Rant VIII: The Reckoning

Ravenpoe · Jun 25, 2016

Skyrim in VR would actually be awful, because it wasn't designed for VR.

The problem with a standard first person game like that in VR is movement. Having controls for walking around while also having headtracked immersion feels very weird, and messes with your sense of balance and equilibrium. Lots of people get motion sick in games like this, which is why most first person VR games have you in a vehicle, or on rails, or some of them even have you teleport as your method of movement, because the brain has no problem with that.

PatrThom · Jun 25, 2016

Ravenpoe said:
Skyrim in VR would actually be awful, because it wasn't designed for VR.

The problem with a standard first person game like that in VR is movement. Having controls for walking around while also having headtracked immersion feels very weird, and messes with your sense of balance and equilibrium. Lots of people get motion sick in games like this, which is why most first person VR games have you in a vehicle, or on rails, or some of them even have you teleport as your method of movement, because the brain has no problem with that.

Yeah. A giant would knock you into orbit and you'd puke.

--Pateick

ThatNickGuy · Jun 26, 2016

In the last few years, some people have asked me to write about my time in the Education program at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. I discuss it here, but there's more. I talk about why I feel so broken in great detail. I talk about WHAT broke me and how I feel so broken that I can't be fixed.

Strap in, folks. This is a long one. It's almost 3,000 words.

https://nickpiers.com/2016/06/26/the-wall-that-broke-me/

DarkAudit · Jun 28, 2016

The most heartbreaking question I've ever been asked by a guest, "do they (the emergency vet I've referred her to) do cremation?"

(epilogue: the cat she was taking to the vet was gone before they got there.

)

Dei · Jun 28, 2016

ThatNickGuy said:
In the last few years, some people have asked me to write about my time in the Education program at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. I discuss it here, but there's more. I talk about why I feel so broken in great detail. I talk about WHAT broke me and how I feel so broken that I can't be fixed.

Strap in, folks. This is a long one. It's almost 3,000 words.

https://nickpiers.com/2016/06/26/the-wall-that-broke-me/

When you say TA, was it in terms of helping out a whole class or specific kids? Special Ed paraprofessional might be something to look into if that wasn't the kind of TA'ing that was suggested to you. I don't even know if you'd need more school for that, but I would say you'd need to find a different school district to shadow in, because you definitely got a person that did not mesh well with you.

ThatNickGuy · Jun 28, 2016

Dei said:
When you say TA, was it in terms of helping out a whole class or specific kids? Special Ed paraprofessional might be something to look into if that wasn't the kind of TA'ing that was suggested to you. I don't even know if you'd need more school for that, but I would say you'd need to find a different school district to shadow in, because you definitely got a person that did not mesh well with you.

I think it was being an actual assistant to the teacher like another lady was during some days. For example, they'd set up the group tables while the teacher taught the class.

Gared · Jul 8, 2016

Well, my wife has officially slipped into the realm of diabetes. We expected that - she's been symptomatic for the past month and a half. What we didn't expect was that she would blow right past "slightly diabetic" and "pretty diabetic" and go straight to "god damn, you're diabetic." Her A1C was 12.3. For those of you not in the know, for non-diabetic people the A1C should be at or below 6.0. For diabetics, we aim for 6.5 or lower. The good news is she doesn't have to deal with the hell that is the first week or two of metformin - when you have to make reservations at your favorite toilet, bring lots of reading material, and your softest toilet paper. The bad news is, she now has to stab herself once a day to deliver 20 units of insulin.

GasBandit · Jul 8, 2016

Gared said:
Well, my wife has officially slipped into the realm of diabetes. We expected that - she's been symptomatic for the past month and a half. What we didn't expect was that she would blow right past "slightly diabetic" and "pretty diabetic" and go straight to "god damn, you're diabetic." Her A1C was 12.3. For those of you not in the know, for non-diabetic people the A1C should be at or below 6.0. For diabetics, we aim for 6.5 or lower. The good news is she doesn't have to deal with the hell that is the first week or two of metformin - when you have to make reservations at your favorite toilet, bring lots of reading material, and your softest toilet paper. The bad news is, she now has to stab herself once a day to deliver 20 units of insulin.

You both have my heartfelt sympathy. There, but for the grace of god, go I.

Officer_Charon · Jul 9, 2016

Parked in a church parking lot yesterday, I was approached by a HUGE black man in a beat-up pickup truck. He rolled up to me and I started my camera.

Him: "Officer, I just want to ask, can I pray for you?"

Me: (about as far from Christian as one can get) "If you'd like sir, I'm certainly not gonna stop you!"

Him: *dismounts his truck, I immediately tense up until I see his hands are clear, and his shirt isn't printing on anything that I can see*

Me: Oh, ok, I guess we're literally gonna do this right here *dismounts my car*

Him: "My name is [deleted]" *extends hand for a shake*

Me: "Nice to meet you!" *shakes hand, mind starts going ballistic*

Him: *retains my hand, holding on to me, left hand goes in pocket as he starts praying*

Me: *head bowed, wide-eyed, realizing that I may have done goofed, and working on tactical options whilst he prays*

Him: *finishes prayer, nods head to me, we exchange farewells and thank yous*

I hate this tension. A citizen contact should not be this nerve-wracking.

ThatNickGuy · Jul 9, 2016

Officer_Charon said:
Parked in a church parking lot yesterday, I was approached by a HUGE black man in a beat-up pickup truck. He rolled up to me and I started my camera.

Him: "Officer, I just want to ask, can I pray for you?"

Me: (about as far from Christian as one can get) "If you'd like sir, I'm certainly not gonna stop you!"

Him: *dismounts his truck, I immediately tense up until I see his hands are clear, and his shirt isn't printing on anything that I can see*

Me: Oh, ok, I guess we're literally gonna do this right here *dismounts my car*

Him: "My name is [deleted]" *extends hand for a shake*

Me: "Nice to meet you!" *shakes hand, mind starts going ballistic*

Him: *retains my hand, holding on to me, left hand goes in pocket as he starts praying*

Me: *head bowed, wide-eyed, realizing that I may have done goofed, and working on tactical options whilst he prays*

Him: *finishes prayer, nods head to me, we exchange farewells and thank yous*

I hate this tension. A citizen contact should not be this nerve-wracking.

Such a weird situation overall. I'm confused why someone puts their hand in their pocket at all during praying. Being raised a good Catholic, that seems a little disrespectful to the Big Man.

Bubble181 · Jul 9, 2016

ThatNickGuy said:
Such a weird situation overall. I'm confused why someone puts their hand in their pocket at all during praying. Being raised a good Catholic, that seems a little disrespectful to the Big Man.

Maybe holding a rosary or a crucifix something like that? Though I do find it odd too.

Officer_Charon · Jul 9, 2016

More likely he had his cellphone in there, recording, or somesuch. But it's VERY nerve-wracking when your strong hand is currently being clasped tightly.

Sparhawk · Jul 9, 2016

Probably more like "I don't know what to do with my hand. I'll just stick it in my pocket." Lot's of big guys that I know have this habit, they say they don't want to make someone feel like they are about to crush them.

Terrik · Jul 9, 2016

Sparhawk said:
Probably more like "I don't know what to do with my hand. I'll just stick it in my pocket." Lot's of big guys that I know have this habit, they say they don't want to make someone feel like they are about to crush them.

Pretty much what I was thinking.

fade · Jul 9, 2016

Maybe he was testing you.

Dave · Jul 9, 2016

Officer_Charon said:
I hate this tension. A citizen contact should not be this nerve-wracking.

Not to be "that guy" or anything...and you KNOW I am on the side of the police in almost all cases...but this tension? I imagine it's what young black men feel all the time when dealing with police.

And I apologize if you think I'm belittling your experience because I'm not.

PatrThom · Jul 9, 2016

Dave said:
Not to be "that guy" or anything...and you KNOW I am on the side of the police in almost all cases...but this tension? I imagine it's what young black men feel all the time when dealing with police.

And I apologize if you think I'm belittling your experience because I'm not.

It's a fair point.

--Patrick

Frank · Jul 9, 2016

Something I'm grateful I don't have quite to that degree. 99.9% of my experience with the public is positive.

Officer_Charon · Jul 9, 2016

95% of my interactions with the public are positive. I try to be Officer Friendly. I don't do jump-outs on guys on the corner, unless I have a legitimate suspicion. I generally don't stop and talk to folks, because I figure that most folks would rather not talk to a cop if they don't have to. I smile and wave to kids; hell I helped a lady carry her groceries into her apartment this morning.

And the funny thing? The overwhelming majority of officers I work with are exactly the same way, and just as befuddled by the race issue as I am. Folks is folks, race is an illusion.

Bones · Jul 9, 2016

Yeah its weird, my uncle is like you but he sounds like sgt friday from dragnet when it comes to work. He is a legit squeky clean dude who is one of those justice by the hand of god if need be type of people. I really feel for him, he is very tense with the shooting here in the twin cities

fade · Jul 9, 2016

I can tell you at my wife's department, most were good guys, but there were a couple of really gung-ho types. When they're out on patrol, they seem like they could be exactly like the type people are afraid of. The thing is, unless you're standing there watching them from the shadows, you just don't know. They could be saints, and some of the saints in the department could be racist assholes when no one is looking.

IronBrig4 · Jul 9, 2016

I remember when I was completing my bachelor's in criminal justice. I went with about 20 other seniors and a professor throughout California and toured a variety of prisons. We spoke with Eric Menendez (he and his brother killed their parents in Beverly Hills) and other inmates. Some of those inmates were former police officers who were in jail for racketeering, drug trafficking, or murder. What surprised me was the complicity in their departments. They knew some of their cops were corrupt and yet did nothing about it. To make matters worse, nearly all the other cops closed ranks around the crooked cops because they felt obligated to defend their "brothers." Any cop who tried to report corruption to Internal Affairs was harassed and ostracized.

Yes, police work is thankless and unappreciated. Yes, the majority of cops are good folks. Yes, most people on the street could be a lot more civil towards them. And holy crap yes, policing is one of the most stress-filled occupations. But circling the wagons around the bad cops, forming the blue wall of silence, and internally suppressing any dissent within the department is moronic and merely reinforces the mistaken belief that cops have an "us vs. them" attitude.

But I think Frank Serpico can explain it better than me. http://www.politico.com/magazine/st...-are-still-out-of-control-112160#.Vcq9yEWTEjh

Bubble181 · Jul 9, 2016

The same sentiment can be found in many groups. It stems from, and reinforces, the us vs them mentality. Whether it's doctors covering up colleague's malpractice, politicians hiding each others nepotism, moderate Muslims hiding terrorists, people in poor neighborhoods hiding local small criminals, sportsmen hiding each other's doping or unsportsmanship, priests hiding abuse.... Most groups are made up of 95% decent people, part of which sadly feels the need to either stand aside or cover cover up acts of their bad apples, usually out of some mistaken belief that exposing these flaws will put the whole group in a negative light - not seeing that creating a we've-got-each-others-backs atmosphere is even worse and makes the corrupt/evil/untrustworthy/racist/whatever part seem much larger and more prominent than it really is.
Still, this is especially galling/problematic/dangerous/appalling/... in groups that are held to a higher standard, are in charge/control, or considered to be morally superior or inspiring - cops, priests, politicians etc. These "should" know better.

PatrThom · Jul 10, 2016

Bubble181 said:
These "should" know better.

One might argue that the groups which should be more likely to know better are also the one who will be more likely to cover up, if only to keep word from getting out that they are just as fallible as other groups.

--Patrick

Adam · Jul 12, 2016

I'm in banking, we're all honest here.

ThatNickGuy · Jul 12, 2016

Adam said:
I'm in banking, we're all honest here.

Simfers · Jul 12, 2016

@Adam, if you look closely, you'll pick up subtle clues indicating that Nick is doubtful of your assertion.

ThatNickGuy · Jul 13, 2016

Out of sheer curiosity, I signed up to Swagbucks. The promise of gift cards to Amazon and Chapters were too tempting, especially for a book lover like me who can't afford jack shit these days.

The site is just an exercise in frustration.

"Watch these videos and earn Swagbucks! Oh, but the videos are stupidly choppy and a 1-minute video takes 10 minutes."
"Do these surveys and earn Swagbucks. Except they'll either say you're not qualified after doing it for 10 minutes or it'll keep redirecting you to other surveys and then you don't get your SBs."
"Membership to Audible.com for $1 a month for the first two months, and get a whole whack of SBs. Except then we're not going to send you the SBs." (Bright side to this: a Mickey Spillane audiobook)
"Play games, earn SBs! Oh, but they're those games where you pay money."

I'm at around 140 SBs (should be 940 with the Audible deal).

I doubt I'll have the patience to keep going with this shit.

jwhouk · Jul 13, 2016

I have a similar issue with Tapjoy and Topps BUNT. "Take a Super Survey!" Yeah. And you're kicked to the curb after three questions because you aren't their "target demographic."

bhamv3 · Jul 14, 2016

ThatNickGuy said:
Out of sheer curiosity, I signed up to Swagbucks. The promise of gift cards to Amazon and Chapters were too tempting, especially for a book lover like me who can't afford jack shit these days.

The site is just an exercise in frustration.

"Watch these videos and earn Swagbucks! Oh, but the videos are stupidly choppy and a 1-minute video takes 10 minutes."
"Do these surveys and earn Swagbucks. Except they'll either say you're not qualified after doing it for 10 minutes or it'll keep redirecting you to other surveys and then you don't get your SBs."
"Membership to Audible.com for $1 a month for the first two months, and get a whole whack of SBs. Except then we're not going to send you the SBs." (Bright side to this: a Mickey Spillane audiobook)
"Play games, earn SBs! Oh, but they're those games where you pay money."

I'm at around 140 SBs (should be 940 with the Audible deal).

I doubt I'll have the patience to keep going with this shit.

This reminds me of when I collected Beenz back around the turn of the century. You'd visit sites and complete surveys for Beenz, which allegedly could be spent on stuff. I later realized it was pretty much impossible to earn Beenz in sufficient amounts to buy anything worthwhile.

In the end I donated all my Beenz to a charity that provided water for rural villages in Africa. IIRC, according to the site, my Beenz bought around four days of clean water for a village.

MindDetective · Jul 14, 2016

Mechanical Turk (owned by Amazon.com) should be a pretty reliable way to earn some book or DVD money: https://www.mturk.com/mturk/welcome I think Google has something similar. I have used mTurk to collect data, so I appreciate dedicated workers that I can pay for little tasks.

ThatNickGuy · Jul 14, 2016

MindDetective said:
Mechanical Turk (owned by Amazon.com) should be a pretty reliable way to earn some book or DVD money: https://www.mturk.com/mturk/welcome I think Google has something similar. I have used mTurk to collect data, so I appreciate dedicated workers that I can pay for little tasks.

Welp, so much for that.

Meanwhile, I just tried going for a walk. Except I had to turn back early because I tore up the back of my foot (around the achilles tendon). AGAIN. This keeps fucking happening to me. I just want to go for walks, but no, for some reason, I keep tearing up the back of my foot. Or ankle. Or wherever the fuck it is. I don't care. It hurts and I just want to go for walks and I CAN'T.

I give up. I give up trying to get healthy and lose weight again. I'm going to get fat and hopefully have a heart attack and die before I'm 40.

MindDetective · Jul 14, 2016

ThatNickGuy said:
Welp, so much for that.
View attachment 21577

Looks like it is because you are in Canada? Lame. I thought they allowed workers from outside the U.S.

Here is the Google App which grants Google Play credit: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.paidtasks&hl=en

Alternately maybe Crowdflower? It seems like it is associated with Swagbucks, though. https://elite.crowdflower.com/?view=register I don't know anything about it but it does allow Canadian workers.

Dei · Jul 14, 2016

ThatNickGuy said:
Welp, so much for that.
View attachment 21577

Meanwhile, I just tried going for a walk. Except I had to turn back early because I tore up the back of my foot (around the achilles tendon). AGAIN. This keeps fucking happening to me. I just want to go for walks, but no, for some reason, I keep tearing up the back of my foot. Or ankle. Or wherever the fuck it is. I don't care. It hurts and I just want to go for walks and I CAN'T.

I give up. I give up trying to get healthy and lose weight again. I'm going to get fat and hopefully have a heart attack and die before I'm 40.

What kind of shoes are you wearing? It might be worth it to go to a running store that does fittings to get shoes that will give you more support. Even if you never plan to run it can make a huge difference. I would get pain and stress in all kinds of stupid places until I got the right shoes.

Denbrought · Jul 14, 2016

MindDetective said:
Looks like it is because you are in Canada? Lame. I thought they allowed workers from outside the U.S.

Here is the Google App which grants Google Play credit: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.paidtasks&hl=en

Alternately maybe Crowdflower? It seems like it is associated with Swagbucks, though. https://elite.crowdflower.com/?view=register I don't know anything about it but it does allow Canadian workers.

It's more about having an American SSN, if I recall correctly. They had to change things around a few years back after they got flooded with Indian accounts.