The Weird, Random, and Interesting things that Fit Nowhere Else Thread

[rjshae]

"The Apprehension Engine"

 

 

Our office needs one of these...

[Raithe]

Guy builds Giants from wood, and hides them in the wilderness

 

[Raithe]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q

[Hurlshort]

So apparently the FTC has sent warning letters to a bunch of celebrities about promoting brands without disclosing the relationship. This sounds insane to me. I think it is dumb that people buy stuff because celebrities are into it, but I think it is even dumber that the government feels the need to get involved in it.

[Volourn]

The FTC is one of the most evil, corrupt, nazi, villainous pseudo gov't agencies in the world.  ewveryone should tell them  STFU with their nazism.

[Raithe]

Could this become the next Schindler's List 40 years down the line?

 

Dozens of gay men saved from Chenyan purge by daring Russian LGBT group

Edited May 11, 2017 by Raithe

[Malcador]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/world/europe/uk-national-health-service-cyberattack.html

 

Not a fun Friday to be in IT support.

[rjshae]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/world/europe/uk-national-health-service-cyberattack.html

 

Not a fun Friday to be in IT support.

 

Not sure about the timing of when the Windows fix for this became available, but remember when people were turning off Windows Update in 2015 to avoid the automatic download of Win10? I wonder how many of those folks have now been hit by this cyberattack?

[Guard Dog]

I didn't know schools still required students to buy these things: http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/12/technology/ti-84-graphing-calculator/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_tech_pool

 

I used a Casio in HS. I don't remember the model. In college I bought a Ti-92. But once I really learned transformations in Calculus I I really didn't need that thing anymore. The app they mention, Desmos, is really good. I've used it on my iPhone and iPad and it works well. No frills, just works.

[Gfted1]

Photomath

 

I wish we had this when I was in school.

[Gromnir]

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mummified-armored-dinosaur-makes-its-debut-1-180963311/

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Malcador]

https://streamable.com/ucojf

 

Team went on to win 6-0

[Guard Dog]

Modern education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKcWu0tsiZM

 

 

"Don't mind that... it will stop"

[ShadySands]

[ShadySands]

Here's a headline 

 

Employers steal $15 billion a year from workers by paying less than the minimum wage

[Gfted1]

If there's corruption to be had, you can count IL in!

 

I wonder how that was calculated? For example, here in IL, any job where the person earns tips (wait staff, bartending, etc.) DO NOT pay minimum wage by law. Because the effective wage is much higher when factoring in tips.

[Guard Dog]

This thing is freaking me out: http://metro.co.uk/2017/05/17/cyclops-goat-born-with-one-eye-is-worshiped-by-villagers-in-india-6643422/

[Gfted1]

Yeah they also revered a parasitic twin for a while, Lakshmi Tatma.

[Raithe]

Dutch King reveals secret life as commercial co-pilot

 

 

Prince Philip famously gave up a promising naval career to be at the Queen’s side – but the Dutch King Willem-Alexander has carried on co-piloting KLM passenger planes as often as twice a month.

 

According to an interview he gave to the Dutch Telegraaf paper, to celebrate his wife Queen Máxima’s birthday on Wednesday, flying through the clouds leaves worldly cares behind, so he has quietly carried on.

 

He welcomes customers on board “on behalf of the captain and crew” – rather than revealing his true identity – and said he is rarely recognised in pilot’s uniform anyway.

Willem-Alexander became Europe’s youngest king when Dutch Queen Beatrix abdicated in 2013, in a ceremony attended by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

It was known that he had been a “guest pilot” before being crowned to keep up his pilot’s licence on the Fokker 70 aircraft, and the Dutch public information service announced in 2013 that he planned to maintain this status “for as long as possible”.

 

But it was big news for the Netherland’s popular paper, the tabloid Telegraaf, that their king was co-piloting KLM planes twice a month – most recently flying to Norway earlier this week with Captain Maarten Putman.

 

“I think flying is just amazing,” the king told the Dutch paper, on his boyhood dream. “You can’t take your day-to-day problems with you into the air. You can completely switch off and focus on something else. That, for me, is the most relaxing thing about flying.”

 

He added that before the 9/11 attacks in 2001, when the ****pit door was open, people would sometimes spot him and snap a picture, while even now “some people recognise my voice on the call in flight”.

 

But, he said, after 21 years of piloting for Martinair and then KLM Cityhopper’s service, he is retraining to fly the KLM Boeing 737 as the Fokker 70 is being retired.

Captain Putman, who flies with the king frequently, told the Telegraaf: “When we put on our KLM uniform, I’m in command and the King is the co-pilot. For the relatively few hours he flies, he is always very sharp.”

 

And, come the summer – assuming he passes his exams with flying colours – this king hopes to carry on serving his people from behind the joystick.

[Guard Dog]

The city of New Orleans is purging itself of all civil war monuments and any reference to the CSA. They have removed Jefferson Davis and PGT Beauregards' statues. Robert Lee's is next. I consider myself a student of history and the idea of purging it because it might be ugly at times is abhorrent to me. But in all honesty Jeff Davis and Lee having monuments in New Orleans does not make a lot of sense to me. Lee has no connection to New Orleans a all. He may have passed through there on his way to Texas where he was serving prior to the Civil War. Davis also has no ties to New Orleans or Louisiana other than being the President of the CSA. He was a senator from Mississippi, then spent his post-war life in TN. And as people from the Civil War go he's not one who won any real credit. As a political leader he was not terribly effective at uniting the political factions in the CSA. Although by it's very nature a confederation is not easily directed by a central authority. 

 

Now Beauregard does have a connection. He was born near New Orleans, served there in both armies, ran for political office there. His military service was not terribly distinguished. He was an engineer and a good one from what I've read. His main contributions were in designing defenses. He does have the distinction of firing the first shots of the war. He was in command of the shore batteries that fired on Ft. Sumter. Other than that he did command a successful holding action against Grant at Petersburg. Although the city was eventually taken. They should have left his monument up.

[Raithe]

The city of New Orleans is purging itself of all civil war monuments and any reference to the CSA. They have removed Jefferson Davis and PGT Beauregards' statues. Robert Lee's is next. I consider myself a student of history and the idea of purging it because it might be ugly at times is abhorrent to me. But in all honesty Jeff Davis and Lee having monuments in New Orleans does not make a lot of sense to me. Lee has no connection to New Orleans a all. He may have passed through there on his way to Texas where he was serving prior to the Civil War. Davis also has no ties to New Orleans or Louisiana other than being the President of the CSA. He was a senator from Mississippi, then spent his post-war life in TN. And as people from the Civil War go he's not one who won any real credit. As a political leader he was not terribly effective at uniting the political factions in the CSA. Although by it's very nature a confederation is not easily directed by a central authority. 

 

Now Beauregard does have a connection. He was born near New Orleans, served there in both armies, ran for political office there. His military service was not terribly distinguished. He was an engineer and a good one from what I've read. His main contributions were in designing defenses. He does have the distinction of firing the first shots of the war. He was in command of the shore batteries that fired on Ft. Sumter. Other than that he did command a successful holding action against Grant at Petersburg. Although the city was eventually taken. They should have left his monument up.

 

Could we suggest that all depictions of Washington be removed since he owned slaves?

[ShadySands]

How many statues does Benedict Arnold have? I only know of the Boot Monument

[Hurlshort]

I agree with GD. First off, the idea that a monument glorifies something is a bit off. The Vietnam war monument doesn't glorify the Vietnam war. It is a reminder of what our country has been through.

[Guard Dog]

Modern education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKcWu0tsiZM

 

 

"Don't mind that... it will stop"

This was supposed to be a joke.... it's not!!!  http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=9187

[Guard Dog]

I agree with GD. First off, the idea that a monument glorifies something is a bit off. The Vietnam war monument doesn't glorify the Vietnam war. It is a reminder of what our country has been through.

Completely agree. But the monument should make some sense or be tied to the area it's in. Like I pointed out a statue of Davis and Lee in New Orleans does not make a lot of sense. But a statue of Davis in Montgomery or Lee in Richmond makes perfect sense. But it's so politicized now I expect eventually they will take all the statues out of Gettysburg and all the Confederate headstones in the old cemeteries. This was not our country's proudest moment. But the worst thing we can do is pretend it never happened.