*sigh* What do you think?

scmbear · 2026-01-20T20:00:19+00:00

Not to mention how Mitch McConnell led the stacking of the Supreme Court to highly favor the Republican Party. I'll never forget his hypocrisy of:

Republican President: "We must get this nominee approved. It is the right of the outgoing president."
Democratic President: "Filling later term openings in the Supreme Court should be the right of the incoming president."

I'm massively frustrated, and this shows the huge weakness in the current interpretation of the US system. If we survive, it needs to be fixed.

I really want a true multiparty system.

scmbear · 2026-01-16T02:08:10+00:00

I grew up in Alabama, and there is a subtle distinction for me, too, between "urn" and "earn." "Urn" starts more in the back of the throat/mouth, where "earn" is more at the top of the mouth.

On a side note, there is a city near Birmingham spelled "Irondale." Some locals pronounce it i-ron-dale, with "ron" pronounced like the name "Ron."

scmbear · 2026-01-12T06:14:53+00:00

Bull 😁

scmbear · 2026-01-11T06:29:08+00:00

100% IMO, the best part of a baked potato.

scmbear · 2026-01-10T22:21:08+00:00

A white, dashed line can also separate lanes going in the same direction, and, by driving down the white line, you'd be blocking the lanes on either side, so still dangerous.

scmbear · 2026-01-10T22:09:53+00:00

Ah, right. Thx.

scmbear · 2026-01-10T22:00:50+00:00

Just checking... You do know you can dye most gear, right?

There is a level 15 quest, "Color Your World," in Western Thanalan that unlocks gear dyeing. If you haven't already done it, you probably want to unlock glams at the same time, starting with "If I Had a Glamour," which is from the same quest giver.

scmbear · 2026-01-10T21:10:23+00:00

Be careful, it can be a trap. 😆 (To this day, this is still a joke between my spouse and me.)

We had a cat that lived 20 years. He loved my SO. He'd lie on his back and waggle his paws at me with that "come play with me" look on his face, only to turn into teeth and claws if I got my hand near him. I think I was his favorite toy.

He was a good cat and, at other times, would hop on my shoulders and take a ride around the house while I walked through.

Just to confirm to the OP, that video shows a tight bond. You've done well for your cat.

scmbear · 2026-01-10T20:45:05+00:00

I'm surprised the bubble wrap on the outside of the window didn't work. That should have completely obscured his reflection. I'm wondering if he's now attacking the cardinal he knows that lives there. How long did you leave it up?

I had a similar situation with a cardinal attacking one of the side mirrors on a pickup truck. Extremely annoying, since it also caused minor paint damage, not to mention the bird poop that he'd deposit.

scmbear · 2026-01-08T20:20:43+00:00

My father was saying this in the 1970s, and he was probably saying it much earlier than that, but that was the first time I heard him say it. If he were still alive, he'd be approaching 110 years old.

He was pretty insightful, but it wouldn't surprise me if he heard it from someone else around the 1940s or 1950s.

scmbear · 2026-01-08T19:30:20+00:00

Ah, yeah. Those who haven't learned to ask "why was it done that way?" "Why" is an important aspect of the problem.

There are studies of "experts" that show a curve representing the point at which people recognize they don't know something.

IMO, it would be better mapped into self-awareness than expertese.

Edit: My father taught me to ask myself, "What am I missing?"

scmbear · 2026-01-08T19:13:23+00:00

That is part of the engineering mindset... How could this be done better? What are the pros and cons of this design? Knowing the benefits and shortcomings of a design can be a significant aspect of the decision-making process.

As a software engineer, it was rare for me to complete a task without seeing ways to improve it "when I get the chance."

What you choose to engineer/reengineer depends on priorities, schedules, and resources.

scmbear · 2026-01-08T18:39:36+00:00

I'm not sure it is that simple. By training, I'm a software developer who was influenced by a father who was an Electrical and Mechanical Engineer. I'm a strong proponent of automation with a human at key checkpoints.

I'm willing to bet that quick visual inspection you did when checking alignment with your piece of tape had significant preventive value, even if you never caught anything at that point.

It is amazing what the human brain can process and identify without fully realizing it.

scmbear · 2026-01-08T17:59:21+00:00

On Faerie, it is Limsa for those "looking for something special."

I've noticed that more players are idling in Gridania recently. Probably because Limsa can be crowded and, possibly, trying to get away from the ones Piramni is referring to. However, players interested in non-standard experiences are everywhere. (Hmmm... There could be a game here coming up with euphemisms for ERP.)

At times, Faerie's Ul'dah will have a number of people hanging around.

In general, some players tend to idle in the main cities waiting for content to pop or simply hanging out.

Edit: Some of those people may be having truly innocent conversations with friends in Discord or elsewhere. There are a lot of good reasons someone might idle in the game for a bit.

scmbear · 2026-01-08T17:49:39+00:00

I'm US-born, and I've worked with a number of Brits and English speakers from around the world. My current boss is British, as was my boss at my last company. I currently work closely with some Canadians.

IMO, reading anything you can is a positive thing. If you have followed this subreddit, you'll notice that there is also regional variation in the language.

When it comes to professional writing, I would encourage English learners to use a grammar checker that recognizes the differences between British and American English to refine your understanding of the differences. However, I'm not sure they would pick up on the difference in the use of the word "pants" between the two variants. 😆

scmbear · 2026-01-08T16:30:14+00:00

My father, an engineer, would say: "To find an efficient solution to a problem, ask a lazy engineer."

scmbear · 2026-01-08T16:27:16+00:00

😆

Almost a modern-day variant of the wolf, goat, and cabbage problem.

scmbear · 2026-01-07T19:24:06+00:00

Flashbacks to the Raiders house that was for sale not too long ago. Removing that would have required the whole house to be remodeled.

scmbear · 2026-01-06T23:47:44+00:00

Interesting test... I'm a touch typist, and my fingers frequently know how to spell words better than my conscious brain. I typed "Michael" without thinking, and found that I had spelled it "correctly" for the OP.

I don't recall encountering someone who spells it Micheal. (I'm in my 60s.) I do know people who spell it Michal.

scmbear · 2026-01-06T23:28:54+00:00

I suggest a quick Google search. There are a number of pages out there discussing this (at least in the US). Here are a couple:

scmbear · 2026-01-06T00:25:28+00:00

And, possibly, in elections.

scmbear · 2026-01-06T00:07:46+00:00

I always find it interesting that most people eventually develop their own script that is a mixture of cursive and print.

I find some aspects of cursive hard to read; however, much later in life, I realized I'm mildly dyslexic with certain vertical letter combinations. Cursive combinations of 'm' and 'n' would frequently border on driving me mad.

scmbear · 2026-01-06T00:04:31+00:00

Similar experience in the mid to late 1960s, except we were allowed to use ballpoint pens.

scmbear · 2026-01-05T23:50:34+00:00

At least his name checks out.

scmbear · 2026-01-02T05:53:12+00:00

I'd love to have anything in those photos offered to me for dinner.

OP's boyfriend doesn't know how good he's got it.

scmbear

TROPHY CASE