Learn Something Random Every Day Thoughts

testuser2 · Post by **testuser2** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:49 am

Scottie wrote:She shouldn't be driving. Period. Funny thing, families will often neglect the elderly for days at a time but when it comes to driving they will neglect them on what seems to be a permanent basis. Sure, it is a very difficult task to have to take that driver's license away. Or take the car away. But at some point it is necessary. At 88? No way does she have the reflexes.

Some older folks are fine. I'd rather see retesting and night restrictions after a certain age. My 85 year old grandmother drives several times a week to bowl, but she's an exception. She's still very sharp and has a average in the low 500's. She lived alone until last year when she just got tired of taking care of the yard/house. The women on that side of the family have some good genes. Her mom was 108 and her aunt 110.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 1:33 pm

Been seeing Hillsboro Hops merch around town lately, but just learned today that it's a minor league team. (In a suburb about 15 mins away.)

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:14 pm

For the Journal of the American Revolution, Todd Andrlik compiled a list of the ages of the key participants in the Revolutionary War as of July 4, 1776. Many of them were surprisingly young:

Marquis de Lafayette, 18
James Monroe, 18
Gilbert Stuart, 20
Aaron Burr, 20
Alexander Hamilton, 21
Betsy Ross, 24
James Madison, 25

This is kind of blowing my mind...because of the compression of history, I'd always assumed all these people were around the same age. But in thinking about it, all startups need young people...Hamilton, Lafayette, and Burr were perhaps the Gates, Jobs, and Zuckerberg of the War. Some more ages, just for reference:

Thomas Jefferson, 33
John Adams, 40
Paul Revere, 41
George Washington, 44
Samuel Adams, 53

The oldest prominent participant in the Revolution, by a wide margin, was Benjamin Franklin, who was 70 years old on July 4, 1776. Franklin was a full two generations removed from the likes of Madison and Hamilton. But the oldest participant in the war was Samuel Whittemore, who fought in an early skirmish at the age of 80. I'll let Wikipedia take it from here:

Whittemore was in his fields when he spotted an approaching British relief brigade under Earl Percy, sent to assist the retreat. Whittemore loaded his musket and ambushed the British from behind a nearby stone wall, killing one soldier. He then drew his dueling pistols and killed a grenadier and mortally wounded a second. By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked. He was shot in the face, bayoneted thirteen times, and left for dead in a pool of blood. He was found alive, trying to load his musket to fight again. He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore lived another 18 years until dying of natural causes at the age of 98.

http://kottke.org/13/08/the-surprising- ... uly-4-1776" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

teeteebee · Post by **teeteebee** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:27 pm

P.D.X. wrote:Been seeing Hillsboro Hops merch around town lately, but just learned today that it's a minor league team. (In a suburb about 15 mins away.)

Love the colors and love the logo. Wish I would have known about this earlier.

howard · Post by **howard** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:35 pm

Shirley wrote:
But in thinking about it, all startups need young people...Hamilton, Lafayette, and Burr were perhaps the Gates, Jobs, and Zuckerberg of the War.

Now that would be cool if Zuckerberg killed Gates in a duel. (Lafayette survived his pancreatic cancer, avoiding the guillotine.)

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 6:07 am

The staggering incompetence of any entity of customer service in Germany leaves me bewildered as to how this country can function daily.

It's not the language barrier I'm dealing with -- at least a few people at any company is bilingual. And in a pinch I can get help from my neighbors. I'm talking about being able to actually help out with problems or getting service connected. Between my gas, electric, and internet companies all of them have you wait weeks and weeks on end sending you through a bureaucracy of "we'll get back to you"s and "you should get a call tomorrow"s and "you should receive something in the mail"s. It fucking ridiculous. What compounds this is the way you have to set up payment: you give access to your German bank account so they pull your money. There is no "pay online" option here. It's all automated. Luckily none of these entities have charged me yet, but I'm sure they will soon.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 6:54 am

Shirley wrote:He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore lived another 18 years until dying of natural causes at the age of 98.

Ummm, didn't any one else notice the name of the doctor? I just spit coffee on the screen.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:38 am

How did they accomplish all of that when they were probably trying so hard to nail Betsy Ross?

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:57 am

I was surprised when I read in 1776 about some of their ages. I suppose it's natural to assume they were older because of their impact.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:49 am

AB_skin_test wrote:I was surprised when I read in 1776 about some of their ages. I suppose it's natural to assume they were older because of their impact.

And because they all wore old man wigs like complete douchebags.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:00 am

Hamilton and Madison were true genius prodigies. Their intellectual superiority is the sine qua non of the formation and passage of The Constitution, and I dare say the persistence of the principles of the document.

Even in my darkest moments of cynical pessimism, I still expect those principles to survive and outlast the currently successful negation and violation by those currently in control of this nation. I hope for restoration, not revolution; I'll settle for both.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:04 am

howard wrote:Hamilton and Madison were true genius prodigies. Their intellectual superiority is the sine qua non of the formation and passage of The Constitution, and I dare say the persistence of the principles of the document.

Even in my darkest moments of cynical pessimism, I still expect those principles to survive and outlast the currently successful negation and violation by those currently in control of this nation. I hope for restoration, not revolution; I'll settle for both.

SLAIRD 2020

"It's our only hope."

Post by **Shirley** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:13 am

You know, even though I went to high school in Madison County, only a couple of miles from Madison's home, Montpelier, I admit to really knowing little about him (he's short, he wrote the Bill of Rights, etc.). A quick read of his Wikipedia page makes me realize that he was much greater than I realized. I guess I've always been biased toward Jefferson, growing up practically in the shadow of Monticello.

It's amazing to compare the caliber of those early presidents to what we've had in the past century or so.

Post by **Sabo** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:18 am

Icepenis wrote:SLAIRD 2020

"It's our only hope."

Note to self: Don't drink coffee when reading SL's posts, or you'll be cleaning your monitor and keyboard again.

Post by **brian** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:34 am

Johnnie wrote:The staggering incompetence of any entity of customer service in Germany leaves me bewildered as to how this country can function daily.

It's not the language barrier I'm dealing with -- at least a few people at any company is bilingual. And in a pinch I can get help from my neighbors. I'm talking about being able to actually help out with problems or getting service connected. Between my gas, electric, and internet companies all of them have you wait weeks and weeks on end sending you through a bureaucracy of "we'll get back to you"s and "you should get a call tomorrow"s and "you should receive something in the mail"s. It fucking ridiculous. What compounds this is the way you have to set up payment: you give access to your German bank account so they pull your money. There is no "pay online" option here. It's all automated. Luckily none of these entities have charged me yet, but I'm sure they will soon.

What Germany needs is a leader who can get the trains running on time again.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 10:31 am

Icepenis wrote:
AB_skin_test wrote:I was surprised when I read in 1776 about some of their ages. I suppose it's natural to assume they were older because of their impact.

And because they all wore old man wigs like complete douchebags.

Right!?

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 11:25 am

brian wrote: What Germany needs is a leader who can get the trains running on time again.

Maybe someone with a funny mustache, just to keep things light...

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 5:33 pm

Every single team from the 1934 season, in both the American and National leagues, had at least one player (or manager) who would be inducted to the Hall of Fame.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Aug 16, 2013 1:18 am

Warren Spahn was a combat engineer in WWII. His unit was working on repairing a bridge across the Rhine and came under heavy artillery bombardment. He had just stepped off the main span when it gave way and the nearly 100 men on the bridge where dumped in the river, where the majority of them died.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Fri Aug 16, 2013 7:40 am

These days, there's no way a guy with his pitch count would have been anywhere near the bridge at that time.

howard · Post by **howard** » Fri Aug 16, 2013 9:02 am

Rush2112 wrote:Warren Spahn was a combat engineer in WWII. His unit was working on repairing a bridge across the Rhine and came under heavy artillery bombardment. He had just stepped off the main span when it gave way and the nearly 100 men on the bridge where dumped in the river, where the majority of them died.

When my bud Steve was playing A ball in Salinas, I drove down from the city to visit. I got there a couple hours before a game, he was finishing up a bullpen session. He introduced me to the coach working with him, a roving instructor for the Angels. Warren Spahn. The Fucking Warren Spahn. For one of the rare times in life, I was dumbstruck. I had his baseball card. I though he pitched against Babe Ruth, and figured he was long ago dead, or at least tottering in a nursing home (he was the same age as my dad).

Steve called him 'Spahnny'. I was doubly confused by such insolence and lack of respect.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:08 am

If for some reason you actually want to have nightmares, really bad nightmares, look up: "Cymothoa exigua".

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sat Aug 17, 2013 12:48 am

AussieDave wrote:
brian wrote: What Germany needs is a leader who can get the trains running on time again.
Maybe someone with a funny mustache, just to keep things light...

It was Mussolini, not Hitler, who famously got the trains running on time (in Italy, of course.)

Yard of Junk · Post by **Yard of Junk** » Sat Aug 17, 2013 8:17 am

Whittemore, Franklin, and people who lived into their 80s and 90s during that time frame had to have immune/recovery systems in the top percentiles. Many of us probably have had a disease or accident that would have been deadly if you had lived in that timeframe. That also probably has a great deal to do with why so many movers and shakers were comparatively young. (I had no idea Washington was only 44).

A quick google shows life expectancy in the US in 1775 was in the 50s. Surprisingly, thats 17 yrs more than the average expectancy in
England at the same time. http://www.2blowhards.com/archives/002534.html#002534

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Sat Aug 17, 2013 8:26 am

I'm going to mark my 1770s death if it ever happens. I don't think it's happened yet. Of course, I am on some unfair vaccines. I'm told that this is the reason I have autism.

HDO45331 · Post by **HDO45331** » Sun Aug 18, 2013 4:55 pm

I was just watching a TV story about Yogi Berra.

In it, it shows a Miller Lite commercial that takes place in a bar. It looks like Jason Alexander is in the commercial.

howard · Post by **howard** » Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:33 pm

HDO45331 · Post by **HDO45331** » Sun Aug 18, 2013 10:04 pm

Thanks howard. I did not have the chance to check this out any further.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Thu Aug 22, 2013 1:47 am

Finally, mercifully I was able to get internet set up in my house. It's fast and very good, but...because Germany is basically stuck in Ye Olde Times and takes the complete opposite approach to infrastructure and technology as Korea, I'm only able to get T-Mobile 4G service. I'm capped by bandwidth -- either the 15 GB or 30 GB plan is all I can choose from. My village is apparently "out there" and doesn't have a DSL or cable modem option. I'm a 12 minute drive from the base's main gate. So yea. Out there.

In an hour and a half I burned through 1.5 GB. Watching YouTube is going to be a luxury. It blows. Of course, I have no one to blame but myself here. I chose where I'm living now and I checked the internet/cell phone options before I signed the contract. I even talked at length with the military guy living in the house prior to my moving in about the area and other things and he made it seem like even with the cap it was easily enough bandwidth. But, oh man. It absolutely isn't. I have to consciously disconnect the modem and/or computers daily. Supposedly there's a cable/DSL company setting up in March/April. But I had to sign a 2 year contract with T-Mobile which I cannot break. Basically, by spring time I'll be paying for 2 internet services -- if the service even establishes itself.

Add this to the laundry list of stuff I've had to deal with in my transition over here (along with work-related nonsense and other "quirks" about Germany) and my idea of doing 4 or 6 years here seems like a laughable notion. I don't necessarily want to go back to America, but now I understand why some American military folks can't wait to get back home. Having spent the first 10 years of my career stateside, that idea seemed like lunacy. Why would you join the military and not want to be stationed overseas? Now I get it.

Sorry about my senseless bitching, but gah. I just hope I can establish a group of friends that likes to travel and do stuff or I'll become a really ornery piece of shit.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Thu Aug 22, 2013 7:26 am

1.5 GB isn't even enough on my phone.

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Thu Aug 22, 2013 9:16 am

Johnnie wrote:Finally, mercifully I was able to get internet set up in my house. It's fast and very good, but...because Germany is basically stuck in Ye Olde Times and takes the complete opposite approach to infrastructure and technology as Korea, I'm only able to get T-Mobile 4G service. I'm capped by bandwidth -- either the 15 GB or 30 GB plan is all I can choose from. My village is apparently "out there" and doesn't have a DSL or cable modem option. I'm a 12 minute drive from the base's main gate. So yea. Out there.

In an hour and a half I burned through 1.5 GB. Watching YouTube is going to be a luxury. It blows. Of course, I have no one to blame but myself here. I chose where I'm living now and I checked the internet/cell phone options before I signed the contract. I even talked at length with the military guy living in the house prior to my moving in about the area and other things and he made it seem like even with the cap it was easily enough bandwidth. But, oh man. It absolutely isn't. I have to consciously disconnect the modem and/or computers daily. Supposedly there's a cable/DSL company setting up in March/April. But I had to sign a 2 year contract with T-Mobile which I cannot break. Basically, by spring time I'll be paying for 2 internet services -- if the service even establishes itself.

Add this to the laundry list of stuff I've had to deal with in my transition over here (along with work-related nonsense and other "quirks" about Germany) and my idea of doing 4 or 6 years here seems like a laughable notion. I don't necessarily want to go back to America, but now I understand why some American military folks can't wait to get back home. Having spent the first 10 years of my career stateside, that idea seemed like lunacy. Why would you join the military and not want to be stationed overseas? Now I get it.

Sorry about my senseless bitching, but gah. I just hope I can establish a group of friends that likes to travel and do stuff or I'll become a really ornery piece of shit.

War is Hell.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Thu Aug 22, 2013 10:43 am

Oh, yeah? Young people today. Back when I was a kid . . . well, 25 or so, we had to use dial up modems to connect to telephone lines in order to even get on the Internet at 28 KBPS. Dial up modems!

Pinnnnnnnghmmmmm
Beep-Bip-Bip-Beep-Bip-Beep-Bip-Bip-Beep-Bip
WeeeWooo WeeeWooo Khrrrhhhhkkkkkhhhrrrr
Twing! Twing! Twing! Twing!
Khkkkkhhhkhhhkkkkrrrrrrrrrkkkk
FffffhhhhZzzzzzWhhhrrrrrrrr
Boing

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Thu Aug 22, 2013 10:47 am

Scottie wrote:Oh, yeah? Young people today. Back when I was a kid . . . well, 25 or so, we had to use dial up modems to connect to telephone lines in order to even get on the Internet at 28 KBPS. Dial up modems!

Pinnnnnnnghmmmmm
Beep-Bip-Bip-Beep-Bip-Beep-Bip-Bip-Beep-Bip
WeeeWooo WeeeWooo Khrrrhhhhkkkkkhhhrrrr
Twing! Twing! Twing! Twing!
Khkkkkhhhkhhhkkkkrrrrrrrrrkkkk
FffffhhhhZzzzzzWhhhrrrrrrrr
Boing

remember when someone in the house would pick up the phone?

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Thu Aug 22, 2013 11:56 am

Or, worse, when you were trying to call someone and got a busy signal. You could usually assume their phone would be busy for hours on end.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Aug 22, 2013 12:41 pm

Scottie wrote:Or, worse, when you were trying to call someone and got a busy signal. You could usually assume their phone would be busy for hours on end.

That porn wasn't gonna download itself.

Speaking of, the Time Warner tech just left. Upgraded to fastest possible internet. 55 Mbps. Smoking. And a $500 rebate visa card means the first year of faster speed is free. ($40/month for move up from 14Mbps.)

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Sat Aug 24, 2013 12:18 am

I am really enjoying not caring that Ben Affleck is the new Batman.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Sat Aug 24, 2013 1:50 am

PBR by Largepenis is the jam.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Sat Aug 24, 2013 5:12 pm

Johnny Carwash wrote:I am really enjoying not caring that Ben Affleck is the new Batman.

Let's hang out sometime!

Sometimes, an "issue" arises that causes me to lose respect for anyone who takes an emotional stance on either side.

This is one of those issues.

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Sat Aug 24, 2013 7:56 pm

So apparently the knock on Affleck is that he wouldn't be "believable" as Batman. Also not believable: a billionaire who sneaks out at night to beat up punks while dressed in a rubber bat costume.

My interest in superhero movies is largely limited to the Christopher Nolan Batman franchise because Christopher Nolan is fucking great at making movies; I'm more or less indifferent to the director of 300's desaturated/steel mesh/possibly homoerotic take on the Man of Steel and its sequel.

As for Affleck himself--I'm not a huge fan, but I dislike him far less than the popular consensus seems to dictate I am supposed to, so I feel like I am almost obligated to defend him...again, if I cared...

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Sat Aug 24, 2013 11:17 pm

Pruitt wrote:
Johnny Carwash wrote:I am really enjoying not caring that Ben Affleck is the new Batman.
Let's hang out sometime!

Sometimes, an "issue" arises that causes me to lose respect for anyone who takes an emotional stance on either side.

This is one of those issues.

Yep. Can't really give a damn about who plays what in a Hollywood movie I'll never ever ever watch. It's about as relevant as which producer gets to autotune the next Lady Beeber "song". Or who is winning America's Dancing Karaoke Challenge.

Affleck is particularly vile, though. Getting an entire country to despise you? That takes some doing. Having it pointed out to you why an entire country despises you and still deliberately not getting it? Only a Hollytard is capable of that. Presumably the plot of the next Batman movie will be that the caped crusader rewrites the entirety of history to portray all human accomplishments as actually having been achieved by a bunch of smarmy idiot actors.