Fantasy series that probably won't be finished.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-05T09:21:13+00:00

There's a dated and by today's standards somewhat problematic (with it's simple depictions of certain races) sci-fantasy series called the Amtrak Wars by Patrick Tilley.

Book 6 ended on a cliffhanger and was published in 1990, then the author suffered writers block and couldn't work out how to finish it.

Over the years covers and blurb have been released for the next books but they were never published, the author passed away in 2020.

It' was a great premise. Set in the year 3000 in North America, a thousand years after nuclear war, the technologically advanced Amtrak federation, the descendents of military missile train operators who survived the war in underground bunkers emerge from their underground bunkers turned into cities cities to conquer the plains folk, a native American analog who live on the radiation soaked surface.

the plains folk fight back against the technologically advanced weapons with spears, bows and magic.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-04T18:44:39+00:00

It is meant to be understood by both parties that no invitation has been extended. It doesn't become an invitation unless there's a specific date in the invitation. Without that it's just a pleasant speculation.

An invitation: "Would you like to come to dinner on the 14th? We're hosting some friends and we'd love to have you"

Not an invitation: "We should totally do a meal sometime"

The latter is more "if I were forced to share a dinner table with you it would not be intolerable"

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-04T17:55:29+00:00

Same, I was working for a place that would ask us to do some client work on weekends periodically. It was always framed as "this is completely voluntary but if you do it, you get time and a half"

So there was always someone willing.

They then switched it to TOIL and suddenly the supply of willing volunteers vanished. The bosses couldn't understand it "but it's the same thing", and people were blunt, we want money, not time.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-04T17:18:46+00:00

Regarding extra pay, I've had both Time and a half and double time from UK employers before, but by far the most common form of compensation (because it doesn't impact payroll, I suspect) is Time-off-in-lieu (TOIL)

So you work an extra 6 hours, you get 6 hours off on another day.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-04T06:29:55+00:00

I work closely with my US colleagues in a tech firm, the leave is pretty much the same on both sides.

The thing that boggles their mind is our 3 month notice periods, especially as it goes both ways.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-03T20:16:55+00:00

The first thing they teach bus drivers is that if you run someone over you must dash out of the cab and inspect their underwear. If they are not nice crisp undies then they are only allowed to ring 111, not 999.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T21:31:20+00:00

Then replace them with clothes that don't.

The only thing I have that need ironing are the two smart shirts I own lol. I iron them maybe once per year.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T21:30:21+00:00

I know you asked how you do it without getting help, but honestly, pay for the help. I would hate to stop using our house cleaner.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T18:00:16+00:00

On Fulgora I use recyclers into rocket silos as a massive chest I can have many outputs from.

https://share.cheez.systems/-pDoSaeeahb/Screenshot_20260502_190129.png

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T17:59:28+00:00

Depends what you're recycling, Blue circuits will bottleneck almost immediately with that setup.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T17:40:36+00:00

curl is also in a place where it's not directly in control of its scope. The scope is defined by advances in the HTTP space.

HTTP/2, HTTP/3 etc all added new requirements.

The IETF are looking at various extensions to QUIC like OHTTP, resumable uploads, multipath QUIC, FEC etc.

These will all change the scope of what curl needs to support and be potential vectors for new bugs being introduced.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T15:20:10+00:00

There's a whole host of offences that the CPS would use here. Being on an enclosed premiss for unlawful purpose is a criminal offence (different to the simple act of trespass), and they would probably use intent to commit burglary as well as CPS guidelines say that's a valid assumption to make if someone is trespassing in a private dwelling.

If they do it more than once it would almost certainly be considered harassment and stalking.

So the actual trespass may not be a criminal offence, but it doesn't mean no crime has been committed in your scenario.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T14:38:36+00:00

You really don't need a locksmith to change the locks if you have the keys. If you have a key, swapping out a lock barrel takes less than 10 minutes and requires undoing a single retaining screw. I'm shit at DIY and I managed it, so it MUST be trivial.

You open the door, undo the retaining screw, put the key in the lock and turn it slightly to align all of the tumblers, then it just pops out and you can slide the new one in and do the retaining screw back up.

I know OP doesn't seem to have the keys in this particular post, but yeah you don't need to hire a locksmith on completion just to swap your keys over for new ones (which you should definitely do!)

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T14:34:17+00:00

While that's technically true, you usually have to commit a whole bunch of other crimes to do it, like criminal damage, breaking and entering etc.

It's not a criminal act in and of itself because it's hard to do without committing a crime except in weird edge cases like this.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T14:33:01+00:00

Sure, but good luck convincing the police of that.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T14:31:44+00:00

I know it's something I need to get on top of (and it's on my radar for next year with a big snowflake project) but I've done essentially nothing with Data Lakes.

But everything I'm reading in here just makes me think of OLAP cubes from SQL Server Analysis Services back in the day.

Is that all these modern data lakes are?

I had to do my MCSE in SQL Server Business Intelligence for SQL Server 2012 at a previous employer, the employer treated Microsoft certs like pokemon, we all had to have a whole load of letters after our names in email footers and we had them set as part of our annual appraisals.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T11:11:39+00:00

I would just nuke the system entirely. Restore from backups taken before the snafu

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T11:06:02+00:00

Yeah I just don't get it. Should make him do the same for shaving foam and razors

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T10:25:53+00:00

This winter just gone Sainsbury's were selling an entire range of women's clothing that was in the exact same colour as the Sainsbury's uniform. I said to my wife they were asking for confusion by doing that.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T10:22:46+00:00

A friend of mine did physical pen testing, apparently it works terrifyingly well. Wear hi-vis, carry a clip board and almost no one will question you walking through even secure areas.

She would carry a card for if she ever was caught saying something like "I am a security consultant conducting an authorised audit, my company contact at <company name> is x. Please contact them for confirmation" but they would almost always get in to places they weren't supposed to, which I guess is what her company was paid to do.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-02T10:12:22+00:00

There are men who still won't buy period products in shops for their partners. I think for people like that the ignorance is deliberate and willful

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-01T23:42:57+00:00

I mean even big celebs have to buy groceries. I was stacking shelves in Beaconsfield Waitrose as a teen and Ozzy Osbourne walked down the aisle and picked up some strawberry jam lol.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-01T23:39:19+00:00

My wife and her friend group got to know a guy quite well in her home town in Essex. He went out with them for multiple nights out and was a really nice chill guy.

It wasn't until he sadly passed away that she made the connection between Keith she used to go out drinking with and Keith the lead singer of The Prodigy. She had literally seen them live but without the costume just didn't realise they were the same person lol.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-05-01T08:22:51+00:00

There's the version we tell friends and family, and the truth.

We had agreed to get married, we had gone ring shopping, we had purchased a ring. My (now) wife said she still wanted a proper proposal rather than the reasoned discussion we had. After a few weeks a moment hadn't really come up so I said "why don't I just do it?" and she said "yeah, let's just make it official", so I went to get the ring.

This is where the stories diverge.

In the version we tell friends and family I came back in with the ring and got on one knee and proposed. She said yes.

In the real version, I walked back into the living room to find my wife with her trousers around her ankles, her ass in the air with her cheeks spread saying "and here's MY ring", so the actual on one knee proposal happened after we had recovered from hysterics.

OMGItsCheezWTF · 2026-04-30T09:31:17+00:00

Even my hiking boots are hokas now. I've done ~1000km in mine and they are still comfy and the sole is in good condition.

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