Snowflake's Forum

  Joined Oct 11, 2017 WTF? Yes, that is what it says on MY profile. It's been a heck of a lot longer than that, hasn't it. Seems I have been on here forever. I remember before I had this channel, my main objective was to rile up Righties. It turns out that wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be. So, when Kat helped me set up my own channel, I started it out strongly with a political bend but with less hyperbole, riling up, name-calling and partisan slagging. Gradually, this morphed into a general discussion channel, some politics, some non-politics, some Susan stuff which I still haven't been able to define. Through it all, there has been a shift in loyal followers. I look back over the years to when I started this and notice a lot of different names that are just not around any more. Some preferred more heated discussions and left for channels that could provide that. Some found other interests. Some, have just become inactive. I suspect at least one I had conside...

No, not “noun patient,” but “adjective patient.” On a scale of 0-10, where 0 means “I’d just as soon shoot the culprit,” and 10 means “I have the patience of a saint,” how patient are you with things? Below I suggested some of our “greatest hits" "patience-triers” most all of us have had experience with. But feel free, of course, to give your own lists. Q1: What are you very patient about? 😇 E.g.: with your spouse/significant other, kids, pets, coworkers, [your other tolerances here].  Q2: What do you have little patience for? 👿 E.g.: with bad drivers, telemarketers, the in-laws, “the boss,” repeat offenders of whatever, machines (computers, printers, phones, other equipment, etc), [your other intolerances here]  Now (drum roll please): Who wins (gets) your highest and lowest patience award? (by PrimalSoup)

  Pickleball, which has been the fastest-growing sport in America in recent years, is a hybrid of badminton, tennis and table tennis. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, pickleball  participation  increased by 159% over the past three years. Yeesh! In 2018, just before the sport’s popularity exploded, the American Council on Exercise sponsored  research  that explored whether pickleball can help middle-aged and older adults get fit. One of the concerns about the rapid growth of a sport that sees its greatest popularity among people aged 55 and older is the risk for  falls  and injury. In fact, estimates of the medical cost of pickleball injuries for Americans range between $250 and $500 million dollars each year, and that number is likely to grow as the sport’s popularity continues to skyrocket. Yeesh! https://health.usnews.com/wellness/fitness/articles/how-to-prevent-pickleball-injuries   Looks like tennis for old people....

Sorry folks, this was just too juicy to pass up. I'm proud to be a human. The Hill reports about a new frontier in human . . . . . whatever: Sex robots go to court: Testing the limits of privacy and sexual freedom Consider this: A brothel opens, offering “sexual services,” including “experiences” with girls under 15 years old. Typically, the police response to such a brothel would make the Normandy landing look like a small skirmish. But this brothel, Chub AI , is a virtual brothel, reportedly “staffed” by artificially intelligent bots. The controversy is part of a broader debate over sex bots and even sex bot brothels. Not long ago, the first sex robot brothel, Lovedoll UK, was shut down in Gateshead, England. Even individuals such as Steven Crawford have purchased a doll and then pimped it out to customers. With the rise in such sales, the number of legal and legislative actions are rising as well. Over 50 years ago, what became known as the “sexual revolution” began in the Un...

IFL Science reports about a promising result from the marriage of massive computing power and AI (artificial intelligence) software to see if those two parents could produce something better than what exists today. The marriage produced a baby!: AI Discovers New Material That Could Slash Lithium Use In Batteries Great job, AI! Please don't kill us A new material that could dramatically reduce the amount of lithium used in batteries has been identified by artificial intelligence (AI). Discoveries like this would have taken years in times gone by, but sky-rocketing computer power now means they can be found in days. The new material was recently sniffed out during a joint venture by Microsoft and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), which employed the help of advanced AI and high-performance computing (HPC), a type of cloud-based computing that uses large numbers of computers to solve complex scientific and mathematical tasks. The system analyzed over 32 million potenti...

  S tart with a list: First concert -The Beatles Last concert - Nellie McKay Best concert - Charles Mingus Worst concert - Beatles Loudest concert - Pat Benatar Seen the most - Kinks Most surprising - Randy Newman Most disappointing - Arlo Guthrie Next concert - Cleveland Orchestra Why were the Beatles the worst? Because you couldn't hear a furshlugginer note! All the teenyboppers were shrieking so loudly they drowned out the PA system of the time (remember, this is the early 1960s). I was sitting there with my twin sister. I swear, she busted my eardrums all by herself. Why was Arlo the most disappointing? Because he's still doing a goddamn 30-minute rendition of Alice's Restaurant. After 50 years, gawd, it's boring! AlextheKay wants to see your list!

Will soon be available here in Canada: https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/ad-am/bk-di.html https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/ad-am/bk-di.html#e As for the US........ 10 States and DC Have Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) 40 States Consider Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) Illegal 0 Federal Laws on Euthanasia and Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) https://euthanasia.procon.org/states-with-legal-physician-assisted-suicide/ Of course, this is a hotly debated, and contested subject. Many people are against the idea on moral grounds as well due to other concerns: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6913818/ https://care.org.uk/cause/assisted-suicide/arguments-for-and-against-assisted-suicide-and-euthanasia Myself personally, I am in full support of MAID. No moralizing or slippery slope arguments will bind me to dying without dignity but dying in pain. I have one issue with the Canadian version. And that one issue is still being discussed in the halls of Parliament. It's this: I must be of so...

 WHATEVER HAPPENED TO STANDING FOR GOD AND COUNTRY?? Religious 'Nones' are now the largest single group in the U.S. (say it isn't so) When Americans are asked to check a box indicating their religious affiliation, 28% now check 'none.' A new  study  from Pew Research finds that the religiously unaffiliated – a group comprised of atheists, agnostic and those who say their religion is "nothing in particular" – is now the largest cohort in the U.S. They're more prevalent among American adults than Catholics (23%) or evangelical Protestants (24%). Back in 2007, Nones made up just 16% of Americans, but Pew's new survey of more than 3,300 U.S. adults shows that number has now risen dramatically. Researchers refer to this group as the "Nones." And that could change electoral politics in the coming decades. The political power of white Evangelicals has been well-reported in recent decades, but their numbers are shrinking while the number of the m...

You found a paper bag of money.   Now what? E.g., Depends on where I found it o    in the gutter o    near the police station o    in a restroom o    etc. Depends on how much o    let’s say it’s $10,000 o    let’s say it’s just $100 If you keep it, what do you think you’d do with it o    buy lottery tickets o    put it in the bank o    give it to others o    pay off some bills o    other Talk about your feelings and actions about finding someone else's lost money. (by Primal$oup)

    Bunny’s first car was a 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air.  Solid metal and came with nothing, not even a heater.  Was named the Puke Green Batmobile by friend.  Fun first car. Took it ghost town hunting in the desert. Saved us when meeting some wolves in the dead of night The dream car Bunny would love is a Duesenberg. No way, but can dream. What was your first car?  What car would you love to drive around in? J.P. Bunny

 My cellphone died this morning. Even a reboot did not get it started again. Even a battery pull did not get it restarted again. It's old, has had it's time. Now I am lost without one. Thinking to myself, how the hell did we ever get along without the modern conveniences. Like a cellphone. So, won't be able to get a new one till Friday, so Geri will share hers with me till then. Luckily I wrote down all my contacts, the old fashion way, on paper. (Can't remember if I saved my contacts to my sim card or not).  I can imagine some folks in my predicament very upset about losing their contacts. I am also going to go with a new provider, so there will be a porting issue but the new provider already told me this morning that nowadays porting a number from another provider happens within a half hour. The things we have gotten used to. To think I spent MOST of my life without a cell phone. Even without internet. Now I would be lost without either. Is it the same way for my frie...

Who were we?  Who are we??  Who are we becoming??? I’m really struck by all the upcoming movie trailers that show up on TV advertisements these days.  It seems to be getting worse and worse.  Also, the same with TV series-type shows (CSIs, actions, westerns, etc).  It seems their common themes are violence, chaos, danger, hanging off of cliffs or dangling from planes or crashing cars (oh my) ... and what have you? And let’s not forget all those violent video games that train the young'uns, where the goal is to spill as much blood and guts as you can in the allotted time, in order to rack up the reward points. Then you got your real-life gun violence, where, when it happens, and almost on a weekly basis, we hear about it for days on end.  And to no avail.  NRA is not going anywhere!   Now the questions: Q1: Maybe it’s just me but has Hollywood, and by extension, the U.S., gone off the deep end when it comes to so-called entertainment?  ...

  Anyone else got some inspiration music?  

Comment string: Thunder: Somehow I don't think Wisdom fits in the milestone department. If we're lucky that's something that increases while we're working towards all the other milestones. 😁 PrimalSoup: Yes, it (wisdom) *should* increase with time, based on experience with the other milestones. Totally agree. But I do think it's fair to say that wisdom is a real thing (as far as anything human can be real) and is measurable. So how do we gauge wisdom? I think that would make for a good OP. I might even follow it up here today (in a separate OP). I like the idea.   Question: How is wisdom gauged/measured?  What are the relevant elements?   (by PrimalSoup)

Ahh, to reach perfection.  What is that perfect age:   To move out of parent’s/guardian’s house For marriage To start a family For wisdom to set in What age were you when these things happened to you, if they happened?  Give your reasoning behind these perfect ages.  I.e., why so? (by PrimalSoup)

  Next weekend, Bunny and the Mrs. will head up north to the outside hot springs we like to haunt.  Freezing cold outside, while sitting in a nice, natural hot spring.  Paradise. Add to this, sitting on the sofa, with a blanket, snacks, and some warm kitties.  Easy to forget the rest of the world, or the job that awaits. What are the little things that make your life that much better? J.P. Bunny.