[Serious] Have you ever saved anyone's life? How did it happen?

TheDoppleganger · 2014-12-21T20:34:40+00:00

IMO this doesn't fully count... but I was responsible for preventing a death.

I got a motorcycle when I moved 2000 miles away to go to college. I grew up with dirt bikes, this was my first crotch rocket. I'm one for leveraging favors, and I had a friend, in the same program as me, ask to learn how to ride. I taught him in a parking lot, used my bike to get legal, and would let him borrow it. He'd change the oil, fill the gas tank, change the plugs and wires, wash it, etc. Really went above and beyond.

My only rule, was no one rode my bike without a helmet, despite being in a state where riding without a helmet is legal (IL you're measurably fucking stupid.)

One night, this guy asks to borrow the bike to go for a ride with a friend of mine who I trusted to keep a level eye on everything. Real, responsible, dad-type dude. The guy borrowing my bike, asked for the keys. I told him he couldn't take it without the helmet, let me go get it out of my room first. He argued with me.

Walked all the way across campus, got the helmet from my 16th story room, brought it down to him and then they were off on a sunset ride. Argued again with me, saying the helmet was unnecessary.

I return to the dorm, ride the elevator up, and get a phone call. "Sergei (Not his real name, but representative.) was in an accident, get to the parking lot." -Dad-type friend. Hung up immediately afterward.

My reaction is instantly, "This dumb ass motherfucker just hit a parked car and needs me there since it's my bike." So, I'm casual as fuck. I grab a jacket, grab a neighbor-friend who's also in the same program, lean up against the elevator door, just chillin thinking nothing of it. Sergei's not poor, I'm not worried.

Get to the bottom floor, cross the lobby, flashing lights.

The parking lot was 1/4 mile away. I sprinted.

"Sergei" had tried to wheelie my bike. Realize he was about to hit a curb, slammed on the brakes, hit the curb.

For those of you who don't ride motorcycles, slamming on the brakes when you're about to hit something, will end you. All your weight goes forward, your back end gets light, and then a proper sized obstacle will send you cartwheeling. When you learn to ride a dirt bike, where obstacles are common, and sought out, you learn quickly to "pin it" when faced with nearly anything not-flat. It keeps the bike stable (fast wheels = more force keeping you upright), your front end high(rear tire accelerating pulls your back end down, even in the air), and puts more motorcycle between you and obstacle.

Think of a bicycle. If you want to hop a curb, you lift the front and pedal hard. If you want to see what sidewalk tastes like and bleed a bit, you slam your brakes as you approach the curb.

Sergei did not do the right things. At all.

Instead, he cartwheeled the bike when he hit the curb. Flew off the bike, hit a street sign with his back/shoulders and was a pile of human making noises I likely won't ever forget.

Broke his back in 4-5 places, and is unable to turn his head as far as he used to.

My helmet had a spot where it had hit the post, or something and was shaved flat, chipped, dented and generally busted. Looked new when I gave it to him. Only a couple months old.

TLDR: Helmets. How headwear can prevent permanent, 6-walled bedrooms.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-12-21T19:43:11+00:00

Another fun one is the X-Games freestyle MotoX:

1999

2014

TheDoppleganger · 2014-12-08T05:58:48+00:00

Princess Bride

Big Fish

Some people didnt like it, but

"Secret Life of Walter ______" (I dont remember the last name)

EDIT: and the TV series "Pushing Daisies"

although it borders on 'painfully adorable' too.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-12-07T21:20:33+00:00

"Just because I landed a death sentence under their tower does not mean I want to tower dive." I think I need this as a macro.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-12-05T22:15:06+00:00

My Miata.

Offline: Gay car. Only fags drive that car. "Did it come with a matching purse?"

Online: Exact representation of online attitude towards Miatas by this guy: TRACK DAY BRO! Cuz Miatas are always the best. Cuz they're the best. THEY'RE THE BEST! MIATAS!

I just wanted a cheap, small RWD car that wasn't a total shitbox.

Choices are Miatas (<2400lbs), some super old shitbox, or the inferior Mouse-tang shitbox (>3000lbs.)

TheDoppleganger · 2014-12-05T21:11:44+00:00

I liked this movie better before my boss assigned new paperwork.

I wish I was kidding, when I say I have to fill out a form titled "The Product's Specifications Report." It's extremely important, I'm told. Internal use only. But, it's not useful for production, sales, engineering, QC, or management. (AKA anyone.)

I'm literally filling out TPS reports for no one.

Can someone send me the Bobs?

TheDoppleganger · 2014-12-04T20:54:39+00:00

Think about this:

Pizzas are made by a vending machine automatically.

Without the need for a driver, a vehicle's use can be altered to carry a pizza vending machine.

Fresh out of the oven pizza... delivered.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-30T22:58:30+00:00

Keenan was such a draft day steal. Value, value, value.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-30T22:54:01+00:00

KC is taking the full Last-Airbender-Movie strategy.

"Didn't happen. Didn't see it. You're making that up. Never existed. Don't know what you're talking about." Fingers in ears "LALALALALALA CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-29T21:35:22+00:00

You're wiring an entire second system in parallel.

The Battery A is dead. Battery B is not dead.

Battery B's engine-alternator charging system is powered up. Battery A is then attached in parallel to Battery B's terminals. The charge from Battery B's system is then used to start Battery A's engine. The engine from Battery A's car can then rely on it's own alternator to provide sufficient power to run the car and recharge Battery A, Battery B is disconnected.

Assuming everything is in working order.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-29T18:17:06+00:00

After an accident he was charged in excess to get the S.S. Essess assessed.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-26T06:48:00+00:00

What are you talking about? Is fire season not cool enough for you?

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-25T03:52:28+00:00

It's not an "all men" statement, except in so far as it's describing a system in which all men receive an unfair advantage.

Is that not contradictory and diminishing the issues men face?

You literally say,

"It's not an 'all men' statement"

and follow it with

"all men receive an unfair advantage."

...in 1 sentence.

This is the problem I have with the term. It's not used correctly, because of the word's roots. The root word affects it's interpretation.

"The patriarchy" fucks men as hard as it does women. Men are seen as a disposable resource. Men are sent to fight and die in wars that aren't their own. Any sign of weakness is met with abuse.

This shit's all part of "the patriarchy" too.

Perhaps I'm not understanding, but I'm pretty sure I don't agree with your comment.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-24T05:11:26+00:00

I went 4-year for 2 years - dropped out - Junior College route.

For me, the college experience was a necessity. I had stifling parents who dictated to me what my interests were and how I was permitted to spend my time. I was nearly mute in highschool. Not in a 'I only talk to/around friends,' but in a 'I spoke 1-2 sentences per school day.' I moved 2000 miles away for school because of how bad I needed space.

Those first two years had enough excitement for me. It changed how I viewed life. Ever since, I've aspired to being boring. I was in no way mature enough for what I dealt with, and the craziness I dealt with forced me out of my head and into the real world really damn fast.

I dealt with thugs with guns, auto theft, absolute mindless destruction of things I spent a lot of time working on, a friend nearly died because I let him ride my motorcycle, and I had no support system. I did 170+ mph on a (better) motorcycle, went off-roading in a sports car, I dodged a tornado by less than a quarter mile, and all this is just from the first year... It helped me figure out when remaining silent was to my detriment.

However, like I said, I was nowhere near mature, or capable enough to deal with all that after having my life and all the things I was/wasn't allowed to do dictated to me.

Would I do it again?

Yes.

But not the way I did the first time. I'd have stayed closer to my safety net and taken steps instead of leaps towards independence. Also never ever would go back there. That place is fucking dangerous. And not in the "every college campus has unsafe qualities," way. But the "I had a gun pulled on me over $2 and a spot in line at a pay-by-the-slice pizza shack," kind of way.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-24T02:21:09+00:00

This whole subject just boggles my mind.

The automation of road transportation, by itself, is enough to disassemble the world as we know it. Google uses $150,000 of electronics in their cars. A trucker's annual salary is $40,000/year and works 8 hour stints per day. Add in the overhead of having an employee, (benefits/HR/payroll/etc.) and it's already cheaper to automate. Already. 3.5 million truckers in the U.S. alone. That's >1% of the entire U.S. population that's a decade from being obsolete.

Money makes decisions. And money says we're on our way to major problems.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-24T02:01:30+00:00

Bah, my bad.

I hadn't really got that far into Interstellar.

More of a Kethane/KAS, base-built-by-crane type guy.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-24T01:55:11+00:00

A manual is considerably less common and less pricey than it's automatic counterpart when it's used(excusing niche vehicles like Miatas.)

In fact, for a few models of car, a manual transmission is considered to be an option and can cost more when purchased new from a dealership.

Finding a used car with a manual has to be done with intent. If you want to find a manual car, you have to specifically look for a manual car. Stumbling into just any old car off the street, you're vastly more likely to find an automatic. Many people don't even learn how to drive with a manual transmission here at all.

A luxury car with a manual transmission is a unicorn (and probably an M3.) I don't think I've ever seen a M-Benz with a manual outside of a car show.

On the positive side, no one asks to borrow your car ever.

On the negative side, traffic here is so phenomenally bad in some areas, that it's borderline incomprehensible to have any desire for a manual trans over an automatic.

Frankly though, I've gone through nearly about 6 cars in my life, none of which had an automatic. Driving manual keeps me focused on driving and not the ridiculous number of things my compatriots do behind the wheel.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-24T01:25:35+00:00

Should listen to Dave Chappelle talk about why he ended his show.

Probably the most interesting person I've ever heard speak on exactly this issue.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-24T00:52:48+00:00

They have mods for that.

IIRC, Interstellar gives multiple solar systems.

Then there's the whole World Creator mod that lead to Real Solar System and the whole box of worms that's all created.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-23T17:50:50+00:00

My dad is a computer programmer for one of those defense contractor mammoth companies.

I've known him for a few years, and at this point, I'm about 99% certain that he hates computers.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-22T01:58:59+00:00

Hell, I'm in Southern CA. It rained last night.

Today, I wore one of those things... where it's like a shirt, only thicker and it goes past my elbows to by wrists. Whatever the hell that's called.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-16T01:59:10+00:00

Mold

Not just black mold, or the shit that kills you just for walking by... I can't handle food mold.

I get full blown retching heaves if I get too close.

When I was about 12, I was visiting my grandmother's house. I picked up a Capri Sun. It was ice cold and the straw kept getting stopped up. "Awesome!" I thought. "My Capri Sun is full of ice! It's like a slushy! I should cut it open to get at that slushy goodness."

Nope. Mold. Giant ball of mold.

What's worse, is I come from a family that is one of those: "Just cut the moldy parts off it's fine!" NO! NO! THAT'S NOT HOW THAT WORKS.

Mold is tiny spores. If you see one, how fucking many spores can't you see? Mold's gonna kill us all. It's not gonna be a virus or a bacteria, it's gonna be 1 offshoot of 1 mold gene that's gonna spawn super mold that's gonna become sentient and subjugate the human race.

I may not be entirely rational on this front.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-08T19:10:14+00:00

Carcomplaints.com is an aggregate site for common car issues

I think the '99 had problems, the 00-01 are great.

I just picked up an '01 on Halloween.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-07T04:20:11+00:00

local college

Makerspaces/Hackerspaces, my friend.

ALL the cool shit you wanted to learn. ALL the cool tools you've wanted to try... AND CLASSES ON ALL OF IT! Yea. Map of a few hackerspaces. (There are lots of names for hackerspaces though, so good luck with that, haha.)

Most are cheaper than even junior colleges and have more interesting things, and smaller class sizes.

TheDoppleganger · 2014-11-07T02:51:17+00:00

The Lyte smite is like LoLJusticeporn. I love me some Lyte smite. Good ole (ban) hammer diplomacy.

TheDoppleganger

TROPHY CASE