Armies in different countries do different things.

In Canada, I entered the as it’s how poor kids get a college education. End-of.

Our army isn’t the same as the seppo grunts, as we are an armed force and that’s an idea drilled into us regularly. We’re solders second, an armed force first.

Take away the guns and there’s still a lotta value in a bunch of people trained in coordinating and communicating, who know CPR and how to work a radio, who can work as a unit, even if it’s not doing shooty-pow-pow. And ammo’s pricy anyway.

How it started:

• “hey portal, call my kids” and it shows up on the fucking TV. That’s the workflow. It lights the TV, switches inputs and starts a call. Boom.
• microphone array works from everywhere
• digital-ptz camera was game-changing
• “hey portal, answer call” when the TV was off would light the TV, select the right HDMI and start the call. The workflow again was a single command.
• setup: plug in HDMI, plug in power . Use QR to auth the unit to your account.
• it was loss-leadered at like $100, which is why we outfitted the entire family during covid for the cost of a single tablet.

How it’s going:

• the M agent is dead, so its voice control for calling no longer works.
• the Alexa link is dead, so it no longer works as an Alexa agent for home control
• the streamer apps are dead, so it can’t do Netflix, britbox, prime, etc
• zoom is too weird to set up with the remote, so no zoom
• video works
• Cam still crushes it
• sound still rocks
• poking the remote HDMI-CECs over to the portal still, like what voice commands did

But it still - and here’s the thing - is a single set-top appliance with an easy UI and controller that puts video chat on the damned TV

Grandma can no longer use her voice, but she can use the tivo-style remote to start calls. And, again, they’re on this gorgeous big screen so nana can see everyone.

I simply cannot describe the difference between a phone, even a tablet, and a monster fucking TV image to make you feel really connected with people of normal size. I’d say it again if I thought it’d make a difference.

Now do the Portal TV!

(Which has been a life-changing device for us, by the way)

And when Tim Curry drags himself in, he’s 25 and gorgeous like we all remember.

Sovereign governments collect taxes to destroy money, not to fund things. They can fund things by creating money from thin air; the taxes are to remove money from circulation and control inflation.

What the hell are you even talking about?

Jesus. When I was in college we’d catch the C-Train (subway) to Esso Plaza for the dollar-seat second-run cinema, which had Pulp Fiction playing.

Go play with one. It’ll get serious FAST

That would be epic.

My dad invited me to meet him at work, one day. It was a bad week for me and the new step-mother getting along, and so I wasn’t surprised. We took a little walk from the shop and stopped to chat.

“I’ve given you all 25 years of my life,” was when the conversation changed, mid-speech. “Now it’s time for me. It’s my time.”

It was how he invited me to go live with my mom, or just go. It began a bit of a formative time filled with stress and anger, and I daresay we’ve not been the same since.

Just a big beautiful orange tabby boy. He’s got the floof and the face. He’s genetically blessed either way!!

Wow. That’s a great list, though.

Describe, in single words only, the good things that come into your mind… about your mother.

Did that one still have some Dunki DNA on it, or was she long gone by then?

You laugh. I dream of this.

imdoingmypart.jpg

People who proclaim others are Grammar Nazis generally may need to focus more on spelling and less on cheesy melodrama.

WW2

You’re gonna hate to learn they needed to be paid-off to get into that conflict. “But but but mercenaries for the good guys that time” doesn’t hit so hard.

How much flame-point ragdoll is that?

(Btw our old ragdoll does the piloting as well, but so she can inspect lights, off or on, because she’s fixated on lights. We do ‘rounds’, sometimes. Our young ragdoll cannot be arsed to interact that much yet as she’s in that phase)

Without context? Yeah.

I downvote for lazy spelling, and there’s no way to indicate that. I’ll accept if I downvote a positive idea and in doing so make it seem like I disagree with the positive message instead of just the broken medium, but I’d rather not.

[it’s] a modern building and they’ve fucked it up you really notice

How about the stairs leading up from a subway stop?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap-22FjgoE4

"'We apologize for the inconvenience.”

(stolen from Douglas Adams)