Forum Staff's Random Banter of Oh My Gosh You Guys Really Talked for 200 Threads???

[Elemental]

And quite hilarious, this little kitten-cat saunters calmly past the dog and its owner, the dog starts growling and advancing on the kitten-cat.
Kitten-cat pauses, turns around and goes ballistic.
Fifteen seconds later the dog's backed as far away as its lead will allow and I'm laughing, the owner is agog, but also laughing a bit. The kitten-cat saunters on, not a care in the world.

I read about that once... Supposedly, it's in a cat's best interests to attack a dog that growls at them or comes too close because that reinforces in the dog's brain that cat=not prey, whereas running would confuse the dog into thinking cat=prey.
But yes, it is pretty cool.

*hugs Elementalis*

In autumn it's fine, but that bothers me a lot during summer. I keep thinking "oh yay it will rain, how good for the garden I don't have to water it!" and then the clouds buzz off without so much as the courtesy of a sprinkle. Raintease!

Indeed: that ancestral instinct is deeply programmed in domesticated fluffs, who revel in the pleasure of water with joyful abandon. I believe I have posted this video before of a huge flock of budgies at a watering hole. Here is one of a pet budgie in a lettuce bath.

I perceive a Queensland summer would be quite pleasant, actually. A look at the climate chart shows me that it isn't nearly as intense as Chennai, which I survived, somehow. Nor wildly more warm than ours -- just longer and more humid. Plus in addition to Vitamin D there is also Vitamin C[ompany]. I am on my way! *begins another ill-advised Transoceanic flight*

Our winters get a remarkably large amount of sunlight, in spite of the shorter days -- it's just that not enough skin is ever exposed, nor enough time spent outdoors, to make full use of it. Some people are more susceptible to its lack than others. I feel the effects without supplementation, unfortunately.

*returns hug*

The worst was about a week or so ago. The sky darkened and the wind picked up in the evening, even a rumble or two of thunder, sure signs of an oncoming storm, yet not a drop. A most depressing circumstance by any account.

Ah yes... The silly falcon. I recall it's continuing failure well.
And the domesticated avian conspiracy continues... Still, I like how at the end the person tries to put the budgie under the water and the budgie just decided that it was having none of that.

They are quiet pleasant, at first... It just gets a bit much after a while. Fortunately, some talented individual developed the pedestal fan for those days where a breeze is lacking.
No! Don't try and fly across the Pacific! I fear you would be swallowed up in the vastness of its depths should your strength fail... I'll bottle sunlight and send it to you instead!

One must also factor in the comparative weakness of the Sun's rays at that latitude. Less potent sunlight leads to less vitamin D production, also less sunburn and skin cancers, but that's why we invented sunscreen. I do feel that even if you sat in full sunlight before a window in a heated room it may not be enough.
Alas, there a few foods that are rich in vitamin D, so there is little I can suggest aside from mushrooms.

Really? What is it like without your glasses then?

Well it was a scary thing to mention, so yeah. I would figure there might be other issues, but possible drug implications are nerve racking. I suppose if I had to I could, but I do want to actually get over my fear at some point.

This is quite true. It's my standard search engine too. Still if I really want the music, I'll be willing to look everywhere.
Ah...so there is a lot going on around there then I think?

Thank you very much Elekind!

Things two or three metres away start to get very slightly blurry, much more blurry if I only look out my right eye. However, where it is most noticeable is in the case of the digital clock on the microwave in our kitchen. Because of the way our house is arranged, said clock is visible from our dining room table and is about four or five metres away. I used to be able to read it clearly from the far end of the table, but now I find it almost impossible to do so from the near end of the table.

It is nerve wracking. Fortunately, it hasn't happened to anyone I know, and it probably doesn't happen very often at all. But the media likes to take a story and cover it for ages.
In any case, just remember that air travel is much safer and more convenient than any other form of travel yet devised. We could go into the statistical likelihood of dying a fiery death per mile travelled for every major form of travel, but that would be boring.

The thing is, if one search engine can find something, then all the others would probably be able to find it as well. It's not like Google has exclusive rights to half the Internet or something.
Yes and no. It really depends on what one classifies as a lot. Nothing really happens in my suburb specifically, but it is convenient to places where stuff does happen.

Hmm... Now that makes me think there's more than one of me... That could be scary...

If you want a simple program to draw in, stick to Inkscape or look to commercial software. I tend to use Gimp as an example of the best and worst sides of open source software. It has every function you can ask of it, and it's free, but beyond the absolute basics, it's a chore to find what you're looking for, because no one is willing to pay someone to make Gimp simple to use. I suspect the reason Ami finds Gimp so much better is because image editing in Inkscape is a poor idea (given, I use it to crop screenshots of my scribbles since the entire process is extremely straightforward, but that's about it).

There is no such thing as hanging washing to dry outside when the temperature has dropped below zero...

I thought as much. Inkscape is definitely oriented towards creating images, not editing them. As for GIMP, the name gives away it's failings on the front of drawing.
Also... How do you crop images in Inkscape? I still haven't worked out how to do that so am forced to rely on an inconvenient workaround.

I suppose there isn't. But the real question is... How do you people get your washing dry then if the dryer breaks down? Do you have to hang it indoors?

What is a credit union, and how is it different from a bank?

Hmm, yeah, that's about half of what I pay, a third of what I intend to pay.


Hehehe, I see. Well, I think his pictures are a bit over the top, so I prefer Sven Nordqvist, but then again, I may be biased... ;3

It means that I have shares in it and that it operates slightly differently.

Fortunately, I don't have to pay such a sum as the government doesn't give me that much money.
And assuming that I understood you correctly... You intend to pay your parents the sum of approximately six hundred and sixty Australian dollars (about four thousand Krona) per fortnight? With that amount, I could rent a two bedroom unit in the city. Is rent really that much in Sweden?

Heheh... This just shows that people like what they know.

Well, spreading earth on a lawn isn't an unknown phenomenon to me, and compost is more or less fine grade earth...

As for sticks, for as long as they're not too thick, they tend to become brittle when decomposing and will thus snap if you stab the compost with a shovel a few times...

And yes, it was a translation error. The problem is that the word "kalk" in Swedish, which may mean both "calcium" and "limestone", sounds confusingly similar to "chalk" (which actually is translated as "krita"). Since I play Dwarf Fortress, I should know this, so I blame being tired...

And as for vermin, it's only really a problem if you have that sort of vermin around in the first place. Over here, the rats are more city-dwelling than suburban...

Hmm... I've seen sand spread on grass before, but never soil... Save of course to level it or otherwise change its contours.

Still, I would prefer stickless compost if neatness is the end goal. But then, if neatness if what you're concerned about with the spreading of compost, then you're doing it wrong.

I thought as much. One of these days I'll learn another language for the purpose of solidarity with those who find English annoying when tired.
As for Dwarf Fortress, I still haven't really gotten into that despite my occasional efforts.

I think you'd find that that's due to the rats thriving in the comparative warmth of the underside of a city as opposed to the comparative cold of the suburbs. Over here, everywhere is warm enough for small mammals all of the time, so one can never be too sure. It's best to just not encourage them.

Farewell, compatriots, foes, and friends! I am off for a week. Look for my coming to the east on the eighth day. At dawn.

I would really much prefer you approached from another direction, and at a more reasonable hour, but if you insist...
Anyways... Have fun visiting your brothers.

More impressive may be the fact that my mother homeschooled us.

Your mother managed to homeschool seven children? I am in awe.


Also... Mynxae! You should visit me and wonder in amazement at my room!