The Off Topic Topic

[Razgovory]

I called a Displacer Beast Huey P. Newton.  Nobody got my joke.

[Admiral Yi]

I now live in a permitless concealed and open carry state.

[crazy canuck]

Thanks for the warning

[HVC]

I now live in a permitless concealed and open carry state.

The important question, castle doctrine, yes or no? What's the point of shooting someone if you go to jail anyway

[Barrister]

I now live in a permitless concealed and open carry state.

It's funny - watching US gun fights from afar I was generally about 90-95% on board with the NRA and gun rights movement 25-30 years ago.

But to watch them push the envelope into areas that would have seemed insane even to themselves 25-30 years go is fascinating to watch.

[Tamas]

It's a bit sad that the 16 years old darts kid doesn't seem to realise he became a brief world phenomenon because he looks twice that age.

[Grey Fox]

My 10 year old son loves it when I hold his head for him and he can have his neck/shoulder be 100% relax.

Anyone's else know anyone who loves that? Could be quite rare since the window weight and height wise is limited.

[Josquius]

It's a bit sad that the 16 years old darts kid doesn't seem to realise he became a brief world phenomenon because he looks twice that age.

To be fair when you're 16 this would be counted as a good thing.

[viper37]

I've started doing paid tech support again.

My friend had a computer business in the past, he kinda closed shop when he lost his only technician and only did tech support.

I did a few contracts for him here and there over the years, picked a few clients of mine, but never really did anything serious about it, was way too busy for the company, and at one time I just stopped doing for others with 6 computers to maintain at home plus the laptop and tablet for dad's girlfriend.


Now, with no fixed job, he contacted me again, asked if I wanted to do some work on the side since he's Livin' La Vida Loca in the Dominican Republic with his local girlfriend.

Now, the first two jobs, were ok.  One laptop crashed due to Windows 10 trying to upgrade to Win11 while installing another update at the same time and the college student had installed the wrong version of Teams (thank you Microsoft for giving me work?).  One drive was full and was giving her an error message.  Change for Aomei Backupper with a shortcut to the desktop to it points to a USB key.  Easy fix.

Her mom asked me to check her laptop while I was there.  Windows asked for 2FA while it connects.  I found out that she's still connected to her former employer Azure's server.  Told her she has to contact them so they disconnect her.  Then she had a video driver problem.  Another easy fix.

I also noticed she had Kaspersky Total Security installed on her computer.   I know where this comes from...

I told my friend years ago not to install that fucking pos of Russian malware on his client's computer.  Did he listen?  Of course not.

So now, right before Christmas, he wanted me to buy keys for Kasperky so his clients could renew their license.

Me: - They don't need that
Him: They're used to it
V: I'm gonna have them run TeamViewer, take control of the computer, remove Kaspersky, reboot the computer, let them run WinDefender or install a free solution.
Friend: We're gonna sell them the keys at 10$ profit
V: I have to give my credit card # to the Russian mafia, agree to be spammed and have an automatic renewal, all for my share of 5$?  No thanks
F: Go to WalMart, I'm sure they have some Kaspersky.
V: It's 8 freakin' km away, I'm gonna waste it in gaz.  [looks at internet].  They might have some on the internet.  *Proceeds to add to cart*  FFS, it's delivered by mail.  Who delivers a software licence by mail?
F: Buy it
V: No F* way.
F: C'mon
V: *Looks at it* It's not even the right product. 
F: ?
V: Look, it's Kaspersky Antivirus Basic and you have installed K* Total Security on your client's machine
F: No, no, no, it's the basic AV, nothing else, I never install anything else.
V: You install corporate keys from a supplier, they sell you the total version.
F: No, it's the basic stuff.
V: You sure you're not mistaken?
F: I'm certain of what I'm installing
F: *sends me a link from Bestbuy*  This is what I install them.  3 licenses, it's exactly what we need.
V: It's tied to one email account though, make sure you keep it to yourself and give only the key.  It might not work.
F: Buy it, I haven't settled all my banking and credit card stuff.
V: So your taxes aren't settled, you haven't given any power of attorney to anyone, your asking a friend to do your taxes for 2019 me to ask for an extension by impersonating you, you don't have a bank account in your sunset paradise nor a foreign Canadian bank account, you don't have a credit card anymore and you complain everyone you contact makes your life difficult?
F: No one understands me like you do.
V: Yeah.

One week later, I get the first Kasperky client info.
Nice little old lady.

F: Here's a phone number contact her, she can't renew her license herself.  I contacted the other client, he was able to renew.
V: Fracking bullshit software
F: You're just not used to it.
V: I owe you one (many) for my computer or otherwise I wouldn't be touching this.

So I contact the lady by e-mail with detailed instructions and a screenshot of Teamviewer for where to give me the number.

I then call her:

V: Please me the sequence of numbers you see on the bottom of your screen
L: *proceeds to give 10 numbers*
V: euh... Can you repeat the sequence please?  I must have misheard?
L: *proceeds to give me 10 numbers again*
V: I'm sorry miss, but there should be a sequence of 9 numbers, 3 x 3.  [where the heck is she seeing the 10th?]
L: Ah, then it must be there's a 1 that isn't relevant.
V: *inputs the sequence and Team Viewer rejects it*

Tried a few things for 5 minutes, but abandoned the project and told the lady to bring me the laptop the next morning.

Next morning:
L: Hello!
V: Hello!
L: I'm sorry for yesterday, I was giving you the number from my tablet.
V: ...

So, then I examined the laptop.

And my friend had me buy keys for Kaspersky Antivirus.
And as I suspected, all his clients had Kaspersky Total Security
...


V: Hey. It's the wrong license.
F: It's impossible. She must have switched the version by herself!
V: All your clients have the same version.
F: It's impossible, they must have swtiched version by themselves!
V: They're tech illiterates.  This lady could struggled to open TeamViewer.  You sold her a laptop 11 year ago that was probably at minimum spec then, and she relies on you for a paid antivirus that is totally unecessary since she barely uses the computer for anything else than printing recipes.  How do you figure she can switch her AV version from Basic to Total?
F: ... She says she does he banking on it...
V: She says she uses her tablet for everything but printing, but even if she did, it's money down the drain.  Better charge her a bit to help her buy a tablet that will connect to a printer, she'll be happy and will recommend us to everyone in her circle that has problems.  And I'm gonna save time.
F: So did you install Kaspersky?
V: I'm still trying to boot on this antiquity. 
F: Be patient.
V: Not my strongest trait.
F: I saw that when you worked on your computer.
V: ... (Finally reached Kaspersky).  I can enter the license now.  It's switching to standard
F: Don't do that!
V: I don't have a choice.
F: Ok, do it.
V: A fucking POS.  It's no longer working.  I have to reboot the computer now.  You g** russian spyware is completely disabled.
F: What did you do?  Show me?
V: Wait.
F: what?
V: I'm rebooting.
F: So? Are you ready?
V: I told you: I'M REBOOTING CÂLISSE
F: Ok, ok, I didn't realize it was so long.
V: You can sold a fridge to an Eskimo, you can sell Kasperky to people who don't need it, why didn't you ever sold higher end machines?  No don't answer: I'm not the patient type.
F: ...
V: I'm in.  License, creating the account.  It's ok.  Downgrade in effect. Seems to be working now.
F: Ok, that's gonna be 45$ for the licence, plus...
V: Fracking Kasperky
F: What? 
V: BSOD.  Have to reboot again.
F: It's illogical.
V: It's your stupid Russian stuff.  I never want to work with that stuff again!
F: There's one more license to sell!
V: Find a rich Dominican and sell it to him!  Don't talk to me about this pos again!
F: They don't have computers over here.
V: Vhat??  Are you kidding me?  Forget what I said about me joining me you over there.  I'm not even stepping foot over there for a vacation when I get back on my feet.  
F: Laughing
V: Now I can't even access the Event Viewer
F: Disable Kaspersky
V: I can't disable that Russian malware without uninstalling it.
F: You're just not used to it. It used to be simpler.
V:
V:  Ok, got it.  It's working now.  No thanks to your Russian bot.
F: We have one more!
V: ...  You better bring your ass back here to replace all my cpus and change my motherboard!

[grumbler]

That story needs a better ending, but the dialogue is top-notch.

[viper37]

That story needs a better ending, but the dialogue is top-notch.

He texted me later to ask me if I could rent him a room for two months.  He expects things not to go well with his daughter while he's back in the country.
Can't see why.

[viper37]

Breijvik is suing Norway for alleged human rights breach

Convicted mass murderer Anders Breivik appeared in court on Monday in a second attempt to sue the Norwegian state for allegedly breaching his human rights.

Breivik, a right-wing extremist who killed 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage, appeared before a judge in Oslo claiming his solitary confinement since being imprisoned in 2012 amounts to inhumane treatment under the European Convention of Human Rights.

Norway favours rehabilitation over retribution - and Breivik is held in a two-story complex with a kitchen, dining room and TV room with an Xbox, several armchairs and black and white pictures of the Eiffel Tower on the wall.

He also has a fitness room with weights, treadmill and rowing machine, while three parakeets fly around the complex.

[viper37]

You don't need to understand French for this one.  It's comical for us, but not for the owner and the 7 families now out of a place to live.

Crazy conspiracy theories nut built a bunker in his apartment.  He weakened the structure, forcing the evacuation of everyone from the building.  I guess there's a just cause for eviction now...

[Sheilbh]

Erm - WTF?
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/jan/08/taylor-swift-nyt-opinion-sexuality

This seems like a very, very weird piece for someone like the NYT to have published. I sort of get the point the author is making in their defence but I feel like there's a strange merging of reception or what you understand and intent or what the artist is "signalling" (which is, in any event, irrelevent).

I mean I also think that's a wider thing in the culture but still very strange.

[Josquius]

Taylor Swift just angers me.
She appeared out of nowhere and became huge out of nowhere whilst acts with 10 times her talent struggle.