Bag of Randomness for Monday, May 20, 2024

  • If we really care about our country, want voters well informed, and want to hold our presidential candidates accountable during the debates, then join me in demanding Samuel L. Jackson moderate the debates.
  • Man, how about Dallas sports?! The city had a drone show to celebrate.
    • 12:58 am CT – the Dallas Stars defeat the Avalanche in overtime, 2-1, to clinch their berth in the Western Conference Final
    • 9:40 pm CT – the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Thunder, 117-116, to clinch their berth in the Western Conference Finals
    • Same day. Separated by 20 hours and 42 minutes. Both are going to their respective sports’ conference championship round. Insane.
    • I’m glad there will be no overlapping games in the same time slot like the last series.
      • 5/22 Mavs Game 1
        5/23 Stars Game 1
        5/24 Mavs Game 2
        5/25 Stars Game 2
        5/26 Mavs Game 3
        5/27 Stars Game 3
        5/28 Mavs Game 4
        5/29 Stars Game 4
        5/30 Mavs Game 5
        5/31 Stars Game 5
        6/01 Mavs Game 6
        6/02 Stars Game 6
        6/03 Mavs Game 7
        6/04 Stars Game 7
    • @Rangers
      WON THE WORLD SERIES

      @DallasStars
      ARE IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

      @dallasmavs
      ARE IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

  • A kind and loyal reader pointed out my embarrassing typo on Friday. I’m not sure how many of you laughed, but it gave me a good one. Basically, I misspelled “gentle” and spell-check provided these first two choices in this particular order: “genital” and “gentle.” As you guessed, I mistakenly chose the former.
  • I’ve always been a big fan of Texas Country Reporter. Heck, I remember when it was called Four Country Reporter. Now, there will be a new host as the original host and his wife step aside.
  • Former President Trump was in town recently, and Tony Romo played golf with him. Many are surprised, but I remember him attending Trump’s inauguration. Heck, he even met up with John Elway at the event. How do people forget stuff like this?

  •  

  • There’s been a lot of fear of what AI can do and what it can lead us to believe. Most of the concern has been being able to authenticate an image or video in the future. But I never looked at the converse way of thinking. For instance, I’m sure we’ve all seen this iconic bison skull pile photo at some point. Most of us have seen it during a time when we knew no such photo could be manipulated.
  • Recently, I came across these comments regarding the iconic photo. It never occurred to me that people of today would falsely label real authentic photos as products of AI.
  • I couldn’t get a tweet to embed recently, and as I looked for a resolution, I noticed this support page hasn’t been updated, as it still refers to the platform as Twitter.
  • This story has stuck with me:
    • Greenfield parents say their 10-year-old killed himself after relentless bullying – The parents of Sammy Teusch said they contacted their son’s school 20 times about bullying.
    • I have one large and strong friend who still insists the best thing to do is punch the person bullying you in the nose because it worked for him, and a high school coach praised his efforts.
    • I took a few minutes to search the internet to find out how the child killed himself. To me, I think it’s relevant and can be helpful to other parents looking for possible signs of potential self-harm.
    • I found a GoFundMe page. I’m surprised that none of the articles provided a link to it. I think it’s worth including because I wondered if the one I found was legit. I also want to understand how GoFundMe works, everything from verifying to how operational costs are paid for. Years ago, a friend sent me a link so I could donate to a cause and it gave me the option of paying the operational cost of the transaction, which I thought was cool.
  • Dallas will have some “interesting women” here this summer.
  • This is some amazing video:

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Monday, May 20, 2024

Bag of Randomness for Friday, May 17, 2024

  • DaughterGeeding and I used to watch Young Sheldon together. We haven’t been able to watch it together for various reasons this year. I didn’t watch a single episode until last night, and that’s just because it dealt with his father’s death and was the series (not season, but series) finale. His father died of a heart attack, and Sheldon was about to move to California for college. Of course, I couldn’t help but think of my father, who went into cardiac arrest three days before I graduated high school. Now that I think about it, that event happened 30 years ago this month. And thanks to a pacemaker, I got four borrowed years. Sheldon had no such luck.One scene kept replaying in Sheldon’s head. He ate breakfast at the kitchen table as his dad said goodbye to the family and drove off to work. Sheldon regrets not saying anything to him as he walks out the back door, and as the scene replays, he keeps changing the outcome to something kinder and more wholesome, stuff he regrets he didn’t say or do. That kinda happened to me. Dad and I got into a big argument. I left mad, straight to Bryan Ringo’s house (I think) for a graduation party. When the party ended, many of us decided to continue to party at my house. When I arrived, there was an ambulance in the front yard. After that moment, I always ensured my last words to anyone I’m close to is, “I love you.”Another thing I could relate to was Sheldon taking one last walk around the house before packing everything up. He wanted to remember it just as it was so that he could reminisce as an adult. I remember doing that with my childhood home, the only house I ever lived in. Lastly, I connected with the theme of trying to enjoy all the time you can with someone because you never know when it will end. You think your parents will be around forever when you are young, like Sheldon and I were. From that moment, the only commodity I valued was time. The dollar wasn’t my currency, time was, it was the most valuable thing to me. And that’s one reason why I took the divorce so hard. Many will argue I couldn’t get over the person I was married to, but that’s not it at all. The thing I grieved most was the loss of the family unit, the time together, and all the memories I thought that was going to be made for them to cherish fell through my fingers. With the loss of time comes the loss of opportunities to influence your kids, especially if you have a vindictive spouse that alienates them from you.
  • I’ve heard stories from several Cowboys players who played with Roger Staubach about how supportive of a friend he is. For instance, some of them literally had their day in court. I remember three for sure,  Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, Drew Pearson, and Harvey Martin. They all said that Staubach was the only one who ever showed up, and for some of them, their day in court was after their playing days and haven’t talked to the man in years. That really left an impression on me, and I try to be that friend. It’s one reason I was in a Denton County courtroom earlier this month as my friend Tony and his ex-spouse needed to settle a custody battle. Thankfully, the judge not only ruled in his favor but gave him more than he and his attorney requested, though he had to concede on one little issue, he was perfectly fine with and offered before. It was certainly an embarrassing defeat for his ex-spouse. We were talking about the hearing recently and his time on the stand. His ex-spouse’s attorney’s first question was, “You remain depressed to this day because you can’t get over your spouse leaving you?” His reaction and answer surprised me, so I asked him about it. His answer started with spontaneous laughter. He had to retain composure quickly, and then he said that wasn’t the case at all, and he’s been over her and their relationship for quite some time. I inquired about the laughter, and he said it surprised him that it happened. He didn’t mean to laugh and certainly didn’t want to show disrespect to the judge; it wasn’t planned, and he never expected that particular question, but that was his natural response. He spoke to his counselor about it, and they both agreed it marked a major milestone in his battle over grief from divorce and loss of family. His subconscious was speaking; it was his authentic self coming out like it was some proclamation to the world that any claim she made about him being unable to move on was ludicrous. Upon reflection, he said that was a moment of vindication and showed growth he was unaware he made.
  • Incredulous – Traffic study halted after screenshots leaked of memo sent out by megachurch (Lakepointe) staff urging members to help manipulate the results
    • “They asked lifegroup leaders to share with their classrooms and their other members to sign up to drive around 10 laps during a one-hour time period for five days from May 14-19,” said Amanda Cunningham, who stopped being a member of the church in March. She shared screenshots with WFAA of the scheme. “It laid out a plan to create false traffic patterns and mislead the city,” Cunningham said.
  • Congresswoman Boebert’s son was in court last week. Although she didn’t attend to support him, she did make it to a New York courthouse to support the previous president.
  • Out of curiosity, I looked up the name for the menu that appears when you perform a right-click. It’s called a context menu.
  • Dutch woman, 29, granted euthanasia approval on grounds of mental suffering
    • On the appointed day, the medical team will come to Ter Beek’s house. “They’ll start by giving me a sedative, and won’t give me the drugs that stop my heart until I’m in a coma. For me, it will be like falling asleep. My partner will be there, but I’ve told him it’s OK if he needs to leave the room before the moment of death,” she said.
    • In a few decades, if not sooner, our politicians in the U.S. will be debating this topic. This one is unique; I grant you that because it’s mental suffering. But in the case of former President Jimmy Carter, who has been in hospice for the last year and a half, shouldn’t someone at that age and state of health have the choice of ending their suffering?
      • Speaking of which, I pray he goes before the end of the year. I believe there’s a good chance Trump will be reelected, and I don’t feel he’d handle Carter’s death (and a grieving nation) as gentle and dignified as Biden would.
  • Everyone grieves the loss of a parent in their own special way. Some people want to be alone, others want to be with family. Then you have those who have to immediate post a TikTok video about it.
    https://twitter.com/MadisonKittay/status/1791130558124155060

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Friday, May 17, 2024

Bag of Randomness for Thursday, May 16, 2024

  • If someone told you they were going to make a comedy about investing, specifically commodity trading, frozen orange juice, of all things, you’d think it would be time-wasting and a potential flop. Or, if someone told you they were going to make a musical, using rap and hip-hop music, about the first treasury secretary of the United States with a cast that basically didn’t include any white people, you’d think they’d be nuts. It’s amazing what artists can make out of things.
  • Do they even sell frozen orange juice anymore?
  • Yesterday, LiberallyLean posted a TwitterX thread about the racial history of Southlake. As he put it, “this thread is fantastic,” and I’m in total agreement. I took time to read some of the comments and noticed several tagged another user and left nothing but the single word “unroll.” I was puzzled. What does unroll mean? My initial guess was that it must be some slang for unrolling a rope, perhaps to make a noose with. Then, I noticed the same user was being tagged,
    @threadreaderapp. I explored the account and then bookmarked it because it’s a genius idea that solves a frequent problem I run into.

    So, going back to the thread that LiberallyLean mentioned, compare the original thread to what the app provides. Oh, it’s so much cleaner and easier to read. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gotten lost reading a thread, especially when I start looking at comments or click the “Show more” option and get lost trying to find my place. If you are like me and prefer not to reply with a tweet to unroll the thread, you can paste the thread’s URL here. 
  • Somewhat related to that article: Former Far-Right Hard-Liner Says Billionaires Are Using School Board Races to Sow Distrust in Public Education
    • I’m sure most folks haven’t thought or heard the name Ralph Reed for a while. I sure haven’t; he’s the sole person I blame for all the crap going on in the Republican party today. If you aren’t familiar with him, he played a huge part in the Christian Coalition and was a visionary in the early 1990s. All the current news of moving funds away from public education to school vouchers, school boards banning books in libraries, or Patriot Mobile came from his vision. This one quote of his sums it all up, and he was so right.
      • “I would rather have a thousand school board members than one president and no school board members.”
      • When you target the school boards, you are after the kids, and you want to get them while they are young and impressionable. That’s how you grow a political movement.
    • He’s only 62, and I’m surprised not utilized more.
  • Here’s a great Bill Murry quote:
    • “I’m not an alcoholic, I only drink 2 times a year. When it’s my birthday & when it’s not my birthday”
  • Only a few years ago, I learned that the Jayhawk of the University of Kansas was a fictional bird. Yesterday, I found out there’s no such thing as a Seahawk. Gosh, I feel like an idiot. At least I know that jackalopes and unicorns are fictional. Who would have thought bird mascots would be my kryptonite?
    • To ensure I no longer fall for this, I asked ChatGPT for a list of fictional birds used as sports mascots. I think these may have tripped me, though I’m not sure: Thunderbirds, Skyhawks, Warhawks—I know Firebirds aren’t real—Redhawks, and Blackhawks, though the latter is named after a Native American figure. Night Hawks and I wouldn’t have fallen for Mud Hens.
Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Thursday, May 16, 2024

Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, May 15, 2024

  • It doesn’t matter where I leave my remote. It can be on top of the refrigerator, but one of the dogs will step on it and change the channel, turn it to YouTube or Netflix, or get the Google Assistant to yapping.
  • I loved the concept behind this idea: Dublin to New York City Portal Temporarily Shut Down Due to Inappropriate Behavior
    • But I’d set up the portal in Philadelphia and Dallas during the week those two teams would meet.
  • I’ve been a big fan of ChatGPT, especially their phone app, because it allows for natural back-and-forth conversations. I also like their major upgrade. However, I don’t like that they took the conversation feature away on the mobile app. It will be a feature in the upcoming weeks in a paid version, but I’ve got no time for that.
    • Using the word “natural” in that last sentence to describe “artificial” intelligence is ironic, no? Actually, it’s not, but I can’t find the right word.
  • Jon Stewart’s return to The Daily Show has caused me to return as a regular viewer. I’ve really enjoyed being introduced to the talents of Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, and Desi Lydic.
  • Martha, if you are out there. the answer is yes.
  • I had never heard Broadway described as the “Great White Way” until yesterday when I was reading an article about George Clooney bringing Goodnight and Good Luck to the stage.
  • Oh, no they didn’t. Oh boy, yes they did.

  • U2 frontman Bono reveals his family never spoke about his mother after she died
    – Bono lost his mother Iris after she collapsed at her father’s funeral in 1974

    • “I’ve got very few details about my mother and I wrote the book [Surrender] to kind of hook some of those memories out of that river that goes by with all, with your life in it and suddenly it’s passed you by,” Bono said. “And I thought, I don’t want my memories of my mother to pass me by completely. And they were getting less and less and less.”“That’s because when she died I was 14, and my father just didn’t speak about her,” Bono recalled. “We didn’t speak about her. Very Irish male situation. So I can’t really recall how she spoke. I remember feelings though.”
  • British boxer Sherif Lawal dies after collapsing in the ring in professional debut  –  The 29-year-old was knocked down by Portuguese opponent Malam Varela in the fourth round of a middleweight bout at Harrow Leisure Centre.
    • A lot of folks think that boxing needs to be retired as a sport. I’m still unsure how I feel about that, even after this tragedy. It’s just shocking because you’d think this man would be at his peak in terms of health. So, either he was injured in the fight, or there was an unknown preexisting condition.
  • One looks cooler than the other – Ghost Shark and Manta Ray: Australia and US unveil undersea drones
Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, May 15, 2024