Covid19 Spare time

shakenfake · July 8, 2022

Stellaris is cool but I rarely buy games anymore and Stellaris wasn't cool enough to purchase lol

You don't need any gaming back ground to play that game. But you do need a decent noggin and a LOT of practice.

Donstar · July 8, 2022

3 hours ago, shakenfake said:

Stellaris is cool but I rarely buy games anymore and Stellaris wasn't cool enough to purchase lol

You don't need any gaming back ground to play that game. But you do need a decent noggin and a LOT of practice.

Then there is hope! I did pay $12cdn which well worth the bonding time. I know that Stellaris is one of those games that will continue to offer and charge for add-ons but I won't be following this path! I will make an effort to "appreciate" the basics, but I do prefer easier free games with immediate gratification.

Edited July 8, 2022 by Donstar

shakenfake · July 8, 2022

Ask him about Hearts of Iron IV, same developer very different game. I found that to be an immense amount of fun. $40 for the base game and all sorts of add-ons, which I highly recommend some of them although not all, I have about 600 hours into it over the course of 4/5 years. It is the only game I have ever purchased the released content for.

These games are awesome. If you have time to kill during the day to watch some videos on how they are played or some walk throughs it makes it a hell of a lot easier as well.

Donstar · July 9, 2022

It's all a matter of perspective. We are enjoying our Texan family but disappointed that the weather is cool and cloudy for their visit. They love it and are texting their friends and family back home who are replying with envy!

shakenfake · July 10, 2022

Yeah it is effin hot here 110 today in Fort Worth.

Donstar · July 10, 2022

On 7/8/2022 at 11:26 AM, shakenfake said:

Ask him about Hearts of Iron IV, same developer very different game. I found that to be an immense amount of fun. $40 for the base game and all sorts of add-ons, which I highly recommend some of them although not all, I have about 600 hours into it over the course of 4/5 years. It is the only game I have ever purchased the released content for.

These games are awesome. If you have time to kill during the day to watch some videos on how they are played or some walk throughs it makes it a hell of a lot easier as well.

He is familiar with Hearts of Iron IV and agrees it is a good game. The WWII theme would probably make it a better choice for me! I definitely see where this level of game play will gobble up many hours of time. In the right circumstances this is time well spent as the brain gets a lot of exercise! A few years ago I was concerned about the amount of time this grandchild spent "playing" on his computer but my views have changed. He does not let his passion for gaming to overpower his social, intellectual and physical development. I don't think I could be as disciplined and hope that I manage to stay at my current level of interest! I am more of an "Oregon Trail" level of gamer.

Donstar · July 15, 2022

Our visiting family left this morning and now my computer time doesn't have to be spent surveying and populating inhabitable planets throughout the galaxy. I will continue to work on mastering Stellaris but at my own pace! Spare time or boredom aren't issues when playing such a complex game! It wasn't long ago when I was concerned about children and electronic devices. However, living with three children for the past 10 days has shown me how technology can enhance and support a healthy lifestyle.

Donstar · July 16, 2022

Months ago I stopped organizing boxes of pictures and memorabilia as it is mentally exhausting. The past is fun to visit because we save pictures and documents of the good times. We naturally embellish the good old days which inevitably sparks an emotional reaction. The reality is that the past is past and the good old days weren't so good at the time. Our country is currently looking at the picture albums of bad things of the past which also sparks raw emotions. I think it's time to put our country's memorabilia back on the shelf and move forward. Replacing old pictures doesn't change history. I understand why we are removing place names and monuments that alienate a group of people. However, replacing them with words and/or items that alienate others fuels any divisiveness. I took my family to our favorite park and to my old school. Both were renamed in words that required a pronunciation guide. I am fine with the English translation of these new names and promoting inclusiveness. But, using written words that the majority do not understand is not inclusive. Covid gave us all a shake up. Routines and expectations were thrown out the window. Those who spend their time fighting for the past were hit hard. We just had family stay with us for ten days. The old days came up a few times. The grandkids were amused with hearing childhood stories of their father and grandparents. However, the best times were finding new experiences for all of us to enjoy! I didn't dust off the checker board once, but my computer is burgeoning with new pictures and games!

KARNUT · July 16, 2022

Erasing the past good or bad loses our chances to learn from it. Judging our founders in today’s climate is mistake and self serving. A good example of today’s injustice is women sports. Imagine spending your short life trying to be your best. And the whims of the few ruins it for a whole gender. A simple solution is another division. Because of fear of being called a name people (the majority) stays silent. Just imagine how history will judge us.

Grumpy Bear · July 16, 2022

How does one include by exclusion? Some look at a statue and see an monument of praise. Others see a good reminder of a bad example to not be repeated. Hiding history is as bad as ignoring it. Change of ones view point changes outlook not change of a material item.

Romans 15:4

King James Version

4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

That includes the bad with the good.

Donstar · July 18, 2022

Looking back through today's lenses is what we do. "Hindsight is 20/20" Sometimes this can be pleasant and other times it can be painful. We did or didn't do something with information available to us at the time. I worked part time for a heating company during my teens and early twenties. My tasks included tearing out old asbestos wrapped duct work and applying asbestos strips to the joints of the replacement ducts. Cutting register holes through asbestos embedded floor tiles and/or plaster was also a frequent task. Sometimes the dust was so thick we had to step outside for some fresh air (and a smoke!) This is terrible when viewed through today's knowledge. I didn't like this part of the job at the time because it was very dirty, not because of the airborne asbestos fibers. However, I get regular checkups and value the lifelong skills and friendships I made at my first job. During the past two years my wife and I took care of matters within our control to make the best out of the future years we have together. Our conversations always centered around our current physical, mental and financial status with the future reduction of these resources in our planning. We didn't allocate any of our precious time to reclaim our past.

customboss · July 18, 2022

1 minute ago, Donstar said:

Looking back through today's lenses is what we do. "Hindsight is 20/20" Sometimes this can be pleasant and other times it can be painful. We did or didn't do something with information available to us at the time. I worked part time for a heating company during my teens and early twenties. My tasks included tearing out old asbestos wrapped duct work and applying asbestos strips to the joints of the replacement ducts. Cutting register holes through asbestos embedded floor tiles and/or plaster was also a frequent task. Sometimes the dust was so thick we had to step outside for some fresh air (and a smoke!) This is terrible when viewed through today's knowledge. I didn't like this part of the job at the time because it was very dirty, not because of the airborne asbestos fibers. However, I get regular checkups and value the lifelong skills and friendships I made at my first job. During the past two years my wife and I took care of matters within our control to make the best out of the future years we have together. Our conversations always centered around our current physical, mental and financial status with the future reduction of these resources in our planning. We didn't allocate any of our precious time to reclaim our past.

Asbestos...... as did we in US Navy.

Grumpy Bear · July 18, 2022

23 minutes ago, customboss said:

Asbestos...... as did we in US Navy.

Refineries were full of that stuff. I remember the teams that would come to abate the situation. Nasty stuff.

26 minutes ago, Donstar said:

We didn't allocate any of our precious time to reclaim our past.

I'm not saying live in it. I'm saying learn from it. I expect you would not repeat the experience NOW. Right?

Donstar · July 19, 2022

22 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

I'm not saying live in it. I'm saying learn from it. I expect you would not repeat the experience NOW. Right?

On Sunday my brother sent out a picture of our childhood family home being prepared for demolition. The news came as a surprise. The subsequent upset running through family emails was considerable. The house hasn't been in our family for decades and it was subsequently used as a rental investment. It was in poor condition and it wasn't a particularly well built house when it was new. It took me some effort to convince the most upset family members that it's the memories that they value and nobody can take those away. This story demonstrated the wonderful way our memories embellish things and events of the past. We sometimes strive for past ways or things that best stay as memories.

Grumpy Bear · July 19, 2022

16 minutes ago, Donstar said:

On Sunday my brother sent out a picture of our childhood family home being prepared for demolition. The news came as a surprise. The subsequent upset running through family emails was considerable. The house hasn't been in our family for decades and it was subsequently used as a rental investment. It was in poor condition and it wasn't a particularly well built house when it was new. It took me some effort to convince the most upset family members that it's the memories that they value and nobody can take those away. This story demonstrated the wonderful way our memories embellish things and events of the past. We sometimes strive for past ways or things that best stay as memories.

Not exactly what I was referring to but okay....