To get the discount on this offer, Amazon must be the seller for both items. As of this morning, Amazon is OOS for the TP-Link plug, not currently permitting backorders. Either wait for stock, or see the offer below from Best Buy for the Mini version of the TP-Link Smart Plug. The Mini is $5 more, but it also frees up the second outlet on your wall plug, whereas the original large plug in the Amazon offer blocks both outlets.
@ruouttaurmind There are lots of echo dot pairing deals on right now. A good one is echo dot and Harmony hub for $89.99, the hub alone is $87.
Also echo dot and Alexa compatible rgb Christmas lights for $49 and echo dot and Philips hue starter kit for I believe $79 (but you should have bought your Hues from Meh).
Go to the Dot page and then choose your pairing under the Configuration selection.
@sammydog01 Dear Alexa, although the time we’ve spent together has been great, it seems our paths have taken different directions. I still think the world of you, but I’m afraid I cannot see a future in which you are a part of my life.
Or you can put Alexa, Google, Cortana, and Siri in a room together and let them fight it out. Whichever one emerges victorious, fate is handing you a message.
If you bought a Chromebook Plus or Pro on the various black friday/cyber monday deals, there is now a Google Offer for a free 6 months of Netflix. https://www.google.com/chromebook/offers/
@Yoda_Daenerys They’re laptops that run Google’s chrome-browser-based ChromeOS and made by Samsung. The Pro and Plus are on the higher end and a bit spendy but there were deals to be had the last week. I got a Plus used on ebay for $239 and was still able to get the Netflix offer. I’d post that deal, but they sold out.
Amazon’s got the Lectrofan white noise generators on special today. If you sleep well to fan noise (or white noise) these are awesome. I have one and love it. Might pick up another just in case. https://smile.amazon.com/dlp/e96b6211/
Newegg via eBay (no tax in most states, free shipping) has Xbox One S 500GB core system in stock and ready to ship for $170. Same price as most B&B retailers, but most B&M retailers are OOS right now, and charge sales tax.
@mflassy Meh. Nobody really needs a gaming system.
Was the eBay app thingy a targeted offer?? I need to get a couple extra batteries for the DJI Spark I got my bother in the Mehrathon on Monday, but my app isn’t giving me any kind of bonus bucks.
@ruouttaurmind I bought your lil xbox deal and the hard drive is already full after downloading SOME of the free games I’ve acquired through games with gold. A crappy wrestling game was nearly 50GB on it’s own. Uninstalled that right fast. Got any deals on external hard drives?
@medz I recently acquired my former roommate’s Xbox One (he left it behind to compensate me for having to dispose of all the other crap he left behind).
Last night I downloaded Forza Horizon 3 Demo. JUST the demo. I was pretty surprised it consumed nearly 20GB for JUST THE DEMO! By the time I DL demos for Forza 7, Far Cry 5 and the PUBG game I’ll be in the market for a new HDD as well!
Oh, and how the eff long did it take to freakin’ DL my Forza demo! Cripes. I mean… I know I only have 12Mbs 'net speed, but c’mon! SIX hours! I wound up staying up WAY past my bedtime 'cause of course I wanted to try out the demo once it finally finished installing. Lesson learned… queued up the other demos before I turned in for the night. Let the Xbox digest the downloads while I slept and now while I’m at the office.
I was very pleased with how fast the Xbox One downloaded games and updates compared to the 360. But, yeah, the size is ridiculous. The graphics ain’t THAT good.
@medz 360 to One is possibly an easier transition… I’m coming from Wii U, and the general human interface (HI) on the Wii U is very iOS-like in it’s use of simple icons, with nearly everything located in one place, and a dock at the bottom of the screen.
XBone OTOH, is much more like the Windows 10 HI, with less intuitive nav and method of accessing and organizing things. On the Wii U, you could sit right down and master everything wtihout having to think about it. XBone has required a bit of hunting and pecking. I am not a fan of interfaces you must learn to use.
@sammydog01 Thanks! I hadn’t bought any shoes yet this week. These are spectacular, and they should arrive before Christmas. I’ve never seen Yule shoes
@sammydog01 I may even wear these out in public. I have a T-shirt that lights up, too, as well as the Unstealthiest Ninja sweatshirt. Oh yeah, I’ll be decorative!
Different take on box of unknown stuff.
Much more expensive and even slower to ship but I’m hoping much family fun. And I want to see what all the stretch goals are so c’mon, you know you want one.
The Mountain has closeout t-shirts for $5 today with free shipping, quite a lot of the larger sizes are sold out, save yourself some grief and select your size on the left.
The regular t-shirts are discounted half price with code 5050, making regular sizes only $11. Also free shipping. These are reasonably thick, good quality t-shirts with excellent print quality and color retention. Wash alone inside out in cold water the first time to improve long term color retention. They have awesome hoodies as well but I don’t know if the discount applies.
@therealjrn Fucker.
/8ball Blame? Yes
/roll 1d20 You rolled a total of 1
/8ball Blame? Most likely
/roll 2d20 You rolled a total of 26
/8ball Blame? Without a doubt
/roll 3d20 You rolled a total of 34
@f00l Roof was replaced last Tuesday; thanks for asking. I’ve got a lot to say on the DNA testing topic, of course, and tomorrow I’m going to stay home and maybe get to it.
@f00l Since my side “won” the last presidential election, I have a tendency to discount all this bullshit about the Ruskies meddling…but…I will say if we are going to move towards electronic voting, we need to get our shit wrapped a little more tighter than it stands currently.
So either way, 'Merica wins.
The movie the above jpg was clipped from should be required viewing. Idiocracy
Whether there was Russian-associated collusion or foolishness or naivete practiced by various persons with connections to the Trump campaign is a domestic political matter … or not … depending on political POV.
I suspect, that perhaps with a few exceptions, that issue will all wash out.
But … The Russkies in themselves are another matter.
They want what the British Empire had for a long time; then what the US had and has; and what China is very much aiming for.
The Russkies lack the population, warm water ports, native inclinations and pro-enterprise tendencies of the citizenry, and current economic might to go for it directly. China has all that and means to go for world dominance all in, and their odds look pretty good.
But the Russians have 1000 years or more of sophisticated influence games, meddling, corrupting, buying, spinning, disrupting, selling lies, playing both sides against the middle, coat-trailing, and more and more and more.
They have all the tricks. And all the mastery. The British Empire used to refer (well before or Civil War) to dealing with Russia as ***The Great Game.***. Ie was a game never completely won. And the Russia have never quit playing it.
They have no allegiance to Trump or anyone else, tho they were for him when they thought he might be friendly, and will be for him as long as they think it’s to their advantage either to be for him or to pretend to be pro-Trump.
What they really want to do is to cut-back China’s influence and wealth, become a power that the US and Europe must constantly struggle against, corrupt the west, corrupt China if they can, and have a re-match of the Cold War on their terms with info-manipulation instead if missiles and economies as the fighting ground
They are as dangerous as ever. And ex-Soviet missile and nuclear warhead tech has somehow made it to N Korea. (Confirmed)
They would have been pro-Clinton in 2016 if they had seen equivalent or better advantage in doing so.
Their goal re America is, simply put, to tear down the world power of the US.
Same as it has been since 1917. Just using a slightly different manifesto now. An older one, updated for the modern tech/info world.
They know how to do this sort if thing. They are good at it. They are ruthless.
Yes, there are strategies and strengths arrayed against them. Yes, there’s nothing wrong with being friendly towards them at the right times, in the right ways. If it’s real on both sides.
Yes, we want decent relations with them. And a big stick. A really big stick. JIC.
Please don’t think of Putin or of the dominant forces in the Russian govt as being defined in terms of our domestic political issues, or in terms of our US philosophical and culture wars.
This has nothing to do with R vs D, or Clinton vs Trump, or alt-right or alt-left, or movement conservative, or the Tea Party, or progressives, or increasing socialism in the US, or anything like any of that.
Remember, the old Russia hands and Rissian experts for the last century were of no one particular domestic party or philosophy.
Those lifelong students of Russia might disagree on everything domestic or economic, and yet agree on Russia.
Putin’s games and goals only incidentally approve of or oppose any given American politician, leader, or President.
Maybe some of you already do this, but https://www.joesnewbalanceoutlet.com has great deals on New Balance shoes. I’ve got wide feet and expensive tastes so I like the Joe’s New Balance way.
Sign up for their daily email and see what might pop up. They deal with a lot of factory seconds, but I have yet to spot any “errors” in the shoes they have sent me.
@therealjrn I go to the New Balance store every few years to buy a pair and check my size. Then I order a bunch from Joe. I never had a problem and they take returns.
@therealjrn I used to get New Balance (and other brands) “irregulars” at Marshall’s. Most of the irregs turned out to be cosmetic blems which amounted to an extra drip of glue on the edge of the sole, or maybe a drop on the toe or something. A few seconds with an old toothbrush and you couldn’t ever tell they were blems.
Those dirty hippies at Penzeys Spices are giving away (+shipping) a bottle of “Tsardust Memories” their 2017 spice of the year.
I’ve bought from these subversive assholes before and they actually have good value. It should be pretty easy to buy enough filler spices to get to the free shipping.
I’ll spare you the details from the newsletter but apparently dirty hippies don’t like the commies any more. Who knew?
@therealjrn Aw, you’re too shy to post their FB post, so I’ll do it for you. I knew you were a secret liberal! “A sitting US president’s administration is being investigated by the Justice Department and the FBI for colluding with Russia to deny American voters a free and fair election? We have a blend for that. It’s Tsardust Memories, and it’s tasty.”
/giphy stardust Russian
My local noon news just told me that today is “National Free Shipping Day” Supposedly many retailers are doing this.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’m not sure if this is fake news. It damn sure wasn’t publicized any that I saw.
It’s too cold to go to the mall so I checked in on the Yankee Candle sale last night. They had large jar candle holders for $2.50 to $8.50, usually $22 to $35. I bought seven for $40 with shipping. Today they were all over $12 each. I hope I didn’t get some hapless computer dude fired. My candles are going to be so pretty!
Not a “deal” per se, but AMC is rebroadcasting Breaking Bad starting in about an hour:
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series Breaking Bad, AMC is giving viewers the chance to relive their favorite Walt and Jesse moments with a complete series marathon beginning New Year’s Eve, Sunday, December 31st at 2 p.m ET/PT. Every episode of the critically acclaimed series will air in chronological order on Saturdays and Sundays through January. A full schedule is available below.
Sunday, December 31st
Episodes 100 – 203 air at 2:00 p.m. ET/PT
Monday, January 1st
Episodes 204 – 213 air at 2:00 p.m. ET/PT
Saturday, January 6th
Episodes 301 – 306 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Sunday, January 7th
Episodes 307 – 311 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Saturday, January 13th
Episodes 312 – 403 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Sunday, January 14th
Episodes 404 – 408 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Saturday January 20th
Episodes 409 – 413 air at 3:15p p.m. ET/PT
Sunday, January 21st
Episodes 501 – 506 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Saturday, January 27th
Episodes 507 – 511 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Sunday, January 28th
Episodes 512 – 516 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Breaking Bad, which first premiered on AMC on January 20, 2008, follows the story of a desperate man who turns to a life of crime to secure his family’s financial future. Over its five- season run, the series garnered 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, including the 2014 and 2013 Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series; two Golden Globe Awards, two Peabodys and was named to the American Film Institute’s (AFI) list of the “Top 10 Programs of the Year” in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, among other accolades. The series stars four-time Emmy-winner Bryan Cranston; three-time Emmy-winner Aaron Paul; two-time Emmy-winner Anna Gunn; Dean Norris; Betsy Brandt; RJ Mitte, Jonathan Banks and Bob Odenkirk. Breaking Bad is executive-produced by showrunner Vince Gilligan, Mark Johnson (Gran Via) and Michelle MacLaren and produced by Sony Pictures Television.
@f00l I’ve already watched the whole series on AMZN Prime video. This time through I’ve been watching a few episodes here and there on AMC and I have to say, watching with the commercials sucks. They really break up the story.
@f00l I enjoyed it. I thought it had interesting people. Not really any clear “hero” or “villain” types. I think I like the prequel “Better Call Saul” better though.
@therealjrn Saul isn’t quite as dark as Breaking was. At least, not so far. Odenkirk is a hoot, and it’s such a disappointment that Saul is destined to drive away Kim Wexler.
Very well. I’ll start.
Technically started yesterday, but whatever…
Humble Bundle is offering The Bureau XCOM Declassified free for a limited time.
As of this post, there was a little over 1 1/2 days left.
@mflassy Thanks!
Echo Dot plus TP-Link HS100 smart plug $35 at Amazon. Offer appears automatically after adding both items to your cart.
To get the discount on this offer, Amazon must be the seller for both items. As of this morning, Amazon is OOS for the TP-Link plug, not currently permitting backorders. Either wait for stock, or see the offer below from Best Buy for the Mini version of the TP-Link Smart Plug. The Mini is $5 more, but it also frees up the second outlet on your wall plug, whereas the original large plug in the Amazon offer blocks both outlets.
@ruouttaurmind There are lots of echo dot pairing deals on right now. A good one is echo dot and Harmony hub for $89.99, the hub alone is $87.
Also echo dot and Alexa compatible rgb Christmas lights for $49 and echo dot and Philips hue starter kit for I believe $79 (but you should have bought your Hues from Meh).
Go to the Dot page and then choose your pairing under the Configuration selection.
@djslack Like the Dot I received as a gift last year, the Hue System is something that doesn’t really benefit my lifestyle right now.
If I could bundle Dot with some down pillows, or maybe with about 7 pounds of beef jerky… THEN you’d have something.
@ruouttaurmind I’m maxed out on Dots and have a Google Home Mini in a box. I’m trying to figure out how to break it to Alexa.
@sammydog01 Dear Alexa, although the time we’ve spent together has been great, it seems our paths have taken different directions. I still think the world of you, but I’m afraid I cannot see a future in which you are a part of my life.
Or you can put Alexa, Google, Cortana, and Siri in a room together and let them fight it out. Whichever one emerges victorious, fate is handing you a message.
/giphy breaking up is hard to do
Ya, IDK. But folks up in here seem to like cat gifs, so…
Deal is live again. New link for this deal here.
Also, same offer for most Alexa devices here.
Too bad Alexa enabled Fire TV devices aren’t included. I could actually make use of one of those.
@sammydog01 i sent you a DM in discord. did you know there is an aMeh.rican or Meh.xican or CaMeh.dian Meh.tizen here called @sammydog ?
@Yoda_Daenerys I did not know that. Weird. And I don’t remember how to do discord.
edit: OK I figured it out.
Echo Dot plus TP-Link HS105 MINI smart plug $40 at Best Buy. Offer appears automatically after adding both items to your cart.
@ruouttaurmind Do you need a big Echo to use Echo Dots?
@therealjrn No. Dot is like a full size Echo, but with a smaller speaker.
EDIT: Dot has a 3.5mm audio output jack to connect an auxiliary speaker. Big Echo doesn’t have that.
@ruouttaurmind Hmm. Thanks!
Apparently the Echo DOES have an external audio jack. At least Echo v2 does according to Amazon’s comparison chart.
@ruouttaurmind
If you bought a Chromebook Plus or Pro on the various black friday/cyber monday deals, there is now a Google Offer for a free 6 months of Netflix. https://www.google.com/chromebook/offers/
@meh what’s a chromebook plus or pro?
@Yoda_Daenerys https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/chromebooks/all-chromebooks/s/_/n-10+11+hv22u/
@Yoda_Daenerys They’re laptops that run Google’s chrome-browser-based ChromeOS and made by Samsung. The Pro and Plus are on the higher end and a bit spendy but there were deals to be had the last week. I got a Plus used on ebay for $239 and was still able to get the Netflix offer. I’d post that deal, but they sold out.
MINION ROBOTS!!!
https://www.gamestop.com/collectibles/toys/minions-mip-turbo-dave-robot/147092
https://www.gamestop.com/collectibles/toys/mini-minion-mip-turbo-dave-miniature-remote-controlled-robot/147091
If you buy both you get free shipping.
I reserved the big one in store. I love WowWee robots.
Clerk: these are really cute
Me: Yes!
Clerk: Do your kids really love the minions?
Me: No
Amazon’s got the Lectrofan white noise generators on special today. If you sleep well to fan noise (or white noise) these are awesome. I have one and love it. Might pick up another just in case.
https://smile.amazon.com/dlp/e96b6211/
Newegg via eBay (no tax in most states, free shipping) has Xbox One S 500GB core system in stock and ready to ship for $170. Same price as most B&B retailers, but most B&M retailers are OOS right now, and charge sales tax.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/382297200426
Deal still live as of 12/6 @ noon MT
@ruouttaurmind
Thanks to eBay wanting to increase usage of their app, an extra $3.4 in eBay Bucks if I buy it through the app.
I don’t need this though.
@mflassy Meh. Nobody really needs a gaming system.
Was the eBay app thingy a targeted offer?? I need to get a couple extra batteries for the DJI Spark I got my bother in the Mehrathon on Monday, but my app isn’t giving me any kind of bonus bucks.
@ruouttaurmind
Just looked.
Yeah. Targeted. 6% online for $25+ purchases.
8% if done through app.
@mflassy I’m seeing a 20% discount on $25 or more on the website interface, but only for selected sellers.
@ruouttaurmind
Different offer.
@ruouttaurmind I bought your lil xbox deal and the hard drive is already full after downloading SOME of the free games I’ve acquired through games with gold. A crappy wrestling game was nearly 50GB on it’s own. Uninstalled that right fast. Got any deals on external hard drives?
@medz I recently acquired my former roommate’s Xbox One (he left it behind to compensate me for having to dispose of all the other crap he left behind).
Last night I downloaded Forza Horizon 3 Demo. JUST the demo. I was pretty surprised it consumed nearly 20GB for JUST THE DEMO! By the time I DL demos for Forza 7, Far Cry 5 and the PUBG game I’ll be in the market for a new HDD as well!
That said… Best Buy has a 4TB Seagate external for $65:
Oh, and how the eff long did it take to freakin’ DL my Forza demo! Cripes. I mean… I know I only have 12Mbs 'net speed, but c’mon! SIX hours! I wound up staying up WAY past my bedtime 'cause of course I wanted to try out the demo once it finally finished installing. Lesson learned… queued up the other demos before I turned in for the night. Let the Xbox digest the downloads while I slept and now while I’m at the office.
@ruouttaurmind SOLDOUT.
I was very pleased with how fast the Xbox One downloaded games and updates compared to the 360. But, yeah, the size is ridiculous. The graphics ain’t THAT good.
@medz 360 to One is possibly an easier transition… I’m coming from Wii U, and the general human interface (HI) on the Wii U is very iOS-like in it’s use of simple icons, with nearly everything located in one place, and a dock at the bottom of the screen.
XBone OTOH, is much more like the Windows 10 HI, with less intuitive nav and method of accessing and organizing things. On the Wii U, you could sit right down and master everything wtihout having to think about it. XBone has required a bit of hunting and pecking. I am not a fan of interfaces you must learn to use.
@medz
Dang, that was quick. It was IS when I posted the deal.
@ruouttaurmind I do not like the interface so far. Already had to Google a couple things. Seems to be mostly advertisements.
Light-up Crocs in adult sizes! Free shipping! My feet are gonna be so festive.
http://www.crocs.com/p/crocband-holiday-lights-clog/203611.html?cgid=crocs-deals&cid=4HB#&origin=category&srule=CatPosition-SearchPlacement-Revenue7day%2FSKUCoverage&start=22&sz=36&prefn1=gender&prefv1=&prefn2=variationSize&prefv2=&prefn3=refinementColor&prefv3=&pmin=21&pmax=26&prefn4=fitGuideFit&prefv4=&prefn5=lifestyle&prefv5=
@sammydog01 Thanks! I hadn’t bought any shoes yet this week. These are spectacular, and they should arrive before Christmas. I’ve never seen Yule shoes
@OldCatLady TWINSIES!
@sammydog01 I may even wear these out in public. I have a T-shirt that lights up, too, as well as the Unstealthiest Ninja sweatshirt. Oh yeah, I’ll be decorative!
@sammydog01 they really missed out on the opportunity to actually light up the bulb graphics.
Different take on box of unknown stuff.
Much more expensive and even slower to ship but I’m hoping much family fun. And I want to see what all the stretch goals are so c’mon, you know you want one.
@monicabc Cool!
Humble Bundle is offering Homefront free for a limited time.
As of this post a little over one day and 21 hours left.
Daily Steals has the Samsung Galaxy Tab S for $170. It’s a bit older, but the specs are still more than adequate for tablet tasks. I got one new, and still use it every day. If you’re looking for a beefy, inexpensive Android tablet, this may be a good option.
https://www.dailysteals.com/products/samsung-galaxy-tab-s-android-tablet-with-10-5-display-16gb-bronze
Here’s a fun little game available for free currently (Win, Mac, Linux):
https://charliesgames.itch.io/deathbase
Also, Twitch Prime members get System Shock 2 free currently.
@dashcloud thanks!
Lowe’s has their laser projector Christmas things on sale 50% off now.
The Mountain has closeout t-shirts for $5 today with free shipping, quite a lot of the larger sizes are sold out, save yourself some grief and select your size on the left.
The regular t-shirts are discounted half price with code 5050, making regular sizes only $11. Also free shipping. These are reasonably thick, good quality t-shirts with excellent print quality and color retention. Wash alone inside out in cold water the first time to improve long term color retention. They have awesome hoodies as well but I don’t know if the discount applies.
@moondrake Thanks! I’ve already found a couple–and they take PayPal.
@therealjrn I found one for @narfcake!
@therealjrn Fucker.
Yes
You rolled a total of 1
Most likely
You rolled a total of 26
Without a doubt
You rolled a total of 34
/8ball Blame?
/roll 1d20
/8ball Blame?
/roll 2d20
/8ball Blame?
/roll 3d20
@narfcake lol. sorry/not sorry
/8ball Is @therealjrn looking for more blames?
You may rely on it
How many more?
You rolled a total of 61
/roll 4d20
@narfcake @therealjrn
/roll 3d19
You rolled a total of 27
@mflassy Your d20s are defective again. You probably want to blame the goat for that.
@narfcake
It’s working as intended.
@moondrake can’t wait for my shirts to arrive. My wife’s gonna hate this one:
@moondrake Thanks way too much. I just bought six shirts.
@OldCatLady
Hey, there. Is your roof still blue?
Look at @mfladd’s DNA testing topic, if you have the time and interest.
@f00l Roof was replaced last Tuesday; thanks for asking. I’ve got a lot to say on the DNA testing topic, of course, and tomorrow I’m going to stay home and maybe get to it.
Hee hee hee he.
Not so much a deal as it is a way for Google to reward Project Fi members.
Every year, Project Fi gives its subscribers a gift.
This year, they are giving away codes for free Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi.
As seen on the support page, all you have to do is play a game similar to SkiFree.
While anybody can play the game, only those with a Fire subscription will receive a promo code for free WiFi as mentioned above.
The 2018 Vladimir Putin calendar is out!
@therealjrn
@therealjrn
Putin.
/giphy "old blue eyes"
@f00l :sigh: Isn’t he just so dreamy?
@therealjrn
I remember when his name was just a funny joke for radio talk show guys.
Ha ha ha.
The Russians have been masters of the spy and disruption games for better than a millennia.
“The World’s Only Remaining SuperPower” kinda fell asleep at the wheel on that little issue.
@f00l Since my side “won” the last presidential election, I have a tendency to discount all this bullshit about the Ruskies meddling…but…I will say if we are going to move towards electronic voting, we need to get our shit wrapped a little more tighter than it stands currently.
So either way, 'Merica wins.
The movie the above jpg was clipped from should be required viewing. Idiocracy
@therealjrn
Regarding the Russkies.
Whether there was Russian-associated collusion or foolishness or naivete practiced by various persons with connections to the Trump campaign is a domestic political matter … or not … depending on political POV.
I suspect, that perhaps with a few exceptions, that issue will all wash out.
But … The Russkies in themselves are another matter.
They want what the British Empire had for a long time; then what the US had and has; and what China is very much aiming for.
The Russkies lack the population, warm water ports, native inclinations and pro-enterprise tendencies of the citizenry, and current economic might to go for it directly. China has all that and means to go for world dominance all in, and their odds look pretty good.
But the Russians have 1000 years or more of sophisticated influence games, meddling, corrupting, buying, spinning, disrupting, selling lies, playing both sides against the middle, coat-trailing, and more and more and more.
They have all the tricks. And all the mastery. The British Empire used to refer (well before or Civil War) to dealing with Russia as ***The Great Game.***. Ie was a game never completely won. And the Russia have never quit playing it.
They have no allegiance to Trump or anyone else, tho they were for him when they thought he might be friendly, and will be for him as long as they think it’s to their advantage either to be for him or to pretend to be pro-Trump.
What they really want to do is to cut-back China’s influence and wealth, become a power that the US and Europe must constantly struggle against, corrupt the west, corrupt China if they can, and have a re-match of the Cold War on their terms with info-manipulation instead if missiles and economies as the fighting ground
They are as dangerous as ever. And ex-Soviet missile and nuclear warhead tech has somehow made it to N Korea. (Confirmed)
They would have been pro-Clinton in 2016 if they had seen equivalent or better advantage in doing so.
Their goal re America is, simply put, to tear down the world power of the US.
Same as it has been since 1917. Just using a slightly different manifesto now. An older one, updated for the modern tech/info world.
They know how to do this sort if thing. They are good at it. They are ruthless.
Yes, there are strategies and strengths arrayed against them. Yes, there’s nothing wrong with being friendly towards them at the right times, in the right ways. If it’s real on both sides.
Yes, we want decent relations with them. And a big stick. A really big stick. JIC.
Please don’t think of Putin or of the dominant forces in the Russian govt as being defined in terms of our domestic political issues, or in terms of our US philosophical and culture wars.
This has nothing to do with R vs D, or Clinton vs Trump, or alt-right or alt-left, or movement conservative, or the Tea Party, or progressives, or increasing socialism in the US, or anything like any of that.
Remember, the old Russia hands and Rissian experts for the last century were of no one particular domestic party or philosophy.
Those lifelong students of Russia might disagree on everything domestic or economic, and yet agree on Russia.
Putin’s games and goals only incidentally approve of or oppose any given American politician, leader, or President.
And they play a very, very, very long game.
@f00l
Kinda like the length of your posts…
@mfladd
Wore you and bored you out, huh?
All apologies! So sorry!
/giphy NOT
/youtube "all apologies"
GOG.com has their Winter Sale going on right now.
Grim Fandango is free currently: https://www.gog.com/game/grim_fandango_remastered
@sammydog01 @therealjrn @riotdemon
@dashcloud Yay!
@dashcloud
I have it on Android, though I’ve never gotten around to playing it yet. Thanks for the reminder.
(Oh, and I picked it up from Google because “why not”.)
Maybe some of you already do this, but https://www.joesnewbalanceoutlet.com has great deals on New Balance shoes. I’ve got wide feet and expensive tastes so I like the Joe’s New Balance way.
Sign up for their daily email and see what might pop up. They deal with a lot of factory seconds, but I have yet to spot any “errors” in the shoes they have sent me.
@therealjrn I go to the New Balance store every few years to buy a pair and check my size. Then I order a bunch from Joe. I never had a problem and they take returns.
@therealjrn I used to get New Balance (and other brands) “irregulars” at Marshall’s. Most of the irregs turned out to be cosmetic blems which amounted to an extra drip of glue on the edge of the sole, or maybe a drop on the toe or something. A few seconds with an old toothbrush and you couldn’t ever tell they were blems.
Those dirty hippies at Penzeys Spices are giving away (+shipping) a bottle of “Tsardust Memories” their 2017 spice of the year.
I’ve bought from these subversive assholes before and they actually have good value. It should be pretty easy to buy enough filler spices to get to the free shipping.
I’ll spare you the details from the newsletter but apparently dirty hippies don’t like the commies any more. Who knew?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@therealjrn Aw, you’re too shy to post their FB post, so I’ll do it for you. I knew you were a secret liberal!
“A sitting US president’s administration is being investigated by the Justice Department and the FBI for colluding with Russia to deny American voters a free and fair election? We have a blend for that. It’s Tsardust Memories, and it’s tasty.”
/giphy stardust Russian
@OldCatLady lol, gee, thanks.
Yugster.com has a 12-Pack of Colgate Premier Classic Clean Toothbrushes - Assorted Colors for $5 + $2 shipping.
Your price may be lower, depending on your “Yugster Membership Level” which is tied to how many times you have bought from them.
Humble Bundle is offering Company of Heros 2 for free.
As of this past, there was 1 day, 22 hours, and 44 minutes left.
@mflassy So…some kind of urban renewal game huh. Looks good!
Uber has teamed up with Raise.com to offer $10 off Uber gift cards worth $20+.
Offer is valid today only, and while supplies last.
Lionel O-gauge train set- this one has steam. $136. Reviews are kind of iffy but that may be user error.
https://slickdeals.net/f/11044807-lionel-pennsylvania-flyer-train-set-o-gauge-136-15-w-fsss-amazon
Amazon has a little video about it that shows it running.
My local noon news just told me that today is “National Free Shipping Day” Supposedly many retailers are doing this.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’m not sure if this is fake news. It damn sure wasn’t publicized any that I saw.
@therealjrn Toys R Us is doing it today, Best Buy I think has been doing this for at least a couple weeks. Target has been for a few weeks as well.
Humble Bundle has Layers of Fear for free today and tomorrow:
https://www.humblebundle.com/store/layers-of-fear-and-soundtrack
Horror, but really well reviewed.
@ACraigL Thanks!
@therealjrn Just played about 30 minutes. Creepy as hell and had me jump out of my seat a few times. Liking it!
@ACraigL
Thx!
More free games:
The first episode of Hitman (the Paris episode): http://steamcommunity.com/games/236870/announcements/detail/2784778964071057303
Kingdom Classic (free for 24 hours): http://store.steampowered.com/app/368230/Kingdom_Classic/
Oxenfree: https://www.gog.com/
@dashcloud Yahoo!
@dashcloud Thanks!
It’s too cold to go to the mall so I checked in on the Yankee Candle sale last night. They had large jar candle holders for $2.50 to $8.50, usually $22 to $35. I bought seven for $40 with shipping. Today they were all over $12 each. I hope I didn’t get some hapless computer dude fired. My candles are going to be so pretty!
Sockdreams.com is having 25% off everything until the end of the year, no coupon needed.
I’ve bought a few things from there and was pleased.
For the next 8 days, Xbox is offering for new subscribers the following deals:
One month of Xbox Live Gold for $1.
One month of Xbox Game Pass for $1.
Not a “deal” per se, but AMC is rebroadcasting Breaking Bad starting in about an hour:
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series Breaking Bad, AMC is giving viewers the chance to relive their favorite Walt and Jesse moments with a complete series marathon beginning New Year’s Eve, Sunday, December 31st at 2 p.m ET/PT. Every episode of the critically acclaimed series will air in chronological order on Saturdays and Sundays through January. A full schedule is available below.
Sunday, December 31st
Episodes 100 – 203 air at 2:00 p.m. ET/PT
Monday, January 1st
Episodes 204 – 213 air at 2:00 p.m. ET/PT
Saturday, January 6th
Episodes 301 – 306 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Sunday, January 7th
Episodes 307 – 311 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Saturday, January 13th
Episodes 312 – 403 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Sunday, January 14th
Episodes 404 – 408 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Saturday January 20th
Episodes 409 – 413 air at 3:15p p.m. ET/PT
Sunday, January 21st
Episodes 501 – 506 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Saturday, January 27th
Episodes 507 – 511 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Sunday, January 28th
Episodes 512 – 516 air at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT
Breaking Bad, which first premiered on AMC on January 20, 2008, follows the story of a desperate man who turns to a life of crime to secure his family’s financial future. Over its five- season run, the series garnered 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, including the 2014 and 2013 Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series; two Golden Globe Awards, two Peabodys and was named to the American Film Institute’s (AFI) list of the “Top 10 Programs of the Year” in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, among other accolades. The series stars four-time Emmy-winner Bryan Cranston; three-time Emmy-winner Aaron Paul; two-time Emmy-winner Anna Gunn; Dean Norris; Betsy Brandt; RJ Mitte, Jonathan Banks and Bob Odenkirk. Breaking Bad is executive-produced by showrunner Vince Gilligan, Mark Johnson (Gran Via) and Michelle MacLaren and produced by Sony Pictures Television.
@therealjrn
Thx.
@f00l I’ve already watched the whole series on AMZN Prime video. This time through I’ve been watching a few episodes here and there on AMC and I have to say, watching with the commercials sucks. They really break up the story.
@therealjrn
I have it watch-on-demand somehow or other. Sling? I understand it’s great. My SIL raves about it.
Have never seen even a single ep. My vid watching during the last decade has been seriously non-existent.
@f00l I enjoyed it. I thought it had interesting people. Not really any clear “hero” or “villain” types. I think I like the prequel “Better Call Saul” better though.
@therealjrn Saul isn’t quite as dark as Breaking was. At least, not so far. Odenkirk is a hoot, and it’s such a disappointment that Saul is destined to drive away Kim Wexler.