Topics

1

Off-Topic / What would you do?

« on: August 02, 2019, 11:59:42 am »Message ID: 1286769

Early in July my family and I were having dinner at a new fast food chain that just opened in our area. It had been open for several weeks, but the novelty of it combined with our town being a bit of a summer tourist draw still made for a very busy location with a crowd of customers and still a bit of chaos with so many people waiting for food at the counter area after their orders were placed.


As my 12 year old and I were waiting for our food, she nudged me with an elbow, said "hey dad" and gestured toward the floor - where a $20 bill was laying out in the open.  There were a lot of people there, but this bill was not laying next to anyone in particular and we did not see who dropped it. It was not obvious to be anyone's $20 and nobody else standing around had seen it. So I walked about 8 or 10 steps over and picked it up.


I could have asked the people there if anyone dropped it, but I didn't. Instead, I approached the cashier working the order in station and said something like, "someone dropped this, but I didn't see who it was" (thinking that as the employee taking the money she may have come across someone wanting to pay who didn't have the money they thought they had in their pocket)... dumb on my part to not just pocket it myself.  But I was also trying to teach my daughter a lesson, through good example, that sometimes it's the right thing to try to get property back to its rightful owner.


The worker shrugged her shoulders, but took the bill from me anyway and walked over to talk to someone else behind the counter. I don't know if she was a supervisor or just another worker... The other girl took the $20, stuffed it into her own pocket, and went about her business. And the girl at the counter glanced at me, but offered no explanation or anything.


I suppose I could have said to the girl - if you were just going to take it, how about giving it back to my daughter as the person who found it. But I chose to keep my mouth shut and teach an alternate lesson to my daughter...    some people are just opportunistic vultures.


I don't know that girl's story or how hard she was working on that busy day. Maybe she needed something extra to get through the week. But it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth (and it was my wife, not me, who ordered the lemonade to drink).

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Off-Topic / More Questionable Parenting = Tragic Death

« on: August 02, 2019, 09:36:04 am »Message ID: 1286730

After reading the twins in a hot car thread and the discussion about parents on autopilot and so forth - there was a news story on the radio today about a three year old severely autistic child who wandered out of her house and into a neighbor's swimming pool where she drowned. Apparently linked to her autism she had a tendency to 'sneak away' from her caregivers without awareness of the dangers that she put herself in when she did that (which sounds like a cop out for the supposed ?responsible? adults tasked to watch her).  I don't question the condition or sneaking away tendency or that the child could not appreciate the danger. But that just further emphasizes the point that she should always be closely watched.


Her mom (who does blame herself according to the radio news story) said that the girl was asleep at home, so mom took the opportunity to go to McDonalds and left the sleeping 3 year old autistic child with tendencies to sneak away home.  (Another article I found seems to say that she was home with an 11 year old sibling).


Tragic and heartbreaking, but what exactly were you thinking in that moment?  (Obvious answer = she wasn't thinking at all - except for how tasty a BigMac would be...)

3

Off-Topic / New Cat

« on: August 01, 2019, 06:28:55 am »Message ID: 1286472

 
We just adopted a new cat into our family. He was a stray that some kids at our daughter’s dance studio ‘took in’ back in May. He was pretty much malnourished and had a bad goopy eye injury going on. He has been in 2 or 3 different households since then, but they all had dogs which he was afraid of and would cower and hide the entre time. So he ended up back at the dance studio for much of the months of June and July and my wife and daughter got attached to him after seeing him daily. He is very affectionate toward people and definitely not a feral cat.
 
So when wife decided to find him a home and my mom (whose apartment has a no-pets policy, but she has a doctor’s note saying that she would benefit from the companionship of a pet) was reluctant to take him, I told her that we could take him if she was so attached.
 
That was in early July and we had to wait several weeks because we were going to be away and we also had to schedule him for a neuter surgery – which got bumped twice. He also needed surgery on his eye injury – so they finally got that taken care of last Friday morning and he then came home to us that afternoon. They estimate him to be about two years old, but my sister said he could be up to five.
 
We already have a 9 year old female in the house and are hoping to socialize the two to each other once his eye sutures and cone are off. But until then, we have him locked up in one room while she has reign over the rest of the house. Each knows that the other one is there and neither seems to be overly agitated about it, so hopefully it will go well when we introduce them in about a week or so. I think the plan is to put him into a crate and bring him out into the main part of the house for a brief spell – and then doing the same in reverse with her into his room the next day.
 
As my sister said (she’s worked for many years in various animal rescue shelters) when it comes to introducing new cats - they don’t have to be best friends, they just need to be tolerant of each other.
 
Here’s hoping for tolerance!
 

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Off-Topic / You could be entitled to $125 or more from Equifax

« on: July 27, 2019, 04:06:08 am »Message ID: 1285674

It's a pittance for all of the potential damage that could result from it, but about 147 million people are entitled to take part in a class action settlement of at least $125 from Equifax if your personal information was included as part of their 2017 data breach. Both my wife and I were eligible and requested our settlement payments yesterday. To determine if you are part of those affected, you have to enter your last name and last six digits of your SSN into an online form and then complete a short questionnaire. 


Not a 'survey' like those of us here are used to, but if you get past the initial demographic query - it is a guaranteed $125 minimum payout for a few minutes of input. (You also have to wait quite a while for the payout - but when is anything instant these days!)


Take a look to see if you are eligible as I expect many of us here are.  https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-equifax-settlement-money/


Also there is an alternative option of signing up for free credit monitoring rather than receiving the $125 payout. But if you get your credit reports at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ every year and regularly check your credit score at https://www.creditkarma.com for any negative treatment (both free) it is probably worth putting the additional $125 into your pocket.

DISCLAIMER: If you take part in this settlement you will forfeit your right to bring any separate independent lawsuit against Equifax for any damages caused to you by their data breach. But the time, expense, and hassle in prosecuting that independent claim might make it not worth the effort.

5

Offers / Top Coupons

« on: July 21, 2019, 04:09:46 pm »Message ID: 1285129

For anyone who dabbles in Bitcoin - in case you aren't already aware: there are a couple of faucets that will pay you the current equivalent of 33˘ (3120 satoshis) for completing the Top Coupons offer - where you are supposed to print 25 coupons at a time. Of course that redemption value may change over time. And the $ value WILL change over time (recently trending up). If you are already into BTC, take a look at Bonus Bitcoin or Bit Fun offers.


Anyone who is interested and not already taking part, I am more than happy to send a referral code off site. But I am also just as happy (okay, maybe not equally happy, but still willing) to simply pass along helpful info as a PSA!

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Payment Pictures / My $25.00 PayPal cashout payment

« on: June 22, 2019, 11:57:26 am »Message ID: 1280869

This image was posted automatically.

7

Off-Topic / Angry seagull

« on: June 20, 2019, 06:59:10 am »Message ID: 1280609

I work in an office a few blocks away from Lake Erie - so we have a lot of seagulls in town.


The office building is an old converted funeral home with many rooms and corner fireplaces with shared chimneys. Over the past few years several seagulls have taken to roosting on the chimney tops. I don't know if there is an actual nest up there or not - but the damn things will sit up there and cackle-call for hours on end some days! Sometimes they actually sound more like chimpanzees than seagulls! The sound bellows down the chimney and out through the fireplace. It can be pretty annoying when I'm trying to work on something requiring a lot of focus, but most days I am able to just let it blend into the typical background noise.


Over the last couple months, one of the gulls that hangs out up there has started dive-bombing any and all humans who have the nerve to walk along the sidewalk/driveway alongside my office and he has a few loud choice words for you as he flaps by five feet over your head!


I can see no evidence of nests anywhere on the ground in that vicinity. But I gotta believe that's what it's about. Any other ideas?
 

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FusionCash / PTC/Daily Email - Section 8

« on: June 12, 2019, 06:49:25 am »Message ID: 1279621

The PTC and daily email ads sure are pushing Section 8 housing! Is everyone else getting directed to the same Section 8 availability site for all of the click ads in PTC and daily email? Regardless of the text link to the ad... I was hoping to win a free iPhone 6, but instead was offered the chance to search for low income housing in my city. Talk about a bait and switch! 
 

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Off-Topic / Being sick - which is worse?

« on: May 24, 2019, 07:35:40 am »Message ID: 1276631

Which of these unproductive body reflexes is worse?


Continued dry heaves when you have nothing remaining in your stomach to expel or a persistent violent & unproductive cough that makes your head & throat hurt and your eyes water to the point of tears?


I vote for the cough - not only because I am living through it now myself (although I'm sure that is a big factor) but because it can go on for days, whereas the dry heaves for me usually only last a few hours or less.
 

10

Off-Topic / Quick Poll

« on: May 14, 2019, 08:23:15 am »Message ID: 1275239

Show of hands. How many people here: (1) know what a garbage disposal is/does; or (2) if they flipped an electrical switch and heard the disposal in the sink running would recognize it as such?


  if you know how to use it
  if the sound of it would scare you


 

11

Debate & Discuss / PA State Rep Brian Sims

« on: May 08, 2019, 07:11:32 am »Message ID: 1274466

What an absolutely disgraceful man with zero business being a representative politician in any capacity. I sure hope the voters in his district see him for what he is - a manipulative bully with absolutely no concept of truth, decency, or fair presentation. Offering money to dox teenage girls (who he supposedly represents assuming that they lived in his district) and thus opening them up for abuse and attacks is unspeakably despicable.  Please Phladelphia - show this man the door next election!

12

Off-Topic / Schools are Cool

« on: May 06, 2019, 06:22:22 am »Message ID: 1274143

On my ten minute walk to the office this morning I passed by three different schools - all within a two block radius.


Two of them had groups of kids outside learning on the playgrounds, which I always thought was a good idea on a nice weather day - it's been so crappy rainy lately! The third school, I've never seen any kids outside and I don't think they have an outdoor playground other than the parking lot - but it is a specialty school for autistic children. I suppose the environmental change from classroom to outdoors might be a bit counterproductive there.


At the first school they were enthusiastically learning about the Lewis and Clark expedition. The teacher was very expressive and I saw a lot of hands up as she was asking questions of the class.  The second school was actually in gym class - which I always remember as a special treat when we were able to do gym outside rather than in the confines of an inadequate gym. (Although I know that this particular school has a nice gymnasium - sunshine still feels better than florescent light). I could hear the kids counting off as they did jumping jacks or some other type of exercise.


Now I am sitting at my desk - feeling a little bit jealous. 

13

Offers / Tap Research 12˘

« on: May 03, 2019, 05:16:50 am »Message ID: 1273622

I just finished my daily PTC and needed to earn 5˘ to be eligible again for tomorrow. Trying to get ready for work and don't have a lot of time to waste, but I decided to check out Tap Research. They had a 12˘ survey with a one minute time estimate, so I decided to try it. I clicked the button and was IMMEDIATELY taken to the congratulations you've earn 12˘ screen!


NO questions at all - no age/gender/location demographic questions. Nothing!!! Instant 12˘.


It was quick enough that I even had time to click over to the forum and write up this post!
 

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Payment Pictures / My $25.03 PayPal cashout payment

« on: March 30, 2019, 01:42:49 pm »Message ID: 1268221

This image was posted automatically.

15

Off-Topic / Paid to Listen to Podcasts

« on: March 11, 2019, 08:03:57 am »Message ID: 1265729

Is anyone else here a podcast junkie? I have several that I enjoy listening to on a regular basis and many others that I listen to on an infrequent basis.


I just came across an app called Podcoin that will pay you to listen to podcasts if you download the app to your iPhone or Android phone. They have access to just about any podcast that you would normally get from any of the other podcast players/apps. The playback options and features are much more limited than what you would get from the mainstream apps, but you can at least get the same content.


It will take a while to earn enough credit to cash out (for gift cards, not for straight PayPal cash), but if you're like me and already listen to some podcasts regularly, it might be worth the switch.


I'm not going to post a referral link in here (you can earn extra points by referring other new users) - but you can find it in the app store or google play - or sign up through their web site podcoin.com.  I started using it over the weekend and will say that I do miss some of the flexibility I had with my old podcast app.  But - it never paid me anything back either!