Bag of Randomness for Thursday, March 7, 2024

 

 

  • I’ve been experimenting with Microsoft’s AI image generator. This is what it produced using the following descriptor:
    • “A superhero with a large cape, short brown beard, bald head, with a paper bag logo on his chest that says BagOfNothing with two small dogs singing on stage with U2 at the sphere”
    • I then followed it up with:
      A superhero with a large cape, trimmed short brown beard, bald head, with a paper bag logo on his chest that says BagOfNothing, walking two small dogs, singing on stage with all four members of “U2” during halftime at a dallas cowboys game at at&t stadium

  • Today’s cute dog video of the day on Rumble
  • TwitterX was so much better before its current ownership. I’ve noticed when looking at replies on popular video tweets, that written comments are sparse. When I look at the replies, it’s mainly posts of other videos that don’t relate to the original tweet. It didn’t always used to be this way, it’s annoying, and ruining TwitterX. Thanks to one of my followers, I now understand why. It’s because blue checkmarks now get paid for “content creation” which includes getting likes on posts. So they just glom onto popular posts and reply for the likes. Most are probably run by bots now. Super annoying.
  • I’ve always wondered avout this, and finally took the time to find the answer. It all comes down to money. – Why Do Candidates ‘Suspend’ Campaigns When They Drop Out?
    • Campaigns rack up a lot of debt. Per the Federal Elections Commission, a campaign isn’t completely over until its debts are paid off, loans are settled, and its cash has been transferred into other accounts. Suspending a campaign is a plea for donors to help the candidate to eliminate their debt. I couldn’t find any record of a political campaign coming out of suspension. The closest I could find was in 1992 when Ross Perot dropped out in July and reentered in October. Several sources cite he funded his entire campaign, which in retrospect is HIGHLY impressive, but it appears he never officially suspended his campaign. I was lucky enough to be invited to an engagement party at his daughter’s house, shook his hand, and had a short conversation with him as we were the only ones in the house’s library. Taking pictures with a camera phone wasn’t mainstream back then. I haven’t read that old post in a while, but couldn’t help but notice the date. Little would I know that my mother would unexpectedly pass less than two weeks later.
  • A man deliberately got 217 Covid shots
    • A correspondence published Monday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases outlined his case and concluded that while his “hypervaccination” did not result in any adverse health effects, it also did not significantly improve or worsen his immune response.
  • Everyone has their values. It’s interesting what will sway a voter. I remember how after 9-11 some politicians didn’t feel a need to wear an American flag lapel pin. Those who didn’t suffer in the polls. Eventually, they all caved.

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Thursday, March 7, 2024

Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, March 6, 2024

  • Austin, especially its skyline, has changed a lot since 2014.
  • I remember toying with the idea of going to law school as I was about to graduate from college. It was all because a friend told me she had no idea what she was going to do. On a whim, she took the LSAT without studying, scored well, and got accepted to that Baptist law school in Waco, all in the span of four months. Looking back at this, I wonder how much of that was true. But I remember thinking about how much time lawyers spend looking up all sorts of reference material, past court cases, and the vastness of law libraries.
    • At that time, I’d only been exposed to the internet for two years but kept thinking about its potential, especially in the legal profession looking up old court cases. It didn’t occur to me how readily available that information would be online. I thought every lawyer in the future would have a collection of CDs similar to the year-old Encarta encyclopedia I owned. High-speed internet for every student was how fast their dial-up modem could go. I don’t think any of my friends could afford a 56Kbp modem. The thought of how long it would take to transpose or scan the most common law reference materials and make them available on CD or online made me wonder what year would be best to enter law school.
      • Here’s a tidbit about the word “modem,” it’s made of up the words modulator demodulator.
      • As for Encarta, I found it ironic that the first source I found for my answer was an entry on Enclyopedia Britanica’s website:
        • Microsoft discontinued Encarta, which then consisted of more than 60,000 articles, at the end of 2009. Only the free Encarta dictionary remained online.
  • In college, I only had to cite an online source one single time. It was for my final writing assignment as an undergrad, an email reply from my congressman. Does anyone remember Democrat Charlie Stenholm? At the time, our Little Brown Handbook writing guides didn’t even have any entries for how to cite anything digital. The last I heard of Stenholm was when he was representing a local horse meat company.
  • Library cuts and teachers quitting: Texas’s takeover of Houston schools – Staff call for removal of state-appointed superintendent amid 600 teachers resigning and implementation of rigid curriculum
  • An Oklahoma judge who sent more than 500 texts during a murder trial resigns
    • An Oklahoma judge agreed to step down Friday after she was caught sending hundreds of texts from the bench while overseeing a murder trial in the killing of a 2-year-old boy, including messages that mocked prosecutors and were sprinkled with emojis.
  • Shirtless US Senate candidate submerges himself in Wisconsin lake, issues challenge to opponent
    • A shirtless candidate for U.S. Senate broke through the ice of a Madison lake Thursday hoping to pour cold water on any notion that he’s a soft Californian, not a hardy Wisconsinite.
  • What’s old is new again – Elon Musk loses world’s richest person title to Jeff Bezos
  • Pittsburgh Area Naturalists are hosting another Balls Out bowling event, where you can bowl in the nude.
  • Minnesota: Woman accused of swapping places with twin sister after fatal crash kills two children – A woman swapped places with her twin sister after she killed two children by crashing into a horse-drawn carriage, police have alleged.
  • These two videos caught my attention, but I’m sure one of them is staged. A bit of a language warning in the first video. Do I qualify as a “real man” like this guy? I was married to a woman who was literally half-blind. Maybe I’m just half the man that guy is. That’s it, I’m a half-white-half-Asian half-man.https://twitter.com/divyakumaari/status/1765089103522189631
  • Yes, I know, U2 is no longer performing at Sphere, but I can’t stop thinking about how great of a concert experience it was and sharing it with the U2 community on TwitterX. Hey, Jon Stewart even mentioned he couldn’t stop thinking about it during an interview he was conducting on Monday, and The Onion had this article.
    https://twitter.com/nversel/status/1764885146736476183Sphere Refuses To Release U2 Despite Band Fulfilling Terms Of Residency
    It turns out Bram played it smart. Yesterday he wrote a letter to the fans. He said he chose not to get on the interest and ready anything about him or the band until after all is said is done.

    The other day I mentioned how fans campaigned for 40 to be played, and I wrote about its significance. Devoted and keen-eyed fans spotted something very special at the end. Larry, the founder of the band, is the last to play and the last to leave the stage when 40 is the last song played. It’s his moment. It’s very poignant, and I think it’s one way the other three members and all the fans thank Larry for starting the band. Well, as you know, Larry was unable to play with the band because of neck surgery. Bono and Adam have already left the stage. The Edge looks at Bram, who Larry is a mentor and picked as his replacement. It seems like Edge is hinting to Bram that he’s about to stop playing an leave, and it’s ok that he is last to play and leave the stage. Bram says no way. He made sure Edge kept playing the bass*. Bram got up so the moment could stay Larry’s forever. You can see that moment here in this 22-second clip. Notice the eye contact and Bram shaking his head. Thanks for allowing me to share with you something that may mean little to you but a whole lot to me.

    When I turned 40, my spouse gave me a canvas print of the words of the song. During and post-divorce, I came close to burning it (not out of hatred, but something else symbolic), selling it, or giving it away. Right now, at this very moment, I’m glad I kept it. But should I love again and my wife is uncomfortable with me keeping it, away it goes.
    *Yes, I know Adam primarily plays the bass, but…

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Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, March 5, 2024

  • Y’all liking these longer posts, or are they a beating? You complain when I don’t post and then complain when my posts are too long. Hey, just as long as you are complaining I’m happy, at least I know I’m worth griping about, and that means a lot to me.
  • Jon Stewart helps me get through Mondays.
  • Monday started with a frustrating but funny medical billing call. I’ve met my deductible and out-of-pocket, so I’m covered at 100%. Knowing this, I reordered some CPAP supplies. They arrived within a few days, and two weeks later I received a bill for almost $200. The bill said that my insurance, Cigna, has already been billed. I had a feeling the medical supply company needed to update my insurance information. My insurance company hasn’t changed, but I have since started work with another employer. The first thing I do is log into my health insurance website to look at the claim and Explanation of Benefits. Neither existed.
    • I place the call, go through the lengthy phone tree, and finally get a human representative. Within ten seconds of her speaking, I hear a dial tone. I guess we got disconnected. No big deal, so I hit the redial button.
      • “The number from which you are calling has been detected as spam. If you think this is in error…”
      • Hmm, that’s weird. I didn’t catch the last part of the recording. so I hit redial, “The number from which you are calling has been detected as spam. Press 1 if you think this is in error.” I press 1 and get disconnected. I call back and have to go through the phone tree again.
    • A customer service representative greets me. I’m certain the call center was in India. I explain the situation, she reads through a script, and I play along. She asked for an account number, which contained both numbers and letters. Normally, I use the NATO phonetic alphabet to avoid any verbal confusion. You know, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta.
      • I gave her my account number, which had an “I” and a “P”. But this time I said, “I” as in “India” and “P” as in “Pakistan.” Inside, I was laughing at my cleverness.
      • She read it back to me, “I” as in “India” and “D” as in “Debra.”
      • Puzzled, I correct her and tell her, “No. It’s not ‘D’ as in ‘Debra’, it’s ‘P’ as in ‘Pakistan.'”
      • She said, “Yes, I said that. ‘D’ as in ‘Debra’ the animal.” It took me a second and then I realized what was happening. “Oh, you are saying ‘Z’ as in ‘Zeebra’, but you are pronouncing it ‘Zebra’ as if it rhymes with ‘Debra.'” She apologized, and read back the account number saying “I” as in “India” and “Z” as in “Zebra.”
      • I tell him, “No, ma’am. Instead of a “Z” for “Zeebra” you need to use “P as in Pakistan.”
      • So a Z was being used instead of P while I thought she was using a D.
    • “Can I place you on hold as I look into this issue?” “Sure.”
    • “Thanks for holding, sir. You are covered at 100%. Your insurance has already been billed, which leaves you with a balance of $197.59. If you think this is in error, please contact your insurance company and provide them with this process number….”
    • Oh, this again. “Would you mind just verifying my insurance?”
    • “It’s already been verified, you are using Cigna. When was the last time you updated your insurance information with us?”
    • “I’m not sure, but I think the member or group number you have is incorrect and needs updating.”
    • “No sir, it’s correct.”
    • .  “Well, would you just tell me what you have on file?”
    • She reads it to me, I tell her that’s incorrect. She again asked me when I last updated my insurance information. Back and forth we go, but I finally got her to take my updated information and file the request again.
  • Funny college football video game news I ran across last night: Texas QB Arch Manning will NOT opt into EA Sports College Football 2025. Arch is focused on playing football on the field.
  • Alright, I have some mixed feelings about this story, and I may be the only one. It’s actually a Texas love story that takes place near the Houston area. A woman marries her high school sweetheart, he gets in a major car accident and will need to be cared for for the rest of his life, she divorces him to remarry but petitions to be his lifelong guardian. Her new husband is certainly a man of integrity. And while she continues to love and care for her first husband, she still breaks her vow and that does bother me. What good is your word if it’s not as strong as oak? Perhaps I shouldn’t be such a stickler for the rules and let grace and love rule.

    Of all the things, it was her talking about looking at her groom as the doors swung open as she walked down the aisle that got me. I was so scared and let down when that didn’t happen to me and always had me questioning her devotedness. Men, if your bride doesn’t look at you like you are the only person in that room, she will not make you a priority. Leave. Run. Run away. Far, far, far away. Take a taxi. Take an Uber. Hell, go Greyhound. Just get the hell out of there. You’ll be doing yourself and everyone else a favor.

  • I really enjoyed this article, I caught about half of them when I was at the show, but I bet there are even more – All the Easter Eggs Hidden in U2’s Sphere Residency
  • Such as sad story, just 18 inches of water – Basketball Coach Drowns After Keys Fall Down Storm Drain
  • We’ll always love you, Ron – Prior to his first managerial appearance against the Rangers, Ron Washington made sure to talk about Texas’ success in 2023 before he even mentioned his new role with the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.”Before we get started, I just want to congratulate the Texas Rangers on being World Series champs,’’ Washington said. ‘’They deserved it. They have such great fans, it was time they got what they deserved for their support of the Texas Rangers. They brought it home.’’
  • This happened over the weekend.

  • I guess this stuff has potential.
    https://twitter.com/HowThingsWork_/status/1763764917746712902
  • I remember ice cream in a rectangular box, but I remember Neopolitan being served in them.

  • I visited a new church on Saturday. I’ll write about it soon. But for now, here’s something about the first church that established my roots.

 

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Bag of Randomness for Monday, March 4, 2024

  • I haven’t watched the local news in a long time. It was something I used to do to pass the time, have something in the background as I blog, stay informed, and see if there were any fun family things to do. Well, there’s no more doing things together as a family, so I’ve found myself watching less and less of the local news. However, I watched it last night and realized one of the best things I can do for my mental health is to stop watching it because of all the nonsense political ads. If I ever watch local news on a regular basis again, I’ll make sure to record it so I can fast-forward through all the commercials.
  • I mentioned at the end of last week that U2 was wrapping up their Las Vegas residency at Sphere with their final two shows.
    • Rumor had it that band founder Larry Mullen Jr. was going to make a surprise appearance. He did and took a bow on the second to last show. But he didn’t play.
    • I also mentioned that fans were campaigning for the song 40 to be played as the very last song. U2 has closed other concerts with the song, most notably, at Red Rocks. It would be, after all, their 40th concert at Sphere. Also, during this residency, they have played a total of 39 different songs, and 40 would mark the 40th. A lot of fans near the stage brought posters and wore party glasses that had “Forty” at the top to try to persuade the band. To add to it, there was a big online movement. And how about this, the answer to Friday’s Wordle, the day before the last concert, was FORTY. And to take it even a step further, this happened several hours before the concert: NFL combine: Xavier Worthy sets 40-yard dash record of 4.21 seconds. OK. All that to say that the band took notice and delivered. This is the first time 40 has been performed since 5 October 2016. Bono started it off by stating how they have been in the desert that is Las Vegas for 40 days and 40 nights.
  • I can’t dog our lieutenant governor for wearing this sort of stuff because I know I’d do the same to get a laugh.
  • Rarely have I seen a group get their assess handed to them like Moms For Liberty did last night on 60 Minutes.

  • I’m a big fan of watching NFL football in the snow, but I’ve never seen soccer in the snow. Hmm, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a college football game in the snow.

  • In case you were wondering how many artists in We Are The World have left us, the number is ten.
    • I watched The Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix because a version of this tweet was going around. I don’t think any shade was being thrown. But, when I was a kid, I was very confused as to why they put pantyhose over the microphones. At least, I thought pantyhose was being used, and why did it have to be that nude color? You’ll see what I’m talking about in the video when there is a closeup of Michael.

    • For some reason, I thought Huey Lewis was very ill with cancer. But it turns out he’s lost his hearing, so he can no longer sing or perform. Oddly, it appears the condition started one night in Dallas. However, he’s behind a musical coming out in April.
      • Lewis was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease after he heard a sudden roar that no one else heard while backstage at a private show in Dallas in 2018. The condition affects the inner ear and causes vertigo and hearing loss.
    • Lionel Richard had an interesting quote at the end of the documentary. It’s something I’ve thought about and cherished every time I came home from college and when I had my own family. I hope I will have a feeling like this I can enjoy again.
    • I think the only artist who left the recording session out of frustration was Wayland Jennings.
    • This really happened. At one point during the recording, Stevie Wonder said he needed to use the restroom. Ray Charles stood up, grabbed Stevie by the elbow, and said he would show him where the restroom is. Someone belted out that the blind was literally leading the blind.
    • Care to guess the number of Jacksons who are listed as an artist on the song? As the credits rolled, I counted six: Jackie, La Toya, Marlon, Michael, Randy, Tito.
    • “My dad said something to me a few years ago. He said, “Enjoy coming home,” because there is going to become a time when you can’t go home. Richie was confused and asked, “Dad, what does that mean?” He said, “Well, the house will be there. But, the people in the house won’t be there.””
    • I’m curious why the video for the entire song wasn’t played at the end of the documentary. Perhaps it has to do with royalties and profits.
  • U2’s last performance to complete their residency at Sphere was Saturday night and it started with some technical difficulties.

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Monday, March 4, 2024