The COVID Ridiculousness Thread

[J. Wilhelm]

This could probably be in the WTF thread...

Plague Doctor Plushies 

https://t.co/1TpbXr8N79?amp=1

[Banfili]

Cute, sort of, but I don't want one! Conjures up thoughts of the "tempting fate" kind!

[J. Wilhelm]

Cute, sort of, but I don't want one! Conjures up thoughts of the "tempting fate" kind!

There are also people selling plushies of major human pathogens, like bacteria and viruses. I feel the same way. They made syphilis look "cute" which I think is very, very wrong. To be fair they also have white blood cells, DNA, mitochondria and nerve cells.

https://www.amazon.com/bacteria-plush/s?k=bacteria+plush

[Sir Henry]

Cute, sort of, but I don't want one! Conjures up thoughts of the "tempting fate" kind!

I bought this for my wife several years ago - it hasn't happened yet. 

[J. Wilhelm]

Cute, sort of, but I don't want one! Conjures up thoughts of the "tempting fate" kind!

I bought this for my wife several years ago - it hasn't happened yet. 

A shoggoth! I always wanted a hound of Tindalos myself.

[von Corax]

Cute, sort of, but I don't want one! Conjures up thoughts of the "tempting fate" kind!

I bought this for my wife several years ago - it hasn't happened yet. 

A shoggoth! I always wanted a hound of Tindalos myself.

That's not a shoggoth - that's the Blind Idiot God himself!

[Sir Henry]

Cute, sort of, but I don't want one! Conjures up thoughts of the "tempting fate" kind!

I bought this for my wife several years ago - it hasn't happened yet. 

A shoggoth! I always wanted a hound of Tindalos myself.

That's not a shoggoth - that's the Blind Idiot God himself!

For a blind god, it's certainly got a lot of eyes!
In order to find a picture of it to post I had to google it. It turns out that it is now worth more than ten times what I paid for it. Not that she'd get rid of it, but I had no idea that they were collectable/of value to anyone. We live in a very strange world.

[von Corax]

That's not a shoggoth - that's the Blind Idiot God himself!

For a blind god, it's certainly got a lot of eyes!

I had noticed that...

[J. Wilhelm]

Yeah. There are no hounds of that type left.

[rovingjack]

We live in a very strange world.

that's a bit of an understatement

[von Corax]

At the beginning of April the Government of Ontario issues a "Stay at Home" order to last four weeks. Yesterday they extended the order to six weeks, closed all outdoor recreational facilities, and authorized police to perform random spot-checks on people suspected of violating the stay-at-home order. This last is probably a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and over 30 municipal police services have declared that they will not be exercising this authority.

[Rockula]

At the beginning of April the Government of Ontario issues a "Stay at Home" order to last four weeks. Yesterday they extended the order to six weeks, closed all outdoor recreational facilities, and authorized police to perform random spot-checks on people suspected of violating the stay-at-home order. This last is probably a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and over 30 municipal police services have declared that they will not be exercising this authority.

The UK Government relaxed the outdoor gatherings rule and allowed us to meet up to 6 people in an open space.
Today our local playing field had 4 football games happening.
And it wasn't even 5-a-side.

Full teams, physical tackling and crowds of spectators ignoring any social distancing or mask precautions.

They think it's all over.
Well it's not.

[Sorontar]

At the beginning of April the Government of Ontario issues a "Stay at Home" order to last four weeks. Yesterday they extended the order to six weeks, closed all outdoor recreational facilities, and authorized police to perform random spot-checks on people suspected of violating the stay-at-home order. This last is probably a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and over 30 municipal police services have declared that they will not be exercising this authority.

Our state government had state of emergency conditions put in place so they could circumvent a lot of the normal political checks and balances. By declaring it such, the chief medical officer has powers to set conditions and the police have powers to enforce them.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-02/victoria-state-of-emergency-with-help-from-greens/13206694

[Synistor 303]

At the beginning of April the Government of Ontario issues a "Stay at Home" order to last four weeks. Yesterday they extended the order to six weeks, closed all outdoor recreational facilities, and authorized police to perform random spot-checks on people suspected of violating the stay-at-home order. This last is probably a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and over 30 municipal police services have declared that they will not be exercising this authority.

Our state government had state of emergency conditions put in place so they could circumvent a lot of the normal political checks and balances. By declaring it such, the chief medical officer has powers to set conditions and the police have powers to enforce them.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-02/victoria-state-of-emergency-with-help-from-greens/13206694

Go Dictator Dan!

[von Corax]

[von Corax]

The Canadian Government have just introduced a bill in Parliament which would make it a specific criminal offence to intimidate, interfere with or obstruct patients seeking medical care or healthcare workers attempting to deliver it, punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. Justice Minister David Lametti is "disappointed" that such a law was necessary.

[Prof Marvel]

The Canadian Government have just introduced a bill in Parliament which would make it a specific criminal offence to intimidate, interfere with or obstruct patients seeking medical care or healthcare workers attempting to deliver it, punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. Justice Minister David Lametti is "disappointed" that such a law was necessary.

Yes laws punishing "mob rule" are a sad necessity.

I know! Lets give all medical personal and healthcare workers personal force field and phasers on stun!

Prf grumbles

[von Corax]

The Canadian Government have just introduced a bill in Parliament which would make it a specific criminal offence to intimidate, interfere with or obstruct patients seeking medical care or healthcare workers attempting to deliver it, punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. Justice Minister David Lametti is "disappointed" that such a law was necessary.

Yes laws punishing "mob rule" are a sad necessity.

I know! Lets give all medical personal and healthcare workers personal force field and phasers on stun!

Prf grumbles

That won't work; I think those people are already stunned.

[Prof Marvel]

The Canadian Government have just introduced a bill in Parliament which would make it a specific criminal offence to intimidate, interfere with or obstruct patients seeking medical care or healthcare workers attempting to deliver it, punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. Justice Minister David Lametti is "disappointed" that such a law was necessary.

Yes laws punishing "mob rule" are a sad necessity.

I know! Lets give all medical personal and healthcare workers personal force field and phasers on stun!

Prf grumbles

That won't work; I think those people are already stunned.

Thats ok we can set them on "dissolve"

Prf mbls

[von Corax]

In November, Chapman's Ice Cream of Markdale, ON, announced that fully-vaccinated employees would receive a $1/hr raise. This, of course, caused the anti-vaxxers to go ballistic, calling for a boycott of Chapman products and for physical violence to be committed against the Chapman family. Since then, however, sales of Chapman products have substantially increased in what has traditionally been the slowest quarter of the year.

[Synistor 303]

In November, Chapman's Ice Cream of Markdale, ON, announced that fully-vaccinated employees would receive a $1/hr raise. This, of course, caused the anti-vaxxers to go ballistic, calling for a boycott of Chapman products and for physical violence to be committed against the Chapman family. Since then, however, sales of Chapman products have substantially increased in what has traditionally been the slowest quarter of the year.

Good!

[J. Wilhelm]

In November, Chapman's Ice Cream of Markdale, ON, announced that fully-vaccinated employees would receive a $1/hr raise. This, of course, caused the anti-vaxxers to go ballistic, calling for a boycott of Chapman products and for physical violence to be committed against the Chapman family. Since then, however, sales of Chapman products have substantially increased in what has traditionally been the slowest quarter of the year.

Personally, I love it when the political fruitcakes go ballistic boycotting stuff. It was really entertaining to see politically offended people destroy their own Keurig coffee machines (rather expensive mode of expression, I might add). At some point calls were made to boycott a well known Japanese auto maker.  I'm still waiting to see the first yahoo take a bat to his pickup truck.

[Synistor 303]

In November, Chapman's Ice Cream of Markdale, ON, announced that fully-vaccinated employees would receive a $1/hr raise. This, of course, caused the anti-vaxxers to go ballistic, calling for a boycott of Chapman products and for physical violence to be committed against the Chapman family. Since then, however, sales of Chapman products have substantially increased in what has traditionally been the slowest quarter of the year.

Personally, I love it when the political fruitcakes go ballistic boycotting stuff. It was really entertaining to see politically offended people destroy their own Keurig coffee machines (rather expensive mode of expression, I might add). At some point calls were made to boycott a well known Japanese auto maker.  I'm still waiting to see the first yahoo take a bat to his pickup truck.

I think they cherry-pick the 'action' they take over their Covid-blaming.

So now a story of complete Covid ridiculousness - my daughter and son-in-law opened a craft brewery this year. They had a guy who was training as a brewer(Michael), who they intended to employ full time (it was his dream job he told us). His partner is a nurse. Both are ant-vaxers. We were really worried that Michael would hold the business to ransom by refusing to be vaccinated, (because under the Covid rules here you couldn't open a hospitality business unless all the staff were fully vaccinated). Thankfully, the Govt made a "no jab, no job" rule and Michael left his dream job.

Michael's nurse girlfriend also refused vaccination and left her job. She is a New Zealander and their intention was to go to New Zealand. Good luck with that, as they have to be vaccinated to get on a plane... Perhaps they will swim?

So two people now unemployed and making themselves unemployable. Idiots.

[von Corax]

It was really entertaining to see politically offended people destroy their own Keurig coffee machines (rather expensive mode of expression, I might add).

Yes, but it worked; Keurig backed off on their plan to install Digital Rights Management on coffee pods.

[Prof Marvel]

It was really entertaining to see politically offended people destroy their own Keurig coffee machines (rather expensive mode of expression, I might add).

Yes, but it worked; Keurig backed off on their plan to install Digital Rights Management on coffee pods.

Yes this is a huge thing now. Intellectual property rights and the IOT

There is an ongoing class action legal fight "Farmers Across America vs John Deer"
A very large group of Farmers are literally fighting for the right to repairtheir own tractors and combines.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/farmers-america-right-to-repair-john-deere-tractors/
...
And
..
Why are farmers suing John Deere? The practice of upgrading software and then forbidding owners from repairing their tractors means farmers have to buy new equipment or new software. These costs can

Why are farmers suing John Deere? The practice of upgrading software and then forbidding owners from repairing their tractors means farmers have to buy new equipment or new software. These costs can reach up to $600,000. ... By making things like software guides, diagnostic equipment, repair tools available to home mechanics....

It extends to the softserve machines in mcadoogals too... Ongoing fights over the inability to service the
Machines themselves..

Yes, the powers that be are even making friggin light bulbs part of the IOT...
The bulb will tell your smartfone (oxymoron) that the bulb has reached end of service life
and wants to be replaced.

What they don't want you to know, is that this is an artificial length of time based on their "analysis"
That the bulb will last for X.

It's just a friggin countdown timer! . The bulb may run for several more months or even a year.
And the marketing department already over ruled the engineering assessment of X, said let's make it only 2/3 X and we willsell more bulbs....

Not to mention how much unseeded irrelevant software and hardware was added to a simple light bulb.

And because of thing every blinking appliance into the web, we have the new form of the old joke that ends

I laughed
My wife laughed
The toaster laughed
And that is why I shot the toaster.

Yhs
Prof Mumbles