Miscellaneous Discussion Thread II
I'm certain all the art is 60+ years old.
Quote: DRichQuote: rxwine
Any leftover duds will probably end up on Temu
(At least that’s where I go if I want a chance at a cheap defective product)
As far as I know I have not bought anything from Temu and I appreciate cheap junk.
link to original post
If you are into cheap junk, Temu is the place to go. I was looking for drawstring bags for my homeless gift bags. I bought 50 off of Temu for forty-six cents each. A few weeks pass, and I get an email about a massive drawstring bag sale. Drawstring bags at a huge discout- sixteen cents if I buy 200. It's a local warehouse so they arrive quickly. They did look like the first order, only 1/16th the size.
I placed an order for 1,000 socks. Knowing Temu, I knew something was amiss. After much reading, I found out the socks fit men's sizes 6-9. I see few adult men with size six shoes.
Quote: DRichQuote: rxwine
Any leftover duds will probably end up on Temu
(At least that’s where I go if I want a chance at a cheap defective product)
As far as I know I have not bought anything from Temu and I appreciate cheap junk.
link to original post
If you are into cheap junk, Temu is the place to go. I was looking for drawstring bags for my homeless gift bags. I bought 50 off of Temu for forty-six cents each. A few weeks pass, and I get an email about a massive drawstring bag sale. Drawstring bags at a huge discout- sixteen cents if I buy 200. It's a local warehouse so they arrive quickly. They did look like the first order, only 1/16th the size.
I placed an order for 1,000 socks. Knowing Temu, I knew something was amiss. After much reading, I found out the socks fit men's sizes 6-9. I see few adult men with size six shoes.
I went to a "we buy collectibles, gold, silver, sports, casino, etc" store the other day.
I brought in some "vintage"/older chips and casino coins.
I told the guy I wanted 20% over the chip's face value. He said, "No way, we pay pennies for chips. I said, "Why would I ever sell them for pennies when I could just go cash many of them in for face value? He brought over his "chips expert" He was telling me the same nonsense.
They claimed you couldn't cash in any of the chips I had because they were too old and that they change chips and expire old chips every 5 years(I know that's not true, I thought they were just trying to bamboozle me).
He went on to explain that they have a guy who buys all their chips, mostly for $1 each. He said they get boxes of old chips in frequently. They told me he puts them up on eBay a few at a time and makes a few bucks(LOL), but it's too time-consuming for them to do the same.
He brought out about 16 various older $100 chips from 3 different casinos and said, "See, I can't even cash these chips" He said he had a customer who collects chips and he was buying them all for $50. The other guy got on the phone(it was on speaker) and called one of the casinos asking if his chips were cashable and they said no.
Me, knowing at least 5 were still cashable, I told him I would give him $125 for all of them.
He said he couldn't sell them because they were already promised.
He said, "if you can beat my normal chip buyer price by 50%, I will sell to you exclusively" I said, "Sure, I might be interested." At some point, while was taking down my number and information and we were talking the other guy called the Orleans regarding my $25 Gator chips (which he had already said were not cashable) to his surprise they told him they were cashable. After they realized they had been messing up, they told me they should go back and call each casino on each version of the chips to see if they were cashable, or not.
I never did get a call back to buy all their chips. I have a feeling other places might be making the same mistake.
Quote: DieterQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: Dieter
And yes, the most common message I got on a pager was a telephone number to call. You could pay extra for inbound text messages, but $5/month for callback numbers was a pretty popular plan.
The ability to type a message was amazing in 1995. We had them for our techs and it was a total WOW. I looked at 2-way typing but that was stupid expensive. I did not even get that for myself and I was the boss. I had people doing "side jobs" who got POed when I locked them into only being able to call from our office.
link to original post
I think it was around 1993 when I was seeing a surge in popularity of the text pagers.
The "killer app" at the time was a news service subscription. All the stall vendors in the marketplace at seemed to have a new "big screen" pager, and they all seemed to pop a new headline or stock update about every 20 minutes, about a third of which led to grabbing a cell phone (NOT text capable) and calling someone to do a transaction.
link to original post
I almost forgot about those. When I got promoted my then new boss showed me how he had his getting headlines or something. It was primitive, no set schedule just random texts pages. But it was a new thing.
Quote: AxelWolf
The bottom image was very popular with catholic boys on Long Island when I was a kid.. I doubt yours is the original.
I don't know what you mean by original? As in the first one painted ever, well ya, I'm certain it isn't the first one ever painted. I believe it is an old print dating to 1950.Quote: billryanQuote: AxelWolf
The bottom image was very popular with catholic boys on Long Island when I was a kid.. I doubt yours is the original.
link to original post
Quote: AxelWolfI don't know what you mean by original? As in the first one painted ever, well ya, I'm certain it isn't the first one ever painted. I believe it is an old print dating to 1950.Quote: billryanQuote: AxelWolf
The bottom image was very popular with catholic boys on Long Island when I was a kid.. I doubt yours is the original.
link to original post
link to original post
If you ask about its value, I'd say it's worth less than ten dollars at a thrift shop or consignment store. Mid-century religious prints are not a hot category in the art world. Someone might buy them for the frames, if they are in good shape.
Someome who knows a little about art offered me $125 if I wanted to sell it, I declined. I'll pass at that price, even if it is worthless. With that being said I don't really want to keep moving them around when they are in the way, heck, I already ripped one while moving it.Quote: billryanQuote: AxelWolfI don't know what you mean by original? As in the first one painted ever, well ya, I'm certain it isn't the first one ever painted. I believe it is an old print dating to 1950.Quote: billryanQuote: AxelWolf
The bottom image was very popular with catholic boys on Long Island when I was a kid.. I doubt yours is the original.
link to original post
link to original post
If you ask about its value, I'd say it's worth less than ten dollars at a thrift shop or consignment store. Mid-century religious prints are not a hot category in the art world. Someone might buy them for the frames, if they are in good shape.
link to original post
I don't know if they really know what they are talking about, but they estimated this one was worth $500 to $900.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/off-topic/38603-miscellaneous-discussion-thread-ii/33/#post936231
I'll have an expert take a look at everything as I have more.
Quote: AxelWolfI was just asking my wife if she knew or ever ordered from Temu. I have seen some interesting cheap stuff on there, but I was wondering what the catch was, I was thinking they get you on the shipping. I'm talking about motorized stuff and bigger ticket items like 4-wheelers.Quote: DRichQuote: rxwine
Any leftover duds will probably end up on Temu
(At least that’s where I go if I want a chance at a cheap defective product)
As far as I know I have not bought anything from Temu and I appreciate cheap junk.
link to original post
link to original post
I buy a lot of cheap stuff and some of it is nice. I've never bought anything like a bike or big ticket item. You must be careful as prices can change while your item is in the cart, and the advertised price is often for a size smaller than you need.
Cheap Chinese bikes and batteries are killing people so I avoid them.
one of the crime stories on the show "American Greed"
an impoverished black guy wins millions in the lottery
all his friends start to borrow $ from him
a woman weasels her way into his life to "manage" his money
he disappears and she tries to trick people into thinking he just took off somewhere
actually what happened is she murdered him to get all of his $
the poor guy was much better off when he was broke
.
.
.
.
Quote: TigerWuThe lottery is weird in that the primary demographic is people that don't know how to handle complicated finances.
link to original post
You could have substituted that for the tax code as well.
Quote: TigerWuThe lottery is weird in that the primary demographic is people that don't know how to handle complicated finances.
link to original post
If they knew finances they would not be playing the lottery in the first place. It is also kind of more than that.
They have tried lotteries making it far easier to win $1MM vs $100MM. They do not work. Lottery players are long-shot players. They typically see little hope in any improvement in their lives so want the little chance at the big win and the big thing.
I have told this story before. Place I worked was an industrial laundry. Pay was about what you would expect, about 1.5Xs minimum wage. Kind of place a HS dropout would probably end up making a career. People with families at this level depend on the EIC rebate at tax time. I mean depend big, it was like a 15% bonus. $5,000 was the max back then. People got it year in and year out.
At the time you could buy a modest house in the city for say $60,000. Meaning you would be rent-free, a big thing at any income level but real big at this one. So, invest it every year and what, 7 years you have a place? A person who knows finances would make this really work.
But one guy, nope. Fancy vacation for the family. Talking Hawaii! He preferred to live rich one week a year instead of scrimping so he could live lower middle class (vs. near povderty) for 52 weeks a year.
And that is the person who played the lottery.
Quote: AZDuffmanQuote: TigerWuThe lottery is weird in that the primary demographic is people that don't know how to handle complicated finances.
link to original post
If they knew finances they would not be playing the lottery in the first place. It is also kind of more than that.
They have tried lotteries making it far easier to win $1MM vs $100MM. They do not work. Lottery players are long-shot players. They typically see little hope in any improvement in their lives so want the little chance at the big win and the big thing.
I have told this story before. Place I worked was an industrial laundry. Pay was about what you would expect, about 1.5Xs minimum wage. Kind of place a HS dropout would probably end up making a career. People with families at this level depend on the EIC rebate at tax time. I mean depend big, it was like a 15% bonus. $5,000 was the max back then. People got it year in and year out.
At the time you could buy a modest house in the city for say $60,000. Meaning you would be rent-free, a big thing at any income level but real big at this one. So, invest it every year and what, 7 years you have a place? A person who knows finances would make this really work.
But one guy, nope. Fancy vacation for the family. Talking Hawaii! He preferred to live rich one week a year instead of scrimping so he could live lower middle class (vs. near povderty) for 52 weeks a year.
And that is the person who played the lottery.
link to original post
We had an elderly cashier that bet the lottery. One day she asked me to buy her a ticket like I had some luck.
Quote: jjjooogggQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: TigerWuThe lottery is weird in that the primary demographic is people that don't know how to handle complicated finances.
link to original post
If they knew finances they would not be playing the lottery in the first place. It is also kind of more than that.
They have tried lotteries making it far easier to win $1MM vs $100MM. They do not work. Lottery players are long-shot players. They typically see little hope in any improvement in their lives so want the little chance at the big win and the big thing.
I have told this story before. Place I worked was an industrial laundry. Pay was about what you would expect, about 1.5Xs minimum wage. Kind of place a HS dropout would probably end up making a career. People with families at this level depend on the EIC rebate at tax time. I mean depend big, it was like a 15% bonus. $5,000 was the max back then. People got it year in and year out.
At the time you could buy a modest house in the city for say $60,000. Meaning you would be rent-free, a big thing at any income level but real big at this one. So, invest it every year and what, 7 years you have a place? A person who knows finances would make this really work.
But one guy, nope. Fancy vacation for the family. Talking Hawaii! He preferred to live rich one week a year instead of scrimping so he could live lower middle class (vs. near povderty) for 52 weeks a year.
And that is the person who played the lottery.
link to original post
We had an elderly cashier that bet the lottery. One day she asked me to buy her a ticket like I had some luck.
link to original post
The thing is never let the computer pick the numbers as they are not going to give you what will hit.
Quote: AZDuffman
The thing is never let the computer pick the numbers as they are not going to give you what will hit.
I am pretty sure I read somewhere that there were more lottery winners on QuickPicks than user selected numbers. I would assume the majority of tickets bought use Quickpicks.
I found the quote:
"“Around 70 to 80 percent of Powerball players use Quick Pick tickets, and the same percentage of winning entries are Quick Picks,” one report said. “This shows that regardless of whether players choose to select their own numbers or not, the odds of winning remain the same.”"
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/national-international/are-odds-better-when-you-choose-your-own-powerball-numbers-or-play-quick-pick/2904738/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Squeeze_(1987_film)
interesting (to me anyway) account of how Fyodor Dostoyevsky, who wrote "The Gambler", and is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest writers of all time wandered around Germany and lost everything playing roulette
from the article:
"If you gamble in small doses every day, it is impossible not to win,” Dostoyevsky wrote to Grigoryevna, his second wife, in 1867. By then, the newlyweds had moved to Europe to escape his creditors, but Dostoyevsky kept returning to — and losing at — the roulette tables
The casino still looks much as it did in its heyday, with voluminous crystal chandeliers, red silk walls, gold leaf and Italian chinoiserie. Dostoyevsky used to sit in a corner of the Florentine room, a guide told me. It was there that he lost all of his and his pregnant 21-year-old wife’s travel money, as well as the money he made by pawning their belongings, down to Grigoryevna’s wedding band."
his wife wrote:
"I suffered beyond words waiting for Feodor,” she wrote. “I cried and cursed myself, roulette, the Baden-Baden casino and everything on Earth. …”
Dostoyevsky wrote:
"For 10 years,” he wrote to Anna Grigoryevna from Wiesbaden, “I dreamed about winning money … But now it is all over!” And this time, he meant it. By most accounts, he never gambled again, nor did he return to Germany"
https://archive.ph/paJ8K
.
there was no WoO to go to of course , to learn better
I'm not sure how available books were that could have helped, but they were out there. What was not out there was the public awareness that you better study this stuff. How much better is that today?
Quote:The onset of probability as a useful science is primarily attributed to Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) and Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665). While contemplating a gambling problem... in 1654 [they] laid the fundamental groundwork of probability theory, and are thereby accredited the fathers of probability
https://www.math.utep.edu/faculty/mleung/probabilityandstatistics/beg.html .
Quote: odiousgambitDostoevsky is said to have been convinced that the study of patterns was the secret to winning .... a gambler's fallacy that a smart guy like him, a doctor, still fell into
there was no WoO to go to of course , to learn better
I'm not sure how available books were that could have helped, but they were out there. What was not out there was the public awareness that you better study this stuff. How much better is that today?Quote:The onset of probability as a useful science is primarily attributed to Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) and Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665). While contemplating a gambling problem... in 1654 [they] laid the fundamental groundwork of probability theory, and are thereby accredited the fathers of probability
https://www.math.utep.edu/faculty/mleung/probabilityandstatistics/beg.html .
link to original post
My assumption would be that the wheels were more beatable back then as I would think they would be way more biased.
Quote: odiousgambitDostoevsky is said to have been convinced that the study of patterns was the secret to winning ....
link to original post
There are people that still believe this. At least back in Dostoevsky's day, Roulette was still kind of new, so his ignorance was excusable.
Quote: odiousgambitDostoevsky is said to have been convinced that the study of patterns was the secret to winning .... a gambler's fallacy that a smart guy like him, a doctor, still fell into
link to original post
It's a gambler's fallacy if you can't do it. If you can do it then he's right, it's the way to win. But it's not easy, so most people never bother even trying. Calling something gamblers fallacy is just the easy way out. People only understand the simplest of patterns and they cannot comprehend patterns within patterns.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: odiousgambitDostoevsky is said to have been convinced that the study of patterns was the secret to winning .... a gambler's fallacy that a smart guy like him, a doctor, still fell into
link to original post
It's a gambler's fallacy if you can't do it. If you can do it then he's right, it's the way to win. But it's not easy, so most people never bother even trying. Calling something gamblers fallacy is just the easy way out. People only understand the simplest of patterns and they cannot comprehend patterns within patterns.
link to original post
Oooh! I like fractals, too!
Quote:The earliest book that is considered mathematically accurate on the topic of gambling is **"Liber de Ludo Aleae"** (The Book on Games of Chance) by **Gerolamo Cardano**. Written in the 16th century, this book is one of the first known works to systematically analyze the mathematics of gambling, particularly the probabilities involved in various games of chance².
Cardano, an Italian mathematician, physician, and gambler, explored the concepts of probability and combinatorics, laying the groundwork for the field of probability theory. His work was groundbreaking at the time and remains a significant historical document in the study of mathematics and gambling.
Quote: rxwineSome may already know this.
Quote:The earliest book that is considered mathematically accurate on the topic of gambling is **"Liber de Ludo Aleae"** (The Book on Games of Chance) by **Gerolamo Cardano**. Written in the 16th century, this book is one of the first known works to systematically analyze the mathematics of gambling, particularly the probabilities involved in various games of chance².
Cardano, an Italian mathematician, physician, and gambler, explored the concepts of probability and combinatorics, laying the groundwork for the field of probability theory. His work was groundbreaking at the time and remains a significant historical document in the study of mathematics and gambling.
link to original post
I'm not familiar with the book. Do you know what games are discussed? I'd be curious if any have survived to modern times and to see how they have morphed along the way.
Quote: billryan
I'm not familiar with the book. Do you know what games are discussed? I'd be curious if any have survived to modern times and to see how they have morphed along the way.
link to original post
https://archive.org/details/bookongamesofcha00card
Quote:3. Who Should Play and When
So, if a person be renowned for wisdom, or if he be old and dignified by a magistracy or any other civil honor or blamed because he played after dinner with the Duke of Milan for a stake of five thousand crowns.
This fault is particularly detestable in princes and is defended by no one except courtiers and flatterers of the prince, who do it either from fear or because they receive gifts if the prince is lucky. In the meantime his subjects are despoiled and the poor are deprived of the aid which has br cioned to them and which ic their due If a man is victorious, he wastes the money won by gambling, whereas if he suffers defeat, then either he is reduced to poverty, when he is honest and without resources, or else to robbery, if he is powerful and dishonest, or again to the gallows, if he is poor and dishonest. One's opponent, too, if he is a man of ill repute or of low station in life who is devoted to the game, is a source of disgrace, and of loss also. For if you play assiduously with men of this kind, you will come away a confirmed gambler; or otherwise you will be the loser because of their greater ex-perience, trickery, and skill.
Your opponent should be of suitable station in life; you should play rarely and for short periods, in a suitable place, for small stakes, and on suitable occasions, as at a holiday banquet. Your opponent might be the king, or a prelate of outstanding character,' or a relative by blood or by marriage. To play with professional gamblers is most dis-graceful, and, as I have said, dangerous. The most respectable place is at home or at the house of a friend, where there can be no public scandal.
Lawyers, doctors, and the like play at a disadvantage: for one thing, they appear to have too much leisure; for another, if they win, they seem and cordano mate the cuat tandin af theons hes good riend play
Proof, proof, proof, either way, we need proof. Math is proof until someone shows proof that defies the math.Quote: EvenBobQuote: odiousgambitDostoevsky is said to have been convinced that the study of patterns was the secret to winning .... a gambler's fallacy that a smart guy like him, a doctor, still fell into
link to original post
It's a gambler's fallacy if you can't do it. If you can do it then he's right, it's the way to win. But it's not easy, so most people never bother even trying. Calling something gamblers fallacy is just the easy way out. People only understand the simplest of patterns and they cannot comprehend patterns within patterns.
link to original post
Not showing proof and shouting, "I can do it, I can do it! " IS the easy way out.
tuttigym
Quote: tuttigymI just read the federal indictment of Eric Adams, the mayor of the city of NY. WOW. It was actually very exciting, detailed, and informative.
tuttigym
link to original post
Five counts of bribery, wire fraud, and solicitation of illegal campaign contributions from foreign donors from 2015-2024.
Quote: tuttigymI just read the federal indictment of Eric Adams, the mayor of the city of NY. WOW. It was actually very exciting, detailed, and informative.
tuttigym
link to original post
I don't know how he became Mayor. He was a crooked cop who took advantage of past policies to rise through the NYPD. Then, he became an anti-NYPD politician.
Quote: billryanQuote: tuttigymI just read the federal indictment of Eric Adams, the mayor of the city of NY. WOW. It was actually very exciting, detailed, and informative.
tuttigym
link to original post
I don't know how he became Mayor. He was a crooked cop who took advantage of past policies to rise through the NYPD. Then, he became an anti-NYPD politician.
link to original post
Punishments for public servants should be long sentences of doing free public service. Feeding the hungry would be perfect as long as they’re not near the money aspect of any of it. Either that or breaking rocks with hammers.
Quote: billryanAdams was a member of the Seven Crowns, the street gang that morphed into Team Supreme, a drug crew responsible for killing at least two cops.
link to original post
None of that had anything to do with him, though. He joined the 7 Crowns as a literal child and was only involved in very petty crimes for a couple of years. His only arrest at the time was for trespassing.
Quote: TigerWuQuote: billryanAdams was a member of the Seven Crowns, the street gang that morphed into Team Supreme, a drug crew responsible for killing at least two cops.
link to original post
None of that had anything to do with him, though. He joined the 7 Crowns as a literal child and was only involved in very petty crimes for a couple of years. His only arrest at the time was for trespassing.
link to original post
Maybe he was like the Matt Damon character in “The Departed”.
Quote: tuttigymI just read the federal indictment of Eric Adams, the mayor of the city of NY. WOW. It was actually very exciting, detailed, and informative.
tuttigym
link to original post
Every post made since and including this one are political statements as opposed to discussion about betting the election. Three days for each offender.
really interesting article (to me anyway having lived in Maryland near DC for a very long time) about the history of Baltimore's famed "block" - the sex district
it originally started off as a place of prostitution but morphed into mostly strip clubs that offer lap dances
all kinds of different people have tried to shut it down with no success at all - and they tried again in 2022 and failed
there is a very large Police station and Police Headquarters about 50 yards from the strip clubs
the Police seem to have a strategy of confining this activity to just one area
from the article:
"There’s an original route that legend says gave the Block its name. In the old days, a pair of limousines was kept at the ready along Baltimore St., and for a few bucks a man could rent one for five minutes or more. The driver took his time so the customer could get his money’s worth from the woman he’d booked for the ride. And the route was always the same: South on Front to Lombard St., east on Lombard to the Fallsway, north on the Fallsway to Baltimore St. and back to the night club. It was called “taking a ride around the block.”
"and so, some say, will the buildings eventually come crashing down. But through wars, legal challenges creeping development and the moral taunting of religionists and social activists, the Block has remained a durable prop of downtown Baltimore’s midsection and a kitschy artifact of cultural life here on the lip of the Patapsco drainage basin."
AI Overview:
"Yes, The Block in Baltimore is still alive, but it's shrunk in size over the years:
The Block is now about two blocks long, stretching from South Street to Gay Street, while it once stretched almost to Charles Street and was several blocks long. "
https://marylandmatters.org/2022/02/14/frank-defilippo-baltimores-x-rated-block-is-on-the-chopping-block-again/
Quote: lilredrooster.
really interesting article (to me anyway having lived in Maryland near DC for a very long time) about the history of Baltimore's famed "block" - the sex district
it originally started off as a place of prostitution but morphed into mostly strip clubs that offer lap dances
all kinds of different people have tried to shut it down with no success at all - and they tried again in 2022 and failed
there is a very large Police station and Police Headquarters about 50 yards from the strip clubs
the Police seem to have a strategy of confining this activity to just one area
Most cities will end up with an area like this. It is just being pragmatic to let it happen but keep it to one or a couple blocks. The old-school theaters are pretty much gone post-VCR. Though a few still seem to remain. In the 70s they were huge. The rest of it makes a block so those uninterested may stay away but that which remains gets some synergy going.
Quote: WizardI lived in Baltimore from 1992 to 2001 and was somewhat familiar with the Block. Very poor-quality strip clubs with aging and drug-addicted women. All the clubs were pretty much the same. A review of one could apply to all of them. I have a feeling there was more going on behind the scenes, but what do I know. I applaud Baltimore for trying to confine that activity to a small section of the city. They did a massive raid there once while I lived there, but I believe nothing much came out of it.
link to original post
Those areas can take years to clean up. They did it in my city, they had to do it 1970s Vegas style, one corrupt place at a time.
