Messages

1

Off-Topic / Re: these captchas are insane

« on: December 01, 2016, 09:03:18 am »Message ID: 1108217

I don't see the need for such complication on a captcha....

It's to make sure you are a human taking the survey and not a computer program. It's a deterrent to prevent anyone from using technology to skew the survey results.

The question is not why do we have captcha, but rather why such complication in the captcha... As I mentioned, there are other captcha questions that are not so complicated and subjective, like asking the person to type in the letters / numbers found on a photograph. I've sometimes been fed up with the visual captchas that I'll do the audio one instead. Those tend to be easier to complete and are not so subjective as to what you are to enter in.

That also answers the complication factor - for example, if Google can teach robots to communicate to one another in an encrypted code no one can break, not even the designated decipher bot, and this program were to then be used and abused by a company in some way to skew results (not to mention the more terrifying implications this has for others who could get a hold of it and abuse it), then CAPTCHA creators have to compensate and make sure these bots have as little chance as solving it as possible while still attempting to maintain an ease of access for humans.

Granted that's an extreme scenario, and also highly unlikely to happen (at least not in the very near future), but situations in which bots become programmable to be able to "think" and "reason" like a human are why security measures online become increasingly difficult.

2

Off-Topic / Re: these captchas are insane

« on: November 21, 2016, 07:50:18 am »Message ID: 1105890

I don't see the need for such complication on a captcha....

It's to make sure you are a human taking the survey and not a computer program. It's a deterrent to prevent anyone from using technology to skew the survey results.

3

Off-Topic / Re: How many siblings do you have?

« on: November 20, 2016, 09:46:57 am »Message ID: 1105730

Just 1 younger sister.

4

Off-Topic / Re: The only me option on Facebook

« on: November 19, 2016, 10:10:02 am »Message ID: 1105578

Before Facebook implemented the Save Link option, I used Only Me to repost links or recipes that I could come back and read later and not spam my friends' feeds with them.

5

Off-Topic / Re: Are you ???

« on: November 19, 2016, 10:06:21 am »Message ID: 1105577

I like both, but prefer dogs. Cats just tend to not like me for some reason lol
I also like birds. I had a couple of parakeets as a kid.

6

Off-Topic / Re: Beauty and the Beast

« on: November 15, 2016, 07:18:31 am »Message ID: 1105012

I like the nod to the original fairy tale in the trailer with Maurice getting caught picking the rose in the garden.

7

Off-Topic / Re: No gloves??

« on: November 14, 2016, 12:36:10 pm »Message ID: 1104919

You always, ALWAYS, handle food with gloves. As a former cake decorator, I can tell you that's one thing that was drilled into us when I got my food handler's permit, as well as you ALWAYS wash your hands when changing gloves even if you just took a pair off - it's precaution for a reason, and if an inspector comes in and sees employees not following protocol, the establishment can face a hefty fine.

Suppose someone has a cut on their hand; by not wearing gloves they are potentially contaminating your food. Sanitizer alone is not enough. I would be contacting the heath department ASAP.

8

Off-Topic / Re: I hate the telemarketers

« on: November 14, 2016, 09:11:25 am »Message ID: 1104889

Other then that you could sign up on the national Do Not Call list from the FCC website: https://www.fcc.gov/stop-unwanted-calls . Although some telemarketers call, it will be A LOT less then they would normally call (well at least it helped my father)

The DNC does not guard against scammers posing as telemarketers and spoofing numbers - spoofing is where they call from one number or computer, but mask it with a different number. You can block the number on your phone and/or report the spoofed or mask number to the FCC, but it doesn't stop the number they're originally calling from. They'll just generate a new "mask" and try again.

9

Off-Topic / Beauty and the Beast

« on: November 14, 2016, 09:03:51 am »Message ID: 1104888

The trailer for the new live-action version was released this morning. The animated version was the first movie I saw in a theater at 4 years old, and my inner 4 year old is so happy and excited today nearly 25 years later. I can't wait for March to get here. 

10

Debate & Discuss / Why I Voted Third Party in a Red State

« on: November 10, 2016, 10:20:54 am »Message ID: 1104324

NOTE: All I ask here is that you treat my opinion and reasoning with the same amount of respect you would expect of your own. This topic is in Debate & Discuss because I know it has the potential to ruffle a few feathers, but I will lock it if things get too crazy. I haven't seen any of that on here so far in other discussions, but I just wanted to put that out there as a precaution.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I posted this yesterday evening on my personal Facebook page after taking most of the day to process and gather my thoughts on the election and its outcome. I wanted to be sure it was clear, and I didn't want to add to the plethora of negative posts - from both sides, mind you - that were and are still flooding my feed:

You might agree with me, but then again you may not: I voted Johnson/Weld.

Why?

To help ensure a third party on the Oklahoma ballot. I knew he wasn't a shoe-in, but I also couldn't justify participating in "choosing the lesser of two evils" - there were no lesser of two evils between the two main parties in my eyes (nor was Green Party candidate Jill Stein on the Oklahoma ballot, for any of my non-Okie friends wondering about that). Whether Trump or Clinton had my singular vote would not have swayed the outcome in the slightest, so I made a conscious decision to vote for more options in future elections.

And it worked. The Libertarian Party in Oklahoma got more than enough votes to ensure a place on the ballot at least through the next two years.

We need more choices. The two-party system is a joke and a slap in the face to the Founding Fathers - Washington warned us, fair and square. Now's the time to regroup, make plans, and come back swinging.

I knew I couldn't change the outcome of the election; almost certainly Trump or Clinton would have won anyway. That was plain as day. So I chose to be proactive about the future of my state. The Libertarian Party only needed 2.5% for full ballot access - it got 5.74%. It might be a little victory, but it's a HUGE step for a state that has not changed color since 1964, and even still Oklahoma has only ever been red or blue. This is how progress works, and this is how you make change happen: you get back up when you get knocked down, stand your ground, never give up, and keep moving forward.

11

Off-Topic / Re: Any famous people in your family?

« on: November 05, 2016, 11:45:06 am »Message ID: 1103456

Johnny Cash is my fourth cousin twice removed; his great-grandparents are my great-great-great-great grandparents.

12

Support / Videos

« on: October 31, 2016, 04:11:45 pm »Message ID: 1102088

I tried to watch some of the videos today - actual videos, not the slideshows or quizzes - and none of them worked. I got a black screen for 7 seconds and then a replay option, and ultimately no credit. What's the point in having them there if they don't function properly? This isn't the first time I've come across this issue either, but this is the first time it's been every single video on the page.

13

Off-Topic / Re: The Walking Dead [No Spoilers in OP]

« on: October 27, 2016, 10:06:15 am »Message ID: 1101069

Hubby and I did watch it Monday night. I just haven't been online much the past couple days to come back to this until today. The initial death I had already figured out from the earlier released teaser. I'd heard rumors of the other, but I brushed it off as just that: rumors. Nope. They followed through.

However, I stand by my original post: everyone had fair warning far in advance that this episode was going to be brutal and gruesome from the actors as well as nearly everyone behind the scenes; and if you've read the comic books, you had the foresight of what the character of Negan is capable of. This show also airs originally at night, on a cable station, and is rated MATURE for a reason. If you're upset that your kids saw this horrible thing, that's on you for letting them watch. TWD is NOT a show (or a comic) for kids by any stretch of the imagination. If it bothered you and upset you, that's still on you because that MATURE rating should tell you everything you need to know about whether you should or shouldn't maybe watch it. That's your decision, no one forced you. And all of this "outrage" over Negan "taking things too far" is ridiculous:

Where was the outrage over Carol being beaten by her husband and the attempted rape of Lori by Shane at the CDC in season 1?
Where was the outrage over Carl nearly getting blown away and Shane intentionally tripping Otis in season 2?
Where was the outrage over Carl having to shoot his own mother and The Governor threatening Maggie with rape in season 3?
Where was the outrage over Carol burning people alive and The Governor decapitating Hershel in season 4?
Where was the outrage over the Terminus cannibals (especially Bob's leg) and Abraham angrily knocking Eugene unconscious?
Where was the outrage over Noah being ripped apart and the brutal attack on Alexandria from the Wolves in season 6?

It can't be said that Negan crossed a line when that line has been crisscrossed ABUNDANTLY already by other characters. Season 7 just started and it's been renewed for 8; nothing in this show should be shocking anymore.

14

Off-Topic / The Walking Dead [No Spoilers in OP]

« on: October 24, 2016, 09:30:39 am »Message ID: 1100500

Season 7 premiered last night. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet so I'm not able to spoil anything even if I wanted to, but I can't speak for anyone who posts after me. The hubs and I plan to watch it this evening, but I've been told there's been a lot of outrage over the gore levels in the first episode.

• It's a show with zombies in it. There's going to be gore. That's typically how the genre works.
• Anyone who knows anything about the character of Negan from the comics should know that he's bad news. Overkill is an understatement with this dude. Also, I've been told SPN (Supernatural) fans are mad because this character differs greatly from John Winchester (both played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Um, duh.
• Showrunner/Director Greg Nicotero has been warning people FOR MONTHS that it was going to be a bloodbath. No one can really say they weren't warned.
• Norman Reedus confirmed Greg Nicotero's warnings just over a week ago in an interview on The Tonight Show by saying people would likely be angry enough to break their TVs. Again, viewers were sufficiently warned.
• The show has the TV-MA rating for a reason. This covers: sex and nudity, profanity, alcohol/drugs/smoking,  frightening and/or intense scenes, and violence and gore. Once more, sufficient warning.

TL; DR: Can't be mad at the shock value of a show that's largely based on shock value.

15

Off-Topic / Re: Halloween Cooking

« on: October 23, 2016, 08:46:11 am »Message ID: 1100314

Every year since we've been married, I make mummy dogs and baked beans on Halloween for my hubby and myself. I make melted cheese and ketchup look like innards seeping through the wrappings, draw faces with mustard, then place the beans to look like leaking brains.