Random Thoughts That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread Go Here

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Sun Tzu

WTF. Macro was out here in my neck of the woods and I never met him. Just like when I was in Buffalo and the same thing happened. Maybe we were never meant to be in the same place at the same time.

Actually, I was in Sac town too...I just didn't have enough time to do squat with our new work schedule.

The one night I usually have open is the night before I fly home...

I will be back out there soon.

[Sun Tzu]

Yep...I think Mr. Smith is right...it's literally impossible for us to be in the same place at the same time. Next time you're out we should put that theory to the test, all three of us. If you need a place to crash in Sac, let me know. Assuming we close on this house, you'll have three different guest bedrooms to choose from.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Sun Tzu

Yep...I think Mr. Smith is right...it's literally impossible for us to be in the same place at the same time..

I knew it!!

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Dropped my iPod. It's dead, dead, dead.

Anybody know how much the 64gb touch is at Costco?

[Greyroofoo]

More than it's worth?

[Sun Tzu]

Two in the bush?

[Greyroofoo]

Check out the balls on these crickets

Originally Posted by Science Article

A species of cricket has broken an unlikely world record: largest testicles in relation to body weight.

The tuberous bushcricket's testicles account for 14 percent of its body weight. To put that in perspective, the testicles of a man weighing 200 pounds (91 kilograms) with that ball-to-body ratio would weigh 28 pounds (12.7 kilograms).

The bushcricket, whose anatomical extremes were reported Tuesday in the journal Biology Letters, edges out the record of a species of fruit fly, Drosophila bifurca, whose testes-to-body weight ratio has been recorded as 10.6 percent.

Bushcrickets, known in Australia and America as katydids, are found worldwide, said study researcher Karim Vahed, a reader in behavioral ecology at the Universtiy of Derby in the United Kingdom. Tuberous bushcrickets are found in grassy areas of southern Europe, where Vahed and his colleagues often collect specimens to study the evolutionary biology of insect mating.

In most species studied, especially vertebrates, males boast larger testes when females of the species are more promiscuous, Vahed told LiveScience. One explanation for these large cojones is that it enables males to produce more sperm per ejaculate, effectively drowning out the competition.

However, the researchers report, the cricket's large testicles don't produce greater volumes of semen per ejaculate. In fact, they produced less voluminous sperm than smaller testicles. The tuberous bushcricket may benefit not from increased sperm per ejaculation, but from increased stamina over time.

Large testes "allow males to capitalize on the readily available supply of willing females," Vahed said. "They allow males to have a greater rate of ejaculate production rather than producing extra-large ejaculates."

Titillating crickets
One of the advantages of studying insect mating is that females store sperm from every mating event in their bodies, Vahed said, allowing researchers to determine how many times the crickets mate in their few months of life. Tuberous cricket females mate an average of 23 times, putting them on the upper end of the cricket promiscuity spectrum, Vahed said.

Vahed is now researching the vast variety of male cricket titillators, the organs that male crickets insert into female crickets during mating. Titillators come in all shapes and sizes, from smooth to spiny, and no one knows why, Vahed said.

Though the size of the tuberous bushcricket's genitalia was a suprise, Vahed said, the vast variation in gonads among insects makes them good study subjects.

"You're always going to find something new just because of their diversity and how little-studied they are," he said. "Somewhere out there I'm sure there's an insect that will top even the tuberous bushcricket's testes record."

The tuberous bushcricket joins a veritable who's-who list of animals with strange genitalia, including:

* Single-testicled carabid beetles
* Rodents that enjoy a mating advantage thanks to their long penises
* Polar bears whose penises are shrinking because of pollutants
* Ducks with penises like corkscrews ( and vaginas to match)
* Smart bats with small testicles

And to round out the list, some male fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) have testes that are 2.15 percent of their body mass, whereas their brains are only 1.70 percent. [See the male fruit bat's genitalia].

[Mustang]

'Rodents that enjoy a mating advantage thanks to their long penises'

Somehow I don't think this is limited to rats.

[JediKooter]

Not sure 'hung like a rat' or 'balls like a cricket', is going to get me anywhere with the ladies.

[Ksyrup]

I hate to say this, but... this thread is useless without pics.

[Ksyrup]

I think I have an entry for the band name thread: Ball to Body Ratio.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

Not sure 'hung like a rat' or 'balls like a cricket', is going to get me anywhere with the ladies.

They don't call them "bush"crickets for nothing, dude.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

They don't call them "bush"crickets for nothing, dude.

Oh man, so the female crickets have bushes? Damn! What are they, French?

[sabotai]

One of the things about always being single is that you are always the 3rd wheel...and boy does it fucking suck. I don't like hanging out with my friends anymore because of it.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by sabotai

One of the things about always being single is that you are always the 3rd wheel...and boy does it fucking suck. I don't like hanging out with my friends anymore because of it.

One of the things about always being right is that others tend to get jealous.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by sabotai

One of the things about always being single is that you are always the 3rd wheel...and boy does it fucking suck. I don't like hanging out with my friends anymore because of it.

Pretty much. Being by yourself is really liberating, except it can make hanging out with people really awkward, because you're used to doing everything on your own terms.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by sabotai

One of the things about always being single is that you are always the 3rd wheel...and boy does it fucking suck. I don't like hanging out with my friends anymore because of it.

Won't go so far as to say that I don't like hanging out with my friends anymore because of it, but I'll agree, it can definitely suck. What's worse for me right now is that my brother is married with a kid, my sister is engaged, and here I am, still single (and looking). At least I have a job and a house...

/tk

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Won't go so far as to say that I don't like hanging out with my friends anymore because of it, but I'll agree, it can definitely suck. What's worse for me right now is that my brother is married with a kid, my sister is engaged, and here I am, still single (and looking). At least I have a job and a house...

/tk

All my friends are getting married and having babies right now and back when I was single that led to pretty much every gathering of my friends leading to long discussions re: topics I have zero interest in. So yeah that sucked. Plus they were always trying to ambush me by setting me up with their friends without my knowledge, which 9.9 times out of 10 sucked too.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Pretty much. Being by yourself is really liberating, except it can make hanging out with people really awkward, because you're used to doing everything on your own terms.

That's part of it. Usually at some point, the thought "Why the fuck am I even here?" goes through my head. I just get so bored hanging out with couples. They're either so into each other that you might as well not be there or they fight and you don't want to be there. One friend of mine was married to a controlling bitch for a few years and they always fought. Let me tell you how much fun being around them was.

[Poli]

I fixed an issue with a control system I've been working on all week. At home. Why the heck was I working on this at home and not at work?

[Mustang]

I do love getting an order off Ebay.. sitting down, opening up the package and the first thing you notice is the smoke smell.

Now I need to desmoke 80 D&D miniatures this weekend.

[Poli]

Turns out I knew one of the dads from my youth football team years ago. While we were both in the Navy, we both attended First Baptist Norfolk. I rarely forget a face, so when he mentioned he was stationed in Virginia, I sincerely thought it was him, but he talked me out of it.

I confirmed it yesterday. So, I went to church with this guy in 1999 in Norfolk and 11 years later I'm coaching his son in Festus.

What are the odds?

[Passacaglia]

Why did he talk you out of it?

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Mustang

I do love getting an order off Ebay.. sitting down, opening up the package and the first thing you notice is the smoke smell.

Now I need to desmoke 80 D&D miniatures this weekend.

Ugh. Been there. Hate that.

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

All my friends are getting married and having babies right now and back when I was single that led to pretty much every gathering of my friends leading to long discussions re: topics I have zero interest in. So yeah that sucked. Plus they were always trying to ambush me by setting me up with their friends without my knowledge, which 9.9 times out of 10 sucked too.

It's not picnic for those of us who are married and don't have kids either. "No, really, I'm trying to talk about something intellectually stimulating over here. I don't care how big your kid can poop." I'm just trying to store it all up in my mind so that when we eventually have kids, I hopefully don't turn into one of those parents. Unfortunately, I fear that not sleeping for 3 years just does that to a person's brain.

SI

[Pumpy Tudors]

OK, I've definitely had enough now. I'm done.

[Poli]

So I'm planning on getting married in 6 months. My fiancee is flipping out already in the preliminary stages of just trying to prepare for this wedding. She believes 6 months isn't enough time to prepare for the wedding.

I don't have the nerve to tell her that my last wedding was pulled off in a week's time.

[sterlingice]

Good luck with that, AE. Seemingly less crazy women have been driven nuts by weddings. *sigh*

I think pretty much every guy has had this conversation in wedding prep:
"There are all these details that you don't even care about that we need to work out. Like what about colors for the wedding?"
"We really don't need to spend an afternoon worrying about what colors all the paper at the wedding should be. Buy what's at the store, available, and cheap. No one is going to care in 20 minutes, much less 20 years what minor details like that looked like"
*future-spouse walks away fuming*

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I think pretty much every guy has had this conversation in wedding prep:
"There are all these details that you don't even care about that we need to work out. Like what about colors for the wedding?"
"We really don't need to spend an afternoon worrying about what colors all the paper at the wedding should be. Buy what's at the store, available, and cheap. No one is going to care in 20 minutes, much less 20 years what minor details like that looked like"
*future-spouse walks away fuming*

Yep.

Although I had an even worse version of that, when I successfully convinced my wife to "please believe me when I tell you that I simply do not care what china pattern you pick out. It matters to you, and that's fine, but we'll both be happier if you simply choose what you like best without involving me in the process".

To my amazement, it worked.

And a short time later I realized that my wife had the worst taste in colors for china of any woman in the history of the universe. Absolutely the most unappetizing color scheme I've ever seen, only someone color blind could eat off that mess.

[sterlingice]

I got to the point where I just wanted veto power. She can do what she wanted and bring it to me- on the off chance that it was something "only someone color blind could eat off that mess", I could exercise my veto power and would have to assist on picking. It got my contribution down to maybe 10% tops.

SI

[stevew]

Printer dumbness-
My color cartridge is empty, so that means that I can't print my paper in black text. So dumb, so dumb.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Poli

So I'm planning on getting married in 6 months. My fiancee is flipping out already in the preliminary stages of just trying to prepare for this wedding. She believes 6 months isn't enough time to prepare for the wedding.

I don't have the nerve to tell her that my last wedding was pulled off in a week's time.

Does she at least have a list of things that need to be done? Not a list in her head, but, a list on paper or on the computer? I find that planning a wedding is not difficult at all, it's the persons getting married are the ones that make it difficult on themselves. Once you have the when and where taken care of, there's really not much else that's really that hard to do. You know you have to get a dress, tuxes, flowers, pictures, food, guests, music and then any other 'special' things.

Swish!! Nothing but net.

[Suburban Rhythm]

My stance on wedding planning has always been this:

(Most) girls have had their weddings planned out in their heads since they were 9 years old. No reason for me to come along 15+ years later and mess it all up.

The things my wife wanted me to be a part of, I went along. I went to look at flowers eventhough I had no idea what I was looking at. I just nodded along. At no time did I do anything that could be confused with expressing my own opinion. I just needed to know where and when to show up, and how much was this going to cost us.

[Poli]

I'm guessing things will settle down when we decide on the location and date(which will likely happen this week).

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Although I had an even worse version of that, when I successfully convinced my wife to "please believe me when I tell you that I simply do not care what china pattern you pick out. It matters to you, and that's fine, but we'll both be happier if you simply choose what you like best without involving me in the process".

To my amazement, it worked.

And a short time later I realized that my wife had the worst taste in colors for china of any woman in the history of the universe. Absolutely the most unappetizing color scheme I've ever seen, only someone color blind could eat off that mess.

LOL! Even when you think you win in regards to your SO, the universe will set you right always .

[Mustang]

When a thread is at 4 pages here and then you come back in a few hours and it is up to 8 or 9.. you know some shit is going down.

[B & B]

Why is it that the vast majority of Duke basketball fans didnt go there.

Same thing for NY Yankees fans, over half it seems are not from New York.

Sorry youre from Fuckstown , Pennsylvania ,but being a Steeler fan and a Yankee/Red Sox fan is unacceptable. You cheer for the goddam Pirates or you dont have an MLB team.

Oh, and you probably like Duke/UNC in college hoops right?

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by B & B

Why is it that the vast majority of Duke basketball fans didnt go there.

Same thing for NY Yankees fans, over half it seems are not from New York.

Sorry youre from Fuckstown , Pennsylvania ,but being a Steeler fan and a Yankee/Red Sox fan is unacceptable. You cheer for the goddam Pirates or you dont have an MLB team.

Oh, and you probably like Duke/UNC in college hoops right?

What did RomaGoth do to you?

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

What did RomaGoth do to you?

lol... exactly what I was thinking.

[JediKooter]

I am sick and tired of hearing about some prince in england getting engaged. WHO GIVES A SHIT!?

[MJ4H]

my wife

which is weird

[chadritt]

Look at it this way, they just chose the future queen of England?

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by chadritt

Look at it this way, they just chose the future queen of England?

So?

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Mustang

So?

I agree. I could give a rat's ass.

That said, remember how popular Princess Di was, even here in the States. For people who care about this stuff (and I guess there are quite a few of them), it's apparently a big deal.

Isn't Horse Tooth Charlie still next in line for the throne? He's been waiting for the throne as long as I have been alive.

I think the Queen's gonna outlive us all.

[JediKooter]

I mean, it's fine that the dude is getting married, but, seriously, I see no need for it to be front and center on just about every news site that I visit. I guess, I just don't understand the fascination with it. Some rich kid is getting married, big woop.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

I am sick and tired of hearing about some prince in england getting engaged. WHO GIVES A SHIT!?

Actually, I thought this last night too when Dateline was running a promo. Yeah fine, maybe it was all magical in 1981. Now? Like you say, WGaS.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Actually, I thought this last night too when Dateline was running a promo. Yeah fine, maybe it was all magical in 1981. Now? Like you say, WGaS.

I agree, 1981 probably fine, plus no media saturation like now.

Oh god, now there's 'tricky issues' with the wedding. I will buy them two tickets to Vegas just to get it over with quickly. I can't handle this if it is drawn out for months.

[Chubby]

I love how toolbox Schumer is railing against Four Loko when Joose is the same thing.

Whatever, since I stocked up on it at my store we'll get a ton of sales and the non-caffeine (but still 12% alcohol) version will be here soon enough

[JediKooter]

How are those drinks any worse than rum & coke or Baileys & coffee?

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

How are those drinks any worse than rum & coke or Baileys & coffee?

or jagrbombs or red bull and vodka...

i agree 100%