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  1. about 23 hours ago on For Better or For Worse

    Certainly it should be a considered decision. There is no big risk in leaving them alone. AFAIK they are no worse to deal with later if they should be a problem. I would have left mine alone if they had left me alone, but in my middle 20s they had other plans. Bwahahaha!

  2. 2 days ago on For Better or For Worse

    There is rarely room for wisdom teeth; when they form they are usually mostly horizontal so they push the other teeth together… in nature we would have lost some of those to injury or disease.

    Mine were typical of that, but I had not lost any “permanent” teeth. It resulted in a relentless headache that eventually made me count the days before they were removed. All four were still trying to push my other teeth together.

  3. 2 days ago on Arlo and Janis

    Mine has always had Windows 11 and I get the same messages. Somehow I am not even surprised any more.

  4. 2 days ago on Arlo and Janis

    I agree – I never saw any user-side difference. Maybe MS learned something from the Windows 7 > 8 transition. I still regard Windows 8 to be one of the worst versions of Windows.

  5. 3 days ago on Arlo and Janis

    The general public is made of everyday people like us.

  6. 4 days ago on Arlo and Janis

    Nonsense. Knowledge is what supplants fear with the capacity to plan.

  7. 4 days ago on B.C.

    “All operations are binary.” I didn’t know anybody else thought that way! In my world things happen or they don’t, although I sometimes have a few minutes of assessing unexpected situations. Knowing that either something will happen or it won’t is how I make my peace with a world of seemingly random events. I have occasionally been threatened with all sorts of violence, but knowing it will happen or not (and probably not determinate in terms of my behavior) allows me to go about doing what I thought I should to start with.

    It started with bicycling with my pal, Tony. We were not entirely respectful in our downhill runs, and I once experienced losing my front tire in a high speed downhill switchback. When it happened the bike kicked out so I was lying on my side in midair. I could see the gorgeous ridge a few miles away, the brilliant blue sky and streaks of white clouds. I have never felt so alive! I was acutely aware of what was to come but also that it was in the no longer uncertain future. Even now, if I had known for sure what was going to happen, I’m not at all sure I would have backed off. The Big Coin came up tails… and I had a remarkable experience. Sic transit gloria mundi – eventually – whether we live near the edge sometimes or not.

  8. 4 days ago on Arlo and Janis

    CDC reports “…human infections can happen when enough virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose, or mouth, or is inhaled. People with close or prolonged unprotected contact (not wearing respiratory and eye protection) with infected birds or places that sick birds or their mucous, saliva, or feces have contaminated, might be at greater risk of bird flu virus infection.” A quick search nets lots of studies, with a published study from Annual Global Health estimating “The pooled average (SD) facial self-touch per hour was 50.06 (±47) times, and a specific touch of T-zone [eyes, nose and mouth] was 68.7 (±27).”

  9. 4 days ago on Arlo and Janis

    Unrelated to any comic, I saw an AMA video yesterday about the H5N1 “avian” flu virus spreading through touching our eyes. The current fatality rate of that virus in humans is reportedly in the 50% range if not promptly treated but spread is low at present.

    American Medical Association video: “Bird flu in California, walking pneumonia in kids and more viruses going around at the moment 2024” reports redeye is a common first indication of the H5N1 flu.

    I hope nobody needs this comment.

  10. 4 days ago on B.C.

    Most of us can carry on a conversation while tying our shoes or hiking (my grandson and I do that a lot; often more than an hour at a time.). As long as the tasks do not involve too much cortex activity there are only physical limitations to multitasking. I have done rather lengthy mathematical calculations while carrying on a conversation, which is pretty much the limit of my multitasking. It takes practice, but I bet most people can do it.

    Then there is subliminal multitasking, which takes place when we are not aware of it. We can carry on a conversation and realize, “I have to pick up Larry in ten minutes.” Finally, we have the YouTube video, "Most of us can carry on a conversation while tying our shoes or hiking (my grandson and I do that a lot; often more than an hour at a time.). As long as the tasks do not involve too much cortex activity there are only physical limitations to multitasking. I have done rather lengthy mathematical calculations while carrying on a conversation, which is pretty much the limit of my multitasking. It takes practice, but I bet most people can do it.

    Then there is subliminal multitasking, which takes place when we are not aware of it. We can carry on a conversation and realize, “I have to pick up Larry in ten minutes.”