What's messing with your Groove?

[GGT]

Tim, since doctors can do a biopsy of the tumor, could that mean direct chemo infusion/injection is possible? There have been so many advancements in oncology, surgery, chemo, and biogenesis....try not to let the word cancer freak you out too much.

And while I don't want to give you false hope, remember that brain tumors don't always mean malignancy, and even some malignancies are slow to grow. They can be pretty hard to diagnose.

<During a routine annual opthalmic screening, and subsequent tests, doctors found a "brain tumor" pressing on my sister's optic nerve. We all freaked out, of course. Turns out it was a pseudo tumor related to endocrine problems and weight gain. That was over a decade ago. She had some permanent vision changes requiring prisms in her glass lenses, but otherwise she's in great health now.>

[wiggin]

WTH is biogenesis?

[Flixy]

Last Friday a lens for the camera was broken (on arrival), and because we were three or four hours from the warehouse it came from, we had to rent a new one. Turns out renting pro camera equipment isn't so easy, I figured rental places would be happy to rent you whatever you want, but turns out you need references to get anything as a new customer. Luckily the camera assistant worked with one of the owners a few months ago, or we would have been in trouble.

[Timbuk2]

Tim, since doctors can do a biopsy of the tumor, could that mean direct chemo infusion/injection is possible?

Really don't know at this stage ...

And while I don't want to give you false hope, remember that brain tumors don't always mean malignancy, and even some malignancies are slow to grow. They can be pretty hard to diagnose.

Not sure that it's a brain tumour - certainly hasn't been called that yet.

Specialist referred to it as an Adenoidal Cystic Tumour as the most likely. It's in the region of his sinus.

<During a routine annual opthalmic screening, and subsequent tests, doctors found a "brain tumor" pressing on my sister's optic nerve. We all freaked out, of course. Turns out it was a pseudo tumor related to endocrine problems and weight gain. That was over a decade ago. She had some permanent vision changes requiring prisms in her glass lenses, but otherwise she's in great health now.>

Well this sounds remarkably similar.

His left eye deteriorated around six months ago, which sent it off at a tangent, and he wears a plastic prism film over that lens of his glasses to correct it. It was this that let to all the CT and MRI scans he's had that has led to the current diagnosis - that a tumour is pressing on (or indeed growing on) one of his optic nerves - just as you describe.

Though there are none of the endocrine symptoms you refer to, so I suspect the cause is rather different.

[Khendraja'aro]

Just bought a new Philips monitor as a replacement for one of my olders screens as it shows signs of dying.

Plugged it in by HDMI - and was greeted by a lovely 60 Hz sound. It's not a loose coil, though, sounds more like there are some crossed wires and the built-in speakers are somehow connected to the screen refresh rate (when I set the refresh rate to 50 Hz, the tone becomes lower). Setting the speakers to mute (either on the computer or on the display itself) doesn't change anything about the sound. And it's loud - you can hear the tone from about 6 meters away.

What really annoyed me, though, was the fact that some moron had the bright idea to hide their telephone support number for computer monitors under the label "Professional Displays". Yes, consumer computer screens are now professional ones, just like medical imaging and festival projection systems...

... and the 3rd callcenter agent didn't see the problem with the label (the first two just gave me a different number to try).

[Khendraja'aro]

Took my NAS to my parents over the holidays so we might watch some movies.

When I returned home, I put everything back in its usual place and started the NAS. Only to be greeted by an annyoing beeping. The volume was reported as "degraded" due to the failure of two disks out of four. The weird thing: The two missing disks were not even listed in the HDD Management tab.

So I opened the NAS only to discover that the ride back home had, due to vibrations on the road, shoved two disks out of their sockets (no screws there). Pushed them back in - and the volume is still degraded. Currently rebuilding the volume - good thing I used RAID6. Otherwise I could've kissed the whole volume goodbye.

[GGT]

Really don't know at this stage ...

Not sure that it's a brain tumour - certainly hasn't been called that yet.

Specialist referred to it as an Adenoidal Cystic Tumour as the most likely. It's in the region of his sinus.

Sorry for the terminology confusion....but many maladies originating in the head/skull are considered a "brain" problem, even sinus conditions. The optic nerve resides and operates within the brain structure, so it's pretty common to call disruptions a "brain" problem.

Well this sounds remarkably similar.

His left eye deteriorated around six months ago, which sent it off at a tangent, and he wears a plastic prism film over that lens of his glasses to correct it. It was this that let to all the CT and MRI scans he's had that has led to the current diagnosis - that a tumour is pressing on (or indeed growing on) one of his optic nerves - just as you describe.

Though there are none of the endocrine symptoms you refer to, so I suspect the cause is rather different.

Point being....that many disorders within "the brain" are often diagnosed by people experiencing visual changes --- confirmed by simple vision screenings, opticians, ophthalmologists, and advanced tests. (Sometimes that's the first stage of diagnosing Diabetes, well before blood glucose levels or BMI give a clue.)

Apparently your dad had an MRI, which showed an image of a tumor or mass pressing on his Optic Nerve (we only have one), but it's probably a good thing if docs can trace it to his sinus cavities, even if it's considered "inoperable".

Hopefully, that means your dad isn't on death's door-step, but can manage a disease or illness for many years to come.

[GGT]

My kids also mess with my groove (even when they inspire HappiNess). It's an interesting and challenging concept for the new year. Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Ugh.

[Ominous Gamer]

Rockstar Social Club and Steam are both down at the moment. dammit

[Ominous Gamer]

Disney has killed the licenses to the Marvel games, including the rather new Deadpool game. Which was in the middle of a community choice event at the time.

fucking disney.

[Timbuk2]

RIP Uncle Phil

[Veldan Rath]

Disney has killed the licenses to the Marvel games, including the rather new Deadpool game. Which was in the middle of a community choice event at the time.

fucking disney.

Any word why (that is believable?)

[Ominous Gamer]

Any word why (that is believable?)

The licenses held by activision expired on the 1st, and disney/marvel did not renew them. No idea what Disney plans to do.

The licenses for the first 3 Fallout games also expired and are going to Bethesda, but Interplay at least gave those games away for free before hand via GOG.

[Ominous Gamer]

It survived 3 computer upgrades and 5 years of use, but it finally died. My Microsoft Sidewinder X5 mouse is no more. Easily the best mouse I've ever used, and I'm sorely going to miss the ceramic feet.

I wish Microsoft would get its shit together and bring back the Sidewinder series, they were some of the best gamepads I had too. I still haven't been able to find something that was as easy to game on as the Dual Strike.

Ordered a Diablo III Steelseries Mouse, which seems to be a Steelseries Sensei mouse for half the price. Its got some pretty big shoes to fill.

[Aimless]

Went to bed on time, slept very little, woke up just after 5AM, chilled for a while, went to work early and got some paperwork done, followed up on some of my patients, sent off some e-mails, read about interesting things, and then, just as I was about to head up to the library for the morning report I was struck by how unusually dark and quiet the hospital seemed for a monday morning.

And recalled, with a sinking feeling in my gut, that the 13th of January is a public holiday here. Now I have no idea what to do with my day. Curse this holiday-obsessed country! I am now hiding in my office so as to not have to meet those of my colleagues who're on call on my way home.

[Ominous Gamer]

Ordered a Diablo III Steelseries Mouse, which seems to be a Steelseries Sensei mouse for half the price. Its got some pretty big shoes to fill.

Mouse looks and feels nice. Paired with the huge $8 steelseries mousepad I also bought to pad my order over $35 it currently glides like butter (but without ceramic feet only time will tell). Mouse has a light that pulses through the D3 logo, and a very nicely braided cord.

Being half the price of an unbranded steelseries mouse makes this replacement totally worth it.

[littlelolligagged]

It is so fucking cold here.

Cold. Cold. Cold.Cold.


COLD!!!!!!!

[Ominous Gamer]

might get down to 30F here. Time for the annual running of the heater


Going to spray everything down outside around midnight, let the girls wakeup to a frosted front yard.

[littlelolligagged]

Aww

[earthJoker]

Going to spray everything down outside around midnight, let the girls wakeup to a frosted front yard.

Why on midnight, you know at which time of the night it get's the coldest?

It is so fucking cold here.

Cold. Cold. Cold.Cold.


COLD!!!!!!!

Did I mention that I fly to Sydney on Sunday?

[Ominous Gamer]

Cause thats the latest I'm willing to stay up. but it didn't dip down low enough. Woke up about an hour ago and it was 34F outside

Car doesn't seem to mind the weather...

[GGT]

This cold, "Polar Vortex" doesn't bother me too much personally. I don't need to catch a plane, or wait in an airport. And This Old house isn't heated by an expensive oil furnace.

The radical temperature fluctuations mess with my groove, though. All our lovely snow melted in winter rain, followed by freezing ice, black ice, treacherous roads, and dangerous below-zero frost-bite conditions. It's one thing to have frigid temps, it's quite another to endure it without snow's white cosmetic blanket.

[wiggin]

This cold, "Polar Vortex" doesn't bother me too much personally. I don't need to catch a plane, or wait in an airport. And This Old house isn't heated by an expensive oil furnace.

The radical temperature fluctuations mess with my groove, though. All our lovely snow melted in winter rain, followed by freezing ice, black ice, treacherous roads, and dangerous below-zero frost-bite conditions. It's one thing to have frigid temps, it's quite another to endure it without snow's white cosmetic blanket.

Trust me, the people in Chicago would much prefer if their snow had melted. Try finding or clearing a parking space with 18-24 inches of snow piled up everywhere in -60 windchills.

[GGT]

Trust me, the people in Chicago would much prefer if their snow had melted. Try finding or clearing a parking space with 18-24 inches of snow piled up everywhere in -60 windchills.

Chicago declared a weather emergency, closing schools and telling people to stay off the streets. The only people trying to find/clear a parking space are fools or morons.

[earthJoker]

Cause thats the latest I'm willing to stay up. but it didn't dip down low enough. Woke up about an hour ago and it was 34F outside

OK as you are unwilling to answer my question. The coldest time of a day (night) is just before sunrise. So if you want to enjoy cold temperatures, you don't stay up late, you get up early.

[GGT]

He's a Floridian, and doesn't know much about COLD weather.

[Flixy]

I brought home my dad's old wireless router, because mine's kinda shitty. connected it, worked fine for a day, and now it constantly resets, with the occasional factory reset. got no idea how to fix it, except that it sounds like a heat issue because it didn't occur right away.

[wiggin]

Chicago declared a weather emergency, closing schools and telling people to stay off the streets. The only people trying to find/clear a parking space are fools or morons.

Morons like my sister, the ER physician? Lots of people have jobs that don't allow them to sit at home when it's cold outside.

Regardless, the snow will still be there as the city slowly gets moving again. Cold + snow accumulation is definitely worse than just cold.

[Flixy]

Trust me, the people in Chicago would much prefer if their snow had melted. Try finding or clearing a parking space with 18-24 inches of snow piled up everywhere in -60 windchills.

Then again, if it melts and freezing again, getting to a parking spot gets less safe and easy.

[Ominous Gamer]

OK as you are unwilling to answer my question.

dafuq

Why on midnight

Cause thats the latest I'm willing to stay up.

The coldest time of a day (night) is just before sunrise. So if you want to enjoy cold temperatures, you don't stay up late, you get up early.

first off, a cold front moving through setting record lows doesn't exact abide by average weather models. Secondly, even if these temps were normal and predictable for a low at pre-daybreak, that would mean getting up at around 4:30am, when I don't have to be at work till noon. so yeah...fuck that.