"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

Prester John said:
Why would the gas stations be closed? All of ours are open and the gas is cheap.
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Yes, Essential Businesses are to remain open:
Grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, post offices, etc. I haven't heard of anywhere in the USA that's under the kind of total lockdown where you can't get prescription refills, and the liquor stores are open in most places because a bunch of people either detoxing or drinking the wrong kind of alcohol is a further strain on medical resources.

One silver lining: I've lost a few pounds from not eating in restaurants.

By the way, has anyone heard of a short story by E.M Forster called The Machine Stops. It was written in 1909 and foresees a world of isolated individuals interconnected by technology. And what happens when the machine stops.

https://www.ele.uri.edu/faculty/vetter/Other-stuff/The-Machine-Stops.pdf
 
r8shell said:
Yes, Essential Businesses are to remain open:
Grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, post offices, etc. I haven't heard of anywhere in the USA that's under the kind of total lockdown where you can't get prescription refills, and the liquor stores are open in most places because a bunch of people either detoxing or drinking the wrong kind of alcohol is a further strain on medical resources.

One silver lining: I've lost a few pounds from not eating in restaurants.

By the way, has anyone heard of a short story by E.M Forster called The Machine Stops. It was written in 1909 and foresees a world of isolated individuals interconnected by technology. And what happens when the machine stops.

https://www.ele.uri.edu/faculty/vetter/Other-stuff/The-Machine-Stops.pdf
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25 pages on my iPhone. Will tackle it tonight with some English tea.
 
I laid in a good supply of whiskey and coffee beans before this mess got really underway. I have my priorities straight. :D

I am working from home still, and my company is doing everything they can to preserve full-time jobs, God bless them. I do senior-level technology support and engineering, and have a broad skill set, so I think I am good.

Paradoxically, my wife, who is a highly skilled Registered Nurse, is having her hours cut in half. Though she works at a non-emergency clinic that does lots of elective and non-elective procedures, so their workload has dropped significantly. To be honest, she needs the break. Better half a paycheck than no paycheck.

As long as my family is OK and doesn't catch this damned thing, I think we can soldier on.
 
I'm drinking too much again. Excuse being, my brother's in the hospital.
Not the virus, but atrial fibrillation, which caused fluid build-up, which they're planning to draw off and then shock his heart back into rhythm.
Plus side, he might be out in a day or two. And they don't think he's terminal, or he'd be allowed visitors. And he's being taken care of before the covid stercus really hits the Michigan fan.
 
scrteened porch said:
I'm drinking too much again. Excuse being, my brother's in the hospital.
Not the virus, but atrial fibrillation, which caused fluid build-up, which they're planning to draw off and then shock his heart back into rhythm.
Plus side, he might be out in a day or two. And they don't think he's terminal, or he'd be allowed visitors. And he's being taken care of before the covid stercus really hits the Michigan fan.
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Sorry to hear that. Best wishes for his speedy recovery, and don't forget to take care of yourself as well.
 
r8shell said:
By the way, has anyone heard of a short story by E.M Forster called The Machine Stops. It was written in 1909 and foresees a world of isolated individuals interconnected by technology. And what happens when the machine stops.

https://www.ele.uri.edu/faculty/vetter/Other-stuff/The-Machine-Stops.pdf
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Well that was a disturbing but timely read. Probably not the best bed-time reading if you were counting on actually sleeping. Amazingly prescient in places, but one thing that always gets me when reading old stories or watching old movies about imagined futures is that most of them never foresee any type of human-machine interface beyond mechanical buttons, switches, and dials.
 
r8shell said:
By the way, has anyone heard of a short story by E.M Forster called The Machine Stops. It was written in 1909 and foresees a world of isolated individuals interconnected by technology. And what happens when the machine stops.

https://www.ele.uri.edu/faculty/vetter/Other-stuff/The-Machine-Stops.pdf
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Thanks for the link. I was planning on reading this before bed. Told the wife about it, and she's reading it before me. Asked her not to spoil anything for me, but it sounds like she's enjoying it ;)
 
r8shell said:
By the way, has anyone heard of a short story by E.M Forster called The Machine Stops. It was written in 1909 and foresees a world of isolated individuals interconnected by technology. And what happens when the machine stops.
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Interesting story. Early sci-fi. Thanks for posting.

I lament the invention of the cellular phone, and especially the smartphone, but we sure are dependent on them now. I have to use one for work, and of course to stay in touch with family and friends, many of whom no longer have landlines. Not a day goes by without me seeing people driving while looking at their phones, or walking about, even pushing grocery carts, while staring at their phones. People out to dinner staring at their phones instead of conversing. And I usually use my phone on BF--don't have a laptop and my desktop is 8 years old and SLOW!
Going to put my phone away for awhile, make some more tea, and read my paper version of Don Quixote.

Be careful, everyone!
 
Prester John said:
Why would the gas stations be closed? All of ours are open and the gas is cheap.
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To make "life" on the road more ... umm ... "challenging"(?) ... "interesting(?) ... for truckers?

Gasoline was "cheap" when I started driving.
$0.189 (18 point 9 cents) for a gallon of regular leaded, or less, if there was a "gas war" going in town.
(Diesel was $0.059 (5 point 9 cents) at my uncle's Phillups 66 service station, and great uncle's Conoco service station) Yes, these prices included state and federal excise and road taxes.
I ain't seen "cheap" gas since it was under a dollar a gallon. I gave up my car when gas hit $1.35 a gallon. That's too much.
I haven't owned a car, truck, pickup, van, SUV, or motorcycle since.
 
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afishhunter afishhunter , if you are actually concerned about refilling needed medicine prescriptions, please make a phone call to your doctor's office. If the pharmacy you usually use is closed, there should be some other way to have medicine delivered.

kamagong said:
Over here it's cannabis dispensaries. Gotta make sure the masses have their soma.
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It only makes sense if the authorities want everybody to stay home.

Just Tom. said:
Well that was a disturbing but timely read. Probably not the best bed-time reading if you were counting on actually sleeping. Amazingly prescient in places, but one thing that always gets me when reading old stories or watching old movies about imagined futures is that most of them never foresee any type of human-machine interface beyond mechanical buttons, switches, and dials.
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Good point, plus maybe a few voice-commands. I wonder if the exciting new technology of having a telephone in one's own home inspired this dystopian vision.
 
Prester John said:
Picked up three huge bottles of Aussie wine and a six-pack of Grolsch this morning.
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Nice score! :) :thumbsup:

scrteened porch said:
I'm drinking too much again. Excuse being, my brother's in the hospital.
Not the virus, but atrial fibrillation, which caused fluid build-up, which they're planning to draw off and then shock his heart back into rhythm.
Plus side, he might be out in a day or two. And they don't think he's terminal, or he'd be allowed visitors. And he's being taken care of before the covid stercus really hits the Michigan fan.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear this Jer, hope your brother is well, and out of the hospital soon :thumbsup:

r8shell said:
It only makes sense if the authorities want everybody to stay home.
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But what about when they have to run out for chocolate?! :eek: :D :thumbsup:
 
kamagong said:
Over here it's cannabis dispensaries. Gotta make sure the masses have their soma.
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But I think not all of that is Rec at least in some countries and states it can be used for helping with certain unpleasant conditions- glaucoma, chemo nausea,MS etc I wish it were available here for those reasons too.

Anyway, booze often can make people aggressive, believing they're always right, and also VERY BORING etc etc:eek::eek::D Cann just makes them idle and also very boring:D but less loud;)
 
Just Tom. said:
Well that was a disturbing but timely read. Probably not the best bed-time reading if you were counting on actually sleeping. Amazingly prescient in places, but one thing that always gets me when reading old stories or watching old movies about imagined futures is that most of them never foresee any type of human-machine interface beyond mechanical buttons, switches, and dials.
Click to expand...

Star Trek had the first computers I remember seeing that didn't need clacking reel-to-reel tapes.
Even in that dream where I escaped from heaven disguised as the philosopher Spinoza they had reel-to-reel computer tapes.

black mamba said:
Prayers for you and your brother, Jer, hang in there.
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Jack Black said:
Nice score! :) :thumbsup:

Sorry to hear this Jer, hope your brother is well, and out of the hospital soon :thumbsup:

:eek: :D
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Thanks for your concern and support, and anybody I missed.
 
r8shell said:
It only makes sense if the authorities want everybody to stay home.
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It makes sense since if the authorities want to keep people docile.

Will Power said:
But I think not all of that is Rec at least in some countries and states it can be used for helping with certain unpleasant conditions- glaucoma, chemo nausea,MS etc I wish it were available here for those reasons too.

Anyway, booze often can make people aggressive, believing they're always right, and also VERY BORING etc etc:eek::eek::D Cann just makes them idle and also very boring:D but less loud;)
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Before cannabis was legalized by the state authorities for recreational use, there were an inexplicably high number of young people that needed the stuff for glaucoma and pain management. Now that one can simply walk in a dispensary and buy some, many miraculously no longer need their doctor's prescription.

These are very unsettling times. I think there is something very disturbing and sinister in play when the powers that be have decreed that people be allowed their mind altering drugs, but that they be denied the means to acquire arms.
 
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