All ads have been removed for a week as we look into website issues before talking to the developer. They will return next Saturday.
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by John Cole| 66 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
All ads have been removed for a week as we look into website issues before talking to the developer. They will return next Saturday.
Comments are closed.
Wag
Wow. It’ll be an interesting week without NRA ads showing up in my feed.
edit: But that’ll be ok because the NRA would probably duck out on paying their depts.
Steeplejack
Yee-haw!
Jerzy Russian
I wonder what it is like to have the job of writing those zergnet ads. I am assuming that they are written by one or more persons. If they are computer generated, I wonder what it is like having the job of writing the code that writes those zergnet ads. In either case, that has to be close to rock bottom.
dmsilev
Does that mean we can curse as much as we want without fear of offending any advertisers?
MagdaInBlack
Can’t say I’ll miss the gross looking mail order meat pie ad.
Peale
So I got a letter rejecting my claim for COVID related unemployment benefits today, along with the instructions on how to appeal. Which was fine by me since I didn’t actually lose my job or contract COVID in the past year. Unfortunately I never applied for unemployment, not having lost my job or anything. But someone did. I guess those fraudsters who have apparently stolen my identity are just being helpful. Reported the fraud. I guess it’s common enough. Found out it happened to to of my friends. Since that’s two of the three people I spoke to about it, I wonder how widespread it is.
Ninedragonspot
Let’s face it, there hasn’t been a single good advertising campaign since the Monongahela Metal Foundry went out of business.
Steeplejack
@Peale:
Bummer! Hope you are able to get it straightened out.
James E Powell
Open thread questions for the horde.
Yesterday I saw David Crosby on twitter saying Spotify is killing the music industry.
Is he right? Is there a streaming service that pays musicians more?
Also, is there a difference between Spotify & Apple Music? I signed up for both to A/B them. Other than Spotify being aesthetically more pleasing, I don’t hear any difference. Am I missing something?
Ruckus
@Peale:
I’d bet it’s more prevalent than one might think. Have no idea about how one goes about doing that but it seems that a lot of people have time on their hands and not one good idea about how to spend that time so they make up for that by doing stupid and often illegal things. I wonder how someone was expecting to collect the payments if they gave out your true address, etc or if the unemployment department actually has you on file and not the person impersonating you.
Wag
@Peale: Happened to me last month
Old Dan and Little Ann
My lab ate a mask today. I brought him right to the vet because I had a puppy eat a sock 20 years ago. Bad experience. So the vet injected him whatever and induced vomiting. $1 dollar mask turned into a $288 mask.
dmsilev
@James E Powell: A very quick google search (‘streaming music payout rates’) turned up this recent WSJ article, saying
Peale
@Ruckus: I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that I was working someplace else, too. I’m assuming that they just buy leaked SSNs and addresses and apply for direct deposit somewhere. If by chance I was laid off but hadn’t applied for unemployment yet, they’d get the funds before I found out about it. Most of their attempts at fraud probably fail. But with a few million people eligible but unsure how to obtain benefits, I’m sure it’s good business for them.
Fair Economist
@James E Powell: I think the issue is streaming in general, which has drastically reduced the already small portion of music revenues going to musicians. I assume Spotify is the worst since Crosby focuses on them, but the whole system is problematic.
I think the only solution is royalty minimums set by law.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
Since it’s an open thread, I have a bit of a story to tell. So, some background. Ever since I was a child, every few years, when I’ve sat on my folded left leg, it would become “stuck”. Not to mention painful depending on the position it’s in, generalized in my knee. It hurts to extend it out but it’s also painful to bend it backwards as well. Normally, I’m able to straighten my leg out and fix it. I’ve mentioned this to my doctors and they’ve never known what to make of it.
So fast forward to this past Thursday night. I’m home alone. My folks are away at a casino 20 minutes away. I go to sit down in the recliner in my living room, sitting down on my folded left leg. Next thing I know it feels like it goes out of joint. My cell phone goes flying because it was such a shock when it happened. I ended up in a seated position with both feet on the floor but because I was seated in a recliner that rocks back and forth, as well as the position my leg was in, I was unable to straighten my leg out. So I was stuck in that chair for over an hour, unable to call anyone for help. When my parents got home, they were unable to help me straighten my leg, so I had to call an ambulance. The EMTs managed to get me out of the recliner and when I was loaded onto the stretcher outside, my left leg had to be supported and it was straightend out. That apparently did the trick.
I was stuck at the ER for a few hours and some x-rays were done of my left knee. Came back normal. The NP said it could be a slipped tendon or something causing it. He suggested I could see an ortho
It was a scary experience because I couldn’t call anybody and if anything had ever happened to my parents god forbid, I would’ve been on my own for days potentially, not to mention my diabetic cat that needs an insulin shot every 12 hours
Calouste
@James E Powell: I left Spotify for Apple Music when I found out that Spotify pays tens of millions for a podcast (Josh Rogan or something) that hosted Alex Jones. That was enough of a difference for me.
Also found out that with Apple Music and can upload my own MP3s of stuff they don’t have to the cloud and it will just be seamlessly included in my library and playlists.
Ten Bears
Gotta’ admit, though, Gut-Wrenching Tragedy of Dog the Bounty Hunter & the Alaskan Bush People has gotta’ be the best name of a post-punk rock ‘n roll band since … post-punk.
Steeplejack (phone)
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Calouste:
Ah yes, the Joe Rogan Experience. Guy’s a total moron and POS. From Wiki:
Millions listen to this guy and I don’t understand why
HRA
@Peale: I worked for Unemployment when there were local offices instead of what was put in place in the state capitol. There were people in the auto industry that did not lose their jobs who collected unemployment when their place of work was shut down to repurpose it for the new car models for Ford and Chevy. The term they used was lack of work. You definitely should follow through to get this straightened out. It is a crime both in state and federal laws.
Roger Moore
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Those who tell people what they want to hear will always have an audience.
Achrachno
@Roger Moore: How do we get them to want to hear people who try and present reasonable discussions of current issues? Why are medical and political quackery, not to mention UFOs and cryptids, so popular?
JoyceH
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Might I suggest, in addition to seeing ortho, you might want to see a physical therapist? I walked with a limp for five years, with a painfully popping knee, and had a knee surgeon tell me he was ready to do a total knee replacement any time I said the word. Well, I went to a physical therapist, and come to find out that, though it’s true that I have arthritic knees (bone-on-bone, as they say), that had nothing to do with the knee popping and pain. The real culprit was a tight IT band that had pulled my knee-cap out of alignment. She worked on it once a week for a couple months, and fixed it. I still have the same original knees, and I walk without a limp and without pain.
mrmoshpotato
@MagdaInBlack: Haven’t seen that.
Though there is a local Aussie meat pie place I’ve been wanting to visit.
Barangaroo’s Aussie Pies
BeautifulPlumage
Yay! No ads for a week! I can actually use my whole screen without the @%##! banner ads! Also won’t miss the zergnet crap with their sometimes gross photos. Thanks for the holiday!
NotMax
There are ads on the internet? Who knew?
;)
BeautifulPlumage
So many fraudsters hit WA ESD when covid hit that we started signing into the system (but not claiming benefits) to secure our SSN’s from being used. Don’t remember if the department suggested it or it was in a news story.
PS also fixed my email to avoid moderation *sigh
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
Crap.
No more ads for wet suits and dildoes : (.
Another Scott
(via Popehat)
Cheers,
Scott.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): A smart watch might help, with the phone within BT range you could call for help.
BeautifulPlumage
OT: Miss Pearl, at 17, has slowed down quite a bit. Her exam & labs in Dec showed no issues. In the past months I noticed she lost weight and was unsteady. Took her in to get on Adequan for her joints and they discovered high glucose. She’s now getting insulin twice a day and Adequan shots twice a week. I feel like such a monster always poking her, but she seems much better.
She’s been all day at the vet for glucose tolerance tests, and they want her back in 3 weeks. Again, I feel like a monster; she is a cat who has never liked being picked up and hates the car.
Jay
James E Powell
Thank you all for our comments re spotify & apple. I am going to drop spotify.
I’ve tried to support the artists I care about most by purchasing their merch or buying tickets when they do streaming concerts. I saw quite a few on noonchorus.com and I am really looking forward to getting back to live shows.
BeautifulPlumage
@Jay: wow, seems early in the season for this. Hope humans and animals get through ok. Sounds like they’re looking for arsonists?
Roger Moore
@BeautifulPlumage:
It’s surprising, because we’ve had cool, cloudy weather recently.
TS (the original)
@mrmoshpotato:
If you ever visit Australia – these are the best meat pies in the country. Not sure how they compare to the world – but they are the tastiest I have ever eaten.
Yatala Pies
Yatala Pies has been a landmark in the Yatala area of Queensland Australia for more than 130 years. From humble beginnings as a small pie shop on the Pacific Highway, the company has relocated to large, modern, landscaped premises nearby and employs 75 staff.
Morzer
I always said that willow was too close to the house.
Mary G
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Maybe stop sitting on your folded leg while you keep trying to find a diagnosis?
Fair Economist
@Roger Moore:
Rogan doesn’t just tell people what they want to hear. He manipulates them with the “just asking questions” ploy to endlessly repeat propaganda.
Pete Downunder
@TS (the original): For a country that views the meat pie as a popular lunch choice I have found them generally disappointing here in Australia. I visited Yatala a few years ago with high hopes but was very disappointed- not even average.
opiejeanne
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Maybe stop sitting like that. I mean, it’s caused trouble for you since you were a little kid, and that’s the sign to stop doing it.
ETA: I see Mary G had the same thought.
Old joke:
Doc, it hurts when I do this!
So stop doing it.
West of the Rockies
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
I don’t understand the appeal of Dan Bongino either. He is the poster boy for toxic masculinity.
joel hanes
Hmm.
Seems like a good opportunity to hit the donate button.
I owe Cole anyway, since I always browse with an adblocker.
joel hanes
Open thread?
Before today, I had never heard of Hazel Scott.
Watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmujUkwU19I
Then read this:
https://narratively.com/this-black-woman-was-once-the-biggest-star-in-jazz-heres-why-youve-never-heard-of-her/
Ruckus
@JoyceH:
I was in a rather major accident 27 yrs ago and had 2 separate joint issues that I was told should require artificial joints, a knee and shoulder. But the ortho god told me that if I did that I’d need 2 more replacements for each in my lifetime and that wouldn’t be great. I did PT for 6 months on both and got to the point that I only needed surgery on my shoulder and not a replacement. I’m still on the original joints and they are better than the ones I didn’t damage. That’s why he was an ortho god.
You and I got lucky that we found docs that wanted to fix what was likely impossible rather than just take the easy way out. It got me to question when I’m told something is necessary and to question sometimes when I’m told everything is fine. Because it often actually isn’t. And it reconfirmed to me that the easy way isn’t always the best.
NotMax
@joel hanes
Alberta Hunter, “Two Fisted Double Jointed Rough & Ready Man.”
;)
something fabulous
@BeautifulPlumage: Do not worry! (About that part anyway!) My sweet Milo was diabetic his last 4 years, and for the final 9 months or so, was also getting sub-q fluids daily! It gets easier– for you both– and gave him an extra and mostly quality time with us he would not have had otherwise. I feel like, in the final few months, when I was sometimes poking him several times a day to take a glucose curve at home in addition to everything else, that it was getting to be too much, but I am still convinced he had put together the poking to feeling better, because he went from squirming and fighting to taking it all like a champ (probably also because I also got better at it all with all the practice). If they are able to get a good dosage going, you and Miss Pearl have got this!!
Ruckus
@Achrachno:
Those are simple platitudes to people who would likely never get the concept of the real answer to real questions provided by people that make good money giving them bullshit and leading them to support people who are stealing everything from them. Effectively it’s misdirection for profit. And the only way to make it sound good is to yell it from the rooftops so they can’t possibly hear anything like the truth.
I’ve noticed that if someone is shouting from the rooftops or mountain tops, it is bullshit. And it’s either that the shouter is a believer or is making money off the bullshit. It’s possible it’s both.
Jay
@Ruckus:
???????
Had a couple of young house holders ask if there was a tool they could use/rent that would prune both sides of the hedge and the top of the hedge,
and was it bluetooth enabled??????
Ruckus
@Jay:
My sister lived just west of the area and her partner still lives there. I don’t know if he has to evacuate, it looks like the house is west of the evacuation area on the maps I could find. The fire has almost doubled in size since this afternoon, is in an area which hasn’t burned in 99 yrs and is rather inaccessible. The not having burned in that long means the vegetation is likely very thick and will burn very rapidly. It also looks like it may be arson.
Ruckus
@Jay:
What? The?
Jay
@Ruckus: yurp
sorry your peep’s. Are on the line
rikyrah
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Maybe it’s time to get one of those services with the necklace where you can push an emergency button.
rikyrah
@joel hanes:
She needs a movie done on her life.
satby
And the site is loading well and rapidly with no ads! YAY!
HeartlandLiberal
@Peale:
You need to check your credit with the three major agencies, to see if there is activity you do not recognize. I froze our credit about five years ago, as a precaution. I urge everyone to do the same. Just keep the paperwork and codes in case you need to unfreeze.
TS (the original)
@Pete Downunder:
You must have caught them on a bad day – By far & beyond the best I have ever found.
Booger
@Old Dan and Little Ann: Cool trick we learned when a dog ate some people meds is that a dish of 3% hydrogen peroxide, water and something enticing (broth, tuna juice, whatever floats yer dog’s boat) will quickly and harmlessly induce vomiting.
SOOOOO MUCH VOMITING.
Ken
@Jay: Did they mean some sort of automated clipper, like a Roomba that does hedges?
Which sounds either eminently patentable, or the premise for a horror-comedy.
debbie
@Jerzy Russian:
No. Hawking car warranties is even lower.
Just One More Canuck
@Jay: I’d buy that – we have a large cedar hedge in our backyard that I take my life in my hands when I try to trim it
Uncle Cosmo
@Old Dan and Little Ann: I have nicknamed my nephew’s golden retriever “Hoover” because she’ll suck up anything that falls on the floor thinking it’s food. Otherwise a good doggie but we gotta watch her like a hawk during the customary tumult of fambly gatherings….
Doug R
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Maybe get a Siri or a Google Home? The slight privacy intrusion should be worth it for the ability to call for help just using your voice.
PJ
@James E Powell: Apple pays more than Spotify, which has about the lowest rate. (I don’t have figures at hand but you can use this thing called Google to get them). And yes, streaming has killed the ability of non-uber popular musicians to make a living since touring was stopped due to the pandemic.
J R in WV
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Sorry to hear about your scare.
First, as others have said, don’t sit on your leg, it’s obviously worse for you than most people. I have never sat on a leg in a chair, it hurts. So I don’t do it.
Either a rescue device or a google assistant both sound like good ideas if you can’t stop sitting on your bum leg.
Joint replacement surgery is a major deal, it reminded me of an amputation, except the limb isn’t gone, just removed and reattached kind of. Recovery was slow and involved many weeks of PT, heavy pain killers which I tapered off myself after a few weeks of PT.
In other words, don’t do joint replacement unless there is no other choice. I’m not the first person to make that point.