[subego]

My one Manhattan story is from a Thanksgiving dinner where my mom queried my brother:

ON WHAT PLANET DID YOU THINK THIS WAS ENOUGH WHISKEY FOR THIS FAMILY?!

My brother’s girlfriend, meeting mom for the first time, wasn’t facing her. A look of “all that shit I was told was true” suddenly shot across her face.

[andi*pandi]

I would have politely left it on the counter and asked for something else. Manhattan is a common enough drink.

This says the person who ordered a very fancy cocktail with mezcal, elderflower, and rosemary essence in it... only to discover she does not like mezcal at all. But for the price damn it I was going to finish it!

[subego]

That’s what everybody thought. There was a whole bottle of what Mom venomously called “cooking whisky”. We all said we were fine with that, I mean Jesus Christ… who the fuck cares?

You know, there’s a reason my brother only visits twice a year.

[ghporter]

I prefer vodka gimlets over any whiskey drink at a bar. I’ve had a couple of experiences where a drink with a “normal for here” price that I SAW the “drink mixer guy” (bartender is an honorable profession) short the whiskey poured into the glass. On the other hand, a vodka gimlet is pretty immune to negative results from “off-brand” vodka. It tastes like lime juice, and you don’t get frowned at the way you do for ordering soda with a twist.

Of course my dad taught me about single-malt Scotch at a fairly early age, so whiskey drinks are kinda pale. Single-malt is something to nurse among intimate acquaintances anyway.

[subego]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I prefer vodka gimlets

Fist bump.


I mean, I guess if I’m being honest, I prefer rum and diet, but that’s kinda boring as cocktails go.

[subego]

Another Monterey upgrade. Another trip to recovery mode.

[Thorzdad]

Two 3-piece chicken tenders at Arby’s - $12
That’s $2 per tender. WTF?

[subego]

Originally Posted by subego 

Another Monterey upgrade. Another trip to recovery mode.

Pretty much confirmed this is due to a restart not clearing something it’s supposed to. I “fixed” it by stalling the auto-restart, shutting down, rebooting, and then installing.

The stall was more difficult than I anticipated. An unsaved file in TextEdit didn’t do it. The OS saved it internally and quit. Next time I opened up a save dialogue for the file and left it there. That worked.

[reader50]

I'll remember that trick, though I haven't had your upgrade-restart problem.

You could also open a New document, and type a word in it. Any word will do, profanity OK. As it's never been saved, it has no filename yet. Impossible for the OS to save without user input.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

Two 3-piece chicken tenders at Arby’s - $12
That’s $2 per tender. WTF?

I think Arby's are the worst fast food chicken tenders I've had.

[subego]

Originally Posted by reader50 

I'll remember that trick, though I haven't had your upgrade-restart problem.

You could also open a New document, and type a word in it. Any word will do, profanity OK. As it's never been saved, it has no filename yet. Impossible for the OS to save without user input.

So you’d think, but that’s not the case.

That’s exactly what I did the first time, and to my surprise it restarted anyway, dumping me into recovery mode. Once I got that sorted and the OS updated, upon reboot TextEdit opened with my unsaved file and asked if I wanted to save it.

That’s what led me to the keeping the dialogue open.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by reader50 

I'll remember that trick, though I haven't had your upgrade-restart problem.

You could also open a New document, and type a word in it. Any word will do, profanity OK. As it's never been saved, it has no filename yet. Impossible for the OS to save without user input.

This hasn't worked since the Autosave system was revamped a second time — since Monterey or so? (Autosave itself was introduced with Lion IIRC)

[Thorzdad]

In order to get Sirius/XM in your car, you have to subscribe to their top-level, all-your-damned-devices, premium tier. I just want it in my car. At least it’s only $5/mo.

[subego]

I’ve been forced to use Google Drive and Christ on a cracker it’s hot garbage. I will never say anything bad about Dropbox again.

[Thorzdad]

It really seems like everything Google is hot garbage anymore.

[subego]

I’m actually liking Google’s AI GPU rentals for the most part. The big downside is, wait for it… needing to use Google Drive.

[Brien]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

Two 3-piece chicken tenders at Arby’s - $12
That’s $2 per tender. WTF?

Fast food (food in general, but especially ‘fast’ food) has gotten ridiculously expensive. &10-15+ per person or more. You can practically go to a chain restaurant for the prices McDonald’s etc. are these days.

[ghporter]

I think the marketing departments of mobile game makers are evil. Here are two reasons why.

I waste time decompress by playing a game from an Icelandic firm (don’t judge!), and it “offers” a variety of advertisements. Until recently these ads were limited to a total of 30 seconds. “Timer creep” has these ads now lasting longer and longer.

Today I had TWO ads go for almost 60 seconds, and that was without a redirect to the App Store. They each had a “teaser” segment that doesn’t count against the 30 seconds, and a “kicker” segment that also doesn’t count. One was for a 2nd-grade-level Hotwheels product, and the other was for the “fashion” retailer Shein. Keep in mind that this game is aimed at 8-year-olds.

The second reason: the “quality” of many of the ads…such as ads for the “Royal Match” game with what appear to be random folks with webcams who tout how wonderful that game is, how great the graphics are, how challenging and satisfying it is, etc. These are “adults” apparently shilling the game TO adults (within a game aimed at 8-year-olds). What the actual? And secondarily, who the actual are these “adults” and why the actual should I care?

[reader50]

My pet peeve about ads is the high repetition. Presumably they target the ads, and there are only a few available for my target(s). But targeted ads don't seem to work, and playing the same ads daily for weeks does not improve the chances of a sale. Quite the opposite.

Also, the targets for each person aren't that accurate. Laminar gets his prom dresses. I get golf ads. Sometimes for golf resorts, more often for the new irons. Sometimes for trainers, or life stories of golf champions. I could care less about golf, but I've gotten near-daily golf ads for years.

De-prioritize the ad targeting, please. Open up the wider pool of ads, so users see repeats only occasionally.

[Thorzdad]

I got onto Disney+ today, for the first time in awhile and, holy shit, the fucking ads! I knew they were doing ads now, but this was nearly every bit as bad as broadcast tv.

[andi*pandi]

The price jumped, the ad tier appeared, and I said wait I have cable still and I cancelled.

They will get me eventually because loki season 2 but eff them.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

The price jumped, the ad tier appeared, and I said wait I have cable still and I cancelled.

They will get me eventually because loki season 2 but eff them.

The new Dr. Who special drops toward the end of the month on D+. Dammit.

[Laminar]

I get ad-supported Hulu/ ad-free D+ as part of my Verizon plan so I'm not seeing a price increase, but the ads are getting bad enough that the ad-free plan is almost enticing. Between political ads and spots for ED drugs, I just don't need that content in my life.

[andi*pandi]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

The new Dr. Who special drops toward the end of the month on D+. Dammit.

I saw that. Thought dr who was on hbo and kids were lobbying for hbo to watch the last of us...

now disney back in the mix. sigh.

meanwhile paramount and all the trek patiently waiting...

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by reader50 

My pet peeve about ads is the high repetition. Presumably they target the ads, and there are only a few available for my target(s). But targeted ads don't seem to work, and playing the same ads daily for weeks does not improve the chances of a sale. Quite the opposite.

Also, the targets for each person aren't that accurate. Laminar gets his prom dresses. I get golf ads. Sometimes for golf resorts, more often for the new irons. Sometimes for trainers, or life stories of golf champions. I could care less about golf, but I've gotten near-daily golf ads for years.

De-prioritize the ad targeting, please. Open up the wider pool of ads, so users see repeats only occasionally.

I don’t know how well the ad hosts for this game “target” anything. One ad was for a Barbie play set, and the next for T Roe Price. I could not make this stuff up…

[subego]

Finally stumbled across the Adobe suite only working with TrueType now.

[Brien]

Ad free or no deal. I’d rather not have it or pay for it half as much.

Today’s irritant: people who won’t get to the point. E.g:

“Hello.”
“Hi, how can I help you?”
“Is this Brien?”
(duh) “Yes, how can I help you?”
“ I have a question for you.”
“ OK, what is your question?”
“ Can I give you a call? It will only take a minute”

…blah blah blah. Just start with the question! Why???

[andi*pandi]

we get this with some of our overseas contractors. Like they are trying to be polite, I get that, but it is a huge waste of time.

[Laminar]

Why do so many websites continuously forget me after I've explicitly clicked the "Remember Me" button? And not like my banking website or something that I want to have to log into every time, but like...Home Depot where I have to repeatedly log in and every time tell them what my preferred store is...every time.

[ghporter]

I have that problem, but only on my iPad or phone. I think both Safari and Chrome are “trying to protect me” from sneaky home improvement stores by doing this. Or more likely with the iPad, it supplies a “not-precise” location automatically and the site runs with it.

On the other hand, I have also had sites decide I was thousands of miles from my location, which implies that either the iPad is inconsistent with what it tells different sites, or that different sites deal with one’s location differently.

[ghporter]

My own contribution: Why do so many people act like “they just announced that Thanksgiving will be on the last Thursday of November this year - and that’s TOMORROW!!!!!”

I had the misfortune to have left some not-so-trivial items off of the grocery list we shopped from last weekend, so (since it was my fault) I had to go to a grocery store yesterday. Oh. My. GAWDDD!!! Early afternoon featured literal traffic jams all over the store, even more ludicrously bad parking lot driving, and an overall vibe of “we’re doomed if we don’t have a whole case of crispy onions!!!”. Sheesh. And this was before the most commercially deprecated holiday in the US.

Important note: online shopping isn’t growing only because e-commerce can offer more brands and more models without needing more floor space. It is also because shopping online keeps me from having to deal with so many of them, who are out them-ing harder than they have ever them-ed before.

[reader50]

Originally Posted by reader50 

Suggest letting shorter {YouTube} ads play. The more ads you skip, the sooner they come back. I usually let anything under a minute play through. The longer they are, the more likely I'll skip.

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

I'll give that a try, @reader. I'm just really surprised how badly chosen the ads are despite all the CPU, GPU and TPU cycles that are burnt on this.

Forgot to mention the important part: assuming you're using FireFox like you should, memorize this key combo: Control-M. It mutes (or unmutes) a tab, and the advertiser can't tell. If they check system volume, it will be unchanged. I mute tabs regularly while ads play - much less obtrusive.

Also, use of a VPN to cause foreign-language ads. If you don't understand the language, it's less distracting. Especially those burned-in subs, for people who mute. Bonus - you can try to figure out what the foreign ad is selling. Drugs ads are particularly hard, because they show every activity EXCEPT popping pills.

[ghporter]

Chrome can only mute a whole site - and I don't know if the site can tell if it's muted. But there are plugins that will mute individual tabs, like "Tab Muter" (catchy name, eh?) that can do the job. I don't spend much time on YouTube, but when the ads show up, I just do something else for a while. Kind of like ads in games.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by reader50 

Drugs ads are particularly hard, because they show every activity EXCEPT popping pills.

I thought only the US and NZ allowed prescription drug ads. Is that just on TV? Can prescription drugs be advertised on other mediums in other countries?

[ghporter]

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

I thought only the US and NZ allowed prescription drug ads. Is that just on TV? Can prescription drugs be advertised on other mediums in other countries?

Advertising prescription drugs is completely pointless here, as the doctor will prescribe specific medication (and specifies the package size), and that specific product is what the health insurance company will pay for. Alternative products or package sizes are permissible only if the apothecary certifies that the prescribed variant is currently unavailable or not in stock. They need to justify that directly to the insurance co when they send in the prescription for invoicing (the patient just pays his 5€/package co-pay and never deals with the insurance company directly).

[subego]

Maybe there’s something I’m misunderstanding, but doctors prescribed specific medications in specific package sizes in the US.

The idea behind the advertising (as I understand it) is to get patients to “talk to their doctor” about any given med.

[ghporter]

US drug companies pressure doctors to prescribe their products by making consumers think the doctor doesn't know about the latest, greatest prescription nose hair management medication. Doctors are inundated with so much "new" information, from clinical studies to improved - or DISapproved - procedures to medication updates. They either convince their patients that they know what drugs the patient needs, or they knuckle under and write scripts for what the schlep patient with a high school diploma tells them they need.

I hate drug commercials almost as badly as I hate lawyer commercials. Because lawyers have demonstrated consistently abysmal taste in every facet of advertising. And because they actually lie in their ads - a tort lawyer (as in "I fight the trucking company for you") is NOT involved in "justice." Tort is about equity. So if they lie about that, how far can a person trust them? Yeah, it's like that.

[Laminar]

Have I already complained about how my iDevices all yell at me regularly about having left my Airpods behind at work? I specifically set work as an allowed place to leave them. Doesn't matter. I specifically turn off "Find My" for the Airpods. Doesn't matter. None of the settings take, and I continue to get regular notifications about leaving my Airpods behind when I specifically intended to.

https://www.reddit.com/r/airpods/com...i_go_anywhere/

Lots of people seem to get the left behind error while currently carrying their Airpods, which isn't quite my bug. This one is, though:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254575593

[subego]

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by subego 

Maybe there’s something I’m misunderstanding, but doctors prescribed specific medications in specific package sizes in the US.

The idea behind the advertising (as I understand it) is to get patients to “talk to their doctor” about any given med.

So you're actually seeing ads for, say, a particular brand of Amoxycillin carrier, in case that happens to be the appropriate antibiotic the doctor might prescribe?

I had to check who made my budenoside dispenser, and while I know the manufacturer (AstraZeneca), I've already forgotten what the product is called.

[subego]

No. The ads are always for new drugs.


Edit: for example, last time i was stuck watching ads, Ozempic was being pimped a lot. The idea being it gets people with ‘beetus to ask their doctor for it.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

So you're actually seeing ads for, say, a particular brand of Amoxycillin carrier, in case that happens to be the appropriate antibiotic the doctor might prescribe?

It's never the broad-use helpful drugs, but the weird ones where maybe the person doesn't need it or doesn't know they need it, so they'll go drug seeking.

"Are you suffering from moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease?"

"Ask your doctor about the Prevnar 20 vaccine for protection against 20 different strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia."

"Having trouble in bed? Can't get it up? Things feeling a bit...limp? Contact HIMS and get an easy, discrete consultation with a real doctor..."

[ghporter]

A while back, there were tons of ads for new generation anticoagulant drugs like Xarelto and Eliquis. There were ads with pro golfers, and “everyday people” happily going about active lives, supposedly because they used these drugs.

Then a couple of high-visibility golfers had “adverse events” and suddenly you didn’t see those ads anymore. Hmmm.

[ghporter]

Oh, and I’m probably “preaching to the choir” here, but HOW the FREAK does UPS plan their routes?

I ordered a product from a company near Toronto, Ontario, and once UPS picked it up, the package moved westward to Chatham, which is most of the way to Windsor, a port of entry. But then they sent it to Concord ON, which is NORTH of Toronto…. But wait! An update about 15 minutes ago has it in Detroit! So it went BACK west and (probably - I can’t guarantee it) through Windsor to Detroit.

I’m getting a bit motion sick from watching this thing’s progress.

[subego]

Google just effectively banned running Stable Diffusion on their AI GPU rentals.


Edit: now I’m not sure. I’m getting a warning I’ll get banned for using it, but there is some evidence they won’t.

Edit2: I’m just doing it and will see what happens.

[subego]

Feeling compelled to look for angry emails from Google.

[Laminar]

Is this a new kind of sales probing technique or are they just finding me? I've been inundated with messages like this:

Hey <laminar>, I wanted to make sure my message wasn't buried in your inbox.

Below is a before and after of a plant with heavy forklift usage:


Are you available for a quick 10-minute intro?

Josh Wheeler

To stop receiving emails, please reply with “unsubscribe” in the Subject line.
________________________________________
From: Josh Wheeler
Sent: Friday, December 1, 2023 3:16:47 PM
To: <laminar> <<laminar>@<company>.com>
Subject: Forklifts wreaking havoc on floors at <different branch of parent company>

Hello <laminar>, I’m wondering if you have noticed your floors are deteriorating from heavy forklifts?

Maybe you’re seeing cracking or pitting in the floor and it’s causing an uneven surface for forklifts or pedestrians.

Archway Industrial Coatings specializes in the installation, maintenance, and repair of manufacturing floors.

We install epoxy and urethane floors, troweled flooring systems that slope to drain, and line striping for pedestrian and forklift movement in manufacturing facilities.

Do you have time this week or next for a brief 10-minute introduction where I can show you how we can repair your floors at <different branch of parent company>?

Josh Wheeler
Archway Industrial Coatings
92 MB Corporate Park Ct
St Charles, MO 63301
636-242-5819 (w)


To stop receiving emails, please reply with “unsubscribe” in the Subject line.

or

Hey again,

I am curious if you had the chance to view my previous email, no worries if not I am sure you are very busy. I wanted to touch base to make sure my initial email didn't get lost in the shuffle.

We would like to connect to show you how we can help your team. We pride ourselves on being more than just a service provider. With our expansive capabilities, ranging from state-of-the-art horizontal, vertical, and lathe machining centers to our extensive network for welding, finishing, and grinding, we are poised to deliver top-notch results.

Our focus on metals, especially stainless steel, carbon steel, and aluminum, combined with our ITAR certification, ensures your projects meet the highest industry standards.

From the jump, we are ready to provide massive value to you and your team. If you have a current need, feel free to send over those prints. If we aren't there yet, would you be interested in a short 15-minute chat to talk through our capabilities more in depth?

-Best


Michael Faragalla
Robertson Machine Inc.
p: 317-751-5125
<https://shortsighted-townsfolk-48b6e6c8be36.herokuapp.com/+?y=49ii4eh26oqjcc35coqjeo9p65h3gp1g60o32e1hc4o3ic h2>
To stop receiving emails, please reply with “unsubscribe” in the Subject line.
________________________________

From: Michael Faragalla
Sent: Friday, November 24, 2023 6:45:13 PM
To:<laminar> <<laminar>@<company>.com>
Subject: Quick Question

Hello, and Good day,

I hope this email finds you well. My name is Michael from Robertson Machine, a family-owned, full-service job shop.

We understand that, as engineers, purchasers, and business owners, your demand for precision and efficiency is paramount. With our state-of-the-art horizontal, vertical, and lathe machining centers, we're equipped to handle a wide array of projects.

Do you have any current projects you would like us to look at?

If so, let me know. If we aren't there yet, would you be interested in connecting for a short 15-minute intro call to discuss our capabilities in more depth?

-Best


Michael Faragalla
Robertson Machine Inc.
P: 317-751-5125
<https://unfit-vulture-410562372cd7.herokuapp.com/+?y=49ii4eh26oqjap366gp38cb470q3ap1g60o32pb6c4qjgd 92>
To stop receiving emails, please reply with “unsubscribe” in the Subject line.

I was thrown off because any time I get any sort of cold-call email, I immediately permanently block the sender. So the idea that somebody could send me a followup cold call knowing that I would have blocked them the first time had me thinking. Then I realized the "first" email is fake, they never sent me that email.

These businesses exist, operate in my industry, and provide services that I or my colleagues would buy, so the sales pitches aren't far-fetched. But I can't tell if this is a shitty new cold call technique for legit businesses or if it's phishing disguised as a cold call. I probably get 5 or 6 of these per month.

[Brien]

Some recruiting agency has been ‘following up’ on a cold email every other day for going on 5 months now.

The polite thing would be to reply and tell them I’m not interested/please stop contacting me… but now I’m just going to see how long this goes from sheer morbid curiosity.

[reader50]

No forklift-related offers here. But fake replies and followups - fairly regular. Not every day, but a few per month.

I follow the usual advice - never reply to spam. It just confirms they've hit a live address. Replying might end the forklift offers, but will definitely draw new offers on more subjects.