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I just got that too, and...
One of the unintended consequences of renaming Twitter to "X" is that--and this isn't the first time this happened--I just tried, in a futile attempt, to close the window by clicking on the X logo...
Good thing they don't place their logo on a square red background.
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Anything on X is disturbing. Fortunately I have no access to it...
"It never ceases to amaze me that a spacecraft launched in 1977 can be fixed remotely from Earth." β Brian Cox
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Wordle 1,197 5/6*
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Wordle 1,197 2/6
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In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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Wordle 1,197 3/6*
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"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Wordle 1,197 3/6*
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Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have. -Anon
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Wordle 1,197 3/6
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Another 6! Yuck! 
Ok, I have had my coffee, so you can all come out now!
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Wordle 1,197 3/6
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Jeremy Falcon
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I'm sure most of us know the story of Beethoven, but for those that don't...
He grew up with an abusive father who was a failed musician but wanted Beethoven to be the next Mozart. Mozart was only born 14 years prior to Beethoven, but Mozart was a natural child prodigy. So much so that he was renowned by the time Beethoven was getting potty trained. Beethoven was never the natural prodigy like Mozart, he's good but it didn't come naturally. It was forced by his father and Beethoven made the most of it. Still, he looked up to Mozart for his natural talent.
His mother was clinically depressed and resented her husband and her marriage. As the oldest son of three, Ludwig was forced to play organ and piano to earn enough money to keep the family afloat. When his father was forced to retire - fired - with a pension, Ludwig had to petition the court to name himself guardian of his fatherβs pension because his father would drink it all up. This is all while he was still a teenager. When he was 16, he finally got the chance to study with Mozart, but had to cut it short due to his mother's illness.
Having lousy role models his entire life. Beethoven's relationships always sucked. He grew up to be abusive too. His world was angst, pain, and hurt and he kept the hate legacy alive by treating the people in his life like crap too. But, back in the depths of his mind he always knew he was screwed up just like his father and deep down wanted happiness and that love that normal people have. And he always had this little melody in the back of his mind that he associated with being happy.
His relationship with his nephew horrifies us today. His business dealings with his publishers and benefactors were jaw-droppingly unethical at times. His open disrespect of the aristocrats who were his benefactors would have landed him in prison in Mozartβs times. In one famous letter to one such aristocrat, he wrote βPrince, you are what you are only because of the luck of being born. What I am, I am because I made who I am by my own industry and struggles. There may be many Princes, but there is only one Beethoven.β
Just as his career and ambitions were beginning to take off, he began to lose his hearing at the age of 28. By the time of his Second Symphony it was noticeable enough that he had difficulty having conversations. He considered suicide, in a letter to his brothers, trying to explain his predicament and his increasing isolation. In it, he wrote βHow unfairly people judge me, not knowing or understanding me. How can I explain to them that the one sense that should have been most perfect in me, is diminished and failing me?β
If Beethoven was an a**hole, he earned the right. By age 44, his hearing loss was complete. This was around his 8th symphony. Still, in the back of his mind was that melody which snuck its way into a few songs every now and again. Being the driven type, he found a way to go on making music with no hearing based solely on muscle memory and knowing how notes are supposed to sound. He went on to finish his 8th symphony and compose another in fact. And still, that melody in his mind...
While Beethoven never had the raw natural talent of Mozart, he was the embodiment of never, ever giving up. Against all odds. No matter what. Push forward. He was deaf for his 8th symphony but not done. That little melody that kept ringing in his head. There was one more thing he needed to do, and for his 9th and final symphony he wrote his masterpiece called Ode to Joy. It was the finale. And it used that melody always in the back of his head. It was a song about the beauty in the world, an ode to something he never had, and coming to terms with existence.
Just a couple years after his 9th symphony, he passed away. His work was done. He got his message out. Despite the hell he knew, he left us this song.
May you never listen to this song the same way again.
Ode to Joy - (Epic Cover)
Ode to Joy: Joy, thou shining spark of God,
Daughter of Elysium,
With fiery rapture, goddess,
We approach thy shrine!
Your magic reunites those
Whom stern custom has parted;*
All men will become brothers*
Under your protective wing.
Let the man who has had the fortune
To be a helper to his friend,
And the man who has won a noble woman,
Join in our chorus of jubilation!
Yes, even if he holds but one soul
As his own in all the world!
But let the man who knows nothing of this
Steal away alone and in sorrow.
All the world's creatures draw
Draughts of joy from nature;
Both the just and the unjust
Follow in her gentle footsteps.
She gave us kisses and wine
And a friend loyal unto death;
She gave the joy of life to the lowliest,
And to the angels who dwell with God.
Joyous, as His suns speed
Through the glorious order of Heaven,
Hasten, brothers, on your way
Exultant as a knight victorious.
Be embraced, all ye millions!
With a kiss for all the world!
Brothers, beyond the stars
Surely dwells a loving Father.
Do you kneel before Him, oh millions?
Do you feel the Creator's presence?
Seek Him beyond the stars!
He must dwell beyond the stars.
Jeremy Falcon
modified 24hrs ago.
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Yes, a masterwork. ![Rose | [Rose]](https://www.codeproject.com/script/Forums/Images/rose.gif)
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
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I thought this might be a bit boring, but it was genuinely fascinating. I'm not a Beethoven, (or Mozart) fan but can still appreciate their talent - whether it be natural or by virtue of hard work.
Thank you for the insight.
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Thanks man. He led an interesting life, thatβs for sure.
Jeremy Falcon
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Interesting story, and interesting rendition (that you linked to).
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Playing off the below post and my peeve of folks saying "invest" for stuff way too much to justify an expense that keeps them broke...
How many of y'all get just as excited to buy a new stock or commodity when it's on sale and cheap? Or running your business (during the good times  )? Or when learning something new that you know will change your life for the better? Or just from waking up to have another day to be awesome? Or getting your flirt on with your special someone?
I know for me, I get much less excited about PCs these days and get much more excited by stuff that actually makes money rather than lose it. Or it's more exciting seeing someone you helped train do something awesome. The excitement for a new PC wears off in a day.
Side note, silver is at $32ish an ounce again.
Jeremy Falcon
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Jeremy Falcon wrote: peeve of folks saying "invest"
Ah, perhaps we've struck upon another topic upon which we agree, rare as that seems. 
Many people use the term "invest" when they actually mean "spend", perhaps in hopes of making it seem like a better expense than it actually is.
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PIEBALDconsult wrote: Ah, perhaps we've struck upon another topic upon which we agree, rare as that seems.
Woo hoo. 
PIEBALDconsult wrote: Many people use the term "invest" when they actually mean "spend", perhaps in hopes of making it seem like a better expense than it actually is.
Tru dat, buddy. I'm gonna go invest in Taco Bell now. 
Jeremy Falcon
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And many use the term investing when what they're doing is speculating. Speculating can be fun, but a nest egg should be invested.
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As much as I might want to do the investment thing, I simply can't, the subject matter bores me to tears.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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jeron1 wrote: I simply can't, the subject matter bores me to tears.
I totally understand that. The good news is, you don't have to care. I mean, you won't get like a bazillion percent returns, but you can just pay someone to manage a portfolio for you or just dump a few bucks into the S&P 500 every paycheck and never look at it until you retire. It mean it'll take a few decades, but you'll have a nice nest egg without ever having to look at it.
Jeremy Falcon
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Jeremy Falcon wrote: you can just pay someone to manage a portfolio for you
That's me. The amount of time you have to invest (see what I did there?) to be good at it is staggering, and ain't nobody got time fo' dat. Well, I don't, or at the very least, I don't get excited enough about this to motivate me to do it to an extent I'd be confident I wouldn't ruin myself.
So my bank does it for me, for a percentage of my total investments. When I just look at the numbers, I'm paying them quite a bit of money each year, but they're still making me more than they cost. The numbers do grow, so I'm happy to let them take care of that aspect of my life.
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dandy72 wrote: That's me. The amount of time you have to invest (see what I did there?) to be good at it is staggering, and ain't nobody got time fo' dat. Well, I don't, or at the very least, I don't get excited enough about this to motivate me to do it to an extent I'd be confident I wouldn't ruin myself.
Amen brother. That's actually very smart. Most people lose money in the markets when they do it themselves. So, if you're not willing to put in the time because it bores you, it's so much smarter to pay the fee to let someone else do it for you.
dandy72 wrote: The numbers do grow, so I'm happy to let them take care of that aspect of my life.
That's smart man, glad to hear it.
Jeremy Falcon
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Jeremy Falcon wrote: o, if you're not willing to put in the time because it bores you,
Well maybe "bore" is too strong a word. I think I'd be watching things like a hawk, to the point where it'd disrupt other activities...like work. I can't do that.
So the way I see it, my bank's fees buy me peace of mind.
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Several decades ago, to placate my folks, I gave some money to their investment manager, not sure if it's up to anything at this point. Talking to them is torturous, so I don't. Fact is I wouldn't trust anyone (myself included), really wish I did though.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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jeron1 wrote: Talking to them is torturous, so I don't.
Assuming you mean the money mangers and not your parents...
Gotta agree with you there man. I've literally had arguments with ignorant stubborn people over crypto for instance. They'll read a sales pitch but refuse to read a book. IMO only an idiot would argue with someone doing better than them (as far as money goes), but they're out there...
Unfortunately, this industry attracts the egotistical and uneducated alike. Money is the one thing we all need and the vast majority of pees don't have two brains cells to rub together. Personally, I've gotten pissed at instructors even when they lied to the class (to rob them of their money). And got depressed for a while over all of the level of BS in it.
Soooooooooooo... totally understand. Just you know, don't let their lack of education and ego harm your future. Ya know.
jeron1 wrote: Fact is I wouldn't trust anyone (myself included), really wish I did though.
There are different levels of what's right and wrong. Some people will say diversify and some will say don't for instance. Diversification is great if you don't know what you're doing... which is most people. If you're a master at whatever it is, it'll never make you as much. But, if you don't know what you're doing, you'll lose it all if you don't diversify.
Which is a long way of saying, you don't have to trust yourself. Just toss some money into an index fund (that you're ok with losing) and let the inherent diversification in it soften out the highs and lows for ya. Just know that doing this will take a while. People going this route think an 8% return in a year is good. Better than your bank at least and will only work if inflation stays at 2% (but that's a whole different story). But, it's still your best bet if none of this stuff interests you or you don't trust the system.
Jeremy Falcon
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