Really trivial stuff that bugs you

[Noclevername]

Well, the questions you could find answers to there would indeed be the "most common" questions of people going to their website.

...just like the bullet holes on a returning WWII bomber show you where a bomber is most likely to get shot.

...and return.

Right. The ones that come back with bullet holes, are the survivors. By plotting where they were shot, you know what the bombers can live through.

[Gillianren]

Either the flow diagram for this call was designed by an insane person, or the person I spoke to actually wasn't doing his job properly.

Speaking from experience as someone who's done customer service, almost certainly the former.

[grant hutchison]

Right. The ones that come back with bullet holes, are the survivors. By plotting where they were shot, you know what the bombers can live through.

And you know to put armour in the places the survivors weren't shot. Thanks to Abraham Wald, who gave us the concept of Survivorship Bias.

Same problem with all those friendly dolphins that lift drowning people to the surface, or nudge distressed swimmers towards shore. We never hear from the swimmers the dolphins held under the water or pushed out to sea.

Grant Hutchison

[Trebuchet]

Yes, when I visit US or Canadian National Parks, the thing I care most about is my cable service. The wifi stinks too.

I now have this image of a car full of people coming up to Canadian customs after crossing the border from the US, dragging a long co-axial cable.

We've visited Yellowstone National Park (my favorite place on Earth) three times in five or six years. The first time there was no wi-fi anywhere, and only one of the lodgings offered wired internet, which was on a pay-by-the-hour basis and not cheap. And our laptop lacks an eathernet port. But the last time there was wi-fi in the lobbies of several of the lodgings. You could tell where the hotspot was by the crowd of people.
The only cell phone service there is Verizon, which we have, so I was able to get my fix of Cosmoquest and ISF via Tapatalk.

[Trebuchet]

Apparently I'm not a very nice person, because I got the most lovely feeling of schadenfreude at the news that Gwyneth Paltrow, who never met a pseudoscience she didn't like and try to sell to others, is suffering long-term effects of Covid-19.
And then my wife told me she was never actually tested for it but was diagnosed by one of her fellow quacks.

[grant hutchison]

Apparently I'm not a very nice person, because I got the most lovely feeling of schadenfreude at the news that Gwyneth Paltrow, who never met a pseudoscience she didn't like and try to sell to others, is suffering long-term effects of Covid-19.
And then my wife told me she was never actually tested for it but was diagnosed by one of her fellow quacks.

You might therefore enjoy reading Timothy Caulfield's marvellous book Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?
I bought it largely for the title, but it's actually a rather neat dissection of how so many people have become hypnotized by a desire to "be famous" and to track the opinions of famous people, no matter how fatuous. (The link goes to my own review.)

Grant Hutchison

[Swift]

Apparently I'm not a very nice person, because I got the most lovely feeling of schadenfreude at the news that Gwyneth Paltrow, who never met a pseudoscience she didn't like and try to sell to others, is suffering long-term effects of Covid-19.
And then my wife told me she was never actually tested for it but was diagnosed by one of her fellow quacks.

I'm apparently not nice either, because I had exactly the same thought.

[grant hutchison]

I feel you guys really need to tighten up on your filter bubble. I can't remember the last time I ever heard anything about la Paltrow, except through the medium of Caulfield's excellent book.

Grant Hutchison

[Trebuchet]

I feel you guys really need to tighten up on your filter bubble. I can't remember the last time I ever heard anything about la Paltrow, except through the medium of Caulfield's excellent book.

Grant Hutchison

My wife watches the news all day. I can't stand it but must pass by on my way to the bathroom!

[Gillianren]

That's funny--I'm in a large film group, and this is where I'm hearing about it. We have no fondness for her there, though some of us would like her more if she avoided pseudoscience and stuck to acting. I do think celebrities are allowed to have opinions--"shut up and sing" is ridiculous to me--but it's different when you're actively making money on hurting others.

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

That's funny--I'm in a large film group, and this is where I'm hearing about it. We have no fondness for her there, though some of us would like her more if she avoided pseudoscience and stuck to acting. I do think celebrities are allowed to have opinions--"shut up and sing" is ridiculous to me--but it's different when you're actively making money on hurting others.

I read the posts in reverse order. Without seeing the name, and without having seen it in recent news, I nonetheless immediately guessed (correctly) about whom you were talking.

[Noclevername]

I do think celebrities are allowed to have opinions--"shut up and sing" is ridiculous to me--but it's different when you're actively making money on hurting others.

I'll just add that the quote about "their own facts" has never been more appropriate.

[grant hutchison]

I do think celebrities are allowed to have opinions--"shut up and sing" is ridiculous to me--but it's different when you're actively making money on hurting others.

The other problem, as Caulfield points out, is that so many people assign importance to the opinion of celebrities, apparently without questioning whether the celebrity has any experience or qualification that might lend weight to their opinion. Caulfield suggests that this is because the endless sharing of information by (some) celebrities on social media triggers the bits of our brain that signal "friend".
But if that's so, it leaves me wondering why people don't ask themselves, "Does my friend have any experience or qualification that might lend weight to their opinion?" But asking your non-medical friends to second-guess medical advice has been a thing at least since I started to practise medicine, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Grant Hutchison

[SeanF]

I do think celebrities are allowed to have opinions--"shut up and sing" is ridiculous to me--but it's different when you're actively making money on hurting others.

Gina Carano appreciates your support.

[PetersCreek]

The other problem, as Caulfield points out, is that so many people assign importance to the opinion of celebrities, apparently without questioning whether the celebrity has any experience or qualification that might lend weight to their opinion.

Argumentum ad celebritas, to coin a phrase unless someone has already beaten me to it...a twisted amalgam of Argumentum ad populum and Appeal to Authority. My opinion, anyway though I'm not authoritative, popular, or celebrated.

[Delvo]

I once came up with a name for arguments that consist only of saying there fallacies in the/an alternative position. For some reason, "argumentum ad fallacio" doesn't seem to have caught on.

[grant hutchison]

Argumentum ad celebritas, to coin a phrase unless someone has already beaten me to it...a twisted amalgam of Argumentum ad populum and Appeal to Authority. My opinion, anyway though I'm not authoritative, popular, or celebrated.

"Appeal to celebrity" seems to be a thing, but a bit of searching suggests no-one has translated into Latin. Accusative case of celebritas, though, I think (albeit somewhat nervously, forty years after my last formal Latin lesson). So argumentum ad celebritatem.

Grant Hutchison

[PetersCreek]

I think (albeit somewhat nervously, forty years after my last formal Latin lesson). So argumentum ad celebritatem.

You would know better than I. Latin wasn't available in my school. I'm not surprised I missed the mark.

[Gillianren]

I'll just add that the quote about "their own facts" has never been more appropriate.

Indeed. I have to bite my tongue a lot every time a certain short actor comes up in conversation, because his own facts are killing people like me.

[Trebuchet]

I had already put the toast down this morning and couldn't find the Vegemite. Had to have Marmite instead. I don't care for the consistency of it. The Vegemite will turn up and anyhow I already got two more jars of it from Amazon.

Not in the bugs me department: I'm finding that having some strong flavors makes my current dieting more tolerable. Like the vegemite. I used to make a sandwich for lunch and have potato salad as a side. Now I usually make half a sandwich and have a side of hot peppers or pickled asparagus. I've lost 20 pounds.

[ozduck]

And I dropped the wheel in today for the new spokes to be fitted - unfortunately a nearly two week wait. Ever since the current 'unpleasantness' started bike shops have been running flat out and stock levels have been very constrained. Luckily, we are going down south, to some cool weather, for a week so we would not have been able to ride anyway.

We are going to Albany which is the oldest permanent European settlement site in W.A. It was settled as a "military outpost" in 1826 in order to forestall any possible French claims. The French had done plenty of exploring around the South West coast and a number of locations and even a major townsite, Esperance, was named by them. It is pronounced Al - Bany here not All - Bany.

Well, we had a nice time in Albany and after the discussions about how to pronounce the name of the various locales I thought I would post a photo of our version. This is the oldest part of town, now probably about 10% of the total town area that has a population of around 32,000. That is my silver car in the foreground. Albany is in a lovely location but the next piece of 'land' past that island in the background is Antarctica. The seas offshore are notoriously rough.

[Trebuchet]

We are redecorating the former Christmas tree, lately Valentine's tree for Easter. Because why not. Anyhow, one string of lights had failed so I pulled it out and found another. The failed one was only partly out; it's LED lights and has three or four bumps along the cord presumably containing the electronics. It's out between two of those so one of those modules has failed. Then while working on it yesterday I noticed another had done the same thing. Most of the lights on the tree are of that same type. As are the ones with which I've nearly finished redoing the lighted Yard Moose. Nuts.

[PetersCreek]

And I dropped the wheel in today for the new spokes to be fitted - unfortunately a nearly two week wait. Ever since the current 'unpleasantness' started bike shops have been running flat out and stock levels have been very constrained.

Darn, I missed this post. I'd have floated the suggestion that you could rebuild it yourself, then take it in to have it trued. Assuming you could obtain spokes and nipples from an online retailer, it actually isn't that hard to do with a little online guidance. I worked in a bike shop to support my habit (more than 30 years) ago and I quite enjoyed wheel work. There's something kind of Zen about it.

[Torsten]

Darn, I missed this post. I'd have floated the suggestion that you could rebuild it yourself, then take it in to have it trued. Assuming you could obtain spokes and nipples from an online retailer, it actually isn't that hard to do with a little online guidance. I worked in a bike shop to support my habit (more than 30 years) ago and I quite enjoyed wheel work. There's something kind of Zen about it.

Yes, online guidance is good these days. Without it, I've had good results when I've only had to replace one broken spoke at a time, but I'd look for that guidance if I had to do more than one. I'd probably end up with an egg-shaped wheel otherwise.

YouTube has saved me several times when I've had to set up the derailleurs.

[Extravoice]

...
YouTube has saved me several times when I've had to set up the derailleurs.

Park tools seem overpriced given my usage, but I have thrown money their way simply because their YouTube videos are so helpful.

[PetersCreek]

Park tools seem overpriced given my usage, but I have thrown money their way simply because their YouTube videos are so helpful.

I was pretty much completely kitted out to maintain my two bikes and a good 90-95% were Park tools. I still have a few, plus my folding maintenance stand. I sold the truing stand many years ago, however.

[ozduck]

Darn, I missed this post. I'd have floated the suggestion that you could rebuild it yourself, then take it in to have it trued. Assuming you could obtain spokes and nipples from an online retailer, it actually isn't that hard to do with a little online guidance. I worked in a bike shop to support my habit (more than 30 years) ago and I quite enjoyed wheel work. There's something kind of Zen about it.

I believe that I could get the spokes etc easily enough and I do have a bike repair 'kit' with the necessary tools to remove the rear cluster and so on. However, while I can do basic repairs I have never been the best at 'fine tuning' things. For example while I have removed and replaced the rear differential on a car I never considered rebuilding the 'insides'. The process of changing the spokes didn't look too hard on the video I guess the question is about the trueing. I have got an old bike with some broken spokes I may try myself out on that first before attempting it on my new one.

[PetersCreek]

The process of changing the spokes didn't look too hard on the video I guess the question is about the trueing.

It definitely can be a challenge to get a wheel centered, round, and true when you’re new to it. That’s why I suggested DIY assembly...get things barely tight...and let the shop do the rest. I figured they could get to a truing job faster than a complete rebuild.

[ozduck]

It definitely can be a challenge to get a wheel centered, round, and true when you’re new to it. That’s why I suggested DIY assembly...get things barely tight...and let the shop do the rest. I figured they could get to a truing job faster than a complete rebuild.

I have now picked up the wheel. I had a talk to them about doing it myself and the guy said that if I had the tools the spoke replacement is pretty easy and the spokes were only about $2 each from them. He also said that if the wheel is still pretty true you can do it all by eye. With regards to fitting the spokes myself and having them true the wheel he said that it may not be all that much cheaper due simply to time costs.

I also had to get a new tyre fitted due to some damage. Taking the cost of the tyre off it cost me around $34 (US$27) for the (3) spoke replacement, trueing up etc. The minimum wage here is $19.84 (US$16) per hour and then you have to allow for their profit margin.

[profloater]

I believe that I could get the spokes etc easily enough and I do have a bike repair 'kit' with the necessary tools to remove the rear cluster and so on. However, while I can do basic repairs I have never been the best at 'fine tuning' things. For example while I have removed and replaced the rear differential on a car I never considered rebuilding the 'insides'. The process of changing the spokes didn't look too hard on the video I guess the question is about the trueing. I have got an old bike with some broken spokes I may try myself out on that first before attempting it on my new one.

A long time ago I added a sturmy archer gear hub to my back wheel, needing shorter spokes. In those days it was assumed you would do it yourself! After replacing every spoke I recall tightening until they had the same ping then spinning the wheel to true it adding a bit of tension to the obvious side. Cut off the exposed thread and add tape to protect the tube. It was a proud moment for a twelve year old! Never did it again. I think I lost the spoke spanner.