[subego]

Originally Posted by And.reg 

To repeat myself from two months ago:


So I smoked one of them indoors at 3000 Volts with an electric tennis racket.

PETAgotnuthinonme

It’s not the volts, it’s the amps.

[mindwaves]

Receive some sort of email regarding app service or some other service or update from a company. Click unsubscribe at the bottom and click unsubscribe all. Receive no emails for a while and then a new email pops up regarding a new service unrelated to the 1st one from the same company. Click unsubscribe again and repeat process.

Doesn't matter if you click unsubscribe. They will email you something new eventually.

[subego]

The Chicago Tribune used to do the meatspace version of this with their “Red Plum Circular” a giant pile of ads.

Had a number listed you could call to cancel, but it would start showing up again in a few months.

It stopped for good awhile back. I assume the business model finally became untenable.

[reader50]

Snail mail. Among the junk mail, you find a white envelope. Hand-sealed, often with handwritten return address. Recipient address usually missing.

Spend the time to open it. Great deal on auto insurance. Or AT&T offering high-speed internet (dog slow DSL).

Just love those ads in hand-sealed envelopes.

[subego]

Oooh... some joker running for a judge’s seat paid a crapload of money to print up election spam that looked like it was handwritten. It even had pen grooves.

It was effective in one sense. I spent about 20 minutes looking at it trying to figure out whether it was legit, which is more than I can say for most election spam.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by And.reg 

To repeat myself from two months ago:

Had my first mosquito this weekend. While trying to pour gas into a freshly-painted motorcycle tank. Ended up spilling on the tank.

[Doc HM]

Originally Posted by mindwaves 

Doesn't matter if you click unsubscribe. They will email you something new eventually.

If only there was some kind of EU wide directive on data use and privacy....

oh wait there IS. Thank god we are part of the Eu...

oh wait...

[andi*pandi]

GDPR
God Damn Popupwindow Reaction

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by mindwaves 

Receive some sort of email regarding app service or some other service or update from a company. Click unsubscribe at the bottom and click unsubscribe all. Receive no emails for a while and then a new email pops up regarding a new service unrelated to the 1st one from the same company. Click unsubscribe again and repeat process.

Doesn't matter if you click unsubscribe. They will email you something new eventually.

Because Mail is kind of stupid when it comes to spam filtering, I go through my Junk folder on a regular basis. I get "please confirm your unsubscribe request" emails constantly. That's what the Junk folder is for, right? But the spamitists are crafty in how their messages are worded, so sometimes it takes examining them for more than an instant to see that's what these are...

[...deleted...]

[andi*pandi]

but... you have toast.

[reader50]

Yep, it's the food. And the comfortable environment. House mice are reliable - they will stay with you year around.

[...deleted...]

[subego]

Auto expiring passwords.

[ghporter]

Without a warning, having your password expire - especially a password for something you log into not-too-regularly - is much more than a minor irritant.

My work passwords are the other way around. I start getting nags almost a month before they expire. “Your password will expire on July 15. Do you want to change it now?” No option for “buzz off you idiot,” so I just delete at least one email a day until NEARLY July 15, then I change that password, and all the others I use at work. It’s better if I get them all at once, so nothing else starts nagging me.

[andi*pandi]

my work is like that also. Interestingly, I hear microsoft is going to stop doing that.

[reader50]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

... No option for “buzz off you idiot,” ...

Computer dialogs announcing a problem. A lot are like that - "Unable to blah blah blah", and the only option is an [OK] button. C'mon now, I wanted it to work. It's not OK, give me an option to fix the problem. Or at least a more detailed error message.

[P]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

my work is like that also. Interestingly, I hear microsoft is going to stop doing that.

They are, sort of.

MS have an audit policy tool that flags any "bad policies" used by a company, and not requiring password changes is one of them. This means that if you run that program, you get a red X in that box, which drives people to enable forced password changes. The recommendation that this is based on is now withdrawn - in fact reversed by NCSC - and MS is finally changing their audit tool to reflect that. That doesn't mean that everyone's policy will change automagically, but hopefully it will drive changes over time.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by reader50 

Computer dialogs announcing a problem. A lot are like that - "Unable to blah blah blah", and the only option is an [OK] button. C'mon now, I wanted it to work. It's not OK, give me an option to fix the problem. Or at least a more detailed error message.

A Windows-specific thing that has bugged me forever is that error windows with an "OK" button also have a red X button to close the window, giving someone the option of feeling like they've successfully bypassed the error by not directly acknowledging it.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Windows

That's about fifteen thousand minor irritants right there.

Plus a small handful of major ones.

[Laminar]

Ooo, here's another one. Loud hotel HVAC units. I honestly don't know what the difference is, but some hotel have obscenely loud HVAC units. Like...I can't have a conversation over the sound of the AC running without yelling. Like...it wakes me up in the middle of the night when it kicks on.

A hotel guest wouldn't put up with that level of noise coming from an adjacent room all night, but somehow hotels decided it's okay for something vital to their guests' comfort to push 60-70 decibels.

[el chupacabra]

The trend, or whatever you call it, to convert written language & words to pictographs or primal glyphs. Especially on the web. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to teach elderly how to use computers & navigate web pages... email, a squiggly arrow here a curved arrow there. Why cant it just say reply? A circle inside a circle with a curve under it, a square w a star inside, a sprocket, or just a circle... None of it is intuitive. A massive confusing step backward in the evolution of language.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by reader50 

Computer dialogs announcing a problem. A lot are like that - "Unable to blah blah blah", and the only option is an [OK] button. C'mon now, I wanted it to work. It's not OK, give me an option to fix the problem. Or at least a more detailed error message.

I have an app on my iPad for checking Texas Lottery tickets. It reads the barcode and tells you if that ticket is a winner or not. If it says "this ticket is not a winner," the way to get out of that dialog box is to click the "OK" button.

But it is NOT OK that I'm not suddenly wealthy.

I KNOW that buttons for dismissing dialog boxes can be coded with any label you want, so why didn't the coder give us "rats, I have to go to work tomorrow" or something else cool instead?

[subego]

Originally Posted by el chupacabra 

The trend, or whatever you call it, to convert written language & words to pictographs or primal glyphs. Especially on the web. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to teach elderly how to use computers & navigate web pages... email, a squiggly arrow here a curved arrow there. Why cant it just say reply? A circle inside a circle with a curve under it, a square w a star inside, a sprocket, or just a circle... None of it is intuitive. A massive confusing step backward in the evolution of language.

I kinda dig it as an art form, though.

Here’s a set from Alien.




From a blogpost about the typography from that movie. Recommended for font nerds.

https://typesetinthefuture.com/2014/12/01/alien/

[andi*pandi]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

A hotel guest wouldn't put up with that level of noise coming from an adjacent room all night, but somehow hotels decided it's okay for something vital to their guests' comfort to push 60-70 decibels.

I suspect this is not a bug, but a feature, as a loud HVAC is better than hearing whatever the people in the next room over are watching/yelling/doing.

[reader50]

Nah, it's the motel not calling for service. The compressor mounts are going, or fan bearings, or compressor bearings (in order of increasing cost). There is no reason why an A/C unit should be noisy. They're saving money not fixing nuisance noise. And they'll keep doing it so long as guests rent anyway.

[Chongo]

Apple Music REQUIRES iCloud music to be on. I ripped my CDs in ALAC, and if I want them on my phone, I HAVE to download them from the cloud. When I look at the iCloud status, most say "matched", a few say "uploaded". I downloaded two Beatles CDs that are ALAC rips and uploaded to see what it downloaded. I know that the "matched" tracks will be AAC downloads even when they are ALAC rips. The irritation is when I connect my phone to my iMac, the downloaded tracks don't show, only the albums that were on my phone prior to subbing to Apple Music and activating iCloud music. I want to see if it downloaded ALAC or AAC files.

[andi*pandi]

This bugs me too. I put music on my phone and its not there.

[Laminar]

Yeah Apple Music only lasted a month or two before I ripped it off my phone. Every single thing about it made my music experience worse.

[reader50]

Brenda left a message on my answering machine, wanted to talk about recent changes affecting my federal student loans. Left a number to call back, and a case number.

Scam of course - I don't have any student loans.

She leaves a number to call, instead of trying to get you live. So you call back on your own dime, and the sales pitch can last as long as it takes. This minimizes phone charges for the scammers. I assume Brenda is designed to leave messages & voicemails - probably hangs up if a live one answers. Or a sales pitch runs for a different product.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by reader50 

I assume Brenda is designed to leave messages & voicemails - probably hangs up if a live one answers. Or a sales pitch runs for a different product.

If you pick up, Brenda routes you to a live salesperson. I think the re-routing is triggered by your voice saying "hello" or whatnot.

[Chongo]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Yeah Apple Music only lasted a month or two before I ripped it off my phone. Every single thing about it made my music experience worse.

The Mrs is a heavy streamer of albums we have not bought and about 1/3 of my library is Apple Music. I’m rediscovering my fondness for jazz.

[el chupacabra]

… ,

[subego]

[subego]

“Good vision”

They say the correction they want to give me is so minor it’s not worth it.

Feels like I can’t see shit.

[mindwaves]

I occasionally visit bogleheads.org and one minor irritant is when people write DW and DH. So annoying,

[Thorzdad]

I suppose this is a bit more than a minor irritant...

We sometimes use the Minute Clinic in a local CVS for minor issues that need addressed in a more timely manner than waiting a week for an appointment time with our primary physician. Stuff like sore throats, bad ear aches, etc. Whenever we go to the Minute Clinic, our cost has always been a $30 copay (plus whatever we owe for any test - strep, for example - that was done)

I last went to the minute clinic around the fist of July with a really raw, sore throat. The NP checked me out, did a strep swab (negative), suggested I use a throat spray, and sent me home. We recently got the bill. It shows we owe a $60 copay, not the usual $30.

In talking with customer service with both Minute Clinic and our insurer, here's what we figured out what was going on...
When you go to a place like Minute Clinic, they always ask if you have a primary doc and would you want them to send them a record of the visit. Well, yes, I have a doc and, sure, I'd like him to know what's going on with me.

Wellllll...It's probably best you not do that anymore. At least not at the CVS Minute Clinic. Apparently, by identifying an outside PCP, Minute Clinic will now code your visit as "coordinated care", which translates as a specialist visit on your insurance and, thus, you get hit with a specialist copay. In the past, Minute Clinic visits were coded as "managed care" which is the same as visiting your PCP and gets the lower copay.

Of course, Minute Clinic says to take it up with our insurer (and, no, you cannot talk to anyone doing the actual coding and billing) Our insurer, at least, will be re-evaluating the claim, but that's going to take 30-45 days just for review (let alone taking any action), so we're kind of stuck paying the $60 right now.

[andi*pandi]

It should not take a week to see a pcp for a sore throat!

I've been to these doc in the box a few times when young and I had no insurance, never again.

Also, insurance companies can bite me. After obama passed the yearly checkup is free requirement, the insurance companies made it so if you talked to your doctor about anything else during the physical you'd get billed for a copay. Malarkey.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

It should not take a week to see a pcp for a sore throat!

Pfft. That's nothing. My doc wants me to go see an allergist for tests. The soonest I can get in to see one (who's in-network, of course) is October 8.

[Spheric Harlot]

Jeezz. And I thought it was irritating to have to call my GP at 7:30 in the morning to get an appointment for that morning, or deal with having to wait for up to an hour or two.

Not fun when you're sick, but most employers require a doctors' slip for sick leave within three days.

[ghporter]

I don't have issues getting in to see someone for things like a sore throat. I have issues with my clinic changing my PCM... My health care is through the military, and our clinic is very convenient...but staffing in the whole area is frequently a problem. Military doctors, PAs and nurse practitioners get reassigned on a regular basis, and the civilian providers are shuffled to cover those patient lists.

Because of this, I need to make about FIVE appointments with my (current) PCM to get a bunch of things taken care of. Mostly catching up on labs and such, since I haven't had a real "annual check up" in about 30 months...

[joyjoy22]

I just realize that the company that I am associated with doesn't pay my government distribution for almost two years.

[Doc HM]

Train tickets. Its a pre scheduled metal box on rails going from A to B. How can there be so many different prices for tickets that its possible that every single person in the carriage has paid a different price.

Idiocy!

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

Train tickets. Its a pre scheduled metal box on rails going from A to B. How can there be so many different prices for tickets that its possible that every single person in the carriage has paid a different price.

Idiocy!

Same with planes.

[ghporter]

Plane schedules are a lot more flexible than train schedules. Especially British train schedules.

It's not like they won't run the 9:47 to Bristol if they don't sell enough seats, like the way airlines can adjust and tweak flights.

I'll note that hotel rooms are similar in pricing variability. High demand nights (picture a hotel near a major sports stadium, with a Major Game scheduled) pull premium prices, while middle-of-the-week, nowhere-near-anything-major nights are often discounted well below the regular rate.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Plane schedules are a lot more flexible than train schedules. Especially British train schedules.

It's not like they won't run the 9:47 to Bristol if they don't sell enough seats, like the way airlines can adjust and tweak flights.

I'll note that hotel rooms are similar in pricing variability. High demand nights (picture a hotel near a major sports stadium, with a Major Game scheduled) pull premium prices, while middle-of-the-week, nowhere-near-anything-major nights are often discounted well below the regular rate.

I just found out that in Iowa City on Hawkeye game weekends, hotels require you to book both Friday and Saturday nights, both at an inflated price. You cannot book just a single night.

[mindwaves]

Sitting on the airplane seats and having to uncross the seatbelts from each other before sitting down. Just an unnecessary step. Please place the seatbelts on the side.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by mindwaves 

Sitting on the airplane seats and having to uncross the seatbelts from each other before sitting down. Just an unnecessary step. Please place the seatbelts on the side.

No. Because if they're just dangling, your neighbour is going to grab yours and try to get it to match up.

Also, it's an arrangement thing. Like folded napkins, or tucked sheets. Done as courtesy, but made to be undone.

[mindwaves]

I know why it is done, of course. It doesn't make it not annoying.

[Spheric Harlot]

It’s just *less* annoying than your proposed alternative.