The Bitching Thread

[Animeniax]

Falling on houses, cars etc. You also have to take into account high wind, rain and low visibility. This is a hurricane, not some particularly strong gust of wind that just happens to push over random trees. It also doesn't take a giant oak tree to hurt/kill someone, anything that just had been planted within 3-7 years can be uprooted in seconds if the wind is strong enough.

I recommend you go do some research if you're particularly interested in the subject, because you really don't seem to know much about it.

I don't think there's that much to know about it that would require research. In bad weather, avoid stuff overhead and low-lying areas.

Animeniax is right along the lines that wasnt the end of the world or anything but I dont think the media coverage was overblown for this hurricane specifically, my family has lived in NY for 20+ years and they've never seen anything nearly as bad as this. Definitely the worst storm in a very long time as far as I can tell. Fucking trees are everywhere.

It wasn't that bad as far as media coverage, unless you watched the Weather Channel which had 24/7 coverage of pretty much just that system for 3 days or so. It is being called the worst storm for that area in history, both damage and money wise.

I was reading a news report on how some of the people died in this hurricane, and still marvel at people's lack of survival instinct. One lady had a tree fall on her house so she ran outside to see the damage, where another tree fell on her, killing her. Two guys died when a tree fell and crashed into the room they were in. Was it like a wrecking ball coming at them at 60mph? Weird situations.

[Ryllharu]

First off...fuck you Ani (I'm catching up here).
Discuss, don't attack.
-Buff

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Second, Hurricane Sandy really was that bad. The storm was enormous. It Is One of the largest hurricane on record in the Atlantic. Hurricane force winds 400+ miles from the eye, and that was before it combined with the cold front and became a massive beast that sacked the East Coast and put 20+ foot waves in Lake Michigan 600 miles away from where it was still swirling in New York State. This thing was about as large as the distance between Berlin and Moscow (1800 km)

The bigger problem was thanks to the cold front it merged with, no one had any idea what it would really do. It was strange enough that it was making an extremely rare left turn into the East Coast.

Due to where it hit, it tunneled a ton of water up Long Island Sound and the bays of NYC while simultaneously smashing the New Jersey shoreline.

There is a reason it made both local and international news.

Four days going I still don't have electricity. I'm starting to run low on water, but thankfully I have relatives nearby (which is where I am typing this from). The downside is the evening temperature drops close to freezing for the next four days. I'm one of the fortunate ones.

I bet the folks of Breezy Point NY (burned to ashes by wind-gust fed fires) and the Jersey Shoreline (with a complete change of terrain) would appreciate that some of you think it was a bit overblown.

Death toll is up to 80 in the US, so the total is somewhere around 149. While a lot of people did stupid things that got them killed (not evacuating), you can't blame it all on them. A 13 foot storm surge in NYC is a big deal. The last hurricane that produced that kind of flooding was in 1938 and killed 600-800 people. Better weather forecasting (mostly satellites) and evacuations help a lot.

edit: hopefully I'll be back in a few days.

[Animeniax]

To be fair, the storm was bad enough to have NJ Governor Christie praising President Obama just a week from the election.

@Ryllharu: hahahah you'll never get how endearing it is when you single me out for innocuous statements that you read too much into or ignore the insensitive things others say while criticizing every little nuance of what I post. It really keeps me going. Thanks.

[Dark Dragon]

@Animeniax

To be fair, most of your posts so far have been borderline asinine in tone. That might've been from general ignorance rather than contempt, but still.

It's very easy to make a general statement about how you should avoid dangerous areas without taking many other factors into account. Many houses caught on fire during the storm, so those people have to relocate to another location depending on the damages. There's also rescue workers who have to go into dangerous areas, death tolls also include those.

Lastly, Hurricanes in particular have different effects depending on location. This is suppose to have been the worst storm in 100 years for the east coast. Areas that do not get this kind of severe weather as often, tend to be less prepared when this kind of situation does happen.

[Carnage]

My grandfather passed away in an accident due to the storm, I wont go into specifics of what happened. I don't think Animeniax is trying to be a dick, he has some good points and some not so good points. Obviously there are things people can do to avoid most of the damage from the storm, and going outside is a pretty stupid thing to do. I suppose in defense of some people, here in the North East no storm is ever bad enough to really make the surrounding environment that dangerous even with a few falling trees (like one or two may fall within a radius of 50 yards or so during each major hurricane). But this time its kind of been like an all out warzone, trees really did fall everywhere beyond anyone's expectations, around where I live they're huge its like a forest.


As for crashing through houses on the otherhand, there really is no way to avoid that and the sever winds really did make them force through like canonballs. When I was at the hospital one of the nurses was speaking about her neighbor's who had a 25 year old son sleeping in his bed and a tree fell through the roof right and killed him. There's nothing you can do about that, nobody goes into their basement for these things because historically there's never been any reason to. I agree most hurricanes are way overblown but given the billions in damage and millions without power, I think the coverage this time around has been completely fair.

[Animeniax]

Thanks for noticing it's not an intent to be malicious or insensitive. I just see online forums as a place to chit-chat and bullshit, particularly a forum devoted to anime. I can't imagine that people take everything that's said on such a forum so seriously and to heart to the point they get offended and hateful, yet they do.

As for the coverage and seriousness of the storm, I guess it's because it seems so far away and disconnected so you see all this coverage on it and it gets to feel redundant and overkill, like reporting about anything that doesn't concern you in your daily life. I'll say it's been a pleasant change from election coverage, which seems to be making its way back onto the front page and top story of news websites.

[Buffalobiian]

I haven't been watching the news, so I suppose I was spared whatever redundancy Animeniax was hit with.

Still, storms suck and I can't see anybody having a reasonable chance of avoiding a falling tree unless they were looking right at it.


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edit: yeah.. try to discuss without attacking (it's mild I know... still...)

[Animeniax]

I haven't been watching the news, so I suppose I was spared whatever redundancy Animeniax was hit with.

Still, storms suck and I can't see anybody having a reasonable chance of avoiding a falling tree unless they were looking right at it.

I can only imagine what world news is reported on and emphasized in a smaller country with less of a global presence such as Australia. I'd guess it's like when I lived in Wyoming, there wasn't even a local news channel, we got the news from Salt Lake City, Utah which covered surrounding areas like the city I was in.

I love storms, they feel like a cleansing of the world, they provide water for lawns and plants and relief from high temperatures, and I like feeling sheltered and safe in my home while the storm rages outside. It's a bit different with a hurricane or major storm to be sure, but I've survived those too.

[animus]

Just got back my electricity. I screamed hallelujah I shit you not.

I won't deny I'm reliant on electricity and technology. But the shit around here was a deadzone. No stores open, no traffic lights, etc. Btw, I live in Chinatown, NYC. In all my life living so far, this has been the worse hurricane personally. We even had a blackout during the summer of 2005 that shut off power completely in the Tri-states that didn't take this long to bring back up (we had electricity the next day).

But anyways, I'm just glad this shit is over. All I had to do was to eat, shit, sleep and re-read the last 2 shitty books of Harry Potter. I'm guilty in the fact that I was expecting this hurricane to really be nothing so my family and I didn't prepare much in the way of recreation (I only had a quarter charged Nintendo DS and iPod Touch). But I guess this has instilled fear in me so that the next time a hurricane warning happens, I'll be better prepared.

[Uchiha Barles]

It's amazing...here in the bronx, I can barely tell there was a hurricane at all. My subway and bus routes are doing just fine, never lost electricity. I had a difficult time believing the storm was that bad till I saw some of the pictures from Jersey...yikes.

[Ryllharu]

I can't imagine that people take everything that's said on such a forum so seriously and to heart to the point they get offended and hateful, yet they do.

As for the coverage and seriousness of the storm, I guess it's because it seems so far away and disconnected so you see all this coverage on it and it gets to feel redundant and overkill, like reporting about anything that doesn't concern you in your daily life.

That's a problem with written forms of communication. You may be typing it with a big smirk on your face, thinking to yourself how ironic and clever you are being with whatever post. But the inflections and tones that English relies on can't be conveyed properly. Most intelligent people recognize this difference that has been around since people wrote letters to each other, and adjust their writing accordingly. Someone else reads your mocking, "clever" post that was written in half-jest, and reads it in a completely different delivery than you meant.

You're in Texas (the middle of it). The coast gets hit by hurricanes all the time.

I won't deny I'm reliant on electricity and technology.

But anyways, I'm just glad this shit is over. All I had to do was to eat, shit, sleep and re-read the last 2 shitty books of Harry Potter.
...
But I guess this has instilled fear in me so that the next time a hurricane warning happens, I'll be better prepared.

Same, I need electricity.

There is a massive difference between having running water and having none. It's the difference that makes an extended power outage bearable, or unbearable.

A lot of people in cities (even small ones) don't really get this, because they have city water, which means pressure all the time (so long as the water towers/pumping stations get power, and they will have it restored the fastest). When you have well water, having a portable generator really matters. I don't have one. I will be buying one. Once you run out of water in the bathtub, you're done. No more toilets. What was an inconvenience becomes either a really bad camping experience in your own house (if you have woods to use), or you have to leave. There's no other options. You can refill at the local fire station using five-gallon buckets, but that's not going to help after 4 or 5 days (less if you have more family members).

During a power outage, you need 1 gallon (3.75L) of water per day, per person. That includes everything but toilets. Drinking, hand washing, teeth brushing, etc.

Also...baby wipes. Make sure you have some on hand. I learned the technique of the baby wipe shower from a couple of former-military co-workers. It helps morale quite a bit, you don't feel as scummy.

I've got a pretty good extended power outage kit, since we get Nor'easter's too (anti-hurricane, fed by cold air instead of warm-moist air), but given the things I haven't had during this, I know now how to make it more robust.

The most critical component is a dynamo-flashlight, and it should be kept on yourself at all times, even before the main part of the storm hits. No batteries needed, ever. Saved my butt and prevented many a stubbed toe, bashed shin, or split lip. Also helps you find the rest of the parts of your kit.

[Animeniax]

That's a problem with written forms of communication...

You're in Texas (the middle of it). The coast gets hit by hurricanes all the time.

Same, I need electricity...

During a power outage, you need 1 gallon (3.75L) of water per day, per person. That includes everything but toilets. Drinking, hand washing, teeth brushing, etc.

Like I said, that's the thing about forums and online communication, it's only as serious as you make it. I don't think too hard or research everything before I post it like I would for a paper I'm turning in for a grade or a communication I send out at work, it's mostly gut reactions and stream of consciousness-style. You can read smirks and wit into what others post, but that says as much about you being a cynic or judgmental as it does about the person who's post you are reading.

Didn't the east coast get hit with a hurricane Irene just last year? People need to be better prepared, these destructive weather systems will probably be the norm for the future.

And I'm from the gulf coast, just living in central Texas now. I've been through hurricanes, but none so bad as the ones the East coast is getting now.

[Ryllharu]

Didn't the east coast get hit with a hurricane Irene just last year? People need to be better prepared, these destructive weather systems will probably be the norm for the future.

Yes and no. Irene did a lot of damage (particularly with major flooding in Vermont), but it was the 2011 Halloween nor'easter two months later that really did people in. Whatever Irene damaged but didn't break came down, and dropped at least 12 inches of snow, making it much much harder to restore power.

A lot of dumbasses killed themselves by carbon monoxide poisoning with generators or grills trying to keep warm.

So even when people are "prepared," they're not really ready.

Having camping gear is the best, because it is dual purpose. Running water is everything though.

[Animeniax]

Yes and no. Irene did a lot of damage (particularly with major flooding in Vermont), but it was the 2011 Halloween nor'easter two months later that really did people in. Whatever Irene damaged but didn't break came down, and dropped at least 12 inches of snow, making it much much harder to restore power.

A lot of dumbasses killed themselves by carbon monoxide poisoning with generators or grills trying to keep warm.

So even when people are "prepared," they're not really ready.

Having camping gear is the best, because it is dual purpose. Running water is everything though.

People just don't know and won't take the time to learn. I guess part of that is being a city-dweller where you take basic needs for granted, but part is just ignorance. Again I don't want to sound insensitive, but deaths from these storms seem less tragic when people don't do the basic things to protect themselves, like not using their bbq grills for heat indoors or evacuating when told to. This was my original point earlier, not to be a dick, but to be a realist about the human condition in our country.

Running water is a convenience IMO. I worked overseas in an area without running water and we made do with the flow from bottled water. For me, temperature management is the most important thing... to be able to keep warm when it's cold out and cool when it's hot out.

[enkoujin]

Small bitch.

I'm taking an energy management/regulation course for my degree addon and I find it awful. There are no prerequisites and textbooks for the course despite it feeling like it should because as a person not studying business, I'm totally lost. The powerpoint slides seem like a blur to me because of all the economics/business concepts that I can't seem to grasp without Googling them. The class also takes place once a week from 6:30-9:30 PM and I'm usually dead by this time.

The worst part of it is the group project paper where we have to analyze guidelines for certain industrial processes and make suggestions to make it better. The problem is that I haven't started working in industry yet, I have no idea what the hell I'm writing about or why my opinion should matter because we're studying guidelines in the first place. It's like asking a new chef how a kitchen can be more efficient than it already is with the chef having zero idea how the kitchen works. Furthermore, aspects of the report are difficult to find on the web (e.g., finding a public opinion on well abandonment). I feel like I'm going to let my team down.

I could see everything I'm learning in this class very useful when I start working in industry, but as of now, I have no idea what I'm doing.

tl;dr: I have to write papers and learn difficult business concepts despite majoring in something completely different because it's for my degree.

[Ryllharu]

I took a macro-economics class as an elective during the evening (twice a week, 5-7pm) back in my freshmen year of college. Nearly failed the first exam. Needless to say, I had to do something...drastic to turn my life around. If you try hard enough, you'll get caught up. Worst come to worst, you can always go to office hours or whatever and express your concerns to the professor. Don't let it get to you so much.

An overwhelming portion of academia notoriously (once you are in industry) has a gross misconception about industry and the way it works. My boss ranted quite a bit during the pursuit of his advanced degree about the professors and other straight-to-graduate-program students being in fantasy-land. Just use common sense and your contributions to your paper will be fine.

edit:
The benefit of an outsider's perspective can usually be quite welcome. People get set in their ways and pigeonholed. Look for practicality, simplicity, safety, and making it cheaper. Engineers are particularly well-known for over-engineering solutions to problems. The elevator wait times problem is the cardinal example of this. Engineering students always come up with crazy solutions that don't work or are insanely expensive.

[Animeniax]

I was thinking the same things, if you feel lost on a subject, talk to your TAs, classmates, and the professor. It might not be a core class that you want to devote so much time to, but if it's messing with your head that much, it could hurt you in other classes. You might be a bit of a loner and less likely to talk to classmates, in which case you still have your group project members to talk to. I'm sure you'll find some of them are equally lost and need help too.

Also when you mentioned the chef/kitchen analogy I thought the same thing as Ryllharu. Sometimes an outsider/novice looking at an established situation can give insight and fresh ideas that the entrenched pros can't/won't see. Considering you are novices, I'd guess the prof will grade your ideas as such, as long as they follow principles you've learned in class.

my bitch: have a headache/slightly drugged feeling after inhaling fumes of burning ATF from the (hopefully now repaired) leaking power steering system in my engine bay. It's residual fluid that collected in the cracks and crevices in the engine when it leaked before, and only now is burning up after a lengthy test drive. I don't think any of it will start a fire, but it had my garage filled with smoke before I aired it out.

[Buffalobiian]

In my second semester I had to write a paper to my medical ethics professor about how medical ethics should be taught to undergrads. Online resources weren't hard to find thought, which is why I avoided the alternative law-appraisal topic.

I can see why he wants a student's view on the issue in addition to teaching staff's, but by the end of research, my friend and I pretty much saw eye to eye with him anyway (or even if we didn't, understood where he's coming from and accepted his methods)

The elevator link was cool.. And here I thought I check myself out in the elevator out of random opportunity instead of by design.

My bitch: been trying to buy shoes that accommodate my feet problems (black leather), but everything's been less than ideal so far. The store has a 30-day period where you can change shoes until they fit and the staff are really nice, but 3-pairs/20-days in and I've still yet to get a perfect fit. Each day without a good fit means another day of foot pain of some description (varies with the shoe).

[Xelbair]

I took a macro-economics class as an elective during the evening (twice a week, 5-7pm) back in my freshmen year of college. Nearly failed the first exam. Needless to say, I had to do something...drastic to turn my life around. If you try hard enough, you'll get caught up. Worst come to worst, you can always go to office hours or whatever and express your concerns to the professor. Don't let it get to you so much.

An overwhelming portion of academia notoriously (once you are in industry) has a gross misconception about industry and the way it works. My boss ranted quite a bit during the pursuit of his advanced degree about the professors and other straight-to-graduate-program students being in fantasy-land. Just use common sense and your contributions to your paper will be fine.

edit:
The benefit of an outsider's perspective can usually be quite welcome. People get set in their ways and pigeonholed. Look for practicality, simplicity, safety, and making it cheaper. Engineers are particularly well-known for over-engineering solutions to problems. The elevator wait times problem is the cardinal example of this. Engineering students always come up with crazy solutions that don't work or are insanely expensive.

Being engineering student myself i completely agree with that - but that's what are engineers thought to do - find technical solutions to technical problems.
Also - mirrors aren't the perfect solution - for example at mu Uni's main building there are 3 lifts(one old and two new ones).
Because people are retarded they keep pushing both buttons(in new lifts - older one has only one button) so lift always stops on each floor(unless you are lucky or came to uni when lectures/tuts/labs are in progress).
Also - take note that engineer's solution to the problem('deal with it - it is just a few minutes') was accurate :P


@Buff: buying shoes is the activity i hate the most - i am never able to find ones that look ok, and are comfortable.

[Animeniax]

@Xelbair: yes but telling people to "deal with it" is not a solution. It doesn't address the problem even. Mind games are the solution. Convince people that doodoo is chocolate and they will eat it and ask for more. Now that's a solution.