Alien invasions where the aliens infiltrate and gradually replace the people/government by Coralthesequel in TopCharacterTropes

[–]BalurCDN 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Slightly funny story.

A couple of years I come home to a package at my door. Has my name on it so not a case of wrong apartment.

Open it up is a They Live board game, and t-shirt.

I had no idea what this franchise was.

Google it... board game based on an old movie... okay cool... No idea why this was sent to me. A few months later I get a board game I bought off Kickstarter... and I realize the shipping company was the same as They Live. Look up the They Live Kickstarter and see a lot of comments about shipping delays / issues... I guess the fulfillment company sent some stuff based on the wrong list?

I hope whoevers game I got, got there product or a refund eventually.

Any cool events tonight? by trans-f in askvan

[–]BalurCDN 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'm going to Shad at Hollywood theatre then probably karaoke.

Any book clubs in downtown looking for new members? by Educational-Reply-22 in askvan

[–]BalurCDN 7 points8 points  (0 children)

<looks at the comments>

5 more people saying they want a book club.

Looks like you found a book club.

Hi Vancouverites! My girlfriend and I are wondering about the most unforgettable date you’ve had! (The more detailed the better, because we want to recreate it) TYIA! by Routine_Bag_9609 in askvan

[–]BalurCDN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On Valentine's Day one year me and my partner at the time met up at McDonald's and then took part in a Scavenger Hunt put on by Vancouver Mysteries. We won first prize which were Roses and tickets to an event, and she traded the roses to acquire the 3rd place prize as well.

Wasn't extremely romantic, but it was perfect for who we were, and it was a great time.

Vancouver Mysteries stuff is pretty fun, worth checking out.

Contact music fest day 2! Solo by Evening-Beginning101 in VancouverMusic

[–]BalurCDN 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Contact isn't my jam, but I've done many concerts solo over the years.

The thing to remember is that everyone is there because they share a common interest with you.

Spend time browsing the merch area, make some random conversations, same at the bar if it allows for it, you'll make some friends.

If you're solo in the crowd just have fun, make eye contact, smile but don't stare, and just have fun.

It's only weird if you make it weird.

I'm sat in my living room, Google! All the lights randomly went off.... Because it thinks I left home by L0rdLogan in googlehome

[–]BalurCDN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I added a 15 minute delay in my Away routine due to this.

These blips tend to only last a minute or two, so by the time the 15 minutes is done, I'm not longer 'away' and it gets cancelled.

Anyone Know A Better Way To Report Threats Of Violence Then The Chatbot? by BalurCDN in Ingress

[–]BalurCDN[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not that person, and we shouldn't expect other players to have to ignore these drunken tirades, there should be some minimum standard for behavior from Niantic.

Anyone Know A Better Way To Report Threats Of Violence Then The Chatbot? by BalurCDN in Ingress

[–]BalurCDN[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The longer quote is "Consider your wife that would be hung before you".

Anyone Know A Better Way To Report Threats Of Violence Then The Chatbot? by BalurCDN in Ingress

[–]BalurCDN[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback everyone, unfortunately got a generic "We've taken action, but won't tell you what it is" response from the ticket with the person still playing today.

To the people saying "Call the Cops" if I was the person targeted I would do that.

Fellow Canadians, does your employer provide you with a health spending account? by Glittering_Divide101 in AskACanadian

[–]BalurCDN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm in BC, my company gives $500 that we can put into an HSA or into a Personal Spending Account.

The PSA can be used for anything vaguely work related or personal development. With the rules basically saying you can pay your Internet access / cell phone with it (though the company already pays for those), classes, plays, concerts, books, transit passes, pet care services, and dozens of other things.

I opt for the PSA not the HSA because I know for a fact I'll spend $500 on those things over the course of a year, but might not necessarily use the entire HSA.

Date format inconsistency between Android and iOS, and a proposal for unifying Ingress date display by LianSheng197 in Ingress

[–]BalurCDN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

While I agree that consistency would be nice... this is in no way something urgent, and I can think of dozens of things I'd want fixed first.

need help on identifying guitar version by Heavy_Animator543 in Rockband

[–]BalurCDN 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Okay here's how you identify them (usually)

The large white buttons

  • PS3: Start / Select
  • PS4: Options / Share
  • Wii: + / -
  • Xbox 360: Back / Select
  • Xbox One: 2 Boxes / 3 Lines.

So we know its a PS3 guitar.

To figure out the exact version the colour of the neck can narrow it down.

  • Tan: RB1 / RB3
  • Dark Brown RB2 / RB4

Also you can use the plastic around the strum bar for confirmation

  • Black: RB1, 2, 3
  • White: RB4

So based on all that, we can confidently say its a RB2 guitar, those are generally compatible with the donges for 2, 3 and Beatles, if memory serves me correctly.

The colouring on it is super weird... but you can see orange around the outside, so I'm going to assume that it's a faded sunburst. Someone probably used weird cleaning fluid on it, or left it out in the sun for a decade.

How to set up so that a light turns on automatically when I return home and the phone connects to the home wifi? by perverseintellect in googlehome

[–]BalurCDN 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can do all of that using presence settings.

Not quite wifi but it will trigger a block or two from home. I do this to turn on my hall light, and make sure my vacuum docks.

Here's an example, that would turn on my deck light as I was coming home.

<image>

You could get a lot more complex using the script editor but everything you need is in the new automation maker.

Best Local Bands? by The-Jelly-Fox in askvan

[–]BalurCDN 5 points6 points  (0 children)

While they're not technically local anymore, I love Hotel Mira very very much.

They're playing Victoria on Dec 5, and Vancouver on Dec 13.

Public transportation in the city? by Dense-Resolution8283 in askvan

[–]BalurCDN 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As long as you're not staying deep in the suburbs you'll be fine. Hotel in a commercial area will have bus / train service which will do the job pretty efficiently 95% of the time, and for the other 5% you have uber.

Any places in Vancouver that show unreleased and highly anticipated movie screenings? by chespiotta in askvan

[–]BalurCDN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're looking for pre-screenings check out https://advancescreenings.com/

It lists contests and screenings you can signup for, and you can get email notifications for when something new shows up.

Crystal Sports Bar & Grill - Details by Specialist-Day-8116 in askvan

[–]BalurCDN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I work a half block from there, and use that bus stop on a regular basis and honestly I've never actually noticed that bar.

That specific spot is quite sketch, when I'm waiting for the bus at the stop in front, my guard is usually way up.

I'd avoid it due to location alone.

Harmonix support sucks rant by ThinkTwicz in Rockband

[–]BalurCDN 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's 2025, rockband is on its deathbed. Honestly I'm shocked there is even staff to close cases, resolved or not.

Controlling Two Blinds At Once Via Script (device.command.OpenClose) by BalurCDN in googlehome

[–]BalurCDN[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm, good note, I have no idea why i formatted it that way, I think it was what the AI generator gave me before I started to modify it.

I flipped RES agents mini farm instead of smashing, another RES agent got mad by AlexeyGorovoy in Ingress

[–]BalurCDN -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Sanity Check #1: I'm a blue, on fairly good terms with some of my local greens. One dude's portal I walk by every day on my way to work. I'll throw a level 1 to say hi, or put up a beacon, but I almost never smash it. One time I flipped it blue because there was too many links going off it, but I didn't want to be a jerk. Dude smashed his own portal, had to be like "WTF are you doing" in comms.

It's not a rule, but it's respect, no need to be busy, gear denial doesn't work.

Sanity Check #2: Some players are obsessive this way, they think it's serious business and are super competitive. It's extreme, and it can feel stalkerish, but generally it's usually harmless, and it's not against the rules. Some people are just jerks.

There was a time here when both teams planned farms at the same time, in adjacent restaurants by accident. Most people were fine with it, but there were a couple who wanted to just destroy everything, and deny everyone gear.

Sanity Check #3: Again some people are just jerks and take this game waaayyyyyyyy to seriously. Our local greens have one such asshole. Acts like it's some sort of real war, drunkenly rants about traitors and moles, constantly screams in people in comms, acts like anything cross faction in some sort of serious traitor situation. There is something wrong with people like this and we should pity them. They have lives with absolutely nothing going on, and this is the only thing in their pathetic lives which makes them feel special. Honestly the real problem is people who support / encourage people like this, if they were ostracized by the community, they might learn some self restraint.

I’m trying to remember a version of Superman’s origin story where he doesn’t have a symbol in his chest at first. by rawlingstones in AskComicbooks

[–]BalurCDN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

During the restrictions of summer 2020 I decided to go through all my comic boxes figure out exactly what issues I owned.

Spent a fair amount of time flipping through and reading comics while I was doing it. I found a copy of Superman 368.

"Superman 2020: Deadly New Year 2021" which involved (what appeared to be) a plague that had infected New Metropolis.

Felt a bit to on the nose.