The "what's On Your Mind?" Thread -2018

[Willowy]

Apparently the plague vaccine is not terribly effective. This seems to be a VERY thorough discussion of pretty much everything about it, lol: Plague Vaccine Development: Current Research and Future Trends

 

[Margret]

Did you use Control Panel to swap the mouse buttons? That's how I did it. Control Panel -> Mouse -> Buttons -> Switch Primary and Secondary Buttons. It's been a couple of years, but I think Windows 7 may have called it Setup for Left Handed Configuration instead of Switch. Still the same way to get to it. Typing "Control Panel" in the Cortana Search on the Windows Tool Bar brings it up. I still hate that they removed it from right clicking the Start icon.

It's in Control Panel in Win 7; there's an entry for Mouse. I think the problem was that I hit "Apply" instead of "Okay." After hitting "Okay" it worked just fine, until I restarted the computer; then it disappeared again. I should probably call my brother, the computer genius. In fact, I should be calling him anyway; he doesn't know about the wrist.

Okay, so collective group think needed. I heard the reason we have vaccines for things like measles and tetanus but not for strep throat is supposed to be that viruses are just a bit of RNA and the immune system can latch onto that and retain a permanent search and destroy memory, while bacteria are independent living beings and there's no way to have a permanent imprint of a separate living being. Looking through the weird stuff in my shot record, how can there possibly be a plague vaccine? I looked it up, plague actually does refer to bubonic plague, there is a vaccine for it. So....how does it work?

My guess woud be that your original understanding is flawed, but I don't know enough to say.

Margret

 

[arouetta]

Apparently the plague vaccine is not terribly effective. This seems to be a VERY thorough discussion of pretty much everything about it, lol: Plague Vaccine Development: Current Research and Future Trends

Still, it's somewhat effective. So how can it work at all but there be no point in a strep or staph vaccine?

And another philosophical thought. How do our cats know who we are? We're several feet taller than they are, so they really can only see our face if we sit or they are on a tall shelf. We change our "fur" (clothes) daily. Same with our scent through bathing/hygiene. We can go out in workout clothes, go to the gym, shower after with travel toiletries that are not our usual brand, go to a store and try perfume/lotion samples and find a brand new nice shirt or jacket we want to wear immediately, hit up an Italian place that puts a ton of garlic in the food, and when we walk in the door before we have a chance to drop the car keys or say anything our cats know that we are us and not strangers.

Finally, two jokes I saw on FB, the first courtesy of my daughter, the second courtesy of a woman I think is a cousin.

=====

The Boston Symphony was performing Beethoven's Ninth. In the piece, there's a long passage about 20 minutes during which the double basses have nothing to do. Rather than sit around the whole time looking stupid, some bassists decided to sneak offstage and go to the tavern next door for a quick one. After slamming several beers in quick succession (as double bassists are prone to do), one of them looked at his watch. "Hey! We need to get back!"

"No need to panic," said a fellow bassist. "I thought we might need some extra time, so I tied the last few pages of the conductor's score together with string. It'll take him a few minutes to get it untangled."

A few moments later they staggered back to the concert hall and took their places in the orchestra. About this time, a member of the audience noticed the conductor seemed a bit edgy and said as much to her companion.

"Well, of course," said her companion. "Don't you see? It's the bottom of the Ninth, the score is tied, and the bassists are loaded."

=====

What studying languages is like.

Latin: Words like "yes" and "no" aren't important. Memorize these 3000 different ways to talk about killing people though because you will use them.

Greek: Hello naughty students it's participle time.

Egyptian: Ancient Pictionary.

French: Pronouncing every letter is for chumps.

German: Let's combine every other word together to create the ultimatefrankenword.

Mandarin: Lol, what's a verb tense?

Spanish: Lol, what isn't a verb tense?

English: Welcome to h*ll.

 

[LTS3]

I just did my taxes using the H&R Block software. I'm getting a federal refund but half the amount of what I've gotten in previous years The software was fairly easy to use. I just plugged numbers into the boxes. I had to search for a particular section for one tax form I had. Nothing has changed with my wages or anything since last year. Well, a slight pay raise but that wouldn't cause a lower refund would it? Of course, there are tons of new tax laws and stuff now since the presidential election so maybe refunds are just less this year for most people

For state taxes, I owe but I always owe some amount.

I think I might print out a blank tax form and do my taxes the old fashioned way with pen and a calculator just to double check.
I wish I could use Turbo Tax but it no longer supports my ancient OS This year I'm determined to upgrade to a new computer and OS. I know computers don't cost very much these days compared to the $1000+ over a decade ago when I had to buy a laptop for college. It's just finding the time when I'm not bogged down with other more important expenses

 

[arouetta]

If you were right at the border for tax brackets, a slight raise might have pushed you to the higher bracket which would explain the smaller refund. However printing it out and doing it yourself would be a good double check.

 

[Kreatorcat]

How do our cats know who we are?

I had not seen my mom's cat Jack in over two years,but have known and loved him since He was a tiny rescue kitten. He had been abandoned by my brothers ex-girlfriend,and had been living outside for several months when my brother was told what happened by the neighbors. He went and rescued him,and took him to my sister's house.

I went to my sister's to pick him up a couple of days later. He had been sequestered in a bathroom(sister's dog is aggressive). I opened the door,called his name,but didn't see him. He was hiding behind the toilet. The second he saw my face,he howled and came out. We were both so happy to see each other.

I get to see him every month,and when he sees my face he gives a hearty meow as he gets up and climbs on me.

I am convinced I have a face only an old cat can love.

 

[Kreatorcat]

This cartoon really got to me. "Hero's welcome" by Pia Guerra.

 

[Willowy]

I did TurboTax on my phone. . .if you have a smartphone or tablet it could work. I got about the same refund as 2016, I think, so I don't think there were a lot of differences.

But, yeah, you can get a really nice PC for less than $250 now (assuming you already have the monitor and other peripherals; that's just the computer tower). I'm trying to convince my mom to just do that instead of having to listen to her whine about her laggy old computer all the time.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Sprite did go for her MRI today. Results at some point next week. Not sure what day, but you all will know! She's feeling MUCH better.

Same with our scent through bathing/hygiene. We can go out in workout clothes, go to the gym, shower after with travel toiletries that are not our usual brand, go to a store and try perfume/lotion samples and find a brand new nice shirt or jacket we want to wear immediately, hit up an Italian place that puts a ton of garlic in the food, and when we walk in the door before we have a chance to drop the car keys or say anything our cats know that we are us and not strangers.

Ah, but cats' noses are far, far more sensitive than ours, and no matter what we do, we canNOT rid ourselves of our basic scent. No amount of washing or perfuming will cover it to a nose like theirs. We constantly produce the chemicals that give us our unique scent, even as we shower. I had a blind friend years ago with a phenominal nose. She could walk up to within a foot or two of you and know you by your scent. She said that each person's scent was very evident, and strongest behind the ear, the underarms, and...erm...lower. But that it was a dead giveaway. Now, she could be confused by a very strong perfume, but her nose was nowhere near what a cat's nose is.

English: Welcome to h*ll.

Oh, isn't that so! We park in driveways, drive on parkways. We send cargo on a ship, and shipments in a car (truck...whatever). We say "mouse/mice" but "house/houses." Any sane language would say "mouse/mice," "house/hice" OR "mouse/mouses," "house/houses." and that doesn't even get into goose/geese and moose/moose!

 

[artiemom]

Okay, so collective group think needed. I heard the reason we have vaccines for things like measles and tetanus but not for strep throat is supposed to be that viruses are just a bit of RNA and the immune system can latch onto that and retain a permanent search and destroy memory, while bacteria are independent living beings and there's no way to have a permanent imprint of a separate living being. Looking through the weird stuff in my shot record, how can there possibly be a plague vaccine? I looked it up, plague actually does refer to bubonic plague, there is a vaccine for it. So....how does it work?

I am not an immunologist, but I do know that Viruses mutate.. that is why there is not vaccine for the Strep Throat .

That is why it is so hard to predict which strain of the Flu Virus will be predominate each year. The Flu Virus Mutates, and mutates several times.. forming compounds of new viruses each time..

I am not certain if Strep Throat is a virus or a Causative from a virus.. I always thought Strep Throat was a bacterial infection. That is why you need antibiotics to fight it.

As far as hooking on to RNA~~ well, you got me...

Still, it's somewhat effective. So how can it work at all but there be no point in a strep or staph vaccine?

And another philosophical thought. How do our cats know who we are? We're several feet taller than they are, so they really can only see our face if we sit or they are on a tall shelf. We change our "fur" (clothes) daily. Same with our scent through bathing/hygiene. We can go out in workout clothes, go to the gym, shower after with travel toiletries that are not our usual brand, go to a store and try perfume/lotion samples and find a brand new nice shirt or jacket we want to wear immediately, hit up an Italian place that puts a ton of garlic in the food, and when we walk in the door before we have a chance to drop the car keys or say anything our cats know that we are us and not strangers.

Cats have superior sense of smell. They know us.. they can smell us.. even if we muck up our outer essence. Cats know the innermost essence of our beings..

whew!! I am done!!! feeling exhausted from all the brain work!

 

[artiemom]

I just did my taxes using the H&R Block software. I'm getting a federal refund but half the amount of what I've gotten in previous years The software was fairly easy to use. I just plugged numbers into the boxes. I had to search for a particular section for one tax form I had. Nothing has changed with my wages or anything since last year. Well, a slight pay raise but that wouldn't cause a lower refund would it? Of course, there are tons of new tax laws and stuff now since the presidential election so maybe refunds are just less this year for most people

For state taxes, I owe but I always owe some amount.

I think I might print out a blank tax form and do my taxes the old fashioned way with pen and a calculator just to double check.
I wish I could use Turbo Tax but it no longer supports my ancient OS This year I'm determined to upgrade to a new computer and OS. I know computers don't cost very much these days compared to the $1000+ over a decade ago when I had to buy a laptop for college. It's just finding the time when I'm not bogged down with other more important expenses

I agree with arouetta The small pay increase, could put you in a different tax bracket, although, I thought there were only a few brackets.. and the difference between them, very steep.

I do not understand financial things.. I pay someone to do my taxes for me. It is easier to just pay upfront.. even with a simple form. Too many things to be aware of, nowadays..

Yes, I always prefer to do things the old fashioned way.. paper and pen/pencil.. this way, it is easier for me to refer back to things, to change things. When I am able to want an official document, that is when I use the computer.. I am old school.. and old...

 

[NewYork1303]

I just did my taxes using the H&R Block software. I'm getting a federal refund but half the amount of what I've gotten in previous years The software was fairly easy to use. I just plugged numbers into the boxes. I had to search for a particular section for one tax form I had. Nothing has changed with my wages or anything since last year. Well, a slight pay raise but that wouldn't cause a lower refund would it? Of course, there are tons of new tax laws and stuff now since the presidential election so maybe refunds are just less this year for most people

For state taxes, I owe but I always owe some amount.

I think I might print out a blank tax form and do my taxes the old fashioned way with pen and a calculator just to double check.
I wish I could use Turbo Tax but it no longer supports my ancient OS This year I'm determined to upgrade to a new computer and OS. I know computers don't cost very much these days compared to the $1000+ over a decade ago when I had to buy a laptop for college. It's just finding the time when I'm not bogged down with other more important expenses

The small pay increase probably bumped you up a tax bracket. We had that happen to us last year.

 

[arouetta]

I am not an immunologist, but I do know that Viruses mutate.. that is why there is not vaccine for the Strep Throat .

That is why it is so hard to predict which strain of the Flu Virus will be predominate each year. The Flu Virus Mutates, and mutates several times.. forming compounds of new viruses each time..

I am not certain if Strep Throat is a virus or a Causative from a virus.. I always thought Strep Throat was a bacterial infection. That is why you need antibiotics to fight it.

As far as hooking on to RNA~~ well, you got me...




Cats have superior sense of smell. They know us.. they can smell us.. even if we muck up our outer essence. Cats know the innermost essence of our beings..

whew!! I am done!!! feeling exhausted from all the brain work!

That's what confuses me. Measles is a virus and there's a vaccine. Flu is a bunch of viruses and figuring out the predominant 3 is like picking lottery numbers, but there is a vaccine. Strep throat is a bacteria and there is no vaccine. Bubonic plague is a bacteria and yet there is a vaccine. How can a vaccine for one bacteria be over 50% effective but it's not even worth exploring for other bacteria?

 

[arouetta]

What the heck is going on with my brain today???????

Now the question on my mind is since natural gas burns at a temperature of 3500 degrees, then how can you cook things needing a much lower temperature and your water heater doesn't flash to steam?

 

[LTS3]

I'm still in the same tax bracket as last year I'm no where near the max income for the tax bracket.

Edit: I compared this year's return to last year's return. Everything is more or less the same except the mortgage interest. I had less mortgage interest paid last year because I had refinanced my mortgage for a lower rate in late 2016. I went back into the software and plugged in 2016's mortgage interest just to see what would happen. The refund amount doubled. I'm kind of glad I have a lower mortgage interest rate now instead of what I was paying before (2.85% vs 5%) but at the same time, I want a bigger refund

 

[arouetta]

I think if you look at the dollar amount of the extra interest, remembering that it's reapplied to the principle over and over (usually yearly) then that dollar amount will be more than the total of the extra tax refund for the same number of years. You're getting more money in the end, even though the lump sum amounts are smaller. Google a simple interest loan payment calculator and that will clearly show the money savings. We used the free ones on the internet at the timeshare; we had to proofread all the documents, which included verifying monthly payments were correct.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

I knew Sprite would pull through! That's it baby girl, fight fight fight!

 

[muffy]

Sirius and Remus are doing pretty well. Though I think Remus may have conjunctivitis again ugh (one eye is red around the edges and squinty). It seems I may need to take them to the vet again soon. I have heard them sneezing a bit (and a few coughs here and there, not very often- and both of them are eating well) so I am hoping this is all just part of a herpes flare up or something. But of course I will pay whatever I need to to get them healthy.
You have beautiful kitties.

Some recent pictures of the little cuties :

View attachment 219940
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View attachment 219942 View attachment 219943 View attachment 219944

 

[segelkatt]

I have 4 cats, 2 of them are 18 years old but this is not about them. Rather it's the two boys, Chamouti, a 12 1/2 year old red Maine Coon, weighing in at 16 lbs and Panthera, a 13 year old all black DSH weighing in at 19 1/2 but not fat, just big. Panthera has been with me since he was 2, Chamouti has been with me for not quite 1 1/2 years, I do not know his history, I got him from Petsmart, sent a nice note to his previous owner (available from his short vet record) but got no response.
Both of them are very loving towards me, like to be cuddled and sit in my lap. Chamouti loves to be combed and brushed and have his belly rubbed, he's a real cuddlebug, he reminds me of a live teddy bear. Panthera needs no brushing, he will get bald spots if he is brushed, so just stroking him will get all loose fur off him and he is not much for belly rubbing. So Chamouti actually gets more attention from me than Panthera does.
Although Chamouti with all that hair (my friend said he looks like a Persian!) looks much bigger than Panthera he defers to all other cats, even the tiny Persian and the medium Birman, my two old ladies.
Lately Panthera has been making overtures toward Chamouti, apparently trying to make friends, but Chamouti is very wary and will leave rather than stay and see what Panthera is going to do if anything. Sometimes I see Panthera chasing Chamouti from one end to the other of the of the living room but no growling or hissing and I don't know what brought on the chase. I've seen Panthera playing with Chamouti's tail when Chamouti is sleeping but as soon as Chamouti notices it his ears go up, he is watching very carefully and if Panthera tries to sniff him then Chamouti gets up and leaves.
I do wish those two would play or sleep together, they will sleep on my bed as long as they are far apart (Panthera above my head, Chamouti towards my feet).
What is with those guys? Neither one has anything to do with the two old ladies either who do not hang out together either. They all love me, they just don't hang out together. I have had cats who slept together like a big bunch of fur with no telling what part belonged to which cat. This bunch are a bunch of loners. What gives? Anybody have any ideas?

 

[LTS3]

I think if you look at the dollar amount of the extra interest, remembering that it's reapplied to the principle over and over (usually yearly) then that dollar amount will be more than the total of the extra tax refund for the same number of years. You're getting more money in the end, even though the lump sum amounts are smaller.

True. I also refinanced for a shorter mortgage term to save money. So it all works out in the end even if it doesn't look like it now.