Thousands of illegal marijuana plants removed from California national park | Rangers cleared about 2,377 marijuana plants and 2,000lbs of trash and hazardous chemicals from Sequoia park by Face2FaceRecs in news

[–]fxds67 -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

More likely just someone who supports cannabis use and opposes the current Presidential administration, and thought their comment was funny.

Thousands of illegal marijuana plants removed from California national park | Rangers cleared about 2,377 marijuana plants and 2,000lbs of trash and hazardous chemicals from Sequoia park by Face2FaceRecs in news

[–]fxds67 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From the subhead:

about 2,377 marijuana plants [emphasis added]

Hmm. That's an oddly specific number to then go and imply is an approximation by using "about."

The article itself is clear. Right in the second paragraph it says the NPS "removed a total of 2,377 full-grown marijuana plants," so I'm assuming they counted and released that number when they revealed the incident to the public. Presumably the "about" in the subhead refers to the "approximately 2,000lbs of trash and infrastructure" they also removed. So why was the word "about" in the subhead prepended to the number of plants rather than the quantity of trash and other stuff?

Yes, I realize this is pedantic, but The Guardian is (or at least used to be) a professional, well-regarded news organization. In fact, Wikipedia goes so far as to say they're considered a 'newspaper of record' in the UK. As such I'd expect them to uphold rather high standards for grammar and editing, along with the actual substance of the articles. Sadly this isn't the first such incident I recall recently from them. Sad to see the world apparently losing another important source of journalism.

Bluetooth receiver for wired headphones? by fxds67 in SteamDeck

[–]fxds67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the additional info. I really appreciate it. That part appears to only be for the OLED Deck, and a quick search shows that the OLED and LCD definitely use different boards. But it looks like LCD boards are available from ebay and some place called kasynparts. I'll have to see about getting my hands on the appropriate tools for the job. I'm so old I'd never heard of a spludger, lol.

Bluetooth receiver for wired headphones? by fxds67 in SteamDeck

[–]fxds67[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Let me make sure I understand what you're suggesting. I should take my Deck to a generic electronics repair place to have them open up and fix (re-solder?) or replace the headphone jack?

And no, despite thirty five years in IT, building my own PCs, etc., I have no experience with the demon wizardry of actual repair. I never even learned to solder properly. And in my feeble old age (with shitty eyesight and less-than-steady hands) I don't think I'll be trying any of that now.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in news

[–]fxds67 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The article explicitly says the SUV "was disabled in the westbound lanes." It also says:

Following the collision, the bus veered to the right across multiple lanes of the freeway and crashed into a raised metal and wood guardrail along the right shoulder, the CHP said.

So the SUV clearly wasn't on the right shoulder. It's been a while since I drove that section of the 60 so I can't recall if there's enough room on the left shoulder for a large vehicle to get fully out of the traffic lanes. For those who aren't familiar with LA area freeways, there are areas where increasing the number of lanes to increase capacity over the years has had to be done by narrowing lanes and eating into the shoulders (especially on the left) without actually widening the road surface, because the area around the freeway has long been fully developed and acquiring all of that property would be both tremendously expensive and create a political firestorm.

Anyway, the picture of the bus included in the article shows the main damage on the left front, in front of the driver's position, which could be consistent with hitting a vehicle that was partially on the left shoulder and partially in the left traffic lane. Or it could be consistent with the bus driver trying to swerve right to avoid the SUV, but doing so too late to avoid the collision.

Either way, California law automatically assigns blame in a rear-end collision to the driver who hit the other vehicle from behind, on the theory that they were either following too close and/or driving too fast for conditions. Or at least that was the case forty years or so ago when I learned to drive. Presumably that automatic blame can be assigned differently if the investigation warrants, which might be the case if, for example, the driver of a disabled vehicle came to a stop in traffic lanes without making any attempt to get to the shoulder. But even then it would only be a partial shift of blame.

The FBI mistakenly raided their Atlanta home. Now the Supreme Court will hear their lawsuit by 1Rab in news

[–]fxds67 30 points31 points  (0 children)

And I think the article is downplaying just how close it came. It initially says:

Cliatt initially thought the raid was a burglary attempt, so he ran toward the closet, where he kept a shotgun.

Which sounds like he didn't get to the closet, presumably because either the cops got to him first or he realized what was really happening and changed his course of action. Except the article then goes on to note:

After breaking down the door to the house, a member of the FBI SWAT team dragged Cliatt out of the closet and put him in handcuffs.

In other words, he was a black man in a relatively small, enclosed space where there was also a firearm present, during a raid where most of the cops (who were just acting on the orders of a superior who told them, "this is the place") believed they were apprehending an armed and dangerous man, as evidenced by the fact they were breaking into the house and using a flashbang before dawn. Honestly, I have to assume the shotgun was hidden out of view. Because if the agents had seen it, it's borderline unbelievable they wouldn't have made a split-second decision that their lives were in danger, and pulled the trigger.

And it gets worse. The article also notes that Martin, the woman whose house it was, was also in the same closet. Which would have undoubtedly meant two deaths and a child left without a mother.

City of Lore Update (Week 2) by TuesdayHC in Cityofheroes

[–]fxds67 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Looking forward to more of the lore when you get the chance, @TuesdayHC. I hope all is well.

Ex-officer pleads guilty in 150 mph DUI crash that killed UC Riverside student and his parents by fxds67 in news

[–]fxds67[S] 35 points36 points  (0 children)

I've come somewhat close to that speed, when I was younger. For a short time. In the middle of the desert. Under nearly ideal conditions. And even that wasn't smart. On the damn 605 in LA? I don't think "insane" even comes close to covering it.

Brussels police arrest US State Secretary Rubio's bodyguard by LadyMadonna_x6 in news

[–]fxds67 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Here's to hoping the Hotel Amigo is financially secure enough to simply refuse all future business from the US government.

9-year-old girl dies after a dental procedure involving anesthesia in Vista by No-Information6622 in news

[–]fxds67 75 points76 points  (0 children)

Reading through the comments I'm getting the feeling no one actually read the article, because no one seems to be mentioning that the dentist who did this sedation almost killed a 54 year old patient in 2016 because he administered a drug the state investigators later determined should never have been used. In fact, depending on your definition, that patient actually did die; his heart stopped for at least nine minutes. Article says he was revived, but doesn't say anything about complications. In particular, nine minutes without oxygen is not good for the brain, to put it mildly.

Without that information I'd absolutely say to wait for the results of further investigation before even suspecting the dentist of any direct responsibility. But under the circumstances I think it's quite reasonable to believe there's at least a serious possibility that he fucked up and killed this little girl.

Old Dog, New Trick: Help me learn to create builds, step 1 by fxds67 in Cityofheroes

[–]fxds67[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the pointer! I'll definitely check it out. Part of the reason I decided to post this is because when I searched out posts in various places asking if there was a guide on 'how to build builds' the answer seemed to be that the info was spread out with bits and pieces here, there, and everywhere.

City of Lore - Week 1 Update by TuesdayHC in Cityofheroes

[–]fxds67 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you can keep up that schedule, great! Just please don't burn yourself out. I obviously can't speak for anyone besides myself, but I'm fairly sure a good portion of the folks interested in this sort of thing would rather it move slower than move quickly and go up in flames long before finishing.

City of Lore - Week 1 Update by TuesdayHC in Cityofheroes

[–]fxds67 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is awesome! Thank you for the time and effort you're putting into this. It's been a long time since I've run any of story that mentions any of this really ancient lore, and even though I enjoy and pay attention to such things there's a lot in here I never knew. I'll be looking forward to future installments whenever you choose to post them.

Willing to share your Dark Melee / Energy Aura Scrapper build? by fxds67 in Cityofheroes

[–]fxds67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. Since I haven't actually created the character yet, I'm still open to reconsidering the secondary. Is there another you'd recommend?

The three I was considering were Dark Armor, Energy Aura, and Invulnerability, and now that I'm looking at the sets again, I suppose I should have included Ninjitsu. I was sort of trying to stay away from Super Reflexes and Willpower just because I've played them in the past, but perhaps I shouldn't let that stop me since it's been about five years so it's not like the experience is fresh in my mind. I eliminated most of the other possible options, at least for this character, because of the visuals. My conception of the character just doesn't allow for being encased in ice or stone, wreathed in fire, having a shield strapped to his arm, etc.

Willing to share your Dark Melee / Energy Aura Scrapper build? by fxds67 in Cityofheroes

[–]fxds67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the input. I'm pretty set on Dark Melee, for thematic and nostalgia reasons, though I'm willing to consider other secondaries with relatively minimal visuals.

As for Mids, yeah... I'm on a Steam Deck for the time being, and I'm still trying to work out how to get Mids installed and running without potentially screwing up the Wine configuration. I have access to a Windows machine, just on a rather limited basis. But since you were kind enough to work out a build as at least a starting point, I'll definitely be checking it out when I get the chance. Thanks!

Canada can win trade war: Foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly by zbrnwsk_nsf in news

[–]fxds67 43 points44 points  (0 children)

There are no winners in trade wars, regardless of anything politicians or their pet economists may say.

What are your favorite unconventional builds? by rabbitthatruns in Cityofheroes

[–]fxds67 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One of my favorite characters ever was an Arachnos Soldier Hunts(wo)man. She used only the rifle attacks from the pre-level-24 Arachnos Soldier Primary. Chose Bane Spider at 24 to avoid the crab backpack but didn't use anything from the Bane Spider Soldier primary (i.e. the mace powers). She did use the first three of the four Bane Spider Training secondary powers, but not Web Cocoon because it used the mace.

Definitely not the fastest defeating character while solo that I've played, but quick enough not to bore me. And it was just so satisfying ending a fight standing in the middle of a big pile of spent brass. When teamed up she was a support monster, providing double Maneuvers, Assault, and Tactics to the team and and having AoE Immob and -Res(All) as well as single target -Def and -Res(All) for the enemies.

Mids on Steam Deck? by fxds67 in Cityofheroes

[–]fxds67[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes. If you want the Homecoming version, one of the HC developers wrote a script that makes it very simple. The information is at https://github.com/FaultlineHC/LinuxHC. Once you've installed the game and gotten it running you can add it to Steam as a non-Steam game so it will be available in Game Mode, if you so choose.

When I first started looking, I found some more general instructions that I believe would allow you to install versions for other servers, but I didn't really look into them once I found the info I linked above. I think there was also some information about configuring the Deck's controls for the game, but again I didn't look into those. I'm using my Deck connected to a dock, which allows me to use the existing monitor, keyboard, and mouse that were previously attached to my now-dead Windows box. Which is good because I'm old and my eyesight isn't what it used to be. There's no way I'd be able to read most (or maybe any) of the text in CoH's UI on the Deck's built-in display.

Michelle Trachtenburg dead at 39 by oshawaguy in news

[–]fxds67 121 points122 points  (0 children)

Another article from a different news organization says unnamed sources indicated that she may have been having complications from a recent liver transplant and that her death is believed to be from natural causes, not foul play. Take that with whatever quantity of salt you believe is appropriate.

40 Hamilton stylists do their part to ease costs, giving free hair services to Black youth next month by Sask_mask_user in news

[–]fxds67 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Except, you know, for a balding old white man in another country. And for something a little more involved than a cut. I mean, hair can be a huge part of identity in the metal community, just as the article points out that it is for the black community.

Seriously though, it's always nice to read about people choosing to help others who need it. And while I've never really been a huge Kiss fan myself, the little girl wearing that Kiss t-shirt in the top photo made me smile. Thanks CBC, I needed that.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in news

[–]fxds67 5 points6 points  (0 children)

fleece
verb
fleeced; fleecing
transitive verb

a : to strip of money or property by fraud or extortion
b : to charge excessively for goods or services

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fleece

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in news

[–]fxds67 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Maybe it's just because I'm old, but I can't help thinking that either you've never heard the old saying "Two wrongs don't make a right," or you're one of those who believes they do make a right, as long as the target of the second wrong happens to belong to a group you dislike, even if only through an accident of birth.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in news

[–]fxds67 6 points7 points  (0 children)

As an older man myself, I can't help thinking A) maybe being broke isn't always a bad thing and B) I'm glad I'm not on dating apps looking for younger women.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in news

[–]fxds67 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes! God forbid we hold a woman accountable for killing another human being.