new thread. :)
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A true Bill & Ted moment. :D
"You need a heavy metal test."
"Excellent!!!"
My abnormality stems from my mom putting my phone number down as a contact on her medical forms. She had a stay at a hospital a while ago and now I am getting frequent robo-calls from entities that assure me I'm getting Medicare parts A and B and therefore need their services. I answer them because I will get calls from numbers that I don't recognize and they turn out to be customers.
I used to just hang up, and they'd call again.
Then I tried an experiment - I'd hear out the call and then inform it that I don't have the Medicare and please take me out of their databases.
Once I started doing that, the calls had a sharp drop-off in their frequency. I spoke to no human person, but my statement seems to have impacted the course of telemarketing. Even if I'm just attaching a causality to the situation and other factors are in play, I still like to think I had a bit of a John Henry moment and got ahead of the machines.
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^^^^^^
Robo calls are one of the most annoying things in the modern day. Although the great majority of spam calls I get are from real people trying to sell me something. Thank goodness for caller ID, which gives me a way to ignore those calls.
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That's great, a heavy metal test! They should name the different tiers of results with band names of increasing metalness.
0-10, Air Supply
20-30, Journey
etc.
And yeah, spam calls are the bane of my existence. Between caller ID and Apple's new "Announce yourself" feature, I have it under control for now.
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We should actually have a Heavy Metal level counter here! :D
Hopefully those bad kind of heavy metals haven't replaced your good kinds of heavy metals there Typhon!
Telemarketers are a bitch...it's gotten so bad here that I have stopped answering unknown callers. I don't suffer fools anymore. If there's something important you can send me a message then and the few people that I know who call me are already saved on my phone...
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This was somewhat abnormal..
I installed the new CCleaner Pro version and ran it through. All went well and it cleared my internet temp files and cache and cookies and what nots...
Well after doing that my Mozilla wouldn't allow me to login to anywhere anymore...including the Community...always said I have a problem with my cookies.
Only option left was to completely uninstall my Mozilla and reinstall...well that's when things got really annoying. As it seems that Mozilla does back up your bookmarks but NOT your saved passwords!
So now I need to manually re-login into everything! Thankfully I have all my passwords written down in three notebooks. But it takes time finding the correct ones...
Major annoyance! I still do not know what the CCleaner did (as I have done the same clean dozens of times before with the free software) now to so royally screw up my Mozilla...
I am afraid to reinstall the CCLeaner if it'll do the same again...however now I did create a mozilla account where it should (!!) back-up all my data including the passwords.
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^^^^^^
Sometimes the so-called cleaner software can do more harm than good.
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That can be true. Although in this case I am not 100% sure that was to blame though...as Firefox also updated itself so it is possible something went wrong with that....
Either way it is now mostly sorted...
What this prompted though was for me to go through all my passwords and copy them into a new notebook while discarding the non functioning old sites and what nots so it'll be easier to find the right ones...
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Pretty sure CCleaner wiped the infos, those utilities can overreach here and miss things there because they simply can't keep up with all the apps, all the time. Human backup operations such as you've done are warranted and I'm glad you got back to where you need to be.
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It is possible indeed....and considering that it happened right after the Mozilla update it's quite possible that a change there made it happen.
But yeah I'm back to normal now, although it does seem that I had forgotten to put down the password of one internet casino I frequent...might have to reset my password on that one at some point.
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/truck-monkeys-mississippi-tulane-missing-b2854099.html
Biomedical research monkeys on the loose in the Louisiana woodlands.
This is abnormal because that's something I would typically associate with Florida. :smug:
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Well one can only hope they are NOT already genetically altered killer mutant monkeys or Louisiana is gonna have one hell of a Halloween!
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Well I started doing some renovations again...
This time to the living room. Ripping out the old wallpaper and sanding the walls...well A wall for today. It is quite labour intensive trying to get the wallpaper out...and I've decided not even try to get it all out from the drywall...instead I'll paint over it with several coats...and if it leaves a little texture then so be it...it might even look kind of cool.
Took me about 3 hours to sand one 3 foot wide wall....
But the idea is to get all the walls sanded and painted (atleast with the primer) before christmas....We shall see.
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Ach! Wallpaper! The bane of my existence when I have to get it off a wall!
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Indeed...
Ofcourse it wouldn't be much of a problem if I'd know how to put on new wallpaper, but when you paint instead it does create quite the problem indeed...
Well another 2 foot wall for today...
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Well no sanding for me today!
Got the Flu shot and my arm got bit sore so decided not to strain it more...
I wasn't planning on taking the shot but it was free so I thought why not...and atleast this is a well tested and well made!
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Current listening - Enter Sandman... :smug:
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:haha1:
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Well bit more sanding today...without listening to Enter Sandman I might add.
Can't get much done in a day....but I'm hoping I can finish all sanding next week...
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I left behind broadcast teevee to go with cable in 1987.
I dropped cable for satellite in 1999.
Fed up with satellite costs, I went full streaming in 2021.
Yesterday, I set up a gadget on my PC that allows me to pick up broadcast teevee signals.
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Back in the 1980s, I got a 10 foot satellite dish when they first came out. For years I could watch any channel out there for free. Then they started to scramble many of the satellite feeds.
I've always had antennas for broadcast television, still do. Have never paid for cable TV or any television service of any kind in my life, and never will.
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I very rarely watch antenna tv anymore...I think about 95% of my tv and movie watching comes from my Streaming services now...I have SkyShowtime, HBO and occationally Disney and Amazon Prime.
SkyShowtime and HBO are at half price for life. Granted both have raised their monthly fee by more than a euro already so and with netflix now buying HBO I'm pretty sure I'll be saying buh bye to HBO!
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Netflix buying Warner Brothers isn't a done deal yet, there's a big chance it will be blocked.
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Oh yes...quite true... I do hope it'll be blocked. Can't stand anything Netflix does!
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Paramount launched a hostile big. :drama:
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Well finally finished all the sanding....part from couple of spots where more filler is needed.
I'm hoping that tomorrow I can primer two walls...maybe even do two coats...depends on the time it takes to dry.
Days are running short though.
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Good news, after the 21st, they days get longer again!
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Indeed! :lol:
Well first two walls got their primer today. That was actually pretty easy. Two coats...seems okay...there are couple of spots that don't look perfect but neither do I so decided not to give two shits.
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^^^^^^
What will the top color be?
(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOIP.VQqDxxPCS62zGs0JBHu7hQHaE8%3Fcb%3Ducfimg2%26pid%3DApi%26ucfimg%3D1&f=1&ipt=266abccbcc7de3188703a7c816317ba9e9be0f6a1e3a678b3b86f7b610e613f1)
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Something in the yellowy gray range I believe...haven't decided yet. Will be going to the paint store tomorrow.
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Something in the yellowy gray range I believe...haven't decided yet. Will be going to the paint store tomorrow.
May I suggest Manchester Tan. :banana:
That is the wall color of all the rooms in my home, except the master bedroom.
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I have my doubts they have that here! :D
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I have my doubts they have that here! :D
Maybe it's Hämeenlinna Tan in Finland... ?
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Hahah! Maybe!
I went with this one:
(https://tikkurila.fi/sites/default/files/styles/scale_crop_extra_large_800_800/public/pim/images/tikkurila_Y458_short_0.jpg.webp?h=e844b460&itok=CianPuzH)
Merino...like the wool I guess...
Maybe bit too light of a color but we'll see how it sits.
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^^^^^^
Actually, that looks a lot like mine.
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I have now painted the first coat of that.
It is bit lighter than the picture which is a bit of a shame, but need to see how it looks after two coats.
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For the last 5 days I have been sick with a fever and cough. Today is the first day without the fever, so I can tell I am recovering. Good thing because I had to make my way to the market to get food and supplies.
I am rarely sick like this. The thing I hate most about it is I can't do my regular activities that keep me fit, like, using my weight bench, or the tread mill, and any outside chores. Frustrating. :squint:
Almost finished with Ozzy's book, though.
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Sorry to hear that you've been sick buddy...but glad to hear you're on the mend.
Now to really abnormal goings on...
For some reason it seems some threads are getting locked here for no reason! So if you see a locked thread please notify so we can unlock it...not sure what the hell is going on...
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^^^^^^
If that's not one of you mods locking the thread, then maybe a hacker. >:(
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We shall see if it keeps on happening...could just be a software bug.
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Talk about abnormal going ons...
F button from my keyboard just mysteriously stopped working...
So I opened the keyboard cleaned everything (and there was quite a lot of shit in there) and tried again...nope.
Then I cleaned everything again and tried with just the mat not the keys on...and everything worked...I was happy and screwed in all back together again and....nope F still did not work and now also 5 went awol...
So after some profound swearing I took everything apart again and cleaned it the third time...and tested with just the rubbers and nope...F and 5 were both still gone with the piggies...some more swearing ensued and I wiped the contacts once more and then miraculously the F and 5 returned from their adventures in the gone baby gone land...
I screwed everything back together again and now everything works...
Goddamn gremlins are everywhere now!
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Well, at least you didn't have to type that using words which didn't contain an F!
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Good thing you didn't have to contact the F5 company about any of your tech needs during that time!
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.aaaand it happened again today...
And this time it wasn't just the F and the 5 it was also O and 0...
So opened the keyboard up again and cleaned it again this time with electronic contact spray...seems to be working now..
What is the sucky part is that these Ergonomic keyboards aren't available much anymore...the design has changed...and since I've been using one for over 15 years I can not type with a regular keyboard anymore...I did find a new model of the Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard but even that is bit different, but I did order one just in case...because cleaning my keyboard is taking up quite a lot of my day now!
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I have two Microsoft Ergonomic keyboards, one for my business PC and one for my personal PC. I love them, started using them in 1995 and they are the best for typing. I was recommending one to a friend a few years ago when I found out to my dismay that MSFT had discontinued production. So we looked them up on eBay and they were going for around $100-120. Worth it at twice the price, especially for a lightly-used or still in the box condition.
My keyboards have worn pads and faded lettering on the keys, but I love them and if someone modified "Highway Star" to be about the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard, I'd buy a copy for sure.
Nobody gonna take my keyboard
Gonna type it to the ground
Nobody gonna take my keyboard
Best ergonomic one around
Oooo-oooh it's a killer machine
It's got everything
Like an angled key bank
Raised up front and everything
I love it
I need it
I need it
Yeah it types real good
All right hold tight
I'm a typing staaaaaaar!
:smug:
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:haha2:
Indeed!
I am happy to announce that my new keyboard (which at the moment I do not need as a healthy dose of Contact Spray did the trick) arrived and it indeed is the almost the same models as my old one.
Pictured here:
(https://www.proshop.fi/Images/300x251/2865854_7cc4b24195ff.jpg)
So I am happy to stash that away until I need it!
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Love those sweet angles, yes!
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You people and your angles...
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Gotta have 'em angles man!
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Never used one of those, although I am familiar with 'em. I think someone with RSI used one at work.
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I think I bought my first one in the early 2000s when they first came out...
I used to write a LOT back then so the layout got engraved in my head and once that happens there is no way you can ever write with a "normal" keyboard again. That's the problem I have with laptops...and why I don't use mine except for car diagnostic.
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There is a group called the Vervet Monkey Foundation, and they have a place in South Africa. As the name implies, they take in abandoned, injured, or otherwise "at-risk" vervet monkeys and rehabilitate them. Some are placed back in the wild, some are placed in one of the group's massive outdoor enclosures. They are a top-notch organization that really cares and more importantly, "knows their shit."
Recently, they were given a baby vervet monkey to care for. Explaining how the baby came to be without a mother, the person who found it (who just happened to be a veterinarian) was driving home and witnessed an adult female vervet monkey, with baby clinging to it, get hit by a car. The vet stopped and retrieved the baby (who had been tossed fifty feet away off to a ditch), noted that the person who hit the mother was scooping its obviously dead corpse into their vehicle, so decided to bring the baby to the Vervet Monkey Foundation.
When asked if he (the vet) had any idea why the person who hit the adult would put it's corpse in their vehicle, rather than move it off the road, or more realistically simply keep on driving, he indicated
WARNING: CULTURE CLASH INCOMING
He indicated that they were probably going to take it home and eat it. The people in the area of South Africa where this occurred consider vervet monkeys to be fine dining and won't pass up an opportunity to chow down on one. This seems, on the surface, to be high on the creep-o-meter! But, I've known people who have done the same thing with deer that they've hit and killed with their vehicles.
But, vervet monkeys have hands with opposable thumbs, share 93% of the same DNA with humans, are self-aware, clever, learn new things quickly, have a full range of nuanced feelings that they can emote, and have on occasion cared for baby humans for multiple years until the kids were found by other people.
Deer don't have any of that. So, eating a vervet monkey just doesn't sit well with me!
On the other hand - Macaques? - fuck macaques :banana:
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This is why I tend to avoid "bush meat" when traveling. In addition to the "hey, that animal is a little too close for comfort" issue, there's also the, "ummm, I'm not going to get any species-jump disease nonsense if I eat this, am I?" factor to consider.
I used to work on a ranch, though, so I have zero issue with eating cows, if the meat's smoked properly.
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... there's also the, "ummm, I'm not going to get any species-jump disease nonsense if I eat this, am I?" factor to consider.
What, you don't want to be patient zero for an even more devastating variant of Ebola?
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... there's also the, "ummm, I'm not going to get any species-jump disease nonsense if I eat this, am I?" factor to consider.
What, you don't want to be patient zero for an even more devastating variant of Ebola?
No. I do not.
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I've been gradually, but steadily, upgrading components to my stereo system. I've been using a Technics SU-R1000 integrated amplifier for a long time and have a Parasound JC5 stereo amplifier sitting around waiting to replace that Technics unit.
It's been waiting because I want to find an appropriate set of speakers first. My current pair are a bit puny for that JC5's output. I've tested them running together and although they all work together fine, I don't want to inadvertently blow out my drivers. Then along comes today...
The Technics unit had explosive diarrhea, fell back and rolled around in it. I cleaned things up and now just need to get the JC5 hooked in. Will probably do that tomorrow. In the meantime I'm investigating if I can fix the Technics (signs are positive in that regard) or if it will require a pro tech to handle. If the latter is the case, I'm not sure I'll do that. Might sell it as-is for dirt cheap, not sure yet.
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ooooh that's a kick in the head!
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Sorry to hear that bud!
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I've been gradually, but steadily, upgrading components to my stereo system. I've been using a Technics SU-R1000 integrated amplifier for a long time and have a Parasound JC5 stereo amplifier sitting around waiting to replace that Technics unit.
That Parasound is an impressive amplifier, Vyn. :rockon:
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Thanks Typhon!