Well, certainly that was more information than I knew about it, thanks!

No, but I’m friends with them.

Apparently AQ-50 is an autism test. Now I feel called out.

I thought this post was about the numbers and … Well, I like 16. It’s got a few neat math things going on. 19 is a prime, but doesn’t have much else going on for it.

edit: I was thinking that 16x3 was 38 and that 19x2 was 38, which would be interesting. However, 16x3 is 48, which I love, while 19x2 is indeed 38, which is still pretty cool. On the other hand, 64 is fun, while 57 is super duper boring.

Maybe my wife is right when she says I’m neurodivergent.

My second grade teacher told me that negative numbers don’t exist.

She was trying to communicate that you can’t have a negative quantity of something (pencils in this case) but I had just learned about negative numbers in my own time and her words indicated that the concept wasn’t real, even if that wasn’t her intent. At the time, I found the exchange very upsetting.

Regardless of whether my door is locked, the idea of someone uninvited trying the knob is rather frightening to me.

Especially because, in this house, all of my external doors are surrounded by windows. They don’t really provide any security, so if someone malicious were to come by, they’d get in if they wanted to.

Alternatively, if I’m nearby, we might end up having a staredown. That doesn’t sound scary, necessarily, but definitely upsetting.

I used to work at a facility where, to make an outside call, you had to start the number with 91 like: 91-###-###-####

However, dialing 911 bypassed the external call arrangement and just called emergency services directly. I have no idea who made that boneheaded design decision, but the local dispatchers were definitely not a fan of it.

In a book series I read as a kid, part of the story is set near Zeus’ abode. Zeus being, among other things, a thunder god with a significant ego, objects to anything being louder than he is. Unsurprisingly, however, he has no problem with generic violence, just with gun-based, IE loud, combat.

The solution his guards find is to use gyrojet rounds, which are said to whistle rather than bang. Rare in real life (I think I saw Ian fire one once), they’re common in this world. I always thought that was a cool little detail.

My dad used to put on a pretty substantial fireworks show every year. For years he did it with no problems; he and the show were both pretty popular in the neighborhood. The show was large enough that when my sister once took my then young nephews to an official city show, at the end they said “that’s it?”

Anyway, as I said, for years there were no problems. The last time he did it, though, was the year the police got called … Because a lady a few neighborhoods away said he was spooking her horses.

Side note: when the police talked to him, his immediate response was “but I do it every year!” After they left, everyone admonished him “next time, don’t say that.” Presumably because it was the holiday, the officers were pretty relaxed, though; they just said something like “we’ll be back in fifteen minutes. We hope there won’t be any fireworks going off then.”

Like I said, I don’t remember how that was reconciled. It was nineteen years ago. It might have been as you described.

I don’t disagree, but I still prefer 4x10 to 5x8.

edit: s/other/prefer/

Sure, sorry. I didn’t mean to defend that, just share an anecdote. I agree 5x13 is excessive.

I have previously worked a job where the work week alternated between three and four 12 hour shifts (that is, I’d work 36 hours this week, then 48 the next, then 36, etc.). It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize those numbers didn’t add up; I don’t recall how that was reconciled. The shifts were long, but so were the weekends. There were many problems with that job, but I do miss the schedule.

I work a 4x10 now. I’d never voluntarily go back to a 5x8, but it’s surprisingly challenging to find employers who are okay with my preferred schedule, not that I’ve looked in a while (I like my current job for the most part).

My parents had a dumbwaiter in their house. I have physical limitations and so wish for one in mine. I wonder how much that would cost in maintenance … I don’t remember my parents ever maintaining theirs.

edit: A few quick searches (not at all exhaustive) suggest that dumbwaiter installation can cost from $4k-$20k, with most being $8k-$12k. After installation maintenance plans mostly involve inspection and lubrication with costs usually being $200-$500 annually. Not as bad as I expected.

(Though my parents’ one was used at least weekly for at least twenty years and I’m pretty sure that not once was it inspected. I think the current owner of the house might not even be aware it’s there.)

Happy to have helped!

You can buy various HMDs that essentially mount to your existing glasses (I bought and fiddled about with one during the lockdown) and attach to any computer that supports USB. I haven’t looked into whether there are any wireless options now, but you could satisfy at least some of your desires with that kind of thing.

I knew those McDonald’s collectibles would come in handy one day.

hexagonal molecular structure

You know, I think I’ve heard something about hexagons on the internet before …

Do you think he’d give me a billion dollars if I asked?

… All right.

Well, in the interest of randomness, please do tell me about your username.