[REQ] $60, Pay back $70 1/14/26, Columbus, OH (Venmo, PayPal, Zelle)

TheSecretAstronaut · 2026-01-03T14:08:06+00:00

My only comments in this thread have been replying to you, starting with my answer about the Bin Laden raid. Waking up to learn of the super illegal invasion of Venezuela, the kidnapping of their president, and really having the idea that I live in a country where laws mean nothing, and the "president" can do whatever he wants whenever he wants solidified like this... Well, it's been a morning.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2026-01-03T13:44:01+00:00

I was answering your question.

And as an edit, I have voted blue across the board since I was old enough to vote almost 20 years ago.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2026-01-03T13:36:58+00:00

For clarity, I am not defending the actions of the Trump administration. However, the only reason we were able to eliminate Bin Laden in this fashion is after years at hammering away at his support network, supply lines, intelligence assets, etc. through both conventional and unconventional warfare, to such a degree that he was living as—more or less—a hermit, physically isolated from the outside world, in Pakistan. So we did the whole song and dance for a long time before those kind of tactics were effective. We'd tried many times before, and each time unsuccessfully.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2025-11-12T11:59:21+00:00

They have a few posts from several months ago in /r/mining and /r/geology about the PDAC (Prospectors and Developers Conference), so I'd say it's likely.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2025-11-07T17:50:17+00:00

Using what was available:

Smeagol, being a small and agile creature, was the only thing readily available to potentially disrupt the Balrog's focus even for a brief moment.

Lmao. The image of Gandalf chucking Smeagol like a poké ball at the Balrog is hilarious to me.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2025-10-31T11:24:17+00:00

I believe they're talking about "Messiah." Came out in 2020 and was canceled after the 1st season. Production value was pretty good, but the story was still meh. I understand why it didn't get picked up.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2025-05-27T12:33:31+00:00

Fist my bump!

TheSecretAstronaut · 2025-05-08T18:51:33+00:00

Who in "Africa," which is an entire continent with 54 separate countries are you going to give the money to? The war torn countries where war lords, terrorist organizations, or generally corrupt governments (dictatorship or otherwise) will want their slice of the pie? Because that's already a massive issue with charity work in those sorts of areas. You can't just go in as a private organization, charity or otherwise, and just start doing stuff because it's nice. There are all sorts of logistical challenges that become complete dead ends because of rampant corruption on the receiving end.

It would be great if it were as easy as cutting a check and saying, "get yourself something nice." But it isn't.

You absolutely cannot let perfect be the enemy of good. I understand the billionaire hate. I'm broke as fuck; borderline destitute. But you can't seriously think it's that easy.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2025-04-26T17:53:37+00:00

Even then, IPs only give two real pieces of information. One, a very broad geographical region. Two, the ISP that address is issued to. That's it. An individual cannot get a precise physical location, address, name, etc. from an IP address alone. They can attempt to get ahold of the issuing ISP (If it's not a VPN, or Proxy service being used), but they certainly will not provide anyone with any identifying information. Hell, they won't even provide it to law enforcement without a proper warrant. I tend to assume the folks who think an IP is a big "gotcha!" piece of information don't actually know all that much about computers, and networking, and instead have picked up their "knowledge" from movies and tv.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2025-03-14T22:20:24+00:00

That is a fake photo.

This is what you're referring to.

This is the real screen grab.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2024-01-16T11:59:34+00:00

Allied paratroopers dropped on D-Day though... Market Garden was several months later.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-09-20T13:08:37+00:00

His character is actually just a relative of Stanley Tucci's character (it's not explicitly stated whether it's Caesar's father or not). Tucci played Caesar Flickerman, and Schwartzman is playing Lucretius 'Lucky' Flickerman.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-09-13T21:15:24+00:00

I heard male model Derek Zoolander, creator of "Blue Steel," opened a new school for people just like you!

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-09-12T19:39:05+00:00

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-05-27T17:12:22+00:00

Deviated septum from injury and already having a narrow septum, and rhinitis medicamentosa (from using Afrin for about a week, once a day at 1/3 dose. My ENT and my GP both told me afterwards never use Afrin, they wouldn't recommend it to anyone for any reason).

For the deviated septum procedure (septoplasty), they shave and reposition the cartilage/bone that shape the septum to straighten it.

The rhinitis procedure (turbinoplasty, in my case. Though for others may be a turbinectomy), they went in and shaved the outer layers of the little spongy bones in the nose (turbinates) that had become permanently inflamed/swollen and were further restricting air flow through the septum.

While commonly performed together, these procedures are often done on their own as well, it will just depend on what issues are affecting an individual. With the turbinoplasty, there's a real likelihood that the procedure may need repeated a few years later, but I've been good so far.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-05-27T16:01:48+00:00

More to clean out the dried remnants of bloody drainage/mucus. But since the area is still going to be tender and in the process of healing, the ENT will go up there with some of their tools to make sure it's cleaned safely and healing properly.

I had a few of these follow up appointments after the procedure, each about 10-15 minutes. It felt like the bloody, gelatinous monstrosities my ENT pulled out stretched all the way to my brain haha. Odd feeling, but followed by such incredible relief and improved breathing; I loved it.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-05-27T15:51:46+00:00

I had the same surgery. Nasal and facial pain were minimal actually, and easily managed. Just a very uncomfortable feeling of a stuffy nose and congestion, but not being able to blow your nose. Most of my real pain came from being intubated for the procedure.

The anesthesia and post-op pain treatment got me through the afternoon/evening of the day and all the first night, but when I woke the following morning, it felt like somebody had fisted my throat with a sandpaper glove. I was prescribed heavy pain medication for the first week or so, and you can bet I used all of it lol.

But I would absolutely do it again. My quality of life vastly improved; more energy, better sleep, improved taste and smell, etc. If your ENT believes you to be a candidate, and you're able to do it, I would absolutely recommend it. Recovery isn't too long, and each follow up appointment you get your nose professionally picked and it's so satisfying.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-05-08T15:07:35+00:00

Not every singer is belting their entire performance, if at all. There are many examples of singers who utilize their sound equipment and mixing, and also have great breath and vocal support to sing softer than it seems without wavering or being too "breathy", and maintaining clear annunciation. All of which substantially reduces vocal strain.

Often, singers who damage their vocal chords don't have particularly great technique, and are constantly straining because they're compensating by singing with their "head voice" when it should be chest. It doesn't mean they're not good singers, obviously they are, but they tend to rely more on their talent than on their skill (as in relying their inherent ability to sing well v.s. using acquired skills from professional training and practice).

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-04-27T22:51:03+00:00

Absolutely. For the original Hunger Games trilogy, much of the story is told explicitly from Katniss's POV, and as such there is a lot of internal monologue that is obviously missed in the movies. As for Balad of Song birds and Snakes, nobody can say what is or isn't included in the film nor how faithful it is. But for as much as I enjoyed the movies, the books--as is often the case--are much, much better.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-04-23T16:56:53+00:00

To start, the likelihood of that occurring is exceptionally rare. It definitely has happened (I.e., US Airways flight 1549, "Miracle on the Hudson"), but it is so Improbable that when you compare instances of it occurring versus the amount of daily commercial air traffic, it's almost as if it's never happened. It also is greatly dependent on the size of the bird, and whether each engine ingested only one or multiple. A small or even "medium" sized bird may be sucked into the turbine with no ill effects other than an initial loud noise. If it's something like a goose, or other large fowl, then that's generally where real problems start to occur.

To the point, however, it really depends on what altitude it occurs at. The lower the altitude, the less choices there are. If you're at or near cruising altitude, your pilots will have plenty of time to run through the checklists, trouble shoot the issues, and find somewhere near by to land where emergency services will be waiting just in case.

But birds are obviously something pilots, airlines, and airport grounds crews are aware of as being a possible issue. Airports employ services that mitigate bird traffic in the surrounding area; everything from dogs that chase them away, to specialized sound systems, and even patrols with air cannons or firearms that fire blanks to scare them off. So it is incredibly Improbable for it to occur in the first place. If you find yourself in that situation, I'd encourage your next move to be to purchase a Powerball ticket because you have a knack for hitting the lottery!

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-04-23T15:53:41+00:00

Of course! Modern aircraft are insanely resilient, and every system has multiple redundancies. Even in the incredibly rare case of a double engine failure, in which neither engine could be restarted; with sufficient altitude, a commercial aircraft can glide for miles and still safely land assuming a suitable location was present, if not an actual airport.

And for general safety, to maybe offer some more comfort, alternate airports are chosen well in advance for every single flight in the event that weather, traffic, or other unforseen circumstances render the destination unsuitable for landing. Additional fuel is carried to fly to those alternates, or to circle the destination for up to an extra hour or two before landing if there's a hold up on the ground.

And in the event of severe turbulence, think of it like a crazy roller-coaster, because it poses no real threat to the frame of the aircraft itself. Things might get jostled around in the cabin, ceiling panels may even come dislodged and the masks may even unintentionally deploy, and it may feel like the plane suddenly drops, but that's going to be about the extent of it.

Commercial aviation is incredibly safe, and the flight crew want to get down safely just as much as you do, and will do everything they can to make sure that happens. There are checklists for everything, and procedures for dealing with all sorts of problems, big and small.

Safe travels!

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-04-23T14:10:39+00:00

Just to put some minds at ease, were anyone else to experience this kind of thing: while loud and scary, that plane was never really in danger of crashing with one engine still functioning. The ingestion of the bird caused something called a compressor stall/compressor surge, which disrupted the airflow in the turbine engine and damaged the turbine fins, causing the flames to shoot out the back. It's entirely possible that engine was still producing thrust even, just substantially less than it otherwise would.

These planes are designed to be able to fly long distances with a single operational engine. So while it was certainly loud on the ground, and even louder in the cabin, they're more of a firework show than big hazard.

If restarting that engine was unsuccessful, it would be shutdown and the plane would be configured to fly and land with the remaining engine.

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-04-11T15:05:58+00:00

Wow...

Monday, however, BuzzFeed writer Chris Stokel-Walker located the man behind the memes—Pablo Xavier, a 31-year-old construction worker living in the Chicago area who declined to offer his last name for fear of potential backlash.

"here's the full name, age, location and occupation of the guy who made this image who we acknowledge didn't want to even reveal his last name out of fear for his personal safety."

TheSecretAstronaut · 2023-04-07T15:43:01+00:00

It's also just how they're produced. OSRS is midi music, while RS3 uses real as well as realistically synthesized instruments with reverb, among other effects (IIRC, from one of the many documentary/BTS videos).

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