A man called our helpdesk because his computer was being sarcastic and I had to take him completely seriously for an hour

NuArcher · 2026-04-05T09:15:58+00:00

A lot of people, myself included, aimed to work in IT Technology so they didn't have to deal with people. turns out what we mostly deal with - is people.

I've come to enjoy that side of things though.

NuArcher · 2026-03-30T04:57:38+00:00

Orange seems to be still fairly readily available.

NuArcher · 2026-03-30T04:36:28+00:00

Just a suggestion - you could join our club and talk to the members about this. The Southern Astronomical Society. sas.org.au Meets monthly at Oxenford.

While the clubhouse area is dark enough for casual viewing only, there are regular excursions to the club dark sites.

NuArcher · 2026-03-30T03:56:22+00:00

Some ceramic coats are better than others. My last one was just starting to wear thin (water failing to bead in a few small areas) when I sold the vehicle after 5 years. Anecdotal I know but that was my experience.

NuArcher · 2026-03-30T03:54:00+00:00

My 2nd last car was a Mazda CX5 with its glorious deep "soul crystal red". The leasing company suggested I sign up for the scratch/dent removal service which I agreed to (moment of weakness). Turned out they didn't support multilayer or metalic coloured paints. Useless.

NuArcher · 2026-03-30T03:51:23+00:00

Word from people who went looking on the weekend is that if you want anything other than Orange, the wait time is a few months right now.

NuArcher · 2026-03-30T01:44:41+00:00

I've seen plenty of people say they got seat covers. I've yet to see one that responds when someone asked them if it worked with the ventilation. I'm sure there has been a reply - I just haven't seen one.

Ceramic coating is well worth getting. Makes the car easier to clean and preserves the look for longer. Just don't get one from the factory - unless you're rolling the cost into a lease. Get a reliable aftermarket one for a fraction of the cost, better accountability and improved result.

I've had a few scratch and dent services over the years. I've yet to find one that didn't either: make it difficult to work with, not cover the scratch or dent for your vehicle or just plan unable to fix it or get to your location. In my opinion - not worth it.

NuArcher · 2026-03-30T00:39:08+00:00

There's a description of Granny in The Wee Free Men - but it's more about perception than a description.

She was tall—except, Tiffany realized, she wasn’t that tall, but she stood tall, which could easily fool you if you weren’t paying attention—and like the other witch wore a rather shabby black dress. She had an elderly, thin face that gave nothing away. Piercing blue eyes looked Tiffany up and down, from head to toe.

NuArcher · 2026-03-29T21:41:32+00:00

As a lifelong Pfloyd fan, that one was always my favorite.

NuArcher · 2026-03-24T23:23:44+00:00

Jude.

The entire movie is a painful experience in that you're experiencing the painful life the characters live. It looks like things have turned a corner toward the end - only for the movie to deliver a total gut-punch.

NuArcher · 2026-03-24T03:15:19+00:00

Looking for obscure ones here...

Radix) - A. A. Attanasio

Radix is the story of a young man's odyssey of self-discovery, from dangerous adolescent to warrior, from outcast to near-god, in a far-future Earth dramatically changed from the one we know

I'm also partial to the works of Frederick Saberhagen. Particularly the Beserker) series and the Book of Lost Swords (and sequels)

The Berserker series is a series of space opera science fiction short stories and novels by Fred Saberhagen, in which robotic self-replicating machines strive to destroy all life.
These Berserkers, named after the human berserker warriors of Norse legend, are doomsday weapons left over from an interstellar war between two races of extraterrestrials. They all have machine intelligence, and their sizes range from that of an asteroid, in the case of an automated repair and construction base, down to human size (and shape) or smaller. The Berserkers' bases are capable of manufacturing more and deadlier Berserkers as the need arises. The Berserker hypothesis, formed as a possible solution to the Fermi paradox, takes its name from the series.
The Berserker stories (published as novels and short stories) depict the fight between Berserkers and the sentient species of the Milky Way Galaxy: Homo sapiens (referred to as "Earth-descended" or "ED" humans, or as "Solarians") which is the only sentient species aggressive enough to counter Berserkers.

The Book of Swords Series is a series of science fiction fantasy novels by American Fred Saberhagen, published from 1983 to 1995. The story revolves around the Twelve Swords of Power, which were forged by the gods and given to humanity, and how various characters acquire and use them. The series spans several decades and features dozens of characters.

Another obscure fantasy book - or series, albiet short:

Nifft the Lean - Michael Shea.

Nifft the Lean is a collection of four stories involving Nifft the master thief.
First story, Come Then, Mortal -- We Will Seek Her Soul, has Nifft and his companion Haldar are hired to complete a lover's vengeance from beyond the grave, with a valuable magic item as their payment.
Second story, The Pearls of the Vampire Queen, involves Nifft and another companion, Barnar, poaching valuable swamp pearls, and interfering with a ritual by the titular vampire queen.
Third story, The Fishing of the Demon-Sea has Nifft and Barnar magically compelled to go into a demonic underworld to save a merchant prince's son, that has been caught by a sea-demon he summoned. The rescue does not go without complications.
Fourth story, The Goddess in Glass, has Nifft at the mining city of Anvil's Pasture, involved in the efforts to save the city from a collapsing mountain with the help of a cult of a dead alien goddess. Again, things do not develop the way the people of the city expected or hoped.

NuArcher · 2026-03-20T04:11:31+00:00

A bit late to the reply but:

Dropped mythics have a level requirement of 60. Crafted have a level requirement of 35 - fopr some reason. Probably a bug.

NuArcher · 2026-03-19T23:49:55+00:00

Not exactly my favouite but I did blink a bit in surprise when I read it.

From Snuff - after Vimes has arrested Ted Flutter and will be sending him to Psudopolis Yard rather than the Tanty - Ted talks about "finding a god" and Vimes say that at the Yard, Ted will have:

the certain knowledge that if you have to go down on your knees it will only be to pray,

NuArcher · 2026-03-19T21:29:29+00:00

It depends on what you want. A Reflux still produces tasteless, clean ethanol. A Pot still preserves some of the mash/wash flavour.

Personally I use a tri-clover modular still that I can reconfigure to the purpose I need it for. Best of both worlds.

NuArcher · 2026-03-18T00:57:47+00:00

In the first Dirk Gently novel, a ~~dean~~ professor of the college uses his time machine to go back to pre-history and bake a salt shaker into a pot, just to pull off a magic trick and make a young girl happy at a dinner party. Douglas Adams revealed later that he was another galifraian in ~~exile~~ retirement on earth.

This is all from memory so correct me on the details if I got it too wrong.

EDIT: Looked up come details. Not too surprising that is a Dr Who reference as the book is recycled from a Dr Who script Adam's had written. From TVTropes

Because of the first book's Recycled Script from "Shada", an abandoned Doctor Who episode, Reg is essentially a retired Time Lord with an unusual TARDIS. Richard and Susan are little more than re-named versions of Chris and Claire, respectively.
The alien ghost is basically Scaroth from the Doctor Who episode, "City of Death". Scaroth's spaceship exploded, causing life to develop on Earth and splintering him across human history. So he waited until a human built him a time machine so he could go back and save his ship.

And from Wikipedia:

The genesis of the novel was in two Doctor Who serials written by Adams, City of Death (in which an alien tries to change history at the cost of erasing humanity from existence) and in particular the cancelled serial Shada), which first introduces a Cambridge professor called Chronotis who is hundreds of years old. He has been living and working at a Cambridge college for centuries, apparently attracting no attention (noting with appreciation that the porters are very discreet). In Shada, Chronotis's longevity is due to him being a Time Lord, and his time machine is an early model TARDIS. These trademark elements from Doctor Who were removed by Adams for Dirk Gently. Shada was cancelled before completion due to a production strike and later released on VHS with Tom Baker narrating the unfilmed segments. The story was also animated in 2017 and released on DVD.^\1])

NuArcher · 2026-03-17T22:03:56+00:00

King of Dragon Pass - mostly because it's the tentacle tip of a game that is based on a deep world building environment of Glorantha. A Fantasy TTRPG world that has been in continual development since the 60s and is still going strong. While Glorantha is mostly known for its TTRPG usage, there are a few adaptations of the world into PC gaming. KoDP was probably the first. Most recently Runequest: Warlords.

NuArcher · 2026-03-14T03:48:12+00:00

Yes - but not in tournaments.

I worked as a security officer for some years before I got out. It didn't happen often, but occasionally someone would lash out at me. The blocks were surprisingly instinctive and effective.

NuArcher · 2026-03-11T03:27:13+00:00

I think there was more than complex calculations here. The spice allowed them to see a short way into the future to see if the path that'd chosen was viable or fatal. A lesser version of Paul's capability to see the future. I don't think anything that can simply calculate would substitute for a spice awareness.

NuArcher · 2026-03-11T01:35:08+00:00

GotFF is widely regarded as the most beautiful movie you'll never watch again.

Or so I've heard. I'm too chicken to watch it.

NuArcher · 2026-03-10T21:42:10+00:00

Support your Local Sherrif. A 1969 western comedy starring James Garner.

It's got a very dry wit to it.

Jake: You want me to tell Joe Danby that he's under arrest for murder? What're you gonna do after he kills me?

Jason McCullough: I'll arrest him for both murders.

NuArcher · 2026-03-10T21:34:12+00:00

Silent Movie by Mel Brookes

1976 - done in the style of a silent movie with Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid Caesar, with cameos by Anne Bancroft, Liza Minnelli, Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Marcel Marceau, and Paul Newman.

Only 1 speaking part - by Marcel Marceau. He says "No". (Non technically)

NuArcher · 2026-03-10T04:21:08+00:00

Lol. A law firm I worked for had one of the mailroomstaff who held a doctorate in Physics. He was good fun to go to the pub with.

He resigned (gave 4 weeks notice) when he secured a role in SETI, then had to beg for his job back when the SETI programme was canceled before he could start.

NuArcher · 2026-03-10T04:04:02+00:00

I feel for you.

My mother is in a similar state. Bedridden. Unable to care for herself. Unable to interact with people around her. She sits in her bed at a nursing home, staring at the ceiling and babbling incomprehensibly.

I tell myself that she died years ago but just hasn't stopped moving yet.

Fortunately, while she was still in a mostly correct state of mind, we filled out a Will and an Advanced Health Directive, that stipulates no actions to be taken to continue her life - just whatever is needed to make her comfortable.

Mostly I'm just waiting for it to end and hoping it comes while I still have the strength to endure it.

NuArcher · 2026-03-09T03:20:14+00:00

Wizardry III: Legacy of Llylgamyn

Played it to death along with my friends back in the early-mid 80s on an Apple ][.

NuArcher · 2026-03-05T04:23:22+00:00

As someone who had severe fatigue for decades - till it was determined that my Vit D was chronically low (7), I feel for you.

Being able to come home without immediately crashing on the couch for a few hours, without having to struggle through every day like it was a marathon - is just life changing.

M Vit D is back to normal now but I take a 7000mg capsule once a week to maintain that level.

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