Off-Topic Questions Thread - closed. Open new threads for specific questions please.

[King Pitcos]

Are there any other cheap holiday sites similar to icelolly.com? All the other ones I know of want really specific searches. I like how that one let's you put in a date and duration of holiday, and then gives you loads of options.

[MoistVaj]

Is there any intrest in a NBA thread?

 

 

I was going to start one ages ago but couldn't be bothered in the end. Anyway, the Western Conference Finals have thrown up the most boring match up possible with the Spurs and the Grizzlies. The Spurs are just not very interesting to watch and the Grizzlies play the ugliest basketball in the league.

[Callum1993]

Are there any other cheap holiday sites similar to icelolly.com? All the other ones I know of want really specific searches. I like how that one let's you put in a date and duration of holiday, and then gives you loads of options.

 

For mine this year I used http://www.directline-holidays.co.uk/ They were pretty decent and not too expensive either.

[King Pitcos]

Cheers Callum, but it still seems to want specific searches. I'm after a city break in mid-July for about

[Arch Stanton]

I find all the holiday websites infuriating for that. I'm the same as you Pitcos, I usually have a budget and a rough departure date and airport in mind and I just want to be able to search a list of all available holidays that meet those criteria. It seems such an obvious thing to be able to do, but you nearly always have to enter a destination to be able to do that. Which is shit if you aren't actually too fussed about where you go.

[John Matrix]

Is there any way of stopping Facebook from accessing your email contacts so that it dosent make suggestions, or turning off the 'people you may know' feature all together?

 

I have to have an account for works purposes so i can mod another page, and dont want recommendations showing should i need to share the log in. Any ideas?

[King Pitcos]

That is a weird one. By rights, Facebook shouldn't be ABLE to see your email contacts. How does it? Have you got all your accounts synced on a phone/tablet or something?

[John Matrix]

I dont know mate to be honest, i just always assumed that when you registered your account and gave your email address, that it accessed data from that in making reccomendations. So for example, when i created this work account, it started to make recommendations based on people i've emailed from that same address in the past.

 

If it's not doing it that way, then i've no idea how. It's not a major issue, but i've a couple of friends who i email now and again while at work, who are showing in the list, so if i'm off ill or sick or anything, i'd rather they didnt show.

 

I'm a caveman in terms of modern tech, so it definately isnt picking it up from any other devices.

[Loki]

There's a book by one of the first employees of Facebook, explaining the business behind the product, and apparently it was never about social networking, it was always about data mining. Facebook is essentially a data collation system that farms information from its users under the guise of networking. That data is then sold on, making the profit.

 

Any, and I mean any information or data that you place on Facebook or allow it access to is ultimately up for grabs and liable to be re-sold.

[Chest Rockwell]

Well obviously if you're talking about the business model it's going to talk about how they monetise it. The social networking side is the service to the customer.

 

All that says is that they were making all their money on the data before the advertising became more prevalent. I'd be interested to know how their revenue streams have shifted over time - i.e. how much money comes from which now.

[King Pitcos]

There's a book by one of the first employees of Facebook, explaining the business behind the product, and apparently it was never about social networking, it was always about data mining. Facebook is essentially a data collation system that farms information from its users under the guise of networking. That data is then sold on, making the profit.

 

Any, and I mean any information or data that you place on Facebook or allow it access to is ultimately up for grabs and liable to be re-sold.

 

Yeah, but unless you specifically give facebook access to your email by syncing them (and I think facebook does ask you to when you sign up), then there's no way it should even know your email contacts.

 

Subject change: I fell down the stairs yesterday and obliterated my ankle. Foot the wrong way round, ankle bone in the wrong place, the lot. I'm in hospital now waiting for an operation that may or may not happen today. I've been nil by mouth since 3am and I'm incredibly thirsty. I get that these cunts can't be organised enough to promise me a specific surgery time, it's the nature of the NHS with people potentially landing needing life-saving ops, but why do I need an empty stomach for an ankle surgery anyway? If they leave it much longer, I'm gonna just have to drink something. Will it kill me?

[Chest Rockwell]

I have no idea. Probably won't kill you, right?

 

Sorry to hear about your ankle. On the plus side, you don't exactly live an active lifestyle, so it shouldn't really hamper you that much once you've had the op.

 

Sounds like a really fucking painful fall. How bad was it? How did you get to the hospital? Did you have to be stretchered out into the Ambo and all?

[King Pitcos]

Yeah, it was a stretcher job. It was only a slip down a couple of steps, fell right on me fookin' arse. I was laughing before the fall even finished, then I heard a couple of snaps.

 

I am very inactive, but there are some work things coming up that this is problematic for, so I've already been bollocked a bit via text. And it's going to make traipsing round Argos, Smyths and Toys R Us a right rigmarole.

 

Also, why do I have to take my pants off for an ankle operation?? How the fuck is the stupid gown fine but boxers aren't? Are there any doctors/nurses/porters/whatever on here?

[CleetusVanDamme]

I've been nil by mouth since 3am and I'm incredibly thirsty. I get that these cunts can't be organised enough to promise me a specific surgery time, it's the nature of the NHS with people potentially landing needing life-saving ops, but why do I need an empty stomach for an ankle surgery anyway? If they leave it much longer, I'm gonna just have to drink something. Will it kill me?

 

From the NHS site...

 

Usually, before having a general anaesthetic, you won't be allowed anything to eat or drink. This is because when you're under anaesthetic. Your body's reflexes are temporarily stopped. If your stomach has food and drink in it, there's a risk of vomiting, or regurgitation (bringing up food into your throat). If this happens, the regurgitated food could spill into your lungs and affect your breathing, as well as causing damage to your lungs.

 

Last time I had surgery, I gave in in the morning and had some toast and juice before going to the hospital. Obviously I got on alright, but if I'd read that quote beforehand I don't think I would have risked it.

 

Hope you get on alright!

[Loki]

It's horrible, nil by mouth, but there's not much you can do about it.

 

You might as well give up on your legs, PITCOS, and just confine yourself to a Davros-like wheelie bin.