What made you smile today? Round 2!

Anything and everything.

Moderator: Moderators

Message
Author
User avatar
Bellhead
Templar Inner Circle
Posts: 4012
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:17 pm
Location: New England, US
Fav. Twokinds Character: Keith and Natani

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33931 Post by Bellhead »

I SAW THE OSCAR-MEYER WEINER MOBILE!

It stopped across the highway from us, so I didn't get a good look, BUT I SAW IT!

AND IT WAS AWESOME!
Gearhead mechanic in the digital era, who will probably grow up is in the process of growing up to be a very grumpy old man.

User avatar
TheFrozenSlime
Templar
Posts: 387
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2015 5:37 am
Location: In front of my computer/ nose in a book

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33932 Post by TheFrozenSlime »

Since my last post, I've actually been rereading the comic (mainly just in the last week, but whatever). I first started reading the comic back around when page 826 released. Regularly followed the comic for about a year and a half after that until time between pages grew longer than my attention span. I found while rereading that I remembered less than I thought, which is nice for a reread, but next to nothing post-page 830. I've just finished Chapter 18, and I'm fairly certain that everything from here on out will be completely new to me.

I'm not sure how to feel.

This will be the first time I've had a significant number of new pages to read since I first found the comic. I feel excited, but I just don't find myself as invested as I was back then. It makes complete sense - I've gotten older and seem to have lost what remains of my childhood imagination; an inevitability, I suppose. Forum's also a lot more dead than it was back then. Only about 230 pages until I'm caught up again, so probably within the week. Then I'll be right back where I was and probably moving on to something else. I don't know. I'm just ranting at this point, but I felt like I should make a post. Kind of a milestone for me. Don't think this gets any attention, nor does it deserve any, but maybe one of the old guard gets a kick out of this.

This probably belongs more in the Rant thread, so more to the thread topic... Work's been going great. Glad I made the choice to work where I do, despite the long commute. Things are finally starting to look up for my Rangers, and we get a Battle for Texas in the Overwatch League Winner's Finals, with a trip to the Grand Finals on the line.
Image
/╲/\╭( ͡° ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ͡°)╮/\╱\ <------- This is my attack spider. Don't mess with it.
Procrastinator Extraordinaire and Connoisseur of Fine Distractions,
Self-Proclaimed

User avatar
Kellard
Templar Master
Posts: 421
Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2015 5:37 am
Location: Planet Earth.
Fav. Twokinds Character: The bucket

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33933 Post by Kellard »

TheFrozenSlime wrote: Thu Nov 03, 2022 4:14 am snip
I feel that. Things have changed. The forum is much more inactive, I no longer have the same kind of interest I felt back then, I'm older, I'm busier... And guess it's just not as novel to me as it once was? It was the first webcomic I ever read and my introduction to furries.

At this point there's likely a lot of things I've forgotten about the comic (plus several things changed because Tom retconned them), but I don't think I'm up for another read.
Image

User avatar
Bellhead
Templar Inner Circle
Posts: 4012
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:17 pm
Location: New England, US
Fav. Twokinds Character: Keith and Natani

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33934 Post by Bellhead »

Reading these makes me remember my most recent reread. Started from page 1, took me a couple days... But it reminded me of why I fell in love with Twokinds. True, the later chapters have been releasing rather slowly, two a month if we're lucky, but I still really adore the pacing and character growth between Kieth and Natani. Even just remembering is enough to put a smile on my face...

But more on topic, I finally bought tires for the quad. It lives at work now, since it's the resident car pusher/puller, and the resident miniature plow, but up until this past spring, it had the original balloon swamper tires from 1988, and they were almost bald. For the last several months, we had traded bald swampers for bald road tires on custom-cut rims, but that won't do for the winter snow. So, $379 later, I finally have some chonky snow tires on their way. :)
Gearhead mechanic in the digital era, who will probably grow up is in the process of growing up to be a very grumpy old man.

User avatar
TheFrozenSlime
Templar
Posts: 387
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2015 5:37 am
Location: In front of my computer/ nose in a book

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33935 Post by TheFrozenSlime »

Kellard wrote: Thu Nov 03, 2022 5:17 pm
TheFrozenSlime wrote: Thu Nov 03, 2022 4:14 am snip
I feel that. Things have changed. The forum is much more inactive, I no longer have the same kind of interest I felt back then, I'm older, I'm busier... And guess it's just not as novel to me as it once was? It was the first webcomic I ever read and my introduction to furries.

At this point there's likely a lot of things I've forgotten about the comic (plus several things changed because Tom retconned them), but I don't think I'm up for another read.
That's a good point that I missed - novelty having worn off. Even having forgot many things, it still doesn't have the novelty of the first read. It was my first webcomic too, and while I wouldn't call it my first introduction to furries, it was my ...formal? introduction. I actually remember more than I thought; I haven't read any more than I did yesterday, but I realize I do remember the characters of secretary Rose and Clovis. I know nothing about the retcons, so I guess those came later.
Image
/╲/\╭( ͡° ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ͡°)╮/\╱\ <------- This is my attack spider. Don't mess with it.
Procrastinator Extraordinaire and Connoisseur of Fine Distractions,
Self-Proclaimed

User avatar
Dadrobit
Grand Templar
Posts: 1216
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 5:46 am
Location: Sunny Arizona

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33936 Post by Dadrobit »

Kellard wrote: Thu Nov 03, 2022 5:17 pm
TheFrozenSlime wrote: Thu Nov 03, 2022 4:14 am snip
I feel that. Things have changed. The forum is much more inactive, I no longer have the same kind of interest I felt back then, I'm older, I'm busier... And guess it's just not as novel to me as it once was? It was the first webcomic I ever read and my introduction to furries.

At this point there's likely a lot of things I've forgotten about the comic (plus several things changed because Tom retconned them), but I don't think I'm up for another read.
Yeah, the forums aren't the go-to for a lot of folks, which is a kind of sadness personally since this was one of the first communities that I genuinely put effort into being a regular part of. But that being said, the community itself is honestly still alive and well, if not better than ever. Now it just mostly exists on Picarto when Tom is streaming, and on various Discord servers, (that admittedly I am not a regular part of and can't really speak with authority on).

Now instead of spending hours theory-crafting on forum posts and discussing developments one post at a time, for me and many others, it happens live while watching every stroke unfold. Moreover, we even get some behind the scenes snippets on future developments in the comic and his various side projects! Maybe there's something to be said about losing the careful consideration of that goes into crafting a wall of text for the forums for the rapid fire quipping of a stream chat. But there's also a fair bit gained in the ability to regularly just chat with Tom directly. Something that only ever happened a few dozen times in all the history of the forums. :mrgrin:

The one thing that is truly lost for me in the forums decline, is the lack of fan art and literature. This used to be the one stop shop and veritable Mecca for fan contributions where everything was easily discovered and found again with artists' dedicated threads. Now it's all just bundled together under "fan art" tabs across the Discords where they're immediately missed and effectively lost amongst every other bit of chat that buries it...
Image

User avatar
Neutral Smith
Templar GrandMaster
Posts: 673
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 5:32 pm
Location: Neitherlands
Fav. Twokinds Character: Saria's father
Contact:

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33937 Post by Neutral Smith »

Being too busy for the forums can be a good sign.

This is the first week I leave after 6:00am and/or be home before 5:00pm since the start of September. It either has been earlier, or waking up in a hotel.
(normal working hours are starting at 7:30am and be done at 4:00pm, 40 hour work week)

But don't worry, next week it's going to be hotel from Sunday-Friday, after that Monday-Wednesday hotel, 'normal' week, week off, Monday-Friday hotel for 2 weeks, week off (+ Christmas) and again Tuesday-Friday hotel :mrgrin:
If it moves but shouldn't: Duct tape. If it doesn't move but should: WD-40. With a hammer everything fits, and if it still doesn't fit: bigger hammer. If it can't be fixed with a hammer it's an electrical problem.

User avatar
Bellhead
Templar Inner Circle
Posts: 4012
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:17 pm
Location: New England, US
Fav. Twokinds Character: Keith and Natani

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33938 Post by Bellhead »

Sometimes I enjoy laughing at other people's ignorance. This is one of them. For reference, a 5K (or 5000 mile service) involves an engine oil change and a tire rotation, and the Leaf is Nissan's all-electric car. No engine, no engine oil.

Tech and Newbie are standing in front of a Leaf, with hood open. Tech uses an air gun to blow leaves from the cowl area.

Me: Yes, of course. As we all know, every Leaf 5K involves using an air gun to blow away all the dried gasoline from the engine.
Tech: *Laughs*
Newbie: Wait, were does the gasoline go? *points to firewall* Here?
Me: *looks at Tech, smiles*
Tech: *Looks at me, laughs*
Me: You serious?
Newbie: Serious question. Where do you put the gas in one of these?
Me: Whoosh. *hand gesture over head*
Tech: *Laughs harder*
Newbie: What?
Me: It's a LEAF. It's an all-electric car.
Newbie: So were does the gas go?
Me: Whoosh. *walks away*

Seriously. How are you going to work in an auto shop, and NOT know these things? <Tech> got it, but it went right over <newbie>'s head. Just... Whoosh. RIGHT over.

EDIT

Just read This. An article discussing the lifetime of the Mars rover Opportunity. Almost 15 years and 28 miles, exceeding its designated lifespan by 60 fold, and traveling further than 45 times it was designed for. Now THAT, is one HELL of a machine.

As a mechanic, I see this as one single machine, with a team of people at the helm, lasting a decade and a half, traveling several dozen times further than it was made to, billions of miles from any maintenance, without help, in a harsh environment, and STILL managing to just. Keep. GOING. I mean, DAMN. That's freaking IMPRESSIVE.
Gearhead mechanic in the digital era, who will probably grow up is in the process of growing up to be a very grumpy old man.

User avatar
Bellhead
Templar Inner Circle
Posts: 4012
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:17 pm
Location: New England, US
Fav. Twokinds Character: Keith and Natani

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33939 Post by Bellhead »

Today I learned that there are T9 keyboards for smartphones. My life is now that much better. I missed this...
Gearhead mechanic in the digital era, who will probably grow up is in the process of growing up to be a very grumpy old man.

Warrl
Grand Templar
Posts: 1526
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2014 11:19 pm

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33940 Post by Warrl »

I had to look up what a T9 keyboard is.

For years I've been using MessagEase. It's a 4*4 layout, but in alpha mode the bottom row's left 3 keys are combined into a spacebar. And the right-hand column is control functions (including backspace and enter). Each key *can* have up to 20 things it does: tap, tap-and-hold, circle clockwise or counterclockwise, swipe and swipe-and-return in 8 directions. So you never need to use a shift key - although if you're typing long numbers or all-caps, both shift modes are available.

It takes some getting used to, of course... for any not-standard-in-your-country layout, I recommend having a keyboard-switch app as well so that if you need to hand your phone to someone else, they can type on it too.

User avatar
Bellhead
Templar Inner Circle
Posts: 4012
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:17 pm
Location: New England, US
Fav. Twokinds Character: Keith and Natani

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33941 Post by Bellhead »

The thing I always remembered (and loved) about T9 was the predictive text. It was usually right, and if not, it was pretty darn close, so you could type entire sentences with only one key per letter, unlike having to hit 7 four times to get an S. I hate to admit that I'm a bit out of practice with it, but I actually like it more than the standard QWERTY keyboard my phone came with, even with the Swipe. It still has shift and punctuation and all that, but still.

And yeah. As far as.. I'll call them "compact keyboards", for sake of naming... As far as they go, to each their own. No matter what you use, somebody else will always have trouble with it. No matter how much more convenient it really is.
Gearhead mechanic in the digital era, who will probably grow up is in the process of growing up to be a very grumpy old man.

Rubymess
Traveler
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:49 pm

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33942 Post by Rubymess »

Nothing makes me smile, my life is Grim dark.

User avatar
Neutral Smith
Templar GrandMaster
Posts: 673
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 5:32 pm
Location: Neitherlands
Fav. Twokinds Character: Saria's father
Contact:

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33943 Post by Neutral Smith »

Nothing is black or white.

It could be... 69 shades of something in between.
If it moves but shouldn't: Duct tape. If it doesn't move but should: WD-40. With a hammer everything fits, and if it still doesn't fit: bigger hammer. If it can't be fixed with a hammer it's an electrical problem.

Rubymess
Traveler
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:49 pm

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33944 Post by Rubymess »

Neutral Smith wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 8:47 pm Nothing is black or white.

It could be... 69 shades of something in between.
I've given up all hope.

User avatar
Bellhead
Templar Inner Circle
Posts: 4012
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:17 pm
Location: New England, US
Fav. Twokinds Character: Keith and Natani

Re: What made you smile today? Round 2!

#33945 Post by Bellhead »

So, THIS happened.

Union Pacific "Big Boy" 4014, on a cruise through Nebraska, ended up stuck behind a freight train stalled on a hill. The 80-something year old steam locomotive, at the request of Dispatch, hooked on and shoved. And it WORKED. As somebody easily entertained by large mechanical things, seeing one of those absolute UNITS being worked the hardest it's seen since my parents were born, brings me great joy.
Spoiler! Context
Big Boy was the nickname of UP's 4000 series steam locomotives, with a 4-8-8-4 setup. Two sets of 8 driving wheels each. They were the largest, heaviest and most powerful single locomotives the US ever used, far as I know, but got outclassed by the low maintenance cost of the diesels. 4014 is the last one still running, having been completely restored some years back, and spends most of its days on excursion runs.

This marks the first time in DECADES that one has been used to pull (or push) freight cars like it was designed to back in the 1940's, and it didn't even flinch. Hyce did a "reaction" video, and gave some massive props to the crew of 4014 for how they handled it.
The sound ALONE is a telltale sign of just how hard that thing was pushing. Now granted, it was retrofitted to burn oil instead of coal, but all the controls are still completely analog, so in order to have the confidence to even try something like this, let alone succeed, the crew had to be skilled and experienced with the nuances of a freight steam locomotive pushed to its load limits, and that's not something people really know anymore. So MAJOR props to that crew, and a damn fine job.
Gearhead mechanic in the digital era, who will probably grow up is in the process of growing up to be a very grumpy old man.

Post Reply