PhobosAnomaly

Coffee shops are fantastic. My other half doesn't get why I go out to buy a coffee that I could easily make in the house for next to fuck all, but it was never about the coffee - it was about being out of the house and watching the world go by. There's a coffee shop in a hotel that overlooks the thoroughfare between one of my local city's biggest shopping centres and it's rail station, and it's nice just wasting an hour or two watching people go about their lives.

The cost of the coffee is just a warmth and comfort tax really for sitting there.

Good effort, that's a decent shape to be in. 10k runs are my "thing" but as my march into middle age progresses, I find I can't do them back-to-back any more, I'm needing more than a day or two to recover.

Maybe go for something a little more varied - I'm training for (but never done) local triathlons. Great way to build physical fitness with only a third of the high impact on the joints. The major limiting factor will be the pool of course, unless you're fortunate to own (or have unrestricted access to) a pool.

Random turn of conversation direction, are you creative at all? Crocheting seems to make the world go by at an alarming rate - it's both a time killer and very rewarding.

Unfortunately, this would be gender and/or location dependent. Great advice for daylight hours, but the society we currently live in makes it perhaps less viable for women in certain areas or countries, or even in general if it's a particularly socially deprived area.

Absolutely on board with the exercise thing though. I've taken to trying to waste time on an exercise bike - even an inexpensive one, or a normal bike mounted on a turbo trainer. I'm not expecting anyone to bang in speeds and times like Lance Armstrong on some special supplements, but a slow spin for longer periods of time is great fun... just get a good wide comfortable saddle!

Yes.

It's not that we're particularly fucked financially, we're doing enough to keep our heads well clear of the water, but we're not wealthy by any means and either parents have helped us by stumping up an initial outlay on something, and we've paid them back.

The waste is a fair point - storage isn't a long term solution but then I suppose it can be managed in the interim, not like the effects of climate change.

I'm not seeing your point of "nukes" though?

I encountered Quishing the other day - the inadvertent scanning of QR codes that take a browser to a malformed URL or site with malware embedded.

Back in my day, it was just called "being a bit dense", especially as most cameras/QR readers will offer you a prompt to go to a website first.

Yeah I would imagine so 😂

Also, if you have a list of orders, don't give them all at once. Instead, order the first drink, let them pour it, let them put it on the bar in front of you, let them walk to the POS, let them log in and add it to the bill, and when they come back and ask for payment, say "can I also get a uhhhhhhhhhhhh" and order your second drink.

Do this for as long as your order is, the larger the better. The reason for this is that staff are usually wearing pedometers and it allows them to rack up a higher score, and your fellow patrons will appreciate it because it'll add a small delay to their drinking pace, allowing them to savour the moment a little more.

idiot edit: I have absolutely replied to the wrong comment, but I'm 2cool4deleting so whatever

When purchasing a round of drinks, establishments generally aren't fond of digital payments and are usually short on change as most prices end in a 9.

What's really appreciated is if you bring a coin purse, and count out each total in change (denominations up to and including 50p - pound coins in extremis) on the bar so the staff don't have to provide you with change.

For additional kudos, do this on a Friday or Saturday night when the bar is four deep. The patrons will appreciate your effort and respect for the public house financial system, and often chant words of wisdom at you, rendering you a local hero.

Jesus I had forgotten about that stuff - for the very reason mentioned here.

See also:

• Absinthe
• Pints of dry Martini
• Wazzups (no I don't know what was in them either)
• Baileys and lemon 🤢

How is someone getting control of their data by paying a ransom?

The opposing actor still has your data, so it doesn't really matter how much you pay, you'll never be able to mitigate that security issue, surely?

All I needed was a reason

Just to be a proper poser...

...obviously that was a lie, I could never afford persistent storage. Floppy swaps were king.