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Received a package today, unordered, not a clue why. Uh-oh. Mail bomb? Validated the thing wasn't before opened. Sender return address looked up, from a company whose website I visited a month prior and only looked for one item and decided no. Not the item received. One of which I already have and only used for about a week. Too imprecise a tool for my wants. Cost about $$, plus $ shipped and handled.
Oh, from one site visit, the company tracked my IP and street address and sent the useless thing for a promotion gimmick. I'm more disturbed now. Data miners co-opted my private contact information through nefarious means. If I was of a mind to -- two can play at that. How about I send the company owner a blank leaf of letter paper inside a box of Styrofoam confetti? Nah, not worth the while.
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Re: the traditional way is to send them endless bricks with insufficient postage, then move up to a dead gopher and a recipe for dead gopher stew.
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Now, now. Let's not encourage anyone to rattle Corporate Cages. They usually have Barracudas (lawyers) inside.
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However, brainstorming for a possible story (or even a story challenge) would be appropriate.
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Oh, I'm sorry KDW. I didn't know a statement like that was a potential problem. That was just me idly mentioning a want, I didn't realize it could lead to legal troubles.
Though I have seen Internet-based fan interest make movies and TV shows happen (or continue, like Lucifer) but if it's an issue I'll make sure not to do it again.
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Ms. Dalton Woodbury refers to harassment by mail referenced above, each satiric, not meant to be really done. Illegal, actually, and as well subject to civil suits. Nor would I suggest any of several ways around both. My few rare pranks tend to succeed as designed, and laughable for all and sundry; when emulated by others, things go awry, for they know not my elaborate attentions to devilish details, like legal matters.
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extrinsic is correct, MerlionEmrys. My post was intended to appear before your post, but it didn't work out that way.
Besides, whatever it was you were trying to say when you posted didn't make sense to me anyway. (The meaning of the message could be argued to be what was received, not what was sent.)
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That time delay is weird. I did not see your post before I posted mine, and I'm sure the time passage was not that great.
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42 degrees tomorrow. Bright sunshine too, and me out in it for 7 hours with no protection other than sunscreen and a couple of litres of water. Welcome back, Australia's summer.
Added later. Seems like it's only one day. Not much of a summer after all. The again, last week, 200 kms north of me, they had five days over 45. Maybe I'm just lucky?
Nah!
Phil.
[ January 03, 2019, 03:47 AM: Message edited by: Grumpy old guy ]
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Bald numbers and numerals sans context labels leave doubt open and ask readers to infer, right, wrong, or other. Age? Birthday salutations due?
55° (Fahrenheit) hereabouts today. Numerically tops 45° whatever, though Celsius, of course, "degrees" and accompanied by metric distance measurement, from texture wrap intimates seasonally hot southern hemisphere summertime, not mild northern hemisphere wintertime, nor age, or other.
Kelvin? 45°C to 318°K; 55°F to 286°K. So hotter by 32°K Downunder's local summer temperature today than today's hereabouts temperate zone northern hemisphere winter temperature. Kelvin's simplest conversion is plus, zero, or minus °C and 273°.
Or 45°C to 113°F; 55°F to 13°C. Besides, extreme low or high humidity is what's most brutal, really. Temperature, humidity, and airflow velocity add up to "heat index," a misnomer for evaporative tactile sensation of temperature, etc.
Réaumur? Remur anglicized, is a fermenter's temperature scale: beer, wine, liquor mash, bread, cheese, and also cooked sugar syrups' "brix," carmelization, and brittleness degree. 0°R is the freeze point of water; 80°R is the boil point. No point to speak of other obscure scales, Rankine, Rømer, Newton, or Delisle, except for prose research and application purposes.
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10 years it's taken, but I've finally cracked the secret of the perfect risotto. It's all about how you treat the rice. You need to massage out the starch so you get the perfect soupy porridge effect. I can get every last drop of liquid off the plate with just a fork. With a bit of butter, some onion, a splash of extra dry vermouth and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan; Heaven on a plate.
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Neapolitan kin of mine rinse cooked rice while hot regardless of recipe, dissolves surface starch capsules. If rice cools, though, starch capsules close. No liquid change and limited amount if for risotto. Peculiar that risotto technique preserves al dente and silky rice texture contrast. Risotto technique, any way rinsed rice, is inapt for sushi rice and chopstick cuisine in general.
Other cuisines, rinsed or unrinsed rice is the question. For fluffy al dente rice, no rinse, and sear with hot fat (ghee or butter) or oil to coat hot rice, a tablespoon or so per cup cooked rice, after a fifteen minute rest so starch capsules close.
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A first-time ask for grammar expertise in support of a parliamentary hearing defense came up this past week for me. Don't know whether to be perplexed, disturbed, or delighted.
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I guess the emotional response would depend on who you are defending, and why. There are people I'd rather see burn than be accorded due process. Where’s the Torquemada when you need them?
Phil
I have a little list of people who won't be missed.
[ January 06, 2019, 11:54 PM: Message edited by: Grumpy old guy ]
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Neither claimant nor respondent prevailed, nor arbiter panel. For my part, defense of apt pronoun usage presented per formal or informal, esoteric or exoteric, register, due deference, and decorum, discourse community centripetal or centrifugal social situation. No side satisfied, each stipulated agreement to the presentation's criteria, though.
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Damn all mind-altering medications! I had my heart set on continuing to develop my short story and here I've been spending the past five days developing recipes. True, the rewards are immediate and sustaining, even delicious, but do they finish a story? NO!
I could have cluttered up the NSG thread bandwidth with this tirade, but that wouldn't be useful. Who wants to hear about my travails?
I did, however, find a sound clip of a tolling bell, HERE it tolls. But this is the internet; all content is suspect, faked, derivative, or downright concocted. I'm still going to contact the bell ringers.
It seemed to me that the tolls weren't quite regular, but if they depended on a human bell ringer, they probably wouldn't be exact.
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The sound clip sounds distorted, a flawed bell maybe, too much like an iron bell, not the sweet harmonics of a well-founded bronze bell. Also, a funeral tell death knell should have a muted clap every other stroke, not each toll the same. The pace is okay. Maybe the distortion is due to a recorded regular service tell that is sound-studio slowed to a funeral pace for solemn effect and affect. When a sound record is slowed from actual recorded speed, distortions are inevitable, and pitch drops to a lower note -- from bronze to iron?
Best way I overcome psychotropic medications' distractions is to sneak up on writing or other art or chore. The same distraction circumstance though a diversion to good effect, really. Oh just a word or two for a moment, several thousand words and a few hours later . . . Then occasion for evaluation.
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I, too, noticed the distortion. That’s why I noted the unreliability of stuff you read, or hear, on the Internet. The bell ring was a little higher in pitch than I would have expected, although, perhaps a bronze bell would give a deeper timbre. On Black Sabbath’s self titled album Black Sabbath the first track, ironically titled Black Sabbath, there is a tolling bell in the background. It has a higher pitch than the sample in the link I posted. Maybe that supports extrinsic’s notion the bell in the clip is iron.
As for your suggestion, extrinsic, that I simply kid myself into writing a few words and that might lead to pages, all I have to say is this, “If only it were that simple.”
I am right at the point in the story where Jonas is confronted by the Lord of Hell, who relentlessly torments him; not physically but with rude mockery and ridicule. This mini-scene within the scene goads Jonas from self pity into rebellion. A thing I’m not certain Satan wanted. It’s the pivot of the whole story: the argument between Jonas and Satan. I need my game face on for this one.
But more on this when I post in NSG for this week, or maybe the next one. My roast beef last night was scrumptious.
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The 1970s British miniseries version of Dorothy L. Sayers's "The Nine Tailors" featured extensive tolling bells. But the sound quality is what you'd expect from 1970s TV.
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If you find your soy dipping sauce is too salty add the mearest rumour of sesame oil. For added complexity, try a whiff of honey as well. Who needs a chemistry set?
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Made the first Statue of Liberty sighting yesterday, but only caught a glimpse; wasn't there when I went by again about a half hour later. They're running a little late this year.
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quote:Originally posted by Grumpy old guy: If you find your soy dipping sauce is too salty add the mearest rumour of sesame oil. For added complexity, try a whiff of honey as well. Who needs a chemistry set?
Phil.
The old standby hereabouts is raw peeled potato absorbs excess salt -- like a sponge.
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On dipping sauce: I wish Grumpy old guy and extrinsic were on the same continent... I'd happily donate to make this cooking show a reality! :-)
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U.S. and other broad regional enclave public discourse differs. Fahrenheit for those is default, and often unspecified. International overall is one primary and one parenthetical to span all audiences.
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Down in the upper forties this morning---in Southwest Florida. That's freezing for this area. And it's Fahrenheit for the rest of you.
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For some strange reason (possibly a new and interesting side effect of my meds this time) I have started going all eco-frindly. I'm now trying to eliminate my use of plastics in the kitchen. Isn't as hard as it sounds. I remember the good old days when mum would wrap my sandwiches in greaseproof paper. Just as good as plastic wrap.
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Waxed paper, as known hereabouts, breathes, prevents soggy bread sandwiches. Craft workers also love waxed paper for its less cumbersome than plastic static cling wrap use, known as cellophane by another dialect, which lets go at the most inopportune occasion, plus, an equivalent release paper for glues and resins. Greaseproof paper hereabouts is a silicone-sized parchment paper -- the baker's parchment paper -- used to line fried food service ware, which waxed paper does passably, too, though inapt for baker's paper cookie sheet uses, okay for cake and brownie pan liners.
The hot-dog suit guy and tax preparer Statues of Liberty appeared hereabouts the 11th.
The plant lamp and regular sunlight walks have done okay: lower blood calcium, lower cholesterol, higher mean platelet volume, higher metabolic vitamin D, and less itchy skin.
Continental deep freeze descends later this weekend.
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The 4th night over 25c and the third day over 37c. One more day to go,then 26 or so. The local ants were raiding my birdbath for water the last four days as well.
Climate change? Don't make me laugh.
Found love today, also. And promptly lost it, I reckon
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Happy U.S. tax day mirth -- grief, pride, whatever. What proverbial they say about death and taxes.
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I am guessing that this is the right place to put this:
Did you hear that the magazine of the father of this site, "The Intergalactic Medicine Show" is being phased out by July 2019?
As my Princess would say, "I'm bruised and battered."
Yet another institution passes into the wilderness: we are losing all of our bearings.
That magazine, which rejected my submissions more than once, was one of the reasons that I came to this site. I actually thought "Orson" (Did anyone ever watch Mork & Mindy) was the Administrator! If you want to call me a "Cardisto", yeah, the shoe fits.
Eulogies are invited. You probably know more about the mag than I do.
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Here, in the Land of Oz, we are at the tail-end of national elections; three weeks to go. As a postie it is my job to deliver all the promotional cr#p politicians think people are interested in: "Hi, I'm really nice and will do a good job. Please vote for me and my faux-progressive, ultra-conservative bunch of nutters."
As a result, my observations on submissions here may be a bit spotty until the wankers win or loose. Please, please loose.
I am seriously re-thinking the benefits of democracy. The Venetian model of the Benevolent Dictatorship might be nice.
Phil.
[ April 29, 2019, 07:48 AM: Message edited by: Grumpy old guy ]
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My understanding is that the Liberal-National coalition have played out their scripts and have now fallen to bits and pieces, taking three different stands on every issue so they cannot actually govern.
They do that every ten to fifteen years, as I understand, although it happened faster this time. In such cases, then the Labor Party have to come to power for 3 to 6 years, until their opponents sort themselves out.
It's just how Aussie politics works, isn't it? I think the system works rather well, from a distance. When it bogs, it resets itself.
At least you don't have the fragmented system we have in New Zealand, of shifting coalitions with no one taking any notice of what the people think and nothing much getting done.
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Partial party pols get too often lost in the weeds among their self-promotions, hidden personal agendas on behalf and behest of their partial constituents, and actual impartial and responsible, if any, governance proposals.
The people would rather pols realize folk only want, really, John Locke's ideals of to be left alone to each's self-governance responsibilities and privileges within the boundaries of Natural Law. Then the whole of a government's only obligations are to prevent, mitigate, or judge and prosecute boundary trespasses and promote the general welfare.
For mill grist? When political ideals clash, much frivolity, wickedness, drama, contest, blame assignment, sorrow, and ostentatious chest thump displays of utter conquests at the expense of the meek's zero-sum losses. Or the meek shall rise.
"loose," say it is not so. Freudian slip? Another crop of dirty pols loosed again upon society's boundary squabblers?
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Our next elections are on 8 May. 25 years into democracy, South Africa is in a difficult – though never boring – spot.
I'm torn between a felt obligation to vote and a deep distaste for most of what's on offer. And sharing your doubts about democracy, Phil – though I'm not sure there're any good alternatives. Who would we trust to stay benevolent?
(Segue into Iain Banksian fantasy of efficient and humorous AIs running everything that matters and leaving people to do what they excel at – making creative messes. Sadly, our local connection speeds are too slow for this to work just yet... Waiting hopefully for fibre sometime this century. :-)
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