Punkie
Linux nerd and consultant. Sci-fi, comedy, and podcast author. Former Katsucon president, former roller derby bouncer. http://punkwalrus.net
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Punkie@lemmy.worldto Today I Learned@lemmy.world•TIL ancient Romans used communal toilets—stone benches with keyhole-shaped holes—where people sat side by side without privacy, chatting while waste drained beneath them using flowing water.English35·2 months agoAlso “without privacy” is also in question, because you could use cloth partitions hanging from a rod; something known to be used in stadiums to separate class.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world•Instead of Orange Man doing Tariffs would it not have been better for him to talk about shopping locally and so forth. And giving more tax breaks to companies that stay and sell in the US?1·2 months agoI often think he’s a second grader lying on his oral book report.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto Asklemmy@lemmy.ml•Why does it seem that "freedom" and "security" are antonyms?21·4 months agoI was in a discussion the other day about this, and someone brought up the “freedom vs. security” as the kind of “trade” someone assumes if they would, with complete freedom, fuck up someone else because they had no restrictions. We were discussing how the reason most laws exist is because somebody fucked it up for someone else.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto Asklemmy@lemmy.ml•Have any of you been memed about/turned into memes?35·4 months agoA friend of mine started the anime meme “Is this a butterfly?” She’s actually employed as a translator for anime, so it made sense.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world•How do I stop laughing at stupid shit all the time15·4 months agoThese are two types of cartoon sounds when a character snores.
The “Inside you there are two wolves” is the name of a proverb which began being parodied towards the end of 2018 and through the beginning of 2019. In the original proverb, a grandfather says there are two wolves fighting inside him, an evil one and a good one. His grandson asks, “who will win?” The grandfather replies, “The one you feed.” In parodies, the story is often simplified to “There are two wolves inside you. One is X. The other is X. You are X.” The proverb’s actual origins are murky. It has been attributed to Christian pastor Billy Graham in 1978, as well as the Cherokee Native American tribe.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto Memes@lemmy.ml•The CEO killer watching from his hidey hole as authorities try to pin everything on some random dude named Luigi661·6 months agoSee, I think one of three scenarios might have happened:
- Luigi didn’t do it. He was framed and set up because out of the hundreds of prank tips, this guy looked “close enough.”
- Luigi did it, but the evidence was made up to make the case solid and the police look competent. Luigi wasn’t stupid, but he’s boned anyway.
- Luigi did it, and he really was that stupid.
As a writer, one of the aggravating tropes we have to follow is, “make the story believable,” when reality sometimes doesn’t align with “a good story.” Some criminals are really that stupid, and some armchair theory, based on decades of movies, books, and TV shows, you expect “hey, this is what they SHOULD have done is.” And they didn’t. It’s like when a chessmaster has to watch complete amateurs play chess. “Obvious strategies” are ignored, and basically both players are just not thinking past their last move.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world•Does the USA simply have no food safety standard at all?9·6 months agoMy wife was an insurance adjuster for a major company, and that’s EXACTLY how it goes.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world•Does the USA simply have no food safety standard at all?8·6 months agoThere’s also an “acceptable risk” that companies will take. Not sure about food service, but I have been in meetings where 5% of customers fucked over is considered acceptable, with the dollar figures that follow. They probably take into account the total number of lawsuits they get for poisoning people, and the cost of the impact to the bottom line via lawsuits and bad marketing versus actually fixing the issue.
For example, if 10,000 people get food poisoning a year from iced tea, probably only a small percentage of those people will trace it back to McDonald’s iced tea WITH tangible proof. It might be easier to pay for those lawsuits than actually fixing the issue. They’ll pass some kind of memo out, showing they addressed the issue, and then blame the store management. Nothing really changes.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto Asklemmy@lemmy.ml•What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen in public?3·7 months agoI look at it like, he kept us safe! Couldn’t hurt, right?
Punkie@lemmy.worldto Asklemmy@lemmy.ml•What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen in public?27·7 months agoThe DC Metro system has no public bathrooms. This causes problems, if you can imagine. I was starting my first week of work in Silver Spring, and as I was exiting the station, there was a woman in leather spandex stirrup pants yelling at the station manager she needed to use the bathroom. The station manager told her “we don’t have bathrooms, lady.” Back and forth as I passed them. Then the woman just said, “A-IIGHT!” backed up, pulled down the spandex, pulled aside her thong, squatted, and dropped a huge, coiling log right in front of the turnstiles.
We had a homeless (?) guy named “Gandalf.” he was named that because he wore a stadium jacket with a broken zipper, tied at the waist with a rope, big floppy hat, and a cane. Used to rant in tongues. Near where I worked was the (now former) Discovery Building, and during “Shark Week,” they put a HUGE inflatable shark “through” the building (head on one side, tail on the other. This thing was stories high). Gandalf used to spend time across the street, shouting biblical phrases at it like he was banishing some demon. Thanks for keeping us safe, Gandalf.
Before they build the STSS, there were “gangster types” that would hang around, gun handles poking from their waistbands. That stopped the DAY after football player Plaxico Burress nearly shot his dick off in a nightclub by having his gun stored in a similar way. Never saw guys flashing their gun like that since.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world•Why do residential skyscrapers always seem to include balconies that never get used?6·8 months agoI find them too windy and noisy half the time. They are also wet half the time, either from condensation or recent rain.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world•Since cats don't pant like dogs how do they release trapped heat?67·9 months agoCats can pant, I have seen it happen in times of extreme stress, and is often a bad sign. Like dogs, cats may pant if they are anxious or overheated. Strenuous exercise may be another reason, especially after a huge fight. Once your cat has had a chance to rest, calm down and cool down, this sort of painting should subside. However, even this type of panting is much more rarely seen in cats than in dogs. So, if you’re not 100% positive about why your cat is panting, it’s best to bring her to the vet.
A side note, however, I misread this as “since cat’s don’t like pants like dogs,” and wanted to point out that dogs also do not like to wear pants, before my anti-dyslexia medicine kicked in.
This was also where “yo momma” insults were also invisible to me. Like, “You don’t even know my mother, you’re just saying that and it makes no sense.” It wasn’t a trigger for me like it was other kids. I saw it for what it was. I’d tell my friends, “they just say that to get you mad, don’t listen,” but they’d get mad anyway. It’s like they couldn’t help it. I think dares were in that headspace as well.
I wasn’t popular growing up. I was really awkward and non-athletic, so I didn’t bow to peer pressure as much as the other kids. I was going to be unpopular either way, so…
Punkie@lemmy.worldto Asklemmy@lemmy.ml•What's the furthest you've ever gone with a dare?806·1 year agoAs a kid, I never got that concept because it seemed like being manipulated. “I dare you to do this dangerous thing for my amusement!” Uh. No? “Chicken!” Okay, whatever, dude.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto Asklemmy@lemmy.ml•whats something that brings you back to your childhood happy place?35·1 year agoThis sounds kind of sad, but bear with me. This was c. 1976-1980.
My father was mostly absent, but I prefered his neglect to his abuse, so that was okay. He’d go on business trips a lot. My mom was an alcoholic, and sometimes she’d be passed out for days. I grew up an only child in a suburban home, and some weekends a year, I had the house to myself. From age 8-12, I had a few weekends here and there where fortune fell upon me and I’d be alone in the house with no real responsibilities. Friday night home from school to Monday morning going to school, all I had to do was check if my mother was still passed out, and if so, it was like one long vacation from my life to be myself. Bonus if there was still food in the house, which usually there was something I could cook myself.
I wasn’t allowed to watch TV as a kid, except sanctioned PBS shows, but we had a small B&W TV in the kitchen for my mom’s soap operas and cooking shows. I’d drag up all my Legos, pour them on the kitchen table, and watch “illegal TV” all weekend while building stuff with my Legos. Eating when I wanted to, or not, and I had free reign of pretty much anything there.
My positive childhood memories are scant and few, and most are just things like that. Like “sometimes the sun came out, if only for a brief time, before the storms returned.” I have a lot more as an adult.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto Asklemmy@lemmy.ml•Why do the vast majority of romantic comedies depict people who are wealthy?8·1 year agoThis is something that influences a lot of culture. Like most people when they think of style and decor in the 1980s, are thinking of Los Angeles in the 1980s. The rest of America was not always neon pumps, leg warmers, and thin piano ties.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto Linux@lemmy.ml•Usb keyboard unavailable during boot until all usb devices are initialised (solutions?) [solved]4·1 year agoI had a motherboard like this: the USB ports didn’t work until it booted into an OS. You had to connect a PS2 to make changes in the BIOS, and could only boot from IDE. It was super-annoying.
Punkie@lemmy.worldto Asklemmy@lemmy.ml•Those with a side/second job in this economy, what is it that you do and how did you get into it?11·1 year agoNot currently, but I did a few sides jobs in the last ten years.
I am a Linux systems administrator. Before I did full contract work, I did part time contract work (alongside my full time salary job) for a general contractor as a piecemeal basis. A job here, 20 hour support there. Some jobs I made $300, some $3000. It was sporadic and came in waves. I got this from a former contract job who recommended me when they folded.
I also did writing gigs. I optioned a few scripts and sold a few short stories. That’s still ongoing, but I haven’t sold anything for a few years.
Thank you for this!