Miscellaneous Discussion Thread II

Quote: ChumpChange

New York, the millionaire capital of the world, is using AI-generated letters to challenge remote workers moving to low-tax states.

The letters could help beat staff shortages, although it’s unclear if this is part of the reason they were implemented. The state reported an increase in audits in 2022 but a decrease in auditors.

Tax departments across the US are using both human auditors and AI to examine cellphone records, which will help figure out where taxpayers are spending most of their time and subsequently where they owe taxes, Hodgson Russ LLP partner Mark Klein said.
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Kind of an inevitable development. 30 years ago, I was living in WA state while working in Portland, OR, and commuting. Still had to pay 9% OR state taxes on my entire income. WA had no state income taxes (still doesn't). Still resent it. But if you either lived in WA and worked in OR, or worked in WA and lived in OR, you owed full state income taxes. And it was challenged many times in court, and lost every time.

Funny story. I was in the control tower, so couldn't try this, but 2 guys in the approach control did. The approach airspace was a 40 mile radius from PDX, which is on the border of WA and OR. So these guys claimed that half their work was in WA, and half in OR, and only paid 50% of their state income taxes. (And, as it happened, more than 50% of our traffic was on the WA side, so they were being generous in paying that much.)

IRS came after them, and it ended up in court. Where they, as always, lost. All they got themselves was full payment including interest and penalties, their accounts red-flagged, and years more of audits. But I still admire their ingenuity.

If the business center is in NY, there's years/decades of precedence forcing the telecommuters to pay NY state taxes where their business is physically located, for whatever portion of their salary comes from that company. They can deduct the cost of their dedicated workroom and all tools needed to telecommute, but I doubt they can prevail. I wish them luck. It would be a great win.

Quote: beachbumbabs

Quote: ChumpChange

New York, the millionaire capital of the world, is using AI-generated letters to challenge remote workers moving to low-tax states.

The letters could help beat staff shortages, although it’s unclear if this is part of the reason they were implemented. The state reported an increase in audits in 2022 but a decrease in auditors.

Tax departments across the US are using both human auditors and AI to examine cellphone records, which will help figure out where taxpayers are spending most of their time and subsequently where they owe taxes, Hodgson Russ LLP partner Mark Klein said.
link to original post

Kind of an inevitable development. 30 years ago, I was living in WA state while working in Portland, OR, and commuting. Still had to pay 9% OR state taxes on my entire income. WA had no state income taxes (still doesn't). Still resent it. But if you either lived in WA and worked in OR, or worked in WA and lived in OR, you owed full state income taxes. And it was challenged many times in court, and lost every time.

Funny story. I was in the control tower, so couldn't try this, but 2 guys in the approach control did. The approach airspace was a 40 mile radius from PDX, which is on the border of WA and OR. So these guys claimed that half their work was in WA, and half in OR, and only paid 50% of their state income taxes. (And, as it happened, more than 50% of our traffic was on the WA side, so they were being generous in paying that much.)

IRS came after them, and it ended up in court. Where they, as always, lost. All they got themselves was full payment including interest and penalties, their accounts red-flagged, and years more of audits. But I still admire their ingenuity.

If the business center is in NY, there's years/decades of precedence forcing the telecommuters to pay NY state taxes where their business is physically located, for whatever portion of their salary comes from that company. They can deduct the cost of their dedicated workroom and all tools needed to telecommute, but I doubt they can prevail. I wish them luck. It would be a great win.
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IRS came after them or the state?

Quote: rxwine

Hammerhead bat.

[not showing image]
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i think this is applying the "how to make your fish look the biggest" trick which of course means extending your arm so the fish [or bat] is very close to the camera

I'll still say wow!! Quite a specimen . Had to look this up on wikipedia, never heard of these things

Quote: rxwine

Hammerhead bat.


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Wow, I thought that was a lion.

Quote: DRich

Quote: rxwine

Hammerhead bat.


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Wow, I thought that was a lion.
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It's a trick picture the guy is holding it by the scruff of its neck so it's really close to the camera lens to make it look huge. They actually weigh less than a pound. They are big for bats but not as big as the picture tries to make out

Quote: DRich

Quote: rxwine

Hammerhead bat.


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Wow, I thought that was a lion.
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There was always that one guy who walks around with a parrot on his shoulder.

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: DRich

Quote: rxwine

Hammerhead bat.


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Wow, I thought that was a lion.
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It's a trick picture the guy is holding it by the scruff of its neck so it's really close to the camera lens to make it look huge. They actually weigh less than a pound. They are big for bats but not as big as the picture tries to make out
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I understand but with a wingspan of 38 inches I would run away from it.

Former employee of Google buys the domain in 2015.

Quote:

At 1:20 a.m. Eastern Time, he was exploring the platform when he entered the domain into the search bar and was surprised to find it listed as available. Contrary to usual indications, the option to add the domain to his cart was visible, which is typically not seen unless a domain is genuinely available for sale.

Upon clicking the "add to cart" icon, the domain was successfully added to his cart, confirmed by a green checkmark. Ved proceeded to checkout, curious to see if the transaction would go through. He recalled, "I was hoping I would get an error at some time saying the transaction did not go through, but I was able to complete the purchase, and my credit card was actually charged!"

He immediately received access to Google Webmaster Tools notifications, confirming his temporary ownership. He provided screenshots of the emails and proof of the charge appearing on his credit card as well.

Ved also reported the incident to Google Security. In his post, he mentioned, "Google has reverted, has acknowledged the incident, and is investigating into the incident."

Google reached out and was reportedly "excited" to compensate Ved with $6,000.13, an amount humorously reflecting the brand’s name numerically. When Ved decided to donate the sum to charity, Google commendably doubled the reward to $12,000.

Working a prom as this is the season. As usual a couple kids knew how to play and helped them that did not.

Girl tells him to place bet.
He is second seat, first to right of first base so he sees the first player do something. Cards to him. I think he had a 17.

He: "What do I do?"
Her: "You need to stand."

Wait for it...........

He politely pushes his chair out and stands up!

Best thing I have seen at those tables in years!

Good thing she didn't tell him to split ;-)

Dog Hand

Google's new Ai engine is supposed to be able to look at video of something and suggest possible fixes if it's broke.

Man was told to "fence in his boat" so he did this:



Code enforcement actually thought it was cool so alls well that ends well I suppose.

I have a question on random variables, any comments/feedback would be appreciated. I am trying to figure out if what I have explained below makes sense or not.

Suppose X is a continuous uniform random variable f(x) = 1/(b-a) for a<=x<=b. Usually we are interested in making probabilistic statements about x, for example a cumulative probability P(X<= c) where a<=c<=b. What if we wanted to make probabilistic statements about f(x) itself? The possible height of the probability density function f(x) would be 0<=f(x)<= 1/(b-a). Would it be legit to consider f(x) itself to be a random variable since the probability mass is still unity whether you look at the density function from the horizontal (x axis) or from the vertical f(x) axis. I want to be able to make probabilistic statements about the height of the probability density function of a random variable. Is this possible, e.g, p[f(x)] <= d where 0<=d<=1/(b-a). The cumulative density function for the continuous uniform is easy to find, I do not see how I could make a cumulative density function for f(x) that would allow probabilistic statements about f(x) itself. Thank you.

Edit: goal is to be able to do this for the doubly truncated normal distribution. Starting with the uniform just to try to wrap my head around the derivation process and to help conceptualize if this idea even makes sense as the doubly truncated normal has a messy density function which can only cloud up the initial thought process.

Ahhh!

Or is it Owww! Made me laugh.

Witnessed possibly the world’s laziest craps table tonight. Eight chairs at the table…..pretty much staying seated while throwing the dice as well.

Quote: mcallister3200

Witnessed possibly the world’s laziest craps table tonight. Eight chairs at the table…..pretty much staying seated while throwing the dice as well.
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Bad casino management. You need more than 8 playing to make it profitable I figure.

Quote: AZDuffman

Quote: mcallister3200

Witnessed possibly the world’s laziest craps table tonight. Eight chairs at the table…..pretty much staying seated while throwing the dice as well.
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Bad casino management. You need more than 8 playing to make it profitable I figure.
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Iirc they were running it with 2 dealers, no box (just one of PC’s tables.)

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at least 5 climbers this season have died and 3 are missing trying to climb Mount Everest

historically at least 300 have died trying to do this and an estimated 200 bodies remain there because they are too difficult to retrieve

the pic is the Mountaineers at the Khumbu Glacier this month which is part of their journey





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https://archive.ph/S30du


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Quote: mcallister3200

Quote: AZDuffman

Quote: mcallister3200

Witnessed possibly the world’s laziest craps table tonight. Eight chairs at the table…..pretty much staying seated while throwing the dice as well.
link to original post

Bad casino management. You need more than 8 playing to make it profitable I figure.
link to original post

Iirc they were running it with 2 dealers, no box (just one of PC’s tables.)
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Seriously they would be better installing Interblock stadium craps.

Took the Harley out yesterday for the first time in 3 years, went to a small farming town about 20 miles from here. It was a nice ride but I'm getting too old for this. You got a 1,000 lb machine with an engine that has the same power as some small cars and I'm 75 years old? I did it okay but it was exhausting, it used to be exhilarating. That's why so many men my age ride three wheelers, something I refuse to do. This is an older bike but it's showroom new because I keep it that way. It's a Road King and you feel like your king of the road when you're riding it.

Quote: EvenBob

Took the Harley out yesterday for the first time in 3 years, went to a small farming town about 20 miles from here. It was a nice ride but I'm getting too old for this. You got a 1,000 lb machine with an engine that has the same power as some small cars and I'm 75 years old? I did it okay but it was exhausting, it used to be exhilarating. That's why so many men my age ride three wheelers, something I refuse to do. This is an older bike but it's showroom new because I keep it that way. It's a Road King and you feel like your king of the road when you're riding it.



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Looks nice but I think I'll stick to convertibles for the open road.

I'm kinda relying on cruise control to keep me in-lane, but then the paint goes out on the road or there's an exit and the auto-steering drops out because of the absence of lane markings. I need my rest stops too. And some of these roads are in abominable shape, I can't even do the 65 or 55 mph speed limit on them.

Quote: EvenBob

Took the Harley out yesterday for the first time in 3 years, went to a small farming town about 20 miles from here. It was a nice ride but I'm getting too old for this. You got a 1,000 lb machine with an engine that has the same power as some small cars and I'm 75 years old? I did it okay but it was exhausting, it used to be exhilarating. That's why so many men my age ride three wheelers, something I refuse to do. This is an older bike but it's showroom new because I keep it that way. It's a Road King and you feel like your king of the road when you're riding it.



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Can you pick it up one-handed if you dump (and possibly break an arm)?

That's always been the fitness standard I use for riding. Worked with a woman who very proudly couldn't pick her bike back up. She was, fortunately, prepared to call for a tow truck.

I've always preferred lighter bikes, in the 260 to 400 pound range. I want something nimble I can throw around through the curves.

It is a sharp looking Harley.

Quote: EvenBob

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Looks like you don't enjoy bugs in your teeth.

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The first images from the European Space Agency's Euclid telescope of our universe are dazzling - see link beneath pics

scientists are hoping the telescope will help them to understand dark energy and dark matter - much about it remains a mystery


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https://archive.ph/ucX1Y

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Worst umpire in baseball finally called out. Retires immediately.

Quote: lilredrooster

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The first images from the European Space Agency's Euclid telescope of our universe are dazzling - see link beneath pics

scientists are hoping the telescope will help them to understand dark energy and dark matter - much about it remains a mystery


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https://archive.ph/ucX1Y

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link to original post

Once they saw those mysteries there will be even more mysteries. Such is the nature of the simulation.

Wasn't the title of the TV show, "How I met your mother?" one long clickbait? Imagine going back to the same youtube channel with that title and most of time never having the answer?

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e bike delivery guys in the rain and snow___________really rough_________________I wouldn't wanna do it












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Quote:

DANVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A fugitive dubbed the “bad breath rapist” has been arrested in the San Francisco Bay Area more than 16 years..

Do you think he was annoyed as not just being referred to as a rapist, but the "Bad Breath Rapist"?


If i thought it would deter crime, I'd suggest they give wanted criminals, the most uncool nickname possible.

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not a great start of the day for Target workers - but maybe the funniest gif I've ever seen

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Quote: rxwine

Quote:

DANVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A fugitive dubbed the “bad breath rapist” has been arrested in the San Francisco Bay Area more than 16 years..

Do you think he was annoyed as not just being referred to as a rapist, but the "Bad Breath Rapist"?


If i thought it would deter crime, I'd suggest they give wanted criminals, the most uncool nickname possible.
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Somehow the word 'after' got left out ... should be " arrested in the San Francisco Bay Area AFTER more than 16 years" ... the omission made it sound like he got arrested many times and got let back out

oh, wait, that's the new thing

Rumor has it that the southbound I-35 bridge from Thackerville back to Texas is down to one lane. Expect serious traffic delays.

Thackerville, Oklahoma is the home of the Winstar World casino.

Hmmmm. I see that at the Casinomeister site that Max Drayman signs his posts as 'Senior Forum Moderator.' His identifier also lists him as a 'staff member.' He certainly has better job titles that Dieter and I.

Maybe here in WOV, our Avatars should have a feature where we could all create one or more fancy forum titles for ourselves. Examples:

The Hapless AP.
The Great One.
The Homeless
The Wretched
The Incoherent
The Grumpy
The Cat Lady
The Self-Absorbed
The Scourge
Senior Nerd
Deputy Assistant Nerd
God of Geeks
Lord of Calculus
Count Count
Blackjackmeister
Etc.

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𝘽𝘼𝘾𝙆 𝙁𝙍𝙊𝙈 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘿𝙀𝘼𝘿

a woman at a nursing home appeared dead - a Doctor was called in and he signed her death certificate

then she was shipped off to a Funeral Home

then the Funeral Home discovered that she was actually alive

and this is not the first time it has happened

it happened last June when a woman was put into a coffin - and then found to be alive when the Funeral Home opened the coffin to change her clothes


https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cxee39ml8jgo


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Quote: lilredrooster

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𝘽𝘼𝘾𝙆 𝙁𝙍𝙊𝙈 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘿𝙀𝘼𝘿

a woman at a nursing home appeared dead - a Doctor was called in and he signed her death certificate

then she was shipped off to a Funeral Home

then the Funeral Home discovered that she was actually alive

and this is not the first time it has happened

it happened last June when a woman was put into a coffin - and then found to be alive when the Funeral Home opened the coffin to change her clothes


https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cxee39ml8jgo

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link to original post

I’m more concerned about the ones they missed and went and buried.

Remember the Twilight Zone where the prisoner plans to escape by hiding in a coffin with a dead person. Then the guy working in the coffin shop (or whatever it was) who is supposed to let him out never does. The prisoner eventually looks at the body next to him, and it’s the guy he made the deal with had died and was in the box with him.

Collector alert?

Quote:

Lego has just released a model of Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral. The new set arrives less than two months before the beginning of the 2024 Paris Olympics—and five years after a fire severely damaged the historic structure.
The 4,383-piece cathedral debuted on June 1. Although Lego is best known for its children’s toys, its new Notre-Dame set is actually meant for adults. The model features the building’s iconic windows, rooftop spire, columns, arches and even surrounding trees.

Quote: rxwine

Quote: lilredrooster

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𝘽𝘼𝘾𝙆 𝙁𝙍𝙊𝙈 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘿𝙀𝘼𝘿

a woman at a nursing home appeared dead - a Doctor was called in and he signed her death certificate

then she was shipped off to a Funeral Home

then the Funeral Home discovered that she was actually alive

and this is not the first time it has happened

it happened last June when a woman was put into a coffin - and then found to be alive when the Funeral Home opened the coffin to change her clothes


https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cxee39ml8jgo

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link to original post

I’m more concerned about the ones they missed and went and buried.

Remember the Twilight Zone where the prisoner plans to escape by hiding in a coffin with a dead person. Then the guy working in the coffin shop (or whatever it was) who is supposed to let him out never does. The prisoner eventually looks at the body next to him, and it’s the guy he made the deal with had died and was in the box with him.
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They must have remade that because I remember it but it was a woman in the box with the guy.

Quote: rxwine

Remember the Twilight Zone where the prisoner plans to escape by hiding in a coffin with a dead person. Then the guy working in the coffin shop (or whatever it was) who is supposed to let him out never does. The prisoner eventually looks at the body next to him, and it’s the guy he made the deal with had died and was in the box with him.
link to original post

That was an Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode titled "Final Escape."

Quote: TigerWu

Quote: rxwine

Remember the Twilight Zone where the prisoner plans to escape by hiding in a coffin with a dead person. Then the guy working in the coffin shop (or whatever it was) who is supposed to let him out never does. The prisoner eventually looks at the body next to him, and it’s the guy he made the deal with had died and was in the box with him.
link to original post

That was an Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode titled "Final Escape."
link to original post

Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, Night Gallery, Tales from the Crypt, Outer Limits, == and probably other stuff. Watched a bunch of those shows.

DarkOz seems to go to Disney World a lot.

Have to be in Orlando for some business, going to take the wife, get I suppose those 4 days passes to Disney World. What say ye DarkOz, any suggestions? What else do you do when you are there?

Think we'll go and stay in Miami Beach three or four nights too, and then fly back from there.

Rent a car for the entire time, I think, or how do you do it D.Oz? Is a car needed in Orlando if the primary destination is Disney World and staying in a hotel that is under ten minutes drive away?

Not looking forward to being in Florida again in the summer, seems like that is when I am there a lot. Will be in Tahoe soon though for a month so will cool off, then go experience the daily outdoor steam room.

Unless you are taking young kids, you can probably skip Magic Kingdom. I prefer Epcot and the wild animal park.

Quote: MDawg

DarkOz seems to go to Disney World a lot.

Have to be in Orlando for some business, going to take the wife, get I suppose those 4 days passes to Disney World. What say ye DarkOz, any suggestions? What else do you do when you are there?

Think we'll go and stay in Miami Beach three or four nights too, and then fly back from there.

Rent a car for the entire time, I think, or how do you do it D.Oz? Is a car needed in Orlando if the primary destination is Disney World and staying in a hotel that is under ten minutes drive away?

Not looking forward to being in Florida again in the summer, seems like that is when I am there a lot. Will be in Tahoe soon though for a month so will cool off, then go experience the daily outdoor steam room.
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There's a lot to do in Orlando.

Public transportation has been good for 2 decades. The Pynk Paws system worked really good all the way to Kissimmee. My son in law insisted on renting a car my last few trips so it's been awhile I used Public transportation there.

You will just have to check the current price plan. They constantly change it. At various times there have been up to 10 day tickets, consecutive or non-consecutive, sometimes they expire sometimes they don't etc. Pick what is best for your needs but in general the more days the cheaper per day. One time it worked out to something like $200 for a one day ticket and $360 for a full ten days. But again pricing structure is constantly changing there.

You really want same day parkhoppers. Let's say you grt a four day ticket. There may be a cheaper option where you can only go one park per day. So if you bored at one park you can't switch (I doubt you will be bored hut for example magic Kingdom has so many rides it will probably take a day and a half while animal kingdom has only a few rides, so you might go a 2nd day to magic. You will want the option to switch midday to animal kingdom)

Check hours. Their hours vary. Sometimes they close at 6pm. Sometimes midnight. The worst days are the ones open until midnight. They make longer days for their busiest days. On a day you feel you have less time you will most likely see more because there will be a (relatively) empty park. Meanwhile expect wait times up to one hour on those longer days.

I think they just changed their front of line passes but not sure. Before it was democratize. They didn't sell them. Everyone was eligible. You had up to 3 rides concurrent which you registered in advance and you would get a time to return (a one hour window) where you skipped to the front) scheduling was an art form. You had to reserve close together (to get the rides done freeing up 3 more front of line rides) but not too close together that you couldn't make it t each ride. Running across the park for your free ride could kill an hour just doing that.

You could reserve these weeks in advance so if you just showed up the day of the trip you would find all the rides reserved until end of day killing your front of line options. (The way it worked was you purchased tickets online and that made you eligible to reserve online your three front ofnline rides weeks in advance)

What rides to go on is matter of taste but you probably will want to also visit Universal studios. They have the best two rides in all Florida imo (Spider-Man and King Kong).

If you intend to visit both each can take about 3 or 4 days to see everything. There are good off site hotels located directly in the middle of the two destinations that have water parks on the hotel property so a day of rest isn't just sitting indoors.

Besides all that there dozens of extra things to do. For example Medieval Times is there as well as ripoff competitors (Arabian times and Pirate times etc).

There's so many things to do it can be overwhelming. I usually plan two trips. Universal studios also has a park hopper to compete with Disney that includes partner parks. Last time I checked it was Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens Tampa. They all have lots of rides these days, even SeaWorld with some really good coasters.

Like I said it can be overwhelming so figure out a game plan and do some research on ticket options and what rides suit your tastes.

Enjoy.

Quote: DRich

Unless you are taking young kids, you can probably skip Magic Kingdom. I prefer Epcot and the wild animal park.
link to original post

I got talked into going to Disney World one time in the 90s and it lasted about 15 minutes. I looked at all the long lines in the sweltering heat and I abandoned everybody else and I left. I don't do lines, I don't wait in queues, the only place I do it is at the DMV because that's the only option. If I go to a buffet in Vegas I only go when I know there's going to be no lines. I'm very arrogant and consider myself above most people I'll be damned if I'm going to stand in the same line they do.

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: DRich

Unless you are taking young kids, you can probably skip Magic Kingdom. I prefer Epcot and the wild animal park.
link to original post

I got talked into going to Disney World one time in the 90s and it lasted about 15 minutes. I looked at all the long lines in the sweltering heat and I abandoned everybody else and I left. I don't do lines, I don't wait in queues, the only place I do it is at the DMV because that's the only option. If I go to a buffet in Vegas I only go when I know there's going to be no lines. I'm very arrogant and consider myself above most people I'll be damned if I'm going to stand in the same line they do.
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Obviously EB went on a day the park was open to midnight!

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for a very long I've felt that sometimes when I'm lying down trying to sleep or just before waking up that I'm in this weird place -

that I'm neither asleep nor awake - just somewhere in between

so I googled it - and found out it's a thing recognized by science

it's called "the hypnagogic state"_________________________________google is amazing - you can learn so much by using it

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10078162/#:~:text=The%20hypnagogic%20state%20refers%20to,sensory%20perceptions%20can%20be%20experienced.


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There's way too much to see. Just relax and see what you can while you're there. I assume you can always go back later.

It's also hot as hell right now.

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: DRich

Unless you are taking young kids, you can probably skip Magic Kingdom. I prefer Epcot and the wild animal park.
link to original post

I got talked into going to Disney World one time in the 90s and it lasted about 15 minutes. I looked at all the long lines in the sweltering heat and I abandoned everybody else and I left. I don't do lines, I don't wait in queues, the only place I do it is at the DMV because that's the only option. If I go to a buffet in Vegas I only go when I know there's going to be no lines. I'm very arrogant and consider myself above most people I'll be damned if I'm going to stand in the same line they do.
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I do not get the "Disney Adult" thing for these reasons. Thing is now the lines are a system to be gamed. The place has too many people so they keep raising the prices but even more people come.

They said high level Soviets used to always want to see Disney World. The long lines were probably normal to the average Russian. I look at it all and can't believe how many people from around the world want to come and see it.

It's true the days of a "casual" Disney trip are over. You have to do a lot of planning ahead of time, but It's easy to avoid long lines in Disney World. You either have to know what time of day to go to a specific ride or just walk around doing other things until you happen to see a line is short. It also helps to not go in the summer or whenever kids are off of school. I usually go in the fall or winter. If you know what you're doing you'll never have to wait in line for more than 20 minutes or so for most rides. Even with the super popular newer rides you shouldn't have to wait more than an hour. People who complain about waiting in Disney lines for 2 or 3 hours have no idea what they're doing and have no one to blame but themselves.

Quote: TigerWu

I usually go in the fall or winter. If you know what you're doing you'll never have to wait in line for more than 20 minutes or so for most rides.
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20 minutes!?! I never wait in line for anything for 20 minutes, the longest line I'll wait is if it has has two people in front of me. If I have to go to the grocery store I'll do it at 1:30 p.m. on a Tuesday because there's never anybody there. I have abandoned a cart of groceries more than once in a grocery store because I didn't want to wait in line. I never go inside the bank if the drive-thrus are empty. I don't have to worry about restaurants because I never eat there anymore, the last restaurant I was at was probably 2 years before the pandemic. I like buffets because you can go get your food immediately and there's no waiting. People don't realize how much of their lives they spend waiting.