The Coffee House

[davidharmier60]

I was looking at 3 hours. She said "Oh the cobwebs". So almost 4.75 looking up and using a long feather duster.

The last line of florescent lights is right over the checkout lanes. Neither checkers nor customers wanted me to continue.
So I'll get that line in the morning.

Going to see if the second bank in town has a box of pennies. If not I'll go to our bank.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[Gary A.]

Buenos Dias Coffee Hosers. Gary is sorry that you fellow hosers do not have the benefit of Miss Maggie greeting you in the mornings. Every single morning she will greet you with total unconditional happiness pouring out of every hair as she wiggles and wags and runs and jumps up to greet you saying "It is so great to see you so we can share this new day together and I know it will be GRAND!"

Miss Maggie is the happiest creature Gary has even known.

 

[waday]

Some of those people do have technical knowledge but many don't. My job was to interact with the test technicians to make sure that the high-level review teams could understand their conclusions.

This is so important. It's easy to assume that others in the same field have a similar understanding. As an author of numerous reports, that is the most incorrect assumption I can make. I write out all of my acronyms. My goal is to write to a smart 8th grader--something my supervisor taught me.

As an engineer-in-training several years ago, I was talking once with a 50 year old licensed engineer from a regulatory agency. That engineer didn't know simple acronyms that are common throughout the field--things that I was taught in college. I was dumbfounded, but that was when I had the realization that I needed to literally spell everything out and introduce all topics like the reader has no idea what I'm talking about.

In my field, I often cross paths with biologists, engineers in different concentrations, managers, clients, and regulators--usually on the same project. It's absolutely imperative that we're all on the same page--that can usually only happen with written word, which I am usually responsible for writing.

Technical (and non-technical) writers are so important to this process. I wish we had the budget to use them on every project.

 

[Cortian]

Not sure what has changed in the mentality of those who now seem to idolize the evil.

Many things have contributed to create what we're seeing. The incessant glorification of violence on TV, in movies, in game themes, in music, etc. Children being brought up to believe there are no winners or losers, that there are no consequences to their actions and that they're "owed" success by the very fact of their existence. (Then running into the Brick Wall of Reality.) Everybody looking out for #1, regardless the cost to their own well-being and that of those around them. People valuing things over all else, quantity over quality, and now over a future. People being lied-to constantly--by the government, by the "news" media (which is more entertainment than news), by the "education" system, and, worst of all, by themselves. All the while knowing it and accepting it--as long as they're lies they like.

Somebody earlier said "only in America." Not really. It's just that here in the U.S. we're not seeing the whole of what's happening in the rest of the world. (Re: "news," above.)

What we're seeing is a world going mad. And the madder it gets the madder it gets. Sounds like a tautology, but it's actually an expression of what's called, in engineering terms, a "positive feedback loop." The effect appears to be accelerating because it is.

Did you know recent studies suggest people are becoming more stupid, and have been for some time? I wish I was making it up. One might question whether we're becoming more stupid as a result of the declines in society or the declines in society are a result of our becoming more stupid, but there's no denying both are occurring. Lifespans are declining, too.

In other words, for all our advances in knowledge, science, and technology: Human civilization would appear to be in decline.

There might be a way out of this, but I certainly have no clue as to what it is

 

[Gary A.]

On coffee:
Gary has been roasting his coffee beans for awhile. Recently, Gary decided to revert back to Costco whole roasted coffee beans, a la 'Jose's', 100% Colombian Supremo. He remembered it as being quite good. Best of all, it is fours bucks a pound and already roasted as opposed to the six-seven bucks a pound he pays for green beans. Because Gary's roaster only handles a small batch at a time, it takes a while to cook up the beans. Gary figured he would get a twofer, lower price and pre-roasted by switching back to Costco. Unfortunately, the Jose's beans and roasting to not match up to Gary's roasting. Consequently, Gary will be back to home roasting. FYI- commercially roasted whole beans is at least a magnitude better than commercially roasted and ground bean.

 

[Gary A.]

Some of those people do have technical knowledge but many don't. My job was to interact with the test technicians to make sure that the high-level review teams could understand their conclusions.

This is so important. It's easy to assume that others in the same field have a similar understanding. As an author of numerous reports, that is the most incorrect assumption I can make. I write out all of my acronyms. My goal is to write to a smart 8th grader--something my supervisor taught me.

As an engineer-in-training several years ago, I was talking once with a 50 year old licensed engineer from a regulatory agency. That engineer didn't know simple acronyms that are common throughout the field--things that I was taught in college. I was dumbfounded, but that was when I had the realization that I needed to literally spell everything out and introduce all topics like the reader has no idea what I'm talking about.

In my field, I often cross paths with biologists, engineers in different concentrations, managers, clients, and regulators--usually on the same project. It's absolutely imperative that we're all on the same page--that can usually only happen with written word, which I am usually responsible for writing.

Technical (and non-technical) writers are so important to this process. I wish we had the budget to use them on every project.

Gary, when he runs/consults on political campaigns, writes to a sixth grade level.

 

[JonA_CT]

On coffee:
Gary has been roasting his coffee beans for awhile. Recently, Gary decided to revert back to Costco whole roasted coffee beans, a la 'Jose's', 100% Colombian Supremo. He remembered it as being quite good. Best of all, it is fours bucks a pound and already roasted as opposed to the six-seven bucks a pound he pays for green beans. Because Gary's roaster only handles a small batch at a time, it takes a while to cook up the beans. Gary figured he would get a twofer, lower price and pre-roasted by switching back to Costco. Unfortunately, the Jose's beans and roasting to not match up to Gary's roasting. Consequently, Gary will be back to home roasting. FYI- commercially roasted whole beans is at least a magnitude better than commercially roasted and ground bean.

Yup. A couple of pots of Cafe Bustelo, and my wife's complaining has stopped .

 

[tirediron]

As a pointless aside, it's interesting to note the differences in terminology imposed by an imaginary line around 49N... here, a degree-granting institution is a university (with the exception of military colleges), whereas a college (with rare exceptions) is a post-secondary institution that grants certificates.

 

[Gary A.]

Not sure what has changed in the mentality of those who now seem to idolize the evil.

Many things have contributed to create what we're seeing. The incessant glorification of violence on TV, in movies, in game themes, in music, etc. Children being brought up to believe there are no winners or losers, that there are no consequences to their actions and that they're "owed" success by the very fact of their existence. (Then running into the Brick Wall of Reality.) Everybody looking out for #1, regardless the cost to their own well-being and that of those around them. People valuing things over all else, quantity over quality, and now over a future. People being lied-to constantly--by the government, by the "news" media (which is more entertainment than news), by the "education" system, and, worst of all, by themselves. All the while knowing it and accepting it--as long as they're lies they like.

Somebody earlier said "only in America." Not really. It's just that here in the U.S. we're not seeing the whole of what's happening in the rest of the world. (Re: "news," above.)

What we're seeing is a world going mad. And the madder it gets the madder it gets. Sounds like a tautology, but it's actually an expression of what's called, in engineering terms, a "positive feedback loop." The effect appears to be accelerating because it is.

Did you know recent studies suggest people are becoming more stupid, and have been for some time? I wish I was making it up. One might question whether we're becoming more stupid as a result of the declines in society or the declines in society are a result of our becoming more stupid, but there's no denying both are occurring. Lifespans are declining, too.

In other words, for all our advances in knowledge, science, and technology: Human civilization would appear to be in decline.

There might be a way out of this, but I certainly have no clue as to what it is

Gary disagrees with you on many points, largely because of the generalizations ... sorta hard to get to specifics in a chat room. But, there is many more school type shooting here by students than anywhere else in the world. And there are more mass shootings here by individuals than anywhere else in the world. By a big margin.

Gary thinks the general school age population may be utilizing gaming videos for entertainment as opposed to reading, which the pre-computer generations tended to do. Gary imagines that a poll taken comparing the Tv generation with pre-Tv generation would result in a similar result as the Tv crowd getting dumber. Gary has only anecdotal stories, but it seems that the knowledge levels of standard testing have been lower now than in the past generations. So, anecdotally, yeah, in general we as a people are getting dumber, but there is more than enough 'smart' people around to not put civilization at risk.

 

[Gary A.]

As a pointless aside, it's interesting to note the differences in terminology imposed by an imaginary line around 49N... here, a degree-granting institution is a university (with the exception of military colleges), whereas a college (with rare exceptions) is a post-secondary institution that grants certificates.

Here, in general conversation, college and university are interchangeable.

 

[Cortian]

Gary disagrees with you on many points, largely because of the generalizations ... sorta hard to get to specifics in a chat room.

It's very hard to get specific in a venue such as this.

I actually briefly considered adding cites for my many points. But I've been in enough of these on-line discussions to know better by now

But, there is many more school type shooting here by students than anywhere else in the world. And there are more mass shootings here by individuals than anywhere else in the world. By a big margin.

Thing is: School shootings aren't the only kinds of violence perpetrated on the populations of the world. They're the ones we see, because what's billed as "news" in this country covers them. In excruciating detail. Complete with Dramatic Music. Repeatedly.

 

[JonA_CT]

As a pointless aside, it's interesting to note the differences in terminology imposed by an imaginary line around 49N... here, a degree-granting institution is a university (with the exception of military colleges), whereas a college (with rare exceptions) is a post-secondary institution that grants certificates.

Here, in general conversation, college and university are interchangeable.

I don't know if its everywhere...but the University of Connecticut has several different schools and colleges within it.

So I graduated from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, while my wife got her Master's from the Neag School of Education...School of Nursing, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, School of Engineering...etc etc etc

 

[Cortian]

Also, companies like mine could really use a technical editor. We have some, but they are usually people that have a science background.

Best technical editor with which I ever worked had a Journalism degree. She taught me how to write

This was my first job out of college. I was a non-technical writing expert for a company that had testing and evaluation contracts with the US Navy. Why non-technical, you might ask? Well, they wanted to make sure the reports had minimal jargon and were able to be read and understood by the people who provide the funding to the military.

That was one of the things I learned. Technical exactness is all well and good, but if your readership can't understand it, what's the point?

So how it would go is I'd write my document, she'd bleed red all over it, I'd revise, re-submit, she'd mark it up again... There were some things upon which I wouldn't budge and some she wouldn't. Between us we'd manage to get a document out that was sufficiently readable and sufficiently accurate

 

[smoke665]

@Gary A. Not sure about people getting dumber, though it's not hard to think that given today's society. As a whole i think kids coming up today know more. Maybe it's more of a lack of what we used to call "Horse Sense", and "Personal Responsibility".

 

[tirediron]

I don't know if its everywhere...but the University of Connecticut has several different schools and colleges within it.

So I graduated from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, while my wife got her Master's from the Neag School of Education...School of Nursing, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, School of Engineering...etc etc etc

Most of our universities have schools within them which is essentially a division of the university relating to a specific field of study (eg nursing, business, medicine, law, et cetera). Some of the larger colleges may as well, but in general, they tend to be smaller institutions. There's a very distinct difference in speech; people are VERY careful to stress that they went to university, and while it's common to drop the 'college' (eg "I went to Camosun [College]), people almost never drop the "university".... I went to Simon Fraser university!