shalafi

@shalafi@lemmy.world

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shalafi,

Get. HYPE.

Can’t see how this will be long enough. So much to show and tell!

shalafi,

My old ass is struggling trying to understand all this.

Capitalism has gone off the rails and is grinding us down, especially the most vulnerable. I get that. Seen shit IRL over the decades that astounds me. If you’re young, it’s hard to truly grasp how much has been stolen from you. And you should be mad as fucking hell.

OTOH, I don’t understand how young people expect to gain anything. The world runs on money, always has, always will, no matter the government or financial system. The world won’t give you money for merely existing, you have to provide value back to the world. That means skills, education and experience. Things you don’t have when you start out in life, things you have to “grind” for. TANSTAAFL.

It’s also hard to grasp the opportunities and freedom you’ve been handed. Worldwide conversations like this were not possible when I was in my 20’s. A computer, with no internet or interoperability, was beyond the scope of most families. Education of any sort is basically free.

Again, no one needs to explain the plight of the youth to me. You’re either old enough to understand, young enough to understand, or you’re out of touch.

US anti-armor grenade packed inside a foam football, 1973 (lemmy.world)

“Since a regulation-size football weighs 14 ounces, it was considered feasible to make a shaped charge grenade within this weight limitation. In addition, most US troops are familiar with throwing footballs,” according to the Army’s test report for the weapon....

shalafi,

^ Fellow Cold War survivor right here.

shalafi,

Why is Google problematic? I store my media locally, and back up locally, but it’s on Google Drive for offsite backup.

shalafi,

LOL, I moved my kayak around with a 12-gauge.

shalafi,

I SO hoped it would be that scene.

So, what’s the best war movie of all time and why is it Black Hawk Down?

shalafi, (edited )

No joke y’all, plan shit like this now, not tomorrow, not next year. And I don’t care your age or health. If you die tonight, the funeral industry vultures will swoop on your grieving people and fuck them over.

Working on end-of-life stuff with my new wife (both of us 52), and she doesn’t like it, but it’s getting done. If I eat it tomorrow, she’ll be buying a casket, plot, headstone, whatever the hell she’s told to buy.

Get a will drawn up, get a Living Will signed and notarized. Hell, just look up “end of life documents” and get to work if you love the people you might be leaving.

And if you’re married, FFS get life insurance, preferably whole life. It’s hilariously cheap if you’re young, and I mean stupid cheap, like $10-20/mo. cheap for fat stacks. Study on it a bit, don’t get jerked around! Had a good friend over the other night who sells and explained much.

Tried to get us on a plan that immediately pays out funeral expenses. Sounds great! Nah, we’ll self-insure that small bit. Instead we’ll setup a joint account and auto-pay $100-$200 a month until we’re feeling good about it. $10-20K? Can’t afford that? Who cares?! Pay $25/mo., whatever, it’ll stack if you’re young.

tl;dr: The funeral business gets away with this shit because we don’t plan, and that’s on us. And if you want a casket? Sure, take a plan as pictured.

shalafi,

THAT is a fine idea! Totally forgot!

And let’s not forget to check that organ donor box. See how it works in your country.

shalafi,

Had one named “FBI Surveillance Van #3”. I know, not so creative even 10-years ago, but read on.

Guy at the end of the street sold weed. He was telling my neighbor to be on the lookout, there was an FBI van cruising around. Being at the end of the street, my signal faded in and out like it was moving. Dude was freaked the fuck out.

shalafi,

You gonna love my story then:

old.lemmy.world/comment/5993464

shalafi,

Backwards started as a military thing to keep reflections down. :)

I’ve tried it, but it’s in the way typing. Works outside pretty well! I’m a lefty, YMMV.

shalafi,

I’ve got a few Swatches. (I’m old, sue me.)

Get 'em new or vintage, but don’t pay more than $40. Light watch, light band, work great. Kinda easy to scratch though. Nothing a buffer won’t fix, but still.

Casio is always a good bet. Got 3 of 'em and only the chonky one is slightly uncomfortable. But that’s for rough outdoor use where I don’t notice.

Just got this one, and it’s weirdly comfortable, more so than any steel band I’ve ever had. Band was hell to adjust, took me 45-minutes, have tools, not coordinated, YMMV.

Tell me more about what you like! I can help you dial in (heh) a cheap one. No experience with high-end stiff.

shalafi,

Pay and benefits are awesome. After my wife got the list of rules? "Babe. Do NOT take that job."

  • Late by 30 seconds, fired 3rd time, no exceptions. (This is in the middle of nowhere on the interstate. She would have to show up 40 minutes early to ensure no traffic issues.)
  • Can’t enter the store before your shift.
  • Can’t leave the store during your shift.
  • You must take a particular path to go to the breakroom.
  • You cannot go outside.
  • If anyone spots a tat on your flesh? Fired instantly.

There’s more I’m forgetting. This place thinks because of the good pay and benefits that they own you soul.

shalafi,

After my wife got a job there and we heard all the abusive policies, she bailed. I’ll never set foot in one again.

shalafi,

This is amazing. Still absorbing it and keeping it bookmarked until I’ve had a chance to put it in practice.

shalafi,

My take on the most recent conservative LGBT propaganda:

old.lemmy.world/comment/5119958

Relevant bit:

And those people are grooming your kids into changing into something else, just like they did to themselves! Think of the children! LOL, it’s some Invasion of the Body Snatchers kinda paranoia.

One thing I hadn’t talked about was the “forcing” of LGBT issues.

When we were seniors ('89), saw a high-school buddy in a 50/50 gay/straight bar. About shit himself when he saw me.

“Please don’t tell anyone Shalafi. 😬”

“I don’t give a shit Sheldon. Let me get some of whatever you’re hitting in that bag!”

Same bar watching my gf dance. Dude pulls up a stool and offers me a drink.

“That’s cool and all, but you should know I’m not gay.”

That man knocked over his barstool jumping backwards. From a 5’8", 120lb., 18-yo twerp.

“Oh shit! I’m SO sorry. I didn’t mean…!”

“We’re all cool! It’s good! I’ll still take that drink though.”

All that to say, if any young folk think gays have it bad now? Let’s hop in the Delorean and take a ride back to the late 80’s. They were deep in the closet. Closeted as in, being out front with your homosexuality meant an ass beating. Hell, no one would even acknowledge Freddie Mercury, Liberace or Elton John as gay. There were “confirmed bachelors” or “light in the loafers”. Delivered meaningfully, “gay” was a deadly insult.

Back on topic; Gays kept that shit on the down-low. And that’s how GenX grew up, even more so our parents, less so the Millennials. They see LGBT folks celebrating themselves, rainbow flags in stores, whatever, as having other people’s lifestyles, “shoved down their throat” or “forced on them”.

Weird take, but I can understand it. Moved to the Deep South and all the religious shit feels like they’re cramming their bullshit into my life. And they’re trying to using legislation! And to circle back, these people think gay rights, or even existence, is being thrust on them via legislation.

tl;dr: I get it. It sucks. Society is quickly growing out of it, but it’s a nice wedge issue for conservatives.

shalafi,

It’s easier if you read it out loud with a Scottish accent. Works for novels as well!

“Nac Mac Feegle! The Wee Free Men! Nae king! Nae quin! Nae laird! Nae master! We willna’ be fooled again!”

― Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

shalafi,

It's one of the biggest experiments in fighting global poverty. Now the results are in (www.npr.org)

It’s an unprecedented – and massive – experiment: Since 2017 the U.S.-based charity GiveDirectly has been providing thousands of villagers in Kenya what’s called a “universal basic income” – a cash grant of about $50, delivered every month, with the commitment to keep the payments coming for 12 years. It is a...

shalafi, (edited )

The belief that poverty is caused by incompetence, laziness or rogue spending

I’m not sure how to reach people that believe this. Been dirt poor, now I’m well off. I know what that looks like. One thing is that so many first-world people think they’ve been poor. Well, poor relative to their previous circumstances, poor vs. their parents, etc.

Those sorts never had to steal napkins from McDonalds to wipe their ass. Never fried plain flour with the last of their oil. Never went hunting nuts for food and didn’t have any salt left. Fuck me, my roommate and I were figuring how to steal a duck or goose off the local college campus.

Can’t afford a washing machine? Go to the local laundromat, spend that money. Spend that time. My fridge has an issue with some sort of fan. I have the leisure time and tools to take it apart, figure it out and buy a new fan. If you’re poor? Oh well. Pay someone a load of money. $20 for me, $200 if you’re poor.

tl;dr: We need to be hammering home the fact that being broke is more expensive than having a little folding money. And just like having some money stacks in your favor, having none stacks against you.

Bloom County Starts Tomorrow (sh.itjust.works)

If you don’t know about Bloom County it’s a comic strip that ran the decade of the 80s (1980-1989). It was one of my favorites as a kid and though some of it will surely be dated, the majority should hold up well to current times. It examined events in politics and culture through the viewpoint of a fanciful small town in...

shalafi,

I’ve often thought through the years that it’s the best comic I’ve ever read.

shalafi,

Friend of a friend had a sailboat named “Sail Hatin’”. Much love.

shalafi,

I’m going to assume she knows more about gator behavior than us, but putting her hand near the side kinda sets 'em off.

And it is a gator, not nearly as violent as a croc. OTOH, even though their behavior is well understood, those dumbasses can still be unpredictable.

shalafi,

Early 20th century engineering was like the Cambrian Explosion, trying out all kinds of whacky shit until settling into the practical forms we know today.

shalafi,

Next time you go down on her, start by pulling out some floss.

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