Speedy's Cafe - General Chat about anything you like!

[Van Buren Supernova]

19 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Oh, for sure!  I once saw a demo by a security expert.  He was on some tv show, and they had asked the audience members to write down some seemingly harmless info relating to their home computers.  So here it was, maybe an hour later, and he showed this one lady a live feed from her living room computer!

 GAH! That's why I have stickers over my cameras.

Wait, so this is a demo to show why you need to buy their security system is it? Funny, because I actually have the most paranoia about them. I do not believe in digital security company, they actually have the best access. 

Similar with residence complex security, some home breakings are committed through the insider knowledge of the security. They know when the homes are empty and the routine of the dwellers. Some complex, such as my family's, even advice the home dwellers to report to them when their house is empty.

[Carol the Dabbler]

11 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

 ... so this is a demo to show why you need to buy their security system is it?

As I recall, no -- he was offering some free tips, like covering your camera lens.  Though I don't suppose he'd have minded if some of the viewers bought his book.  (I think he had written a book.)

[Van Buren Supernova]

Andddd people still make fun of me for covering my camera lens.

 

On sidenote today:

I brought the car to a carwash today, I normally wash it myself, but after leaving it for long trip and some interior mesh up (seat lining for dog is broken, dog is smelly after staying with his original family when I picked him up, dog is furry, dog came out, played hide and seek between the seat and the lining, dog happy) it was in horrible condition and it is very worth it to give it a proper wash (the cost is very low here and they could do it properly).

So this time (I have been here before) they opened up second story aircon waiting room that overlooks the washing area with big glass window. I guess it's new since back then the waiting area was messy space next to the carwash. I spent my time browsing the net, and when I thought it's about done, I stood and looked down at the car. They were almost done, and this guy, the employee of the carwash, was opening my backpack that I left in the car. It's obvious that he was not supposed to do that, so he checked all the zippers quickly and stopped when the other guy (I think the boss/manager who was hands-on the job too) was in his sight. The shady guys moved to the other side of the car, the side where he was facing the second story. I continued to stare, he must felt it, looked up and probably had adrenaline jump. I didn't let go his eyes and he quickly tried to get busy.

At this point the car was almost done, so I slowly made my way down. When I caught him in the act, I was so surprised that I almost yelled and knocked on the glass, but I know it'd be too noisy to hear so I just observed him, anyway, I'm not stupid enough to leave valuables in the car, it's just a backpack full of emergency kits of things that could be useful, but he shouldn't touch that. So I made my way downstairs to the previous waiting area, from here I could only see a side front of my car, that guy was there doing final wiping, appeared and disappeared as needed, I was looking at him but he didn't dare to make eye contact.

I was considering the action I had to take. The obvious, I could tell the boss/guy in charge, but didn't do that. First, this could result in bad situations such as this guy lost his job and I'm not sure if he IS really bad or desperate. I've known people who are desperate to make this kind of moves for justifiable reason (arguably of course) and ruined their life. Also, I'm not sure he is not a psycho who would blame it on me, or on the boss, who would have to make a move on him. Again, I've known psychotic resentful people who takes revenge on people although it's their own fault. The boss seems like very nice hardworking guy, so I'm not sure if me telling him would harm him in his safety or me not telling him would harm his business. Other thing to consider is I hope everybody else is also not stupid enough to put valuables when their cars are being washed, so I didn't have anything taken from me. It's attempted theft, but it's not a theft yet, technically. I don't want to ruin people's life this way, I don't know what makes him did that.

So I decide to give the shady guy a chance by not telling the boss. Hopefully he had good adrenaline rush and if he didn't change his attitude, at least now he knows people could see him. However, I wanted to add to that and planned to ask him,"So, anything interesting in my bag?" just to mess with him, and at this point I didn't care whether the boss would catch on what I'd say. So after couple of minutes, I walked to the car, thinking now they were done, to do that. Apparently they were done, the boss was there, and the guy was nowhere to be seen. I waited a while, as long as I could until it would be suspicious why I hadn't left yet, and that guy was still hiding from me. Well, I really wanted to do the last subtle warning but couldn't get him again.

What would you guys do in my situation? Am I being too lenient, or if I found him, am I being too harsh?

[Caya]

I think you're a good person, VBS. Not sure if I could have been so forgiving in that situation.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Could be that the guy is just terminally nosy.  You know, the sort of person who can't use your bathroom without looking to see what you keep in the medicine cabinet.

I'd say The Look should have been warning enough if he's a basically harmless type.  If you go there again, keep a sneaky eye on him, and if you see him going through your stuff again, then it might be time to let his boss know.

[J.P.]

May I silently raise a glass to the Gentle Giant…

 

[besleybean]

😢 

[Sheerluck]

Another piece of my childhood has passed. Thank you, Peter and RIP.  😪

[Artemis]

This morning someone reminded me that I made a YouTube video once, and asked me if I was ever going to make any more.

(Backstory: 6 years ago I was listening to the song "Sail" by AWOLNATION, and for no reason at all, a scene from "The Matrix" popped into my head and wouldn't go away.  So I watched the scene while listening to the song, and it so happened that the pacing of the scene fit almost perfectly with the pacing of the music.  I was so awed by this that I had to share it with people, so I quickly taught myself how to use a Windows media maker for the sole purpose of stringing the two together to upload on YouTube, lol.)

Anyway, I had all but forgotten about it, until it was mentioned today.  I went to YouTube to check on it, and it has 1100 views!  Which is a teeny tiny amount of views on YouTube, especially considering it's spread over 6 years.  But the fact that it has any more than 3 views is astounding to me, and I'm very proud of my little video, lol.  Good job, my inspiration child!

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Congratulations! 

(Is this it?)

[Artemis]

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

My town exercises no plastic bag for grocery. It's good practice, but I hate that most grocery stores actually fired their baggers as well. We bring our own bag, but that doesn't mean the job is non-existent anymore. Sometimes I do need them, I'm those nervous type who want to get out of the way for next shopper as soon as I can. And I can't imagine how many people lost their jobs.

But I think using recycle bags do make a lot of difference.

On the same note, what do you guys think about environmental friendly stuffs below?

This is water in edible container. It's neat idea, but I don't like it. I can't help to think that I need to put them in a .. new plastic bag to ensure that they remain clean. And on hot days after physical activities, can't imagine how unsatisfying it would be to quench my thirst. I can't have a big gulp of water, but have to chew multiple balls? I'm not hungry, I'm thirsty!! I think it doesn't beat the usage of washable water bottle at all.

Edible cup. Edible spoons. I don't mind these ones. Look delicious, but again, I can't be sure it's hygienic. It could be a nightmare for OCDs. And again, where do you keep it before you use it to ensure that it remains clean would be important. But I'd want to get my coffee in that cup and chomp it down later.

Washable pads.

Noooooooo!!! I think it's a no no in hygiene department. How can you be sure that it's washed and dried properly? How to maintain that it's clean during drying process? How do you keep it before there is a chance to wash it? How many soap and water that are needed to keep them environmental friendly? What is the health risk, seems risky! It's a big NO for me. 

Pinch shampoo, the wrapper would dissolve in water. I love this a lot, it would be very handy for travelling. Hopefully they have all kind of shampoo brand. 

 

 

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

9 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

My town exercises no plastic bag for grocery. It's good practice, but I hate that most grocery stores actually fired their baggers as well. We bring our own bag, but that doesn't mean the job is non-existent anymore. Sometimes I do need them, I'm those nervous type who want to get out of the way for next shopper as soon as I can. And I can't imagine how many people lost their jobs.

But I think using recycle bags do make a lot of difference.

There's no law like that where I live, but the store where we buy most of our groceries gives a small discount if you supply your own bags.  And all the stores allow you to bring your own bag now (and don't even give you a funny look).  We have some nice durable canvas shopping bags that we've been using for about ten years.  Once in a while I decide to shop on my way home, even though I don't have the bags with me, so I'm glad that the plastic bags are still available.  (I do reuse or recycle them.)

I'm not seeing as many baggers as I used to.  At some stores the checkout clerk does the bagging as well, though there are generally at least a few baggers, who will show up if you're buying a lot of stuff.

[J.P.]

The sudden excitement about banning plastic bags annoys the hell out of me. It's like ppl get their tunnel view and forget everything beside plastic being problematic as waste.
Paper is one of the most energy and water consuming industries. And there are chemicals in it too. Paint, additions etc. Reusable glass has to be washed (can you imagine stuff needed to get rid of weeks old milk residues?), recycled glass needs energy. And it's heavy, so it needs more fuel for transport. The list is endless.

IMO we should start with the plastic we don't actually need. Excessive packaging. Give-aways for kids that are thrown away after a day (and cheap plastic toys/gadgets in general) Cheap clothing (synthetics are also plastic after all) Plastic cups and spoons when replacing them with something else makes sense (that's why I don't support the general ban of plastic cups and straws in the EU)

And then we should actually recycle the waste that it's already separated (I think I've heard the percentage of recycling is actually a one digit number) instead of exporting it.

13 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

On the same note, what do you guys think about environmental friendly stuffs below? 

Nothing. They are unhygienic. The only good thing about them is that if you can eat them, they can rot safely.
The pads: they actually don't have to be sterile as they don't touch any wound. And washing textile was the only available option for generations. The same as with diapers. You pack them away, throw them in cold water ASAP and wash them daily. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The shampoo: dunno. I have my doubts if the all over ecological costs are lower. Maybe soap would be better solution IMO (yes, actually there are shampoo bars out there, but not in normal stores)

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 5/15/2019 at 4:46 PM, J.P. said:

The pads: they actually don't have to be sterile as they don't touch any wound. And washing textile was the only available option for generations. The same as with diapers. You pack them away, throw them in cold water ASAP and wash them daily.

That's what my mother said they did when she was a teenager back on the farm.  And she used cloth diapers on all of us.  I guess we turned out OK. 

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Tonight Alex and I saw the biggest darn rainbow we'd ever seen.  It occurred shortly before sunset, which presumably accounted for the top of it being around 50 degrees above the horizon (i.e., more than halfway to the top of the sky).  The entire arc was bright and visible (plus we could see portions of a very dim outer rainbow).  I just stood there enjoying it till it started to fade.

I took some photos too, but there was of course no way to get the entire thing in one shot, and I'm not sure I'd be able to do an accurate paste-up on anything with such a plain background.

[Van Buren Supernova]

On 5/16/2019 at 12:25 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

We have some nice durable canvas shopping bags that we've been using for about ten years.  Once in a while I decide to shop on my way home, even though I don't have the bags with me, so I'm glad that the plastic bags are still available.  (I do reuse or recycle them.)

Yup, it could get tricky, especially for wet grocery, but they still provide those roll plastic for fruits so we could still use it to contain them.

I also reuse and recycle plastic bag, so it's a bummer for me to certain extent, but not too much because I still have a lottt of clean plastic bags that I folded nicely everytime I got them and it'll take me awhile before I'm out. My other place doesn't exercise no-plastic regulation and I have to cringe to see how wasteful and casually those being thrown around because nah, it's free. So yah, I think it would make a difference. 

And we small residential here have wonderful garbage man (not run by the government) who actually sort the garbage right away when they pick it up and dump it on their truck. It could be embarrassing, but you can be sure nothing is going to be wasted. I always try to separate my garbage so they know the stinky ones are really trash, there is no need to dig around it.

On 5/16/2019 at 4:46 AM, J.P. said:

The sudden excitement about banning plastic bags annoys the hell out of me. It's like ppl get their tunnel view and forget everything beside plastic being problematic as waste.
Paper is one of the most energy and water consuming industries. And there are chemicals in it too. Paint, additions etc. Reusable glass has to be washed (can you imagine stuff needed to get rid of weeks old milk residues?), recycled glass needs energy. And it's heavy, so it needs more fuel for transport. The list is endless.

None of the thing you mentioned, I think reusable canvas bag like Carol's is a decent solution. I use fabric bag as well.

No sure about glass, you meant glass for drinking etc?

On 5/16/2019 at 4:46 AM, J.P. said:

MO we should start with the plastic we don't actually need. Excessive packaging. Give-aways for kids that are thrown away after a day (and cheap plastic toys/gadgets in general) Cheap clothing (synthetics are also plastic after all) 

I do agree with excessive packaging. And toys! And clothes. I stopped giving toys to my nephew/niece (hardly start anyway) when I saw the excessive toy collections they have. It's hard to imagine them caring about those, unlike back then when we were clinging to one or two toys like  

I'm cutting away my cloth pile and convert many of them into rags, dog toys and bags and start to dress very identical every day. It really frees up time in the morning although I hardly spend a lot on appearance anyway.

On 5/16/2019 at 4:46 AM, J.P. said:

The pads: they actually don't have to be sterile as they don't touch any wound. And washing textile was the only available option for generations. The same as with diapers. You pack them away, throw them in cold water ASAP and wash them daily. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Pack them with... plastic bag? Lots of paper? Because wrapping it up with other would risk them soiling other stuff in your bag. As wash with soap and water. So I hardly see the environmental friendly factor in this.

On 5/16/2019 at 8:15 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

That's what my mother said they did when she was a teenager back on the farm.  And she used cloth diapers on all of us.  I guess we turned out OK. 

Yes, my mom used it. So does my high school friend who becomes a nun, they are required to use that still. The health problem is probably not dire, but rashes and skin problem happened to them. And to my mom, it's embarrassing and very inconvenient as well, when your laundry place is visible or public, and when the cloth didn't do a good job.

7 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Tonight Alex and I saw the biggest darn rainbow we'd ever seen.  It occurred shortly before sunset, which presumably accounted for the top of it being around 50 degrees above the horizon (i.e., more than halfway to the top of the sky).  The entire arc was bright and visible (plus we could see portions of a very dim outer rainbow).  I just stood there enjoying it till it started to fade.

Picture!

[Carol the Dabbler]

6 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

No sure about glass, you meant glass for drinking etc?

I think she meant glass milk bottles and Coke bottles, like we used to have, before cans.  When you bought, say, a six-pack of Coke, you'd pay a deposit for the bottles, which you would get back when you returned the bottles to the store.  They would return them to the Coke delivery man, who would return them to the Coke factory, where they would be washed and (unless damaged) reused.  So that's a lot of extra work, including heaven knows what they did to get the bottles clean enough to reuse.  Makes me wonder why people even bother to drink the stuff, since it's not particularly nutritious anyhow.  But the same problems applied to juice bottles, milk bottles, etc.

6 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

Picture!

The ones I took didn't turn out very well, I'm afraid.  If I'd had a camera with a wide-angle lens, I could have gotten the whole thing in one shot, and if I'd used a camera with settings (and if I'd known how to use the settings!), I could presumably have gotten a really spectacular photo.  But I was just using my phone, and it made the rainbow look pretty dim.

I got a much better shot earlier in the day, a huge swath of golden ragwort flowers in a farm field that had obviously been sprayed with a type of herbicide that kills everything else (well, everything else except dead nettle -- which has pretty purple flowers earlier in the spring -- and wild onion).  The newer herbicides apparently kill golden ragwort as well, but this farmer must be a traditionalist.  Will see if I can remember how to get that photo online.

[J.P.]

11 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

None of the thing you mentioned, I think reusable canvas bag like Carol's is a decent solution. I use fabric bag as well.

Cotton bag? You might have a look at this website. https://qz.com/1585027/when-it-comes-to-climate-change-cotton-totes-might-be-worse-than-plastic/

It's not even real toys I'm talking about, it's the trash you buy for your smartphone, for your shoes, the giveaways you get at the cash-point. Things you throw away, things with no use at all.

4 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

So that's a lot of extra work, including heaven knows what they did to get the bottles clean enough to reuse. 

The same is for the reusable plastic bottles, but they are much lighter. They actually are a little bit better than recyclable plastic bottles AFAIK.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Thanks for that link, J.P., but I do wonder about their conclusions.  For example, they said this:

... organic cotton bags have to be reused many more times than conventional cotton bags (20,000 versus 7,000 times), based on the assumption that organic cotton has a 30% lower yield rate on average than conventional cotton, and therefore was assumed to require 30% more resources, like water, to grow the same amount.

Even accepting their statement that the organic bag requires 30% more resources to create, how does that translate into nearly three times the number of reuses in order to break even?  Wouldn't it be closer to 30% more, and if not, then why not (they don't say)?  It makes me wonder how accurate any of their figures are.

[Van Buren Supernova]

I think plastic is more harmful for the aftermath, but that's more on how they affect ocean and animal life for example. So maybe you are looking more into the impact for producing them while I'm looking at the actual physical product itself.

But I do agree that one of the best way to help is to reduce consumerism. It is overwhelming and growing at a very scary rate. For example, I stayed in a place where it's more expensive to move a fridge than buying a new one when you change residence, same with the cost of repairing them and most appliances. I've always b*tched here before about how short-lasting is modern phone generation. Electronic wastes are terrifying. That's why I despise people who worship trend and owning new piece of technology just for the sake of flaunting without the actual ability or need to use it, that's why I despise brand that purposely create the needs for extra spare parts just for the sake of exclusiveness and style.

Ah well, I'm guilty of owning too many stuff as well. I probably don't need 50% of my home's content. It's scary how fast stuffs could build up sometimes.

[J.P.]

Sorry, won't be responding elaborately this week. I'm on vacation and have WiFi with a hiccup. What I wanted to show in the first place is that what "seems" a solution don't have to be one. Banning cups, straws and bags may be the first step in the right direction - or just a cover for doing nothing about other aspects of the plastic problem. Because people usually don't look any further.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Right, I suspect that most efforts to control post-consumer waste (such as the no-plastic-bags laws) are likely to have very little effect, either because they weren't thought through in the first place, or because people will circumvent them.

But each of us has some control over what happens to our own stuff.  If our plastic bags are reused or recycled, for example, they won't end up in the ocean.  Come to think of it, how do they get into the ocean, anyhow?  If it's due to litterbugs, then even throwing them away in a responsible manner should avoid that.

[Van Buren Supernova]

 

3 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Right, I suspect that most efforts to control post-consumer waste (such as the no-plastic-bags laws) are likely to have very little effect, either because they weren't thought through in the first place, or because people will circumvent them.

I have to disagree, I think it does have significant effect. The most efficient way to control supply is to control demand. Again, I'm talking about plastic bags though, as I'm more laser focused on the aftermath. And looking at the way mostly people behave, the most efficient control, unfortunately, is through banning. Most people wouldn't care or think twice about using excessive plastic, or wasting helium as long as they don't feel the inconvenience of cost, for example, or scarcity. By banning it, it automatically reduce demands. Without demands, supply would be cut, production would be cut.

3 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

But each of us has some control over what happens to our own stuff.  If our plastic bags are reused or recycled, for example, they won't end up in the ocean.  Come to think of it, how do they get into the ocean, anyhow?  If it's due to litterbugs, then even throwing them away in a responsible manner should avoid that.

I'm afraid it's not the case at all. We could decide the last attempt to make use of plastic bag and give it multiple lives, it's true. But at the end, it's still plastic bag. Even if we reused and recycled them, it'd still end up somewhere you can't control. There are many landfills but they are questionable and simply not enough to cater our waste. Most likely the treatment and re-purposing of those only cover small percentage of actual waste. How do they get into ocean? I know some landfills could be uninhabited island, or they could be island of their own. Plastic bags could also travel from inland waterways, or wind. It's more likely that there are many ways that the plastic bag that you use, even when you are not living near the ocean, could end up at the ocean. Even when you dispose it responsibly. 

Certain months of the year, the pristine beach that I frequent would become a thrash site. The monsoon and strong wind would carry up a lot of garbage from I'm not sure where. When I meant a lot, it's a lot. Piles and piles of garbage, from tree trunks to mostly...plastics. I have comparison pictures somewhere. There could also be times when we sailed through a nice beautiful ocean and island, and suddenly find that we were in between streak of garbage floating on the ocean surface. It could come from neighboring island, it could be dumped from ship. The point is, unless you see it breaks down (I did have couple of so-called more environmental plastic bags that breaks down to pieces and dust after I used it to keep something for couple of years), plastic bags would end up somewhere.

[Arcadia]

Yes, I'm having the same experience as you, VBS … the plastic waste is exponentially greater than any other. Paper manufacturing is indeed a dirty industry, but the end product is biodegradable, I don't see nearly as much paper waste as I do plastic waste. But if water is indeed becoming a more limited resource, then it's going to be harder to justify paper mills and their pollution. I don't see any easy answers.

I've always said the real problem is too many people. Where's Thanos when you need him?