Small Unworthy Things, Starting with Blue Monday

[The Anti-Targ]

Not sure what to think about this https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/kiwi-traveller/300359507/68kg-successfully-worn-home-covid19-move-inspires-kiwi-designers-travel-coat

On the one hand I am all for dodging the draconian measures airlines are taking on carry on bag weight. On the other hand if it becomes too popular it will hasten the day when everyone has to stand on a set of scales and pay according to personal weight.

And just to be clear, the actual cost difference of a small light person vs a large heavy person (assuming they still only take up one seat) is negligible on typical passenger jet planes.

[john]

Bezos and his crew getting awarded little ornamental pins that all space tourists are apparently supposed to wear in public in the future is one of the most cringeworthy things I’ve ever seen.

[The Anti-Targ]

rather a sad connundrum here. Probably no good outcomes.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/125808597/unenviable-task-experts-voice-concern-over-ethics-of-caring-for-stranded-baby-orca

Quote

Marine mammal experts are questioning the ethics of continuing to keep Wellington’s stranded baby orca in captivity, nine days after he was stranded on rocks near Plimmerton.

With every day that passed, the situation became more complex and concerning, according to Massey University professor in marine biology Dr Karen Stockin.

“I don’t think anyone in New Zealand would agree [that] in a pool, with human interaction is a natural state. It’s a stressor that could have impacts on his longer-term wellbeing.”

“We will still continue to look at all the options, but of all those options, it would be remiss of us to not take on board euthanasia.”

...

Volunteers were trying to limit the amount of time the younger members of the team spent with Toa to prevent them getting too attached 

The idea of killing a baby orca seems like it it would be unthinkable to most people, but I have the distinct feeling that's exactly where they are headed. The chances the pod will return AND accept the calf back into the family seem rather slim.

[KingintheNorth4]

National Ice Cream Day should be a federal holiday.

[Derfel Cadarn]

26 Deg celsius here (Scotland). Not fun trying to keep house cool for toddler and rabbits. Got 1 portable air con unit arriving today and another tomorrow. Windows on the sunny sides shut, blinds down, and bowl of ice set in front of a portable fan. But not great, and tomorrow meant to be hotter

[horangi]

48 minutes ago, Derfel Cadarn said:

26 Deg celsius here (Scotland). Not fun trying to keep house cool for toddler and rabbits. Got 1 portable air con unit arriving today and another tomorrow. Windows on the sunny sides shut, blinds down, and bowl of ice set in front of a portable fan. But not great, and tomorrow meant to be hotter

Isn't 26 about standard room temperature?   Granted Scotland doesnt get very warm, but what do you set your heat to?  We keep ours at 25 during the winter!  (for reference it got to 42 here in Seattle last month without AC)

[Fragile Bird]

1 hour ago, horangi said:

Isn't 26 about standard room temperature?   Granted Scotland doesnt get very warm, but what do you set your heat to?  We keep ours at 25 during the winter!  (for reference it got to 42 here in Seattle last month without AC)

Good grief, here in Canada my winter temperature is set for 69 F, 20 C. You must have very cheap heating if you keep yours at 25! 77 F? I’d be melting!

[DireWolfSpirit]

19 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

rather a sad connundrum here. Probably no good outcomes.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/125808597/unenviable-task-experts-voice-concern-over-ethics-of-caring-for-stranded-baby-orca

The idea of killing a baby orca seems like it it would be unthinkable to most people, but I have the distinct feeling that's exactly where they are headed. The chances the pod will return AND accept the calf back into the family seem rather slim.

Those cute little babies grow into something capable of killing a Great White for its liver alone. It's an apex predator not a lamb.

Eta: I am hoping somehow it can survive .

[horangi]

17 minutes ago, L'oiseau français said:

Good grief, here in Canada my winter temperature is set for 69 F, 20 C. You must have very cheap heating if you keep yours at 25! 77 F? I’d be melting!

Not too bad, $100-150 a month for gas heating in the winter, Seattle doesnt get very chilly on the other end of the spectrum.  Granted, I'm not much into the cold, its 72F (61 outside) and I'm wearing a sweater.  (I cant bring myself to turn the heat on in July though after it hit 108 in June )

[Buckwheat]

2 hours ago, horangi said:

Isn't 26 about standard room temperature?   Granted Scotland doesnt get very warm, but what do you set your heat to?  We keep ours at 25 during the winter!  (for reference it got to 42 here in Seattle last month without AC)

26 °C is not standard room temperature. That would be between 20 and 22 IMO. Heating up to 25 does seem like a waste of energy to me.

On the other hand, 26 °C isn't hot enough to demand air conditioning like Derfel is describing up there. Still very pleasant temperature both outside and inside, and one doesn't need many clothes on.

[Raja]

3 hours ago, Derfel Cadarn said:

Got 1 portable air con unit arriving today and another tomorrow.

Can I move in with you?

[Derfel Cadarn]

20 minutes ago, Buckwheat said:

26 °C is not standard room temperature. That would be between 20 and 22 IMO. Heating up to 25 does seem like a waste of energy to me.

On the other hand, 26 °C isn't hot enough to demand air conditioning like Derfel is describing up there. Still very pleasant temperature both outside and inside, and one doesn't need many clothes on.

Us Scots aren’t used to it. More to the point, its warm enough to make it harder to get toddler to sleep. 

14 minutes ago, Raja said:

Can I move in with you?

:p

[horangi]

18 minutes ago, Derfel Cadarn said:

Us Scots aren’t used to it. More to the point, its warm enough to make it harder to get toddler to sleep. 

:p

This I can more than sympathize with!  Uncomfortable toddler is not a recipe for fun.  I hope things return to normal quickly for you.

[Derfel Cadarn]

1 hour ago, horangi said:

This I can more than sympathize with!  Uncomfortable toddler is not a recipe for fun.  I hope things return to normal quickly for you.

Thanks.

At nights I aim to keep the temp around 17deg. 18 tends to make her sweat what with her duvet. In winter when heating turned on at night, I set thermostat for between 15.5 - 16; the radiator in her room is really hot when it gets going

[The Anti-Targ]

12 hours ago, Derfel Cadarn said:

26 Deg celsius here (Scotland). Not fun trying to keep house cool for toddler and rabbits. Got 1 portable air con unit arriving today and another tomorrow. Windows on the sunny sides shut, blinds down, and bowl of ice set in front of a portable fan. But not great, and tomorrow meant to be hotter

Interesting how differently people feel about temperatures. 26C is managable with some open windows and a decent cross breeze, when summer highs typically get into the 30s. But when 26C is the typical summer high, it's crank down the AC to max cool territory. I now live in a part of the country where 32-33C is the typical mid-summer max, but before 2020 I was in Wellington where 26C is a rare max that one might see once every 2 or 3 summers. Even in that relatively short span of time I've adapted.

[RhaenysBee]

I’m on my way to work. To a physical office. For the first time since 12 March 2020. It feels like a first day of a new school. Either way, I’m pretty sure I don’t want to do this every morning so yay for hibrid, I suppose. 
 

on second thought, it doesn’t feel like the first day of school at all, and I don’t want to do it at all. 

[Zorral]

On 7/22/2021 at 2:11 AM, RhaenysBee said:

and I don’t want to do it at all. 

How did it go?

[RhaenysBee]

2 hours ago, Zorral said:

How did it go?

It was weird.
See below for stupid amount of details, but feel no obligation to read it all   

Spoiler

The building is still really empty. I met exactly two people I know - aside from the two direct colleagues who also worked from the office that day. I don’t expect to be babied, because I’ve worked here for well over half a year, but it would have felt nice and welcoming, if either of them acknowledged that it was the first time we met in person and this was my first day in not-homeoffice. Oh well.

What irked me more was that they trash talked about half a dozen colleagues during the lunch break while I was just sitting there blinking and wondering where the hell I am. And I thought these colleagues were all accomplished and well liked, so you know, I kinda started wondering what the heck they might be saying about me when I’m not there  

All that weirdness aside, it’s a stairway to brain tumor to sit in front of two screens, run calls through earphones on your mobile all day while others are running calls from their mobiles next to you all day (the chance that you’re in a meeting with people who are all at the office is basically zero with hibrid, so everything remains online). My meeting can hear them, and theirs can hear me, and this is 3 people sitting in the entire open area. Imagine if it’s even half full. 

At home I can take out the ear phones and I have only one screen and no other calls going on across and next to me. I also move around far more at home and change up my sitting position and get to snack when I’m hungry. 

on the upside I know where the nearest toilet is and there’s a chance I could find my way down to the cafeteria on my own. 

[Zorral]

Of course I read it all.  Those are good details that tell convincingly why one would rather work from home, that's for sure!  Thank you for taking the time to write them out.

 

[Castellan]

On 7/22/2021 at 2:00 AM, Derfel Cadarn said:

26 Deg celsius here (Scotland). Not fun trying to keep house cool for toddler and rabbits. Got 1 portable air con unit arriving today and another tomorrow. Windows on the sunny sides shut, blinds down, and bowl of ice set in front of a portable fan. But not great, and tomorrow meant to be hotter

hmm don't emigrate to Australia. Not that I'm suggesting you'd want to. I once got through a 45 degree day while living in Adelaide in an unairconditioned concrete block flat in a sea of concrete. Every hotel room in the city was booked out, as was the nearest place at the coast, and unfortunately it happened on Sunday which at that time in Adelaide meant most things were closed, eg pubs and films and department stores.