• 16 Posts
  • 249 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 9th, 2023

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  • I got an award!

    I went winter camping with a scout troop a few weekends ago. Some of the kids slept out in snow shelters to complete their winter survival training. I built my own shelter and slept out with them just to see if I could handle the cold. I’m proud to say that I survived in comfort.

    When the kids were awarded their winter camping patches the scoutmaster also awarded me an honorary patch. The best part was my son’s reaction: he had a big smile on his face and clapped hard for me when I accepted the patch.


  • Microsoft’s store is broken. I have had a similar problem with Minecraft.

    1. Want to buy DLC for my kid in Minecraft.

    2. Get forwarded to the Microsoft Store to process the transaction.

    3. For some reason the money goes into my Microsoft account balance rather than going toward the DLC I wanted to buy.

    4. Cash balance in a Microsoft account cannot be used to buy Minecraft DLC, and cannot be transferred to a Minecraft account. (Why tf not? Minecraft is a Microsoft property.)

    5. I now have money stuck in the Microsoft account that cannot be refunded, and I can’t get the DLC I wanted.

    This sucks.













  • It’s getting harder and harder to enjoy activities on a casual basis.

    Your young kids want to play sports? Unfortunately, municipal rec leagues are dying off. Get ready to join a private league, with substantial fees and a travel schedule that will consume your weekends.

    You want to watch just one sporting event this season? Too bad, it isn’t being broadcast. It’s now on a streaming service that you don’t subscribe to.

    You want to take your family skiing once to try it out? That’ll be a few hundred dollars. The big resort owners want to drive sales of season passes, so they are making day passes stupid expensive. (The hill where I learned to ski now has demand pricing. I have seen day passes up to $200/person. 😭)


  • I didn’t mean “standardized” as in interchangeable parts or uniform sizing. I meant standardized as in limited selection, like how armies have historically standardized their equipment. You want a pair of boots, for example? Then choose from a handful of types with limited options, and everyone picks from the same list. There is no reason for Zappos to carry 2,600 types of mens boots other than fashion.

    Similarly, there is no reason for Home Depot to carry 500 types of toilet seat other than fashion. The seats are “standardized” in that they are interchangeable, but there is no standard toilet seat style that everyone uses. You could do the same with lots of other consumer goods: everyone uses the same shower faucet, the same knife set, or the same style of flashlight. The world would save a tremendous amount of money and material by manufacturing everyday thing at scale and refining the designs to near-perfection.

    I’m not advocating for such a world, though. It would be incredibly bland and boring.