Lurker > captpackrat

Seeing an app listed as free is usually the kiss of death for me. They're either going to spam you with ads, give the game such a massive difficulty curve that you can't win without buying something, or they make it where to have to grind for weeks or months to get stuff without paying. I'd rather pay up front and get the whole game than be nickeled and dimed.

I recently saw that 494 of the 500 top grossing apps on Google Play were "free". The highest that any paid app could get on that list was #200 (Bloons TD 6, for those who were curious).

(IAP = In App Purchases)

rogerskg1979 posted...

LinkPizza posted...

I keep my index finger on the D key, my ring finger on the A key, and my middle for W & S. I think my thumb stays on the space bar (or close to it) until I need it for other things...

Same here. Who the heck would use the ring finger for W&S? That makes no sense.

Because that's proper finger positioning for touch typing, the fingers of your left hand on ASDF.

Almost all games default to WASD for movement and that doesn't make any sense. Stretching your ring finger up to the W key and holding it there with your pinky and middle finger on the A and D keys is really uncomfortable to me.

I put my pinky, ring and middle fingers on the A, S, and D keys, which are in a nice straight line and thus very comfortable for long hours of playing, with X for backing up. It's a bit more awkward to reverse, but I tend to move forward much more often than backwards.

Putting all 4 fingers on the A, S, D, and F keys would be the most comfortable, but I'm totally not used to F for reverse.

I've heard of a few people who use Q, W, A, and S, (or a similar arrangement like ASZX) but that's just weird.

I haven't used the arrow keys or number pad since the days of early DOS games that didn't have mouse support.

My spouse would set up the buttons on his mouse to move forwards and backwards and would shoot using the keyboard.

AllstarSniper32 posted...

Trancer Hunter posted...

I got two.... it's only ok. Not the worst but think there are better options.

But are the better options $25?

Logitech Gamepad F310 is $20 from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-940-000110-Gamepad-F310/dp/B003VAHYQY/

LinkPizza posted...

captpackrat posted...

When I walk into the local auto parts store, the guy knows my name and he knows what kind of car I drive.

When I go to the local hardware store, someone always comes up and asks if I need any help, and they are knowledgeable about all kinds of stuff, like what kind of tool works best for pulling thistles (eye hoe) or the best way to fix a cracked sink drain (silicone caulk).

They charge a bit more, but considering it's a half hour drive to the nearest big box store, it's usually a push.

If you had a big box store much closer and cheaper, would you go there?

For basic things (screwdrivers, lumber, toilets), probably, if I know what I'm after. The local hardware store stocks a better selection of unusual tools (like scythes and eye hoes, things I've never seen at Home Depot). And if I needed help on a project, I'd definitely go to the small guys first. Last time I tried asking for help about a fusebox at Home Depot it took 20 minutes to find someone who could answer my question.

Currently I have a Falabella miniature horse mare and 5 pygmy goats. In the past I also had Babydoll Southdown sheep (they look like little teddy bears), a miniature donkey, and a Shetland pony stallion that loved to put his head on my lap and fall asleep.

My late spouse helped care for a couple of dolphins when he was younger and in college trained a coati.

Do you have (or did you ever have) any exotic or unusual pets?

When I walk into the local auto parts store, the guy knows my name and he knows what kind of car I drive.

When I go to the local hardware store, someone always comes up and asks if I need any help, and they are knowledgeable about all kinds of stuff, like what kind of tool works best for pulling thistles (eye hoe) or the best way to fix a cracked sink drain (silicone caulk).

They charge a bit more, but considering it's a half hour drive to the nearest big box store, it's usually a push.

Games are pretty cheap now. The Atari 2600 cost $199 when it came out in 1977, that's equivalent to $820 now. Games cost about $18.95, which is about $78 today, though a few such as Custer's Revenge sold for $49.95, or about $129 today.

The Atari 800 cost a whopping $1000 when it came out, about $3400 in today's dollars!

I generally use the Modified Block format, mainly because that's what I was taught in school, and I think it looks snazzier than the Formal and Semi-Formal formats.

http://www.savvy-business-correspondence.com/image-files/businessletterformat-modifiedblock.jpg

You basically tab over towards the middle of the page and put your name and address, then 4 carriage returns, then the recipient's name and address along the left margin, one carriage return, then the greeting (Dear Mr Smith, or To whom it may concern), another carriage return, then the body of the letter, one carriage return, then tab towards the center of the page (aligned with your address above) and insert your closing (Sincerely,), then 4 carriage returns (which leaves space for your signature), then tab towards the center again and type your name (and optionally, title on a second line)

Trump Golf Count: 154
Cost to Taxpayers: About $84,000,000

https://trumpgolfcount.com/

Japanese Spider-Man

Sarcasthma posted...

John Madden

Madden was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958, but injured his knee during his first training camp ending his playing career before he had a chance to play in a professional game. So I'm not sure he counts because you can't be a player unless you actually play.

Mono... D'OH!

Most health food stores will carry it, or at least a tincture of myrrh if they don't have the resin.

Nasty tasting stuff. Smells sickly sweet but is horridly bitter.

BlazeAndBlade posted...

good old LucasArts, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was fun

I really wish they'd made this as the next movie instead of that stupid Crystal Skull.

And what's going to happen in the near future when automation kills millions of jobs? When taxi & truck drivers are no longer needed, when GPS-guided tractors and drones eliminate the need for farmers, when self-driving cars cause mass layoffs of police & highway patrol, when kiosks and self-checkout lanes replace people at fast food restaurants and grocery stores?

StoneRevolver posted...

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.

It's usually the Glass Sword, but that's a one-use item.

We never had a service on Christmas when I was a kid (unless Christmas fell on Sunday), and I went to 3 different churches (Foursquare, Baptist, and Assemblies of God)

Lokarin posted...

http://www.speedtest.net/result/7903317336.png

Your upload is faster than my maximum download.

Christmas-Hanu-Kwanzaa spend phase

Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night, tho' the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath'ring winter fuel.

"Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain;
Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh, and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither:
Thou and I shall see him dine, when we bear them thither. "
Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together;
Through the rude wind's wild lament and the bitter weather.

"Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer. "
"Mark my footsteps, my good page. Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage freeze thy blood less coldly. "

In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the Saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Blaqthourne posted...

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

The NON-MST3K version!

2 was my favorite because it was the only one I could sit down and beat almost every time.

I beat 4 once, 1 was Nintendo Hard, and I never managed to beat 3 except with a Game Genie.

In other vaccination news, I got my first HPV shot today. I can get my second dose in February, and my third and final shot in June.

TaKun782 posted...

captpackrat posted...

TaKun782 posted...

I never said anything about a dead pixel. I said a "dark spot".

Is it some pixels that are not responding (i.e., completely black), or is it an area that seems darker than the rest of the image (like a shadow)?

If it's the latter than you've probably got a bad backlight. Should be repairable under warranty.

Yeah. More of like a shadow then anything really. I checked and it seems its still covered 1 year under the manufacturers warranty. So basically just give them a call right?

Yeah, the number should be in the paperwork that came with the TV. You'll probably also need the receipt.

TaKun782 posted...

I never said anything about a dead pixel. I said a "dark spot".

Is it some pixels that are not responding (i.e., completely black), or is it an area that seems darker than the rest of the image (like a shadow)?

If it's the latter than you've probably got a bad backlight. Should be repairable under warranty.

380,000 federal employees will be furloughed and another 420,000 will be expected to work without pay. And then there are countless contractors who are locked out as well.

The FDA will be reducing the number of inspections of food processing facilities, so hope you enjoy food poisoning.

The Department of Agriculture has enough money to continue providing food stamps, but only for about 2-3 months.

The 2013 government shutdown cost over $2 billion in lost productivity alone.

Merry Fucking Christmas!

TheLastJedi posted...

He needs to resign.

The problem is that if Trump resigns or is impeached, then we end up with Pence, who is such an uptight religious wackjob that he won't dine alone with any woman except his wife and refuses to attend events with alcohol. He's a climate-change denialist, a cigarette denialist (he believes tobacco doesn't cause cancer), he's rabidly anti-abortion, anti-gay, and anti-porn and he wants creationism to be taught in public schools.

And the really scary part is that unlike Trump, Pence is actually competent.

I should start a GoFundMe promising to build a border wall. I just wouldn't say how close to the border it would be. Or that it would be made out of paper mch.

Hook it up to a computer and run a program like UDPixel?

LinkPizza posted...

captpackrat posted...

You cannot get the flu from a flu shot

What if they put the live virus in you? I think they did that with the nasal spray stuff we got on base.

They use a weakened virus, so unless you have a seriously messed up immune system, you won't get infected by it. They will ask if you have certain diseases or if you are immunocompromised and won't give you the live vaccine if you answer yes.

And they no longer recommend the nasal spray vaccine because of questions about its effectiveness. It's still available, but very few places carry it anymore.

I seriously don't understand why people don't want to get the flu shot.

1. It's free through any insurance company, many employers, and most public health agencies, and even if you have to pay for it, it's only like $20.

2. You can't get the flu from the flu shot.

3. Side effects are mild, if any.

4. Serious complications are extremely rare.

5. Even if you do get infected with a subtype the vaccine doesn't cover, it won't be as bad as if you had nothing.

6. It takes only a few minutes and you can get the shot almost anywhere including Walmart, Target, Costco, many grocery stores, and just about every drug store.

7. The flu kills as many as 1 in 10,000 people who get infected. A flu shot will substantially improve your odds of not dying.

That just leaves trypanophobia, the fear of needles. Flu shots use a very thin needle and with a skilled provider you'll barely feel a thing. Bite your lip and don't look at the needle while getting the injection. There'll be a slight pinch, then it's all over for a whole year. It's a lot less painful than a hospital bill. Or a mortician's bill.

Flappers posted...

Remember that one year when the flu shot started giving people the flu?

This has never happened. You cannot get the flu from a flu shot. You can have an allergic reaction to it, you may experience some mild side effects like a fever or body aches, you might be exposed to the flu in the period before the shot becomes fully effective, you might become infected with a flu subtype that the vaccine doesn't cover, or you can get other similar diseases like the common cold, parainfluenza, SARS, or MERS. But you cannot get the flu from a flu shot.

Also, my mom hasn't had a flu shot in over 10 years and she has never gotten the flu.

Then she's gotten lucky, but eventually she's going to roll craps.

Just sing this happy tune...

Crackers, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and hickory smoked almonds. Mmmmm!

Also good are crackers, sardines in oil, and sriracha. I can eat a whole can of sardines this way.

Kirk's new TV show?

I used to buy these big sushi platters at Costco and eat them all by myself. It was like 30 or 40 pieces for $13. They quit carrying sushi a few years ago.

kangolcone posted...

captpackrat posted...

kangolcone posted...

OhhhJa posted...

I've never gotten one and have always heard they're a ripoff

Well those people probably dont understand much about vaccines.

Now, for a normal healthy adult with an intact immune system, they likely arent a necessity because the flu is unlikely to kill them.

The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 (which was of the H1N1 flu subtype, also known as "swine flu") mainly killed healthy young adults because it caused the immune system to overreact. Between 3 and 5 percent of the world's population died.

Yes, being able to identify one instance that is literally 100 years ago is why I said unlikely to kill them.

There was a major H1N1 outbreak in India in 2015 that killed 1,900 people. The H5N1 subtype ("bird flu") is also known to cause deadly cytokine storms.

The girl made a model of a PENIS out of a PLAY-DOH and said it was "bennett's butt" and said her father had put his "butt on her butt"

It's butts all the way down.

When I hear "nunchuk" I think