Re: The 2025 Burning Man Bar is open

[Elorrum]

“Uuunh” *squeeezes past huge chair in doorway*
((((AntiM)))) thank you
*freshens snacks, bowl of cheese doodles, cheese and bacon doodles, cheese whacka-doodles*

ETA: I’m watching sportsball event. It’s cheerful. More Ancient Rome in the commercials lately.

[ygmir]

I wonder if Goathead is a Rams fan?

[goathead]

I wonder if Goathead is a Rams fan?

Clydesdale fan.

[Elorrum]

good morning, bar.

AntiM, I listen to multiple versions of songs too. It’s an unexpected feature of digital music services, being able to line them up and compare and contrast. I like Pancho and Lefty for an ambiguous story song with a beautiful melody. How did Lefty get home? I think there should be a song about listening to that song.

[AntiM]

Good morning.

I like Highwayman by The Highwaymen. A single drop of rain....

[ygmir]

what every happened to being able to post youtubes direct? I miss that.

well, we might get a sprinkle or rain......no rain this year to speak of. Gonna be a lot dry summer if something doesn't change soon. ugh.
*starts fire in S.C.C*

[goathead]

Good Morning. We have white stuff on the ground, just a dusting but hopefully leads to more. Maybe a return to winter?

[Elorrum]

Morning, bar. Heya Goathead. Some white here, more was forecast this morning, but my tiny animated forecast on my weather station is showing sun and clouds now. More water from sky, please.

Ok

[goathead]

Brrrr, cold breeze outside. Tossing back a shot of local bourbon. Wonder if they got all the vehicles off the playa from this winter?

[gaminwench]

*sipping whiskey*

I really LOVE your new avatar, goathead!

[ygmir]

HI gang,
we hardly got any skywater....sure hoping for more.
Yeah GH: vehicles on the playa, gotta be some good money in getting them out! I guess if it freezes hard enough you could drive out?

[Elorrum]

Two playa stuck firm so far this year that got noted on fb, Big truck in October, small red awd in early December. There’s a 4x4 tow service that posted photos of the red car. That fellow posted that after he was “driving in the mud a bit” getting stuck happened, I don’t think he knew that even a little could spell trouble.

[ygmir]

yeah, any playa or lakebed can be very deceiving, especially to the uninformed of such places.
the crust can be fairly hard, and even dry, and if you are traveling pretty fast, seems fine.....but as you slow or turn, the crust can give and you're stuck a long distance from firm ground.
bummer.

so, I was sitting in my living room yesterday, having a discussion. During said discussion, one of us asked a question as part of the talk. Seconds later, my phone answered the question in a clear conversational tone. It was on sleep mode, sitting a few feet from me and I had not used it all day.
This freaks me out a little. I know they "listen", but had not experienced them taking an active part in my conversation...eek!!

[Elorrum]

Yeah an automatically connected listening device I purchased and brought home feels so wrong. I have a kindle that automatically turns on with Alexa functioning, even though that app is “disabled” and forced closed Every time I turn it on. I keep it turned off when not in use, but I resent being harvested without my real consent, so efficiently, in my own home.

[AntiM]

My Alexa woke up in the middle of the night, said something unintelligible, and went back to sleep. So weird. It will meow back at the cats now and then. I tell it to play music long distance to freak out my housesitters.

[gaminwench]

I am entirely suspicious of those devices.

I would never invite one of them into my home.

[AntiM]

I figure I'm already all over the internet, I can be boring white noise for those less public.

[Elorrum]

That’s not my worry, really. I worry that it eliminates one more barrier between my money and Mr. B’s pockets. Saying “no thank you” or “I do not need or want that.” is getting nearly impossible. Having to invest in an expensive phone in order to scan qr code information on the toilet door, unavailable as posted printed notices for employees, gives me all the insight I need into what types of personal invasion Amazon will be comfortable with.

[ygmir]

yeah, it's more the idea with me, that I don't like it.
I don't mind ads, I can ignore them easy enough, and a couple of times they have worked!
But, just the idea, bugs me.

I don't see any problem with ads, or business using them. Again, easy enough to ignore, and well, I appreciate capitalism. I don't like the idea that government can get and use the data, somehow, against me. I don't know that I do any purposely illegal, and yet, with 10,000 laws that govern our lives, seems one must break some now and then, even if by accident. As such, it'd then give "officials" ways to influence my behavior or actions, under threat of enforcement of some obscure edict handed down by some dozy ass hat in power...

[Elorrum]

yeah, it's more the idea with me, that I don't like it.
I don't mind ads, I can ignore them easy enough, and a couple of times they have worked!

No it's not the ads. I'm not buying anything. I'm saying no as well that I don't want any surveillance in my house. Pretending its cool like "living in the future" while my home is bugged, to learn me and how to harvest me. Maybe that privacy will become an outdated and "unsupported" feature of the internet.

[^Rhino!]

I wonder if Goathead is a Rams fan?

Clydesdale fan.

DOOD!

Just 20 miles down the road in Boonville, Missouri Anheuser-Busch has built a large-scale exercise and breeding facility. It can have a breeding population of over 200 horses. The facility is well-maintained, and locally there has only been one minor problem: it's the source of moral imperfection for nearby Amish residents who also breed and use draft horses and like to look over the hewrd from a distance periodically. Their morality ptoblem? ENVY - still one of the Seven Deadly Sins in Protestany thought.

[ygmir]

yeah, it's more the idea with me, that I don't like it.
I don't mind ads, I can ignore them easy enough, and a couple of times they have worked!

No it's not the ads. I'm not buying anything. I'm saying no as well that I don't want any surveillance in my house. Pretending its cool like "living in the future" while my home is bugged, to learn me and how to harvest me. Maybe that privacy will become an outdated and "unsupported" feature of the internet.

ah ok.
I understand what you're saying, but how can they "harvest" you, if you don't go along with it? Ads or no ads, you'll buy what you want, yes? Your concept interests me, but I don't quite understand.

[lucky420]

Alexa has really helped people with vision impairment/blindness be more independent.

I don’t have one or have a need for one at this time

[goathead]

I wonder if Goathead is a Rams fan?

Clydesdale fan.

DOOD!

Just 20 miles down the road in Boonville, Missouri Anheuser-Busch has built a large-scale exercise and breeding facility. It can have a breeding population of over 200 horses. The facility is well-maintained, and locally there has only been one minor problem: it's the source of moral imperfection for nearby Amish residents who also breed and use draft horses and like to look over the hewrd from a distance periodically. Their morality ptoblem? ENVY - still one of the Seven Deadly Sins in Protestany thought.

Now that is a worthy Sin

[goathead]

*sipping whiskey*

I really LOVE your new avatar, goathead!

Thank you, I can't even imagine what those horns must weight

[goathead]

yeah, it's more the idea with me, that I don't like it.
I don't mind ads, I can ignore them easy enough, and a couple of times they have worked!

No it's not the ads. I'm not buying anything. I'm saying no as well that I don't want any surveillance in my house. Pretending its cool like "living in the future" while my home is bugged, to learn me and how to harvest me. Maybe that privacy will become an outdated and "unsupported" feature of the internet.

ah ok.
I understand what you're saying, but how can they "harvest" you, if you don't go along with it? Ads or no ads, you'll buy what you want, yes? Your concept interests me, but I don't quite understand.

But once they "tune in" to your frequency, how do you know if you thought of it, or did they suggest it to you in a way to make you think you thought of it? Big Hammer, it is the only solution.

[Elorrum]

Morning. Coffee yes please.

ygmir, You are correct it requires my buy-in to spend. Still It is a spy, learning about me. I’m not getting nutty about it, I just don’t want it. I’m sure it has a “should work like we want” forecast, and tales of toddlers making gigantic purchases are amusing for now. The presence of the market in my home, listening to me, unwelcome, uninvited, is the insult. I want the agency to choose when I am in commercial engagement.

Gh, yes, tailored, surgical marketing.

[ygmir]

Morning. Coffee yes please.

ygmir, You are correct it requires my buy-in to spend. Still It is a spy, learning about me. I’m not getting nutty about it, I just don’t want it. I’m sure it has a “should work like we want” forecast, and tales of toddlers making gigantic purchases are amusing for now. The presence of the market in my home, listening to me, unwelcome, uninvited, is the insult. I want the agency to choose when I am in commercial engagement.

Gh, yes, tailored, surgical marketing.

agreed. it's almost like we, or some of us anyway, feel the need to "backpedal" on tech. I'm told if you use any streaming or cable or sat tv, they record and track your watching patterns, as well as wake/sleep/come/go schedule. Over the air digital to a non connected wifi/internet/cell connected tv should be an escape there? Build a "faraday box" to put the phone in? though, if you carry it when on the go, they'll still get most of what they want.
Orwellian? yeah.
Soylent Green was set this year, IIRC?

and yeah GH, I'd say spot on. they've advanced far beyond the "subliminal advertising", made famous in theaters and early tv shows.

[goathead]

Morning. Coffee yes please.

ygmir, You are correct it requires my buy-in to spend. Still It is a spy, learning about me. I’m not getting nutty about it, I just don’t want it. I’m sure it has a “should work like we want” forecast, and tales of toddlers making gigantic purchases are amusing for now. The presence of the market in my home, listening to me, unwelcome, uninvited, is the insult. I want the agency to choose when I am in commercial engagement.

Gh, yes, tailored, surgical marketing.

agreed. it's almost like we, or some of us anyway, feel the need to "backpedal" on tech. I'm told if you use any streaming or cable or sat tv, they record and track your watching patterns, as well as wake/sleep/come/go schedule. Over the air digital to a non connected wifi/internet/cell connected tv should be an escape there? Build a "faraday box" to put the phone in? though, if you carry it when on the go, they'll still get most of what they want.
Orwellian? yeah.
Soylent Green was set this year, IIRC?

and yeah GH, I'd say spot on. they've advanced far beyond the "subliminal advertising", made famous in theaters and early tv shows.

They will harvest us when we are ripe

[goathead]

Speaking of ripe, the mangos and citrus all looks ripe, time for a nice big bowl of Everclear fruit punch.