Friday before Christmas afternoon links.

by | Dec 20, 2024 | Cocktails, Daily Links, I Am Lame | 140 comments

Well, I was torn between which way to include the music links for today. I could have stuck with just a couple as I have for most of my links posts, but there’s just too many bands to include this late in the season. So I hope you’ve enjoyed the alternate Christmas songs I’ve provided since Thanksgiving. I’ll be going back to more standard music next week.

Last night I, like many people, learned about the Fair Catch Kick rule.

So, there’s a new super hero movie coming out, but to local news, the important story is you can see Cleveland in it!

The last session of the Ohio congress is wrapping up, which means lots of bills getting shoved through to beat the deadline. The panicked headline about this one entertains me. “Future of Ohio villages threatened under new Ohio law” For those who don’t want to read, every 10 years, after the census, there will be an audit of services offered, if they do not offer at least 5 out of 10, there will be a vote among the residents offering them the chance to dissolve the village or keep it.

Look, I get not liking the movie. But saying that it’s “too scary”? That does not bode well for the yutes.

I thought this was ‘Merica!

Well, this doesn’t quite rank up there with “a homeless guy told me to do it”, but it’s close.

Why am I suddenly reminded of all of the 900 number ads that plagued USA Up All Night?

Was this the first shots fired in the fast food wars?

This means we can cut all the funding, right?

This is a special level of upgrade averse.

For the cocktail, the name may be a bit strange, but I trust some of you will catch the reference.

Stranger in the Alps

  • 6 parts gin (1.5 ounces) – go Juniper forward for this one
  • 4 parts (1 ounce) sweet vermouth
  • 3 (0.75 ounce) parts Campari
  • 1 (0.25 ounce) part amaro
  • Pinch of salt

If you’ve got some fir brandy (I don’t expect anyone to), you can rinse the glass with it first. But as I’ve stated before, I hate rinses for the waste. If you’ve got the equipment, a little hint of smoke can help this out as well. Other than that, everything goes into a shaker with ice, gets shaken until chilled, and then strained into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon twist if you feel like it.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend, the girlfriend and I are heading out to some of the pop up bars tomorrow to celebrate the holidays, and I hope to bring Oi to the world.

About The Author

Nephilium

Nephilium

Nephilium is a geek of multiple types living in the vast suburban forests of Cleveland.

140 Comments

  1. SDF-7

    I think that’s more links than Abe Froman, the Sausage King of Chicago would have provided….

    • Nephilium

      Do you really want me to reveal how the sausage is made?

      • Jarflax

        Shove some spicy pork up a pig’s ass and then insist the chillums will all die if we don’t pass it right now?

      • Jarflax

        Or is that how Bill becomes a scofflaw?

      • SDF-7

        Only if you want the sportos, motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wasteoids and dweebies to all adore you. They’ll think you’re a righteous dude.

  2. Sean

    I just love that the donut shop is still rocking a C64.

    • Nephilium

      I have worked at a company that was still using a dialer from the 80’s and relied on a MicroVAX system for their financials, in the early 2000’s. At one point they had to freight a system to an airfield because they could only find one person willing to attempt to repair it.

    • The Other Kevin

      Can I visit there and play Impossible Mission?

      • SDF-7

        Maybe — at least they’ll have moved past your PET project.

      • Rat on a train

        Stay awhile. Stay forever.

    • rhywun

      Color me skeptical.

      What does it actually do? Show it in action, not some generic pic.

      Who’s paying to repair it all the time? Who trusts the zero security?

      • Sensei

        My assumption is that it’s just a point of sale program that tallies orders and taxes and the like. So a single user database.

        There are a ton of emulators and also a “scene” that both repairs old machines and creates new ones with FPGAs.

      • juris imprudent

        Who would make an exploit for it?

    • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

      My first management job, working for Giganto Bookstore Company, I had to back up all my data on 11″ floppies. Apparently, at one of our Seattle branches, someone from a computer museum tried to buy one of these from us for the collection.

    • whiz

      Hah! I still have a C64 and a C128 that I bought back when — haven’t fired it up for probably 35+ years.

  3. SDF-7

    So, there’s a new super hero movie coming out, but to local news, the important story is you can see Cleveland in it!

    And here I thought it was Illinois that had a bustling Metropolis…

    Jokes aside — the teaser wasn’t bad… but I’m more than a little nervous about not being sure what Gunn is keeping/resetting from the prior DC stuff since he did the Suicide Squad with Starro and the spinoff of Peacemaker… which wasn’t bad — but sure as hell was darker than I prefer my DC to be. (DC at its core used to differentiate itself from Marvel or other comic universes because it fundamentally had hope and heroes/heroines who were actually heroic… then the Alan Moore Deconstruction period hit, DC tried to out-Marvel Marvel… and you end up with the sort of GrimDark JL movie we got from Snyder. There’s a reason the DCAU worked — imho, it held onto that fundamental decent core of DC… and Peacemaker really, really, really didn’t reflect that even if it was fairly entertaining….).

    • Nephilium

      Creature Commandos has been alright so far. Based on that (which is billed as the first entry in the new DCU), they’re saying Suicide Squad and Peacemaker happened in broad strokes (Starro, the squad becoming public, the butterflies) but not all the details are correct. I’m somewhat intrigued by the idea of joining up with a Superman who’s already been a hero for a while, but am worried about the sheer number of other heroes that have already been connected to it (Green Lantern, Metamorpho, Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific, Krypto, and I’m sure I’m missing some).

      • SDF-7

        Huh… I must have missed Metamorpho in the trailer. I caught Guy, Kendra and can’t-remember-his-name-second-Mr. Terrific, yeah.

        And yes, that does make me more than a little worried this will practically be a Justice League International movie… but maybe all the “sad Superman” scenes folks are worried about from the trailer are really because Clark is having to clean up after Guy is being his usual dumbass self… hence why he needs to be there. I could see that at least…

      • Nephilium

        SDF-7:

        Metamorpho is easy to miss, I didn’t recognize him until I saw the picture with him identified. He does not look anything close to his… questionable… comics look.

  4. DEG

    Commenters pointed out that the last publicly posted picture of the register was taken in 2021, so Tom’s Hardware decided to give them a call—and staff duly verified that the systems were still in use.

    🙂

  5. The Other Kevin

    I, like many of you, have almost 2 weeks off ahead of me. I’m sure I’ll be here sporadically, so if I miss anyone, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year to you all!

    • Sensei

      That’s awful. Naturally the politicians will take exactly the wrong lesson from this.

      • Suthenboy

        They knew fucking well what they were doing when they invited that garbage into their country. How many German citizens have been killed that way now? How many rapes? An equal number of the randomly chosen pols should be subjected to the same.

    • rhywun

      Oof, developing news. It was one dead an hour ago.

      Had enough yet, Germany?

      • rhywun

        OTOH they hadn’t had it when the same thing happened in Berlin in 2016 so who knows. Times have maybe changed.

      • rhywun

        lol The respectable people are in for a big surprise if they don’t start paying attention to reality.

    • Mojeaux

      I feel so bad for Europeans right now. Their governments are welcoming in these pieces of shit and they’re bound and determined to turn it into the same 8th century hellhole they came from.

      They are not refugees. They are not primitives looking for a better life. They’re invaders, coming as conquerors of everyone who does not subscribe to Islam. They aren’t subtle about it. They WANT to turn the world into an 8th century hellhole.

  6. Tundra

    Last night I, like many people, learned about the Fair Catch Kick rule.

    Same. I’m still not sure I understand it, but it was fun!

    • Nephilium

      As I understand the rule, if you make a fair catch, you can then elect to snap the ball as normal, or make a free kick attempt (either punt or placeheld) from the line of scrimmage. The opposing team cannot attempt to block, but if it doesn’t make it through the uprights, they can attempt to run it back. The kick technically is part of the fair catch, so it can be made if time expired during the kick that was fair caught. What made it interesting in this case was the fair catch interference call which moved the ball up 15 yards and put it in range for a FG attempt.

    • rhywun

      The comparison to an Aussie rules “mark” helped make it immediately clear to me.

  7. PutridMeat

    Needs MOAR music links!

    OH law – maybe it should just be vote every 10 years on dissolution, regardless of ‘services’ offered. Or automatic dissolution without affirmative vote…

    • Nephilium

      Reading the story just makes the headline make less sense. They say that the provision was included because of two FAILED attempts to dissolve a village over the past couple of years. It’s still up to a vote of the people living there, so if the village residents think the services are worth the taxes, they’ll vote to keep the village.

  8. Sean

    https://www.wfmz.com/business/party-city-stores-closing/article_f9e609d7-c12d-5e9e-b991-009b1e2fb86a.html

    Party’s over.

    Party City exited bankruptcy a month after Litwin’s arrival. It had declared bankruptcy in January 2023. The company had struggled to pay off its $1.7 billion debt load, and it was able to cancel nearly $1 billion in debt by going bankrupt. It also managed to keep most of its more-than 800 stores open, although it closed more than 80 locations between the end of 2022 to August 2024, according to its most recent financial documents.

    • The Other Kevin

      800+ more Spirit Halloweens coming soon!

      • SDF-7

        That seems a bit ghoulish, TOK….

      • The Other Kevin

        We can’t just leave those buildings as empty skeletons.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        It will be a zombie type retail situation.

    • SDF-7

      Huh… also hidden at the bottom of that:

      Notably, Big Lots announced Thursday it was starting “going out of business” sales at all of its locations after a plan for a private equity firm to rescue the bankruptcy retailer failed.

      How in the hell does a Big Lots go under? It has been years, granted — but it sure seemed like every one I went to was in the “either a Big Lots gets to be here or this whole strip mall will be torn down” (cheap rent) and “this stuff looks like thrown out boxes from other stores or complete knock-off stuff” (cheap goods). Next up, Dollar General might have to close some of their “one every 3 miles” stores….

      • rhywun

        I was watching Mallrats this afternoon and marveling that malls were still a thing as recently as 1995.

      • Evan from Evansville

        Huh? Malls were bigbig in the 90s. Washington Square Mall was the shitty one in Eville, with Eastland Mall being the Cool One. I have fond memories of the arcades with my bro. Also fun, cuz older bro looks much younger than he is, we got escorted home by mall security, in their little police car, cuz we were there by ourselves and looked ‘suspicious’ or ‘wayward’ or just ‘lost.’ We weren’t.

        We dutifully went with the fake cop. I was likely 7-8 and he, 13-14. Our parents screamed at them when we weren’t there. We just wanted to play the rad X-Men game, or Cruisin’ USA racing or Simpsons/etc for fun. Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter were paramount. The 90s were fucking great. I argue the best decade in my/our lives. Shit was great, every other country far inferior, and we still had relative freedom and plenty of amenities for not the most money. I was also 3-13 years old, hardly competent or conscious of the world around me.

      • rhywun

        Ev, when you hit your 50s you wonder where the hell the last 25 years went. 1995 seems like yesterday to me.

      • Fourscore

        It doesn’t stop at 50 Rhy. I wonder where the last 50 years have gone.

        Had coffee with one of my oldest friends today, after a few minutes of catching up on the latest gossip we revert back to our kid days in the ’50s. We pulled names out of the hat by chance memory and rambled on with the who/what /when.

        “Young people tell you what they’re going to do, old people tell you what they’ve done”

        He and I don’t have to start with “When I was a kid…” ’cause we know exactly what each other is talking about.

      • juris imprudent

        I envy you that Fourscore. I won’t have old friends to pass idle hours with. All completely disconnected.

  9. KK, Plump & Unfiltered

    One of those is undoubtedly Last Christmas, and I ain’t falling for it!

    • Nephilium

      I can guarantee none of them are Wham! at a minimum.

      • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

        Since covers don’t count, I’ll take a look, but I remain skeptical

      • Nephilium

        Lebkuchen are my favorite. In a couple weeks, I’ll be hitting up the German Import place to see the discount prices.

      • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

        I haven’t opened the package yet – I’ll have to see if she included those (I’m pretty sure that’s one of her yearly staples). She includes a brochure with descriptions and photos.

      • Tundra

        Reported for porn.

      • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

        It’s, like, an hour early!

  10. EvilSheldon

    I was really getting worried there, until that last link.

    So if I drink that cocktail (sounds a bit like an adulterated Negroni, which is not a criticism), John Goodman trashes my new Corvette?

    • Nephilium

      It is a modified Negroni. Although I kind of feel that a drink with that name should be a modified White Russian.

      • R.J.

        *Ahem
        Call it the White Russian Privilege?

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      Well that should convince some Senators to vote against him.

    • The Other Kevin

      We don’t have anyone who works out in jeans but I have seen guys in outdoor work pants. And we allow lifting in bare feet.

      • Tundra

        Gross. At least make them wear socks, ffs!

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      Q: What’s the correct, pardon moi proper, attire to wear to the gym?

      A: Who gives a shit?

    • EvilSheldon

      This is the reverse of the problem – men wearing gym clothes to places other than the gym.

    • Tundra

      I’ve done it on press day. Of course the gym is in my basement.

      • Fourscore

        Looks like you are a transplant now, Tundra. Jimbo is going to have to find another victim, oops, friend, HAH! to rag on. Looks like the NoDak boys will be on his list, though he’s still a little bitter from PONick taking the crown for consecutive HHs.

      • Tundra

        Haha!

        His Holiness abides.

  11. KK, Plump & Unfiltered

    OMG it’s RJ’s band in the first link!

  12. Drake

    Hard to follow what the hell is going on in the House. If this is right, Johnson was going to present separate “clean” bills to be voted on. Then he met with Hakeem Jeffries and decided to get more Dem votes on a single bill instead. If the Republicans had any balls, they’d replace Johnson next month, but they don’t.

    https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1870202620717216141

    • rhywun

      Team B needs more than a razor-thin majority to get anything they claim to want done.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      So that cocksucker is going to rely on Dem votes then…what a cuck sack of shit. I hope Trump and Musk come down so hard that he won’t be able to get elected head dogcatcher of Bumblefuck Egypt.

      • Tundra

        The IC must have some pretty bad pics of him and children and/or animals.

        He goes from the cool kids table to pariah for what reason otherwise?

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        If he pulls the trigger on this bullshit I’d imagine his days as speaker at least are numbered.

      • juris imprudent

        You see, this is where everyone goes fucking stupid.

        Johnson won’t get blasted, he’s beloved in his district, just like every single other Congress-critter.

        Chip Roy should laugh right in Trump’s face. Bring your whole ass entourage bubba, you won’t beat me.

      • juris imprudent

        Thomas Massie won’t suffer for this either, but it isn’t because everyone in his district is a fucking Glib.

      • juris imprudent

        He goes from the cool kids table to pariah for what reason otherwise?

        Cool kids table? You mean the fickle wing-nuts hanging off the Republican establishment machine?

      • Sensei

        We will likely be treated to the hysteria of Team Red being unable to elect a speaker.

        Should be fun.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        He’ll obviously get reelected. He’ll lose the speakership though which is good enough.

  13. Sensei

    OMG – Tesla is issuing a over the air software update because of a rule disagreement about how a tire inflation warning light should be displayed between drive cycles. Let’s see what the headlines say.

    AP
    Tesla recalling almost 700,000 vehicles due to tire pressure monitoring system issue
    5 hours ago
    By Michelle Chapman

    Newsweek
    Tesla Recalls 700,000 Vehicles Over Tire Pressure Warning Failure
    9 hours ago

    • Yusef drives a Kia

      “Recall, recall,
      Recall”

      • rhywun

        Get our asses to Mars!

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        I here that’s on the list

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        Or hear

    • Tundra

      Remember when the lefties couldn’t get enough Musk cock?

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Must Cock? Is that kinda like a Musk Ox?

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Jimny, I can spell today…

  14. Mojeaux

    *wilts*

    Just finished formatting a very technical book with lots of special features. I’ve thought about goading the author into coming over here, but not sure about the “Fuck off, Tulpae.” He’s a relative regular on Art Bell’s show.

    ☠️

    • Evan from Evansville

      MoJo and all: I’m curious as hell about job hunting experience with modern writing, editing, copy writing etc. Ha, the job names become indistinguishable. Website Copywriter, writing associate, communications coordinator, document specialist, editorial assistant, (an exciting one!) investigative reporter, and many more. I think y’all know what I’m looking for/ putting in indeed; glassdoor; zip, I’m sure others. Just ‘working with words’ jobs. I’d say $18/hour working in a room proofreading w regular hours would be my floor, and I’d be happy to have it. Editing official docs for the Indiana General Assembly (applied and called this week) is a high goal, along with a couple ‘writing/editing content for clients’ gigs would be a doable challenge I’m hoping for.

      Thanks to rhy, last night. Have been calling places with legit confidence. But like at the Peru Tribune, phone calls largely go nowhere. Any insight or advice that any of y’all have would be greatly appreciated. I’ve officially applied, w customized cover letter, to maybe 15 places in Indianapolis. Nothin’ yet, but it’s all been done *this* week, so I know delays are expected. Frustrating time to be unemployed, but I’m blessed to live with my loving-as-fuck family.

      Just got my last check from the plasma center, and it was fat! (For me.) Good Hail Mary, a bold attempt, but wise to move on. (Hey, I gave it a shot! I was legit put on a leash as a child. I deserved it and vocally back up embarrassed Mom.)

      Happy Holidays, y’all! Even when it sucks, there’s always something.

      • Mojeaux

        I don’t know. IIRC, I’ve never had a writing/editing job that was full-time permanent with a paycheck. Yes, I worked on newspapers in college and my degree is in creative writing and journalism. Yes, I edit for my clients when they need it, but editing is not my focus. It’s just part of what has to be done to get a book to market.

      • Evan from Evansville

        Whoops. Didn’t mean a reply by the end. Apologies. And to be clear about that last bit – I’m feeling far more confident. Holidays are a bad searchin’ time and I’m aware.

    • B.P.

      He wrote for Liberty Magazine.

      • Mojeaux

        I saw that on his Wiki. We’ve had some good chats. Also, he’s from KC too!

    • rhywun

      I still don’t know where they get that other than all the right people told them so.

  15. ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

    Well, got my Xmas light hung today.

    • Tundra

      Just one lonely light?

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        One light maybe, but he said it was hung.

      • Jarflax

        So the British are coming by land this time?

      • Evan from Evansville

        Me on December 18, 2011: “Kim Jong Il is dead?! This is one of those magically rare opportunities to joyously revel in someone’s death. This is quite the interesting time to make my return to Korea.
        Who’s ronery now, you short fat fuck?”

        Congrats 24-year-old me! I got there two years earlier, to the month. I was saddened there wasn’t more mockery and revelry in SoKo. They knew it was just a ‘Who’s next, now?’ moment and no one really cared. They were correct not to. Koreans are so numb to it all; it was hilarious watching Americans get all nervous from afar.

  16. The Late P Brooks

    OMG – Tesla is issuing a over the air software update because of a rule disagreement about how a tire inflation warning light should be displayed between drive cycles.

    Did they use the wrong font again?

    • Sensei

      No, it’s how often it’s displayed.

      Tesla, unlike just about any other established automaker, asks forgiveness and not permission on anything it does. It’s not the way the game has been played for the past 50 plus years and both the established makers and the regulators hate them for this.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      Poor guy, back to a life of banging college chicks and going to parties in blackface. Maybe not the worst of fates but definitely a step down.

      • Sensei

        Governor of Canada!

    • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

      It had a political ruthlessness that has them wondering if it was a maneuver to force him out so she can run for the job.

      That was my first thought. I see all the Canadians celebrating “getting rid” of her and predict she will haunt them for a while yet.

      • R.J.

        Remember how she sneered when discussing what the government was going to do to the truckers.
        Wretched vampires like that don’t fade away.
        It’s good to make Justin fuck off though. If he really does.

    • Tundra

      Hope springs eternal…

      and then is crushed beneath the boot of mediocrity.

      • juris imprudent

        Does everyone finally understand what the Republican party is really about? That the 34 dissidents do NOT control the party – they can only shit up the place? That’s all they can do, they can’t run the party because they aren’t even 1 out of 5 in the caucus.

      • juris imprudent

        Oh, and Trump is going to piss on those 34, not the rest that JOINED with the Democrats.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        You’re excoriating the choir because everyone here realizes the Republicans suck ass. It just sucks to have the same old shit happen yet again.

      • juris imprudent

        It’s like Lucy and the football, and all the Charlie Brown’s are sure they’re finally going to kick that thing through the goalposts.

      • creech

        The majority of voters will punish any congressman who votes to radically reduce the federal government. E.g. Amash, or any Libertarian who ever ran for Congress.

  17. Mojeaux

    This is a special level of upgrade averse.

    If it works, it works. Probably isn’t online, so not at risk of cooties.

    • PutridMeat

      Recent new YouTube release

      Can’t tell if serious… (Insert Fry squint).

  18. juris imprudent

    I don’t get these federal charges against Mangione.

    Four federal charges against Mangione were unsealed in a complaint midday, including two counts of stalking, a count of murder through the use of a firearm and a firearms offense.

    What horseshit.

    • Sensei

      DC wants the Fortune elite to know there will be no revolution on their watch.

      That is ridiculous.

  19. db

    No zoomers?

    Oh that’s right, I’m back in EST.

    • Mojeaux

      Dude. 8 EST, 7 CST, 6 MST, 5 PST.

      I’m going to work a couple of hours before Zooms.

    • Ted S.

      I assume that when she was growing up, everyone called her Penisero.

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