The Off Topic Topic

[Valmy]

Actually my comment was related to Ide's.

At any rate, I do think it is problematic if this girl was automatically singled out to play the hispanic character in the skit because she is hispanic. What if she wanted to be a different part?

I get that.  I was not interested in always automatically being the racist cracker white dude either, but you know that is what you got to do as an actor sometimes.  What I found ridiculous is her acting like this was some sort of horrid injustice...but I guess it could be we just get his sign and picture out of context.  Maybe she had been rejected numerous roles because of her race and then just given this part and it was the last straw or something.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Saving on car servicing these days is false economy, unless you really, really know what you're doing.  Your time is worth money, and so are the repairs you'll need to do after you fuck something up.

Depends on what you mean by "really, really know what you're doing".  I'm an engineer and a lot of this shit comes naturally to me, though, so I may have a distorted view.

That said, I agree that vehicles are getting so complicated that the benefits of doing work yourself are diminishing.

[derspiess]

All things being equal, I'd let the dude at the auto parts store install the battery-- if only to keep my hands from getting dirty.  But FFS.  A car battery is one of those basic things any driver should know about.

I don't see why. I don't anticipate being in a situation where it would be necessary for me to change my battery.

There are lots of things in life you don't anticipate.  I'd put changing a battery/troubleshooting a battery problem in the same class as checking oil level, checking/maintaining proper tire inflation, and other very basic common sense maintenance. 

Plus it's just dead simple. 

[Valmy]

Lena Dunham is nasty.  And not the good kind of nasty-- the bad kind.

Dude seriously?  This is why I am glad I am not a celebrity.

[Ed Anger]

My lack of interest in the internal workings of cars and my inability to fix them has always disappointed my father. He looks at my cars and just shakes his head.

[derspiess]

[Ed Anger]

Lena Dunham is nasty.  And not the good kind of nasty-- the bad kind.

Dude seriously?  This is why I am glad I am not a celebrity.

She is a sea cow.

[sbr]

I pay $50 a month for AAA.

[Valmy]

That is ridiculous.  Martinez is by far the most common name for Latinos (18x more common that Smith is among Anglos).  Total racism fail by that racist emcee.

But seriously how do we know that emcee just made an honest mistake?  Calling him out as a brutal racist seems a little harsh.

[Caliga]

When I see some hipster hold up a stupid handwritten sign and take a selfie, I reach for my Beretta.

[Ed Anger]

When I see some hipster hold up a stupid handwritten sign and take a selfie, I reach for my Beretta.

MAH TRIGGER LOCK

[Malthus]

Being able to do basic car maintenance is useful, but not overly useful. Every year, cars get more complex and more reliable.

[Eddie Teach]

Brown people problems. 

[Caliga]

MAH TRIGGER LOCK

yw for the assist.

[crazy canuck]

All things being equal, I'd let the dude at the auto parts store install the battery-- if only to keep my hands from getting dirty.  But FFS.  A car battery is one of those basic things any driver should know about.

I don't see why. I don't anticipate being in a situation where it would be necessary for me to change my battery.

There are lots of things in life you don't anticipate.  I'd put changing a battery/troubleshooting a battery problem in the same class as checking oil level, checking/maintaining proper tire inflation, and other very basic common sense maintenance. 

Plus it's just dead simple.

25 years ago I did all minor repairs on my car myself.  But my first car was a dodge valiant.  It was very easy to work under the hood.  But these days I dont have the patience or the time to learn how to avoid what damage I might do if I disconnect my battery from all the electronics I now have in my car.  That and I have never had to change a battery since those good old days.