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[zompist]

It's just that at the speed malloc was clocked at a court appearance is required in Missouri. That said, malloc can't see that this is only a speeding ticket and not, say, robbing a convenience store.

You mean to say that my boss cannot tell the difference between those things. He already has plenty of reason to ditch me, from numerous human errors over the years to regularly missing production quotas. Criminal charges are an obvious final straw.

You know what your boss hates worse than human errors and missing production quotas? Losing more production time because he fired you, and spending more time training a new hire. The fact that you're already trained is a boon to your cause.

Also, don't wait until the last moment to notify your boss that you'll need the day off. The earlier you can tell him, the easier he can make the schedule accommodate it.

Words of wisdom, malloc. Listen and stop arguing.

[lëtzeshark]

Given that you have a lawyer, you should be going over all this with him, not with us, and follow his advice.

Exactly. And sometimes the lawyer can make it so that one does not have to appear in court. (Though we are not a substitute for legal advice, nor should we be!) Also, thinking/expecting the worst also rarely gets you far (I'm guilty of this far too often): after all the phrase goes like "prepare for the worst, hope for the best", not "expect the worst to always happen".

More: show

Minor thing: While I am excited to see my mother for Christmas, AAAAAAH I'M AT THE AIRPORT TO FLY BACK TO THE US FOR CHRISTMAS AND MY ANXIETY IS CLIMBING AND I DISLIKE FLYING ESPECIALLY TRANSATLANTIC AND THERE'S ALREADY A SCREAMING KID AND WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN ON THE PLANE YET AND I HAVE TO CONNECT THROUGH PARIS AAAAAAAAAH

More: show

Other minor vent of sorts: I keep getting e-mail invitations for scam journals and scam conferences. How I know they're obviously scams, though, is that they keep referring to work I did at least five years ago, and the most common scams refer to a paper that's coming up on seven years old now, probably because those are the papers I'm co-corresponding author on (and my e-mail address is, of course, there because I'm corresponding author). It's just frustrating to keep getting these e-mails and one reason I sometimes dislike publishing. Maybe I can start reporting them for GDPR violations in the new year?

[Ahzoh]

We got our cat's ashes last week, we made a temporary shrine:


Yesterday we brought home a new kitten (we name Lazuli) cuz we were lonely and this holiday break would be the only time for us to fully bond with a new critter:

[WeepingElf]

Best wishes!

[lëtzeshark]

We got our cat's ashes last week, we made a temporary shrine:

More: show

Yesterday we brought home a new kitten (we name Lazuli) cuz we were lonely and this holiday break would be the only time for us to fully bond with a new critter:

More: show

A good tribute to Nikita and also a fitting thing for the holiday. (This was actualy whas happened with two of our three current little monsters!) Hope you have a very happy and relaxing holiday with the new little one.

Random: made it back to NC last night. Trip was surprisingly not problematic this time apart from the fact nine-hour flights are quite painful for me (and the queue at passport control to re-enter the US in Raleigh was horrendous, but that's perhaps normal). Two out of the three cats, though, are hiding in fear, so...

[Raphael]

Good luck with the new kitty, Azoh!

Two out of the three cats, though, are hiding in fear, so...

Sorry to hear.

[Travis B.]

Have a good time with your new kitty!

[lëtzeshark]

Two out of the three cats, though, are hiding in fear, so...

Sorry to hear.

They fortunately ceased hiding and are back to normal... or as normal as they usually are. (The one hates almost everyone and the other one only likes my brother, but they aren't hiding.)

[malloc]

Alarming news. I have been getting spam from some far right prepper business in Utah over the past few days. This has me worried that somehow a MAGA has gotten my email address and perhaps more. Checking my bank records online, I see no evidence of unusual purchases and certainly none at this business. Still, I have good reason to worry because I simply don't get emails like this except from businesses I have visited.

[Man in Space]

Alarming news. I have been getting spam from some far right prepper business in Utah over the past few days. This has me worried that somehow a MAGA has gotten my email address and perhaps more. Checking my bank records online, I see no evidence of unusual purchases and certainly none at this business. Still, I have good reason to worry because I simply don't get emails like this except from businesses I have visited.

Can you compare what’s in your spam folder with what gets through? I would not necessarily be unduly concerned—it could be a quirk of the filter.

[alice]

Alarming news. I have been getting spam from some far right prepper business in Utah over the past few days. This has me worried that somehow a MAGA has gotten my email address and perhaps more. Checking my bank records online, I see no evidence of unusual purchases and certainly none at this business. Still, I have good reason to worry because I simply don't get emails like this except from businesses I have visited.

No spam filter is 100% effective.

[naz]

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... Ij4t6jfWEE

Ten Days of Scriptmas - a collection of Super Cuts of 2025 script reviews

[Travis B.]

bradrn, I have a question for you.

As you are likely already aware, it has become traditional here in the US for Jews to eat Chinese food on Christmas, because Chinese restaurants are some of the few places open on Christmas, their food is delicious and often either kosher or at least it is easy to pretend that it is, historically Chinese people were often more accepting of Jews than many groups, historically in many cities like New York Jews and Chinese people lived side by side, and in many cases Jews have had little else to do on Christmas.

So I am wondering whether there is anything similar in Australia with its large immigrant population.

[bradrn]

bradrn, I have a question for you.

As you are likely already aware, it has become traditional here in the US for Jews to eat Chinese food on Christmas, because Chinese restaurants are some of the few places open on Christmas, their food is delicious and often either kosher or at least it is easy to pretend that it is, historically Chinese people were often more accepting of Jews than many groups, historically in many cities like New York Jews and Chinese people lived side by side, and in many cases Jews have had little else to do on Christmas.

So I am wondering whether there is anything similar in Australia with its large immigrant population.

I’ve heard of the Chinese food thing in the US, but I’m not aware of anything similar in Australia, or anywhere else outside the US for that matter.

(In conversation with other Jews online, it’s come up a few times that the US Jewish community is in some ways distinctive compared to those elsewhere; this is one such.)

[Raphael]

This reminds me, Merry Christmas for everyone celebrating! And Happy Holidays!

(Strictly speaking, the "Happy Holidays" part is kinda pointless right now, because the main other holiday in this part of the year, Hanukkah, is already over at this time in this year, but I've included it anyway so that I'm not mistaken for someone who thinks like Bill O'Reilly.)

[Man in Space]

This reminds me, Merry Christmas for everyone celebrating! And Happy Holidays!

(Strictly speaking, the "Happy Holidays" part is kinda pointless right now, because the main other holiday in this part of the year, Hanukkah, is already over at this time in this year, but I've included it anyway so that I'm not mistaken for someone who thinks like Bill O'Reilly.)

A decade or two ago I recall “Winterval” being floated around as a catchall term.

[Raphael]

Unrelated, but very much random, question: Why are harpsichords?

I mean, I can't think of any other musical instrument that sounds so non-musical to me. It is almost the un-musical instrument.

Yes, really well-thought-out music can, as an added benefit, impress people who know really a lot about music with the finer aspects of the craft work that went into it. But the main point of music, at least IMO, is to stir up emotions. Which emotions depends, of course, on what kind of music it is, but in any case, some kinds of emotions.

And I simply can't imagine my emotions being stirred by a harpsichord. Perhaps it's just me, but I don't think that even the saddest song in the world would make me sad if I would hear it played on a harpsichord. I don't think that even the most upbeat song in the world would cheer me up if I would hear it played on a harpsichord. I don't think that even the most danceable song in the world would make me want to dance if I would hear it played on a harpsichord. I don't think that even the most energy-filled song in the world would get me fired up if I would hear it played on a harpsichord. Music has one main job, and the harpsichord doesn't do that job.

So what were the people who invented the harpsichord, and then made it an apparently quite popular instrument in some places for a while, thinking?

Yes, I know. Some of the PoCs among you are probably already itching to make jokes along the lines of, "What do you expect from an instrument invented by white people?" But I'd argue that none of the other musical instruments that were invented or partially helped along in their development by white people are nearly as meh or unimpressive as the harpsichord. For instance, the piano is an actual direct descendent of the harpsichord, and I think it's a perfectly fine instrument by any reasonable standard.

Hm, OK, perhaps that's what happened? Perhaps the inventors of the harpsichord had access to a crystal ball, and it told them something like, "At some point in the future, there will be a great musical instrument called the piano, but unfortunately, it will require something called the harpsichord as an intermediate step in its evolution"?

[bradrn]

Unrelated, but very much random, question: Why are harpsichords?

I mean, I can't think of any other musical instrument that sounds so non-musical to me. It is almost the un-musical instrument.

Yes, really well-thought-out music can, as an added benefit, impress people who know really a lot about music with the finer aspects of the craft work that went into it. But the main point of music, at least IMO, is to stir up emotions. Which emotions depends, of course, on what kind of music it is, but in any case, some kinds of emotions.

And I simply can't imagine my emotions being stirred by a harpsichord. Perhaps it's just me, but I don't think that even the saddest song in the world would make me sad if I would hear it played on a harpsichord. I don't think that even the most upbeat song in the world would cheer me up if I would hear it played on a harpsichord. I don't think that even the most danceable song in the world would make me want to dance if I would hear it played on a harpsichord. I don't think that even the most energy-filled song in the world would get me fired up if I would hear it played on a harpsichord. Music has one main job, and the harpsichord doesn't do that job.

So what were the people who invented the harpsichord, and then made it an apparently quite popular instrument in some places for a while, thinking?

I have to strongly disagree. Some of my very favourite pieces are harpsichord compositions: e.g. Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto in D Minor, the very old English composition My Lady Carey’s Dompe, or any of Scarlatti’s works, e.g. his Sonata in F Minor.

Perhaps you may be picking up on the fact that harpsichords are very limited in their dynamics (loud/soft variations), as well as in the length their notes can be sustained. But they’re hardly unique in that: synthesisers and electric guitars have essentially the same issues (and in fact Baroque music is regularly compared to heavy metal, too).

[Lērisama]

This reminds me, Merry Christmas for everyone celebrating! And Happy Holidays!

(Strictly speaking, the "Happy Holidays" part is kinda pointless right now, because the main other holiday in this part of the year, Hanukkah, is already over at this time in this year, but I've included it anyway so that I'm not mistaken for someone who thinks like Bill O'Reilly.)

Even Christmas itself is made up of multiple holidays, and I always took it to mean that¹, rather than multiple unrelated holidays.

¹ Living in a country where most people are varyingly lapsed Christians², and the other main religions don't tend to put their holidays in December. Although now you mention it, I'm sure I've mostly heard it from American's
² Multigenerationally lapsed– and actively left Christians are also common options, but still tend to be defined by Christianity in their atheism.

[bradrn]

Haven’t seen you in a while, Kuchigakatai! Welcome back!

(The original post was, er, slightly NSFW, so thought I should post this in a different thread…)