Weekend Open Thread
As one would normally expect, AI-generated images will get better as technologies improve. Google’s Gemini was prompted to generate an image of a futuristic city on Mars. The resulting image looked more realistic than the one generated by Bing AI back in June 2023. Enjoy your weekend!
Category: Open thread
FIRST!
Seconded!!
Good J.O.B. on sliding into some sloppy seconds, Eggs. Had no clue that I would even be in contention today. Long day of escort duty and provision run and had literally just finished putting the provisions in the pantry (feeding and keeping the d’weeded and Adorable Deplorables hydrated is a time consuming and expensive proposition…$385.00 USD just for restocking the basics) opened up Mr. Chromie just to see who mighta swooped in and claimed the Coveted (EARNED NEVER AWARDED) TAH Friday Weekend Open Thread FIRST and there it was…winking at me with a “Come hither look” with a blank “Be The First To Comment” block. Since I knew I’d be too worn out for cooking, I picked up an assortment of Eyetalian meat and cheese lovers pies for all hands to enjoy. Have one of these Frosty cold Golden Elixars from The Yuengling Bros Brewery to wash it down with…or twelve.
Will make claim to a quad 40 of WOTs to go along with the HOT, making a Frocked ACE of Open Thread FIRST!
Some of us have jobs, you know. That Y3K Software ain’t going to sell itself, although it is such a great product that it sells itself.
Unlike yerself, Hack, some of us have a REAL job, building and repairing company widgets. We can’t always afford to spend that much time waiting for the WoT to drop. (although it would be fun)
Some of us have a real job, keeping the place stocked up on essentials, say, chem light batteries, blinker fluid, cable stretching oil, mail buoy paint, PRC E7s, …
I haven’t done an inventory recently, but I’m pretty sure we’re stocked up on PRC E7’s.
And some of us were out on the sofa, trying to recover from the crud.
I didn’t even try this week.
Of course, I haven’t been trying for quite a while now – busy teaching guitar during the drop.
Chicken matzo. The true Jewish penicillin. MRS D force feeds it to me when I’m sick.
It’ll cure what ails ya’!
Drats! Foiled again!
Fourth, I guess.
Having pulled up lame in the quest for the coveted, earned-and-never-given FIRST, I don’t mind losing to the King of Battle. (I shouldn’t; I’ve done it often enough.) Therefore, let me bestow some silly trivia on you all, and wish you a joyous weekend!
DID YOU KNOW…?
What are the only three Constitutional qualifications for a person to serve as President of the United States?
By Commissioner Wretched
didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com
Copyright © 2025
I made it.
Fifty years ago this week, I stepped onto the stage at the Three Arts Theater in Columbus, Georgia, to accept my diploma as a graduate of William H. Spencer High School.
I was 16 years old and had no idea of what awaited me in the cold, cruel world I had been educated to face. The years since then have had their ups and downs, and fortunately I am able to say that I’ve had far more ups than downs.
Those downs, however, were really low.
Nevertheless, I made it to my 50-year high school anniversary, with the attendant reunion coming up soon. And I know what I’m going to think when I meet up with the SHS Class of 1975, too:
“Where did all these old people come from?”
Whilst I get ready for the reunion, you enjoy some trivia, okay?
Did you know …
… Tide™ detergent is sometimes used as currency when purchasing illegal drugs? It has relative stability of value and is a recognizable brand, and is a favorite among those who indulge in heroin and crystal meth. It is so popular that some retailers now put alarms on packages of Tide to help prevent it being stolen. (What they do with it after they get it, I couldn’t tell you. I can guess what they don’t do with it, though.)
… statistically, the safest age of life is 10 years old? (Strange how it didn’t feel that way when I was 10.)
… you may be fatiloquent? No need to panic if you are, though. Fatiloquent is an archaic term for someone who is prophetic. (You might have foreseen this one.)
… one of the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church had been a member of the Hitler Youth? Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger, 1927-2022) was conscripted into the Hitlerjugend, the Nazi boys’ youth group in 1941, when he was 14. His family members were bitter opponents of the Nazis, but the law in Germany at the time was that all young men at age 14 had to join the Hitler Youth. (Girls joined the Bund Deutshcer Madel, or German Girls’ League.) Ratzinger refused to attend meetings of the organization, and later was drafted into the German army during the waning days of World War II.
… humans share 50% of their DNA with bananas? (Which makes a monkey out of me.)
… the popular tourist attraction in Rome, the Colosseum, was commissioned in the first century AD? Roman Emperor Vespasian (9 AD-79 AD) gave the go-ahead for the massive stadium, though he did not live to see it in use. The Colosseum opened in 80 AD, during the first year of rule by his son, Titus (39 AD-81 AD). (Let the games begin!)
… a person only has to meet three constitutional qualifications to be elected president? In Article II, Section 1, paragraph 5 of the Constitution, it is set forth that a person seeking to serve as President of the United States must be: at least 35 years old; a natural-born citizen of the United States; a resident of the United States for the previous 14 years. That’s it. And the second qualification was, of necessity, waived for eight of the first nine men to hold the office, because there wasn’t a United States for them to have been a natural citizen of at the time of their birth. Additional trivia note: the first man to serve as president who qualified under all three constitutional qualifications was Martin Van Buren (1782-1862), eighth president. The first seven, along with the ninth (William Henry Harrison, 1773-1841), were all born in the British American colonies.
A little bit more trivia regarding the Colosseum. The owner of the Rome Gladiator team threatened to relocate to Athens unless Emperor Vespasian built him a new arena. The more things change…
Athens? I thought it was Capua.
When I was in grade school, back when we rode our pet dinosaurs to school uphill both ways in the snow, everyone studied the U.S. Constitution and learned the qualifications for President.
If that’s made it to the status of “trivia” most folks don’t know, we’re really in trouble.
You were lucky you had pet dinosaurs to ride to school, Graybeard. We had to go catch a wide dinosaur, ride it to school, slay it with our slate tablets, make dino burgers for our lunch, then use the pieces and parts for the biology class. Used the entrails to lasso a terry dac tile for the ride home.
Just about every German Citizen served the knotzie war machine…whether they wanted to or not. Resistance was futile…they were assimilated.
Does a love of banana pudding make us cannibals…or involved in an incestuous relationship? I’ll share some DAN with The Adorable Deplorables. My ‘nanna puddin’?…maybe…maybe not
The Roman Sports Arena lasted for 2K years. The National Felon League wants a new one, at taxpayer expense, every decade or so.
Too bad not every president followed the Constitution.
… during the Cold War, America used bears to test ejection seats in supersonic jets? (They could bear the stress, it seems. I’ll show myself out.)
… a tortoise adopted by naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) outlived him just a little bit? Darwin brought back a tortoise he named Harriet from the Galapagos Islands, where he began formulating his Theory of Evolution. Harriet passed away in 2006 at the age of 176 years, having outlived her original owner by 124 years. (They even age slowly.)
… a term exists for a duel that takes place between three people? It’s called a truel. (And that’s the truel-th.)
… you spend a lot of time at red lights? According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, the average person spends six months of their life waiting for red lights to turn green. (Changing that statistic makes you a target for traffic cops.)
… you may know a colporteur? You might even be one yourself and not know it. A colporteur is a person who sells books, newspapers, or other literature. The term is used most (when it’s used at all) to describe someone selling religious literature. (Funny how plain old “bookseller” works for most of us.)
I ran a red light and the cop that was there did nothing. It was during the North American Blizzard of 2018, during the predawn hours. I was out running, on the side of the road as the sidewalks were buried in deep snow and the streets had been plowed. The light turned red and I just kept going.
Is “Cole Porter” any relation to a “colporteur”?
Seems that might have some traits in common.
Mrs. GB and I have commented about the traffic light on our way into town.
We live about 10 miles away, and one would think that leaving at random times (as we do) and having nothing but one stop sign between us and the light, the frequency of catching the light red or green would be about even.
Instead, it is remarkable when we do catch it green.
Now I suspect that there is a mathematical correlation with the amount of time the light is green to the time the light is red, but nonetheless it is usually red when we arrive.
Same here! The light must have a magnetic sensor…
How’d they lure the bear into the jet? Temp him with a pic-a-nik basket?
Is Harriett still drawing social security…or voting demonrat?
Not the kinda “3-way” I’d be interested in.
Prolly got a better chance of hitting the lotto than hitting a string of traffic lights that are green.
If a certain someone would sell “Book 3” that would be heavenly. Jus’ sayin’.
It’s quite easy to build oneself a homemade opticom (the device emergency services in some cities use to manipulate traffic lights), but I’m fairly certain it’s highly illegal to have one in your car if not authorized.
… the man who invented the saxophone didn’t stop there? Adolphe Sax (1814-1894) also invented the saxotromba, the saxhorn, and the saxtuba. He himself played the flute and the clarinet. (And, presumably, the sax-whatever.)
… Vermont was the first state admitted to the United States? Sure, you know all about the original 13 colonies which became states, but once the Revolutionary War was settled and American independence was recognized, the first state to be added to the newly-independent United States of America was Vermont, which became the 14th state in 1791.
… waterbeds used to be a major thing? According to Mental Floss, in 1988 about 15% of U.S. households had waterbeds. The industry made $2 billion annually. Their popularity fell off sharply around the turn of the 21st Century, but you can still find them. (You know what a waterbed in my house would be called? The Dead Sea.)
Now … you know!
Here’s another historical trivia related to the beginnings of the United States.
The Declaration of Independence lists the states as individual independent states (what they used in the 18th century to describe a nation) on equal footing to the state of Great Britain. They declared their independence as 13 independent nations speaking unanimously. This is why they’re called “states” rather than “provinces”. Early in the colonial period, Great Britain revoked the colonial charters and reincorporated the colonies as British colonial provinces.
When we celebrate Independence Day on July 4, we’re celebrating the birth of nations that stopped existing when the Constitution was ratified. This is when the United States, as a single country, came into being.
The individual “Nation States” joined The Union willingly…and had the right to leave it willingly…until they didn’t.
You lose the water heater function on your waterbed and it is going to get as cold as my final ex-wife’s heart.
You and Mr. Sax both have a lot to toot your horn about, CW. He for his musical instruments and you for the fine job you do of bringing us the trivia each week!
Surprised that Commissioner Wretched can’t see the forest for the trees. They use Tide to launder their money.
(rimshot!)
I thought they used them as a snack.
Bet you can’t eat just one.
I seem to get fatiloquent on Fridays when I feel the need to check the Thread before I check on another task that needs to be done. Works that way for some reason…not sure why, just does. Deo Vindice
Seven (7) days after my tenth (10th) birthday, Papa was killed in a truck wreck…that was not his fault. One (1) of my many low points.
A tide of punishment for these parasites of society would wash them out of…society.
Get you a hobby to go along with your social security check, CW…
Another one for ya, CW…
Top ten as I declare myself present and unaccountable while I award myself Honorary First once again.
((((OVER))))
We still have 3 1/2 years of DJT being POTUS.
6th as it stands presently.
The other night I was reading about the USS Dewey (DD-349) and Halsey’s typhoon. This got me thinking about the “Caine Mutiny”. How come no one makes movies like that anymore?
Donnell Hollywood short. They ran out of original ideas decades ago. Now all they do is churn out unending sequels and crappy remakes of classic films. With a few minor exceptions, they never released a remake that was better than the original. And most of the remakes came and went without ever even being noticed by movie goers.
Just off the top of Hack’s Brain Housing Group, here are films that were remade. Most of the remakes Hack never watched.
Walking Tall
The Longest Yard
Footloose
Death Wish
Psycho
Willard
The Poseidon Adventure
The Bad News Bears
A Star Is Born
The. Postman Always Rings Twice
King Kong
Godzilla
Rollerball
The Pink Panther
Planet of The Apes
True Grit
Actually, the re-make of “True Grit” was rather good.
It was difficult to match the acting prowess of Glen Campbell.
..or John Wayne
Blasphemer! ‘Tis heresy you speak!
All Quiet on the Western Front was remade. Don’t ask me why because I no desire to watch the remake; the original was great.
Any draft dodging hollyweird left leaning communist thinking of remaking The Big Red One shall suffer divine retribution.
“The Magnificent 7” remake was good, and I was prepared to hate it.
Maybe they ought to claim to have remade “Groundhog Day” and just show the original again!
You’re a damn marketing genius!
I suppose a case could be made that with the decline in education, with fewer truly great pieces of literature and art being taught, less time playing outdoors as children (the place where imagination grows free), along with an adopted antipathy to anything we would call Western Culture or American freedoms, that there are fewer true imaginative geniuses to create good movies.
Look out, I got to thinking again. Some of the classics that were shoved down our reading throats in grade school were dreadful then. Yet, I reread some of the classics when my daughter was in school and I enjoyed them. Books such as Moby Dick, The Red Badge of Courage, A Tale of Two Cities, Of Mice and Men, and others were not assignments to be muddled through but time well spent. I could wonder how I’d react if I was Captain Ahab or any of the other characters.
I say it’s time to put a minimum age on qualifying teachers. Each teacher should have to have spent time outside of the classroom making a living before “shaping and molding” young minds to meet the needs of society. No experience leads to no application outside of, “You need to know this to pass my class!”
I also think sports, at least to the intra-mural level, should be mandatory. PE is now optional in the high school from which I graduated. Of course, we weren’t all supermen when I graduated from high school. One kid in my basic training flight couldn’t do a single pushup. He wasn’t weak, he just didn’t know how to do it.
Those are my wishful thoughts; and everyone knows, “Wish in one hand and spit in the other; see which one fills faster.”
With modern CGI capabilities, I can see an amazing scene being done for the lion v. coonhounds climax in a new “Where the Red Fern Grows” movie.
Spot on, Graybeard. If one had a childhood like this they were blessed…
This shit sure is wild:
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1930703865801810022
I’ve gone through four bags of popcorn in the last 24 hours.
Ol Elon seems to be attempting to walk it back.
My opinion is his lawer said to knock it off. He has no proof apparently, and PDJT has no trouble suing for large sums of money. I’m sure somebody will correct me if I’m wrong, but slander, libel and defamation come to mind.
Had there been any proof of what Elon alleges, it would have been brought out in public by now.
First, if Trump was ever at the paedo island, the D-rats would have outed Trump for it last year. Remember, Comey’s daughter was the lead prosecutor for Maxwell. She has had access to all the videos and docs seized from Epstein for years.
Checking back to see if you still think that this shit is wild.
From the link:
Elon Musk deletes tweet claiming Trump was ‘in the Epstein files’ in first sign of feud de-escalation
That Day.
June 6, 1944 – The Light of Dawn (abt. 1 hour, 40 mins.)
Lost two Old Boys in three months, continue mission.
condolences.
Deepest sympathies to you and yours for your loss, Sapper3307. No matter how many times we have to say a final good bye to one of them, it never gets easy. You may recall I lost Old Boy Chapman last August and then my Trixie Girl in September. Devastating. Rescuing The Young Coco (Puffy Puppy) from a date with the needle in November helped ease the loss somewhat. Still trying to get the “Hood Rat” out of the lad, his first 5 years were rough on him and he’s still learning some manners. Heal your heart and give another one a chance to have as good of a life as your Old Boys had.
Phil Monkress (CEO of All-Points Logistiucs) works balls.
Be sure to visit the All Points Logistics booth at this weekend’s Gay Pride event in DuPont Circle this weekend.
16th Regiment:
Great tribute to those who fought 81 years ago. I listened to the episode yesterday; while making my 40-something stops in the greater Lafayette, LA area.
Present & unaccountable as ever.
Got out earlier this week to work in the yard – mowing the upper yard and burning leaf debris. Evidently the smoke with the Saharan dust got my sinuses and throat, which developed into a crud that fell to my chest.
I’ve spent the last 2 days sleeping a lot. Had to cancel my classes.
On the other hand, some of my best students joined our little “bluegrass gospel” band for a couple of gigs last Saturday and Sunday – and did a great job. Kinda proud of those kids.
Otherwise, The Grands are out of school and roaming the AO barefoot and free, like God intended.
How did you avoid the rain? We got enough that I couldn’t even mow yesterday and even today hit boggy patches. Had to let my yard go 6 days between mowings…the regular grass was 7-8″ deep and the bahaia grass was well over a foot tall. Our forecast after Sunday is rain – all week.
Comment on movie originality – most of those “great original” films of early filmdom were based on plays and books. How many variations have you ever seen of ‘The Three Musketeers’? Or ‘Romeo and Juliet’? If it ain’t hundreds, you’re not paying attention.
Our Compound ended up with about 2.05″, but north some of our friends ended up with more 5″ – 6″
One of our “kids” by other parents had her creek flood, which she’s never seen happen before. (She’s in her late 30s) The system was slow moving, but I guess had done it’s worst before it got to us.
I agree – a lot of those great movies were based on different plays and books. I think there was an appreciation of Western literature and culture that still filled them, and a continuation of the story-telling traditions of yore.
Disney had a knack of taking the Brothers Grimm and tuning their tales into something a bit less macabre, less likely to send kids into night terrors.
We lost another great man this week:
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/in-memoriam-wiley-clapp/
Well, America’s favorite Maryland Father is back stateside, just in time for Father’s Day.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/president-trump-responds-return-alleged-gang-member-kilmar-abrego-garcia-u-s
Long distance dedication.
Wait, what? These are my options?
It’s been a long week, and as usual, the weekend’s started with spending money and procrastinating. I wrapped up a 60-hour week yesterday. The previous week I had Memorial Day off, as well as Wednesday, since I was scheduled for Saturday. There have been a handful of sick and vacation days tossed in there for appointments and my daughter’s graduation, so it’s been a while since I’ve gotten a really good paycheck. I can work four days and still get a few hours overtime, but the catch with my job is that my time off is paid at the base rate. I get a nearly $3/hr. premium working by myself (driving and moving money–some people prefer the two-man trucks, but I prefer working alone), so there’s a bit of a difference between 60 hours averaging $26/hr. and 55 hours averaging $20.60/hr. Despite working fairly long hours, I’m the only person here that can handle problems, so it’s up to me to keep the pool and yard maintained, and I often cook dinner as well on weekends. The pellet grill sees a lot of use, while the Blackstone is in dire need of restoration. South Louisiana humidity hasn’t been kind to the iron cooking surface, especially since it hasn’t been used in over a year. My latest problem is of the furry kind. I guess some rodents decided to make themselves home, and despite having my wife and adult sister both here a lot more than I am (not to mention the 18-year-old daughter), I’m the only one who can call a pest company and schedule a service. I’ll probably have to use a vacation day for that too, to lessen the inconvenience. My mountain cur has been vigilant and trying to get to them, at least, though the cats are less than useless. Ryobi Days are here, and while I have too many tools from DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ridgid, and a few other brands, I found something to buy. I’m going to try the Ryobi power scrubber on my body armor. It’s already over 100-degrees with the heat index down here,… Read more »
I have (or have felt) your pain, fm2176. Never could figure how (some) wymmens could be so helpless when it comes to just “Call the Man, Aunt Bea” and schedule something. Thankfully, for her, my daughter did not pick up that trait, it stood her in good stead when the no ‘count DYPANB ran out on her coupla years ago. Not that him being gone changed much, she always handled that before. Did help, a little, when she made mention that her husband would be there when the service work was done. Kept most of the riff raff scam artists down to a minimum. Now she just tells them that her dad will be around if needed just to keep them honest(?). Hell, I’m 400+ miles away, but they don’t know that.
Don’t work yourself to death, that rate is not sustainable, I don’t give a damn what good of a condition you think you’re in or how confident you are in your abilities. I was the same way 7 years ago, busting out 50 – 60 hours in the heat/cold doing line construction work, making (on paper) sho’nuff fat money. Prided myself on the ability to get more done by myself, years older than “The Kids”, than working with a crew. That first stroke brought that sh*t to a screeching halt, overnight, and the second one a few weeks later took me out of the game completely.
Get you a terrier type fur baby for them rodents. Those pups can catch the varmints and get to the ones that a large K-9 can’t. The Coco (Puffy Puppy) is a Yorkie/Poodle Mix and either catches or runs off every thing but an armadillo. The armadillo just ambles off at the mosey while the pup barks his damn fool head off nipping at it. Cats ain’t gone do a damn thing as long as they have another food source. Might want to look at getting a coupla barn owls to take up residence, they’ll make short work of the little bastards.