Minor things that bother you

[kphoger]

I'm going into FYE at Purdue next year

Think about your audience before you use an acronym.  If it's not in widespread use in the jargon of the forum, save the people who haven't been to Purdue from googling it.

Ah thanks for reminding me. Fixed, hopefully it's more understandable now.

In my world, FYE means "fiscal year end".

[hotdogPi]

I'm going into FYE at Purdue next year

Think about your audience before you use an acronym.  If it's not in widespread use in the jargon of the forum, save the people who haven't been to Purdue from googling it.

Ah thanks for reminding me. Fixed, hopefully it's more understandable now.

In my world, FYE means "fiscal year end".

To me, FYE is this (source: Wikimedia Commons):

[Scott5114]

College email spam. Shut up I have no interest in attending your school!

Back when I was a senior in 2007, nobody expected high schoolers to have emails (Gmail was still in beta and until February of that year you had to be invited by an existing user to start an account), so they had to send that stuff through physical mail. I remember getting a ton of stuff from Rose-Hulman, who I had never heard of before or since, and some school in Flint, Michigan. I remember knowing nothing about Flint, looking it up on Wikipedia, and deciding it sounded like an awful place to live (sorry Flint1979) and throwing all of their mailers away after that.

I ended up going to Missouri State simply because I had family in Springfield and liked the thought of living in a different state but knowing at least one person in town, so not one of those mailers ended up influencing my decision. I don't think Missouri State even sent me anything.

[GaryV]

a ton of stuff from Rose-Hulman ... and some school in Flint, Michigan.

If you were getting mail from Rose-Hulman for engineering, the Flint school would be Kettering University, formerly GMI (General Motors Institute).

[tolbs17]

Webny99 is nice and funny...

[webny99]

Webny99 is nice and funny...

I try. I'm sorry that bothers you. 

[Scott5114]

a ton of stuff from Rose-Hulman ... and some school in Flint, Michigan.

If you were getting mail from Rose-Hulman for engineering, the Flint school would be Kettering University, formerly GMI (General Motors Institute).

Could be, but it doesn't ring a bell. I'm not really sure why either of them thought I'd be a potential good student at an engineering school–as much as I like the idea of being a PE, I've never had the aptitude in math to justify it. Maybe I marked down an interest in transportation on some questionnaire and that put their marketing department on alert.

[tolbs17]

Webny99 is nice and funny...

I try. I'm sorry that bothers you. 

When I'm at work or school people tell me to be quiet because I'm too loud

[Roadgeekteen]

Webny99 is nice and funny...

[webny99]

Webny99 is nice and funny...

I try. I'm sorry that bothers you. 

When I'm at work or school people tell me to be quiet because I'm too loud

LOL, I have no idea what any of this has to do with the topic at hand.

[tolbs17]

Webny99 is nice and funny...

I try. I'm sorry that bothers you. 

When I'm at work or school people tell me to be quiet because I'm too loud

LOL, I have no idea what any of this has to do with the topic at hand.

Anything

[Roadgeekteen]

Webny99 is nice and funny...

I try. I'm sorry that bothers you. 

When I'm at work or school people tell me to be quiet because I'm too loud

LOL, I have no idea what any of this has to do with the topic at hand.

Anything

I don't get it.

[SkyPesos]

College email spam. Shut up I have no interest in attending your school!

Back when I was a senior in 2007, nobody expected high schoolers to have emails (Gmail was still in beta and until February of that year you had to be invited by an existing user to start an account), so they had to send that stuff through physical mail. I remember getting a ton of stuff from Rose-Hulman, who I had never heard of before or since, and some school in Flint, Michigan. I remember knowing nothing about Flint, looking it up on Wikipedia, and deciding it sounded like an awful place to live (sorry Flint1979) and throwing all of their mailers away after that.

I ended up going to Missouri State simply because I had family in Springfield and liked the thought of living in a different state but knowing at least one person in town, so not one of those mailers ended up influencing my decision. I don't think Missouri State even sent me anything.

Rose-Hulman has sort of like the small liberal arts college vibe, except for engineering. From what I know, US News says it's #1 for best engineering schools without a graduate program. It's in Terre Haute, IN.

[tolbs17]

Webny99 is nice and funny...

I try. I'm sorry that bothers you. 

When I'm at work or school people tell me to be quiet because I'm too loud

LOL, I have no idea what any of this has to do with the topic at hand.

Anything

I don't get it.

Just anything bothers me.

[kkt]

For the school mail, at least they give up and stop mailing you after a couple of years.  Some other mailers are still sending mail to my grandfather, who's been dead for 15 years.

[US 89]

For the school mail, at least they give up and stop mailing you after a couple of years.  Some other mailers are still sending mail to my grandfather, who's been dead for 15 years.

It gets worse. My grandmother lived in Oklahoma for the vast majority of her life all the way up until she passed back in...2017, I think. After that, we had her mail forwarded to my parents' house in Utah to make the legal paperwork easier since none of my family lived there anymore. Naturally, all the typical old person mailers (think doctors' offices) got wind of this and started sending stuff to her at my parents' house. The weirdest part is that there is now mail from Utah-based places being sent directly to my parents' address in her name. Some random hearing doctor in Davis County really shouldn't have known she existed in the first place, much less associated her with my parents' address.

[Scott5114]

For the school mail, at least they give up and stop mailing you after a couple of years.  Some other mailers are still sending mail to my grandfather, who's been dead for 15 years.

I keep getting mail for the owner before the previous owner of the house I live in. Some of it importantish stuff, like investment statements. I stamp them "No Longer At This Address" and send them back, but they refuse to stop sending them or contact her through other means to get an updated address (assuming she's not dead).

It gets worse. My grandmother lived in Oklahoma

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that.

The weirdest part is that there is now mail from Utah-based places being sent directly to my parents' address in her name. Some random hearing doctor in Davis County really shouldn't have known she existed in the first place, much less associated her with my parents' address.

I occasionally get mail addressed to players in my D&D group at my house. Reason being that when we all used to get together and play in person, we'd take turns ordering food for the group on Doordash or GrubHub, and of course they had it delivered to my house cause that's where we were. Doordash and GrubHub apparently assumes you will never have food delivered anywhere you don't live, and sold the addresses to third parties.

The most bizarre instance of this is one of my friends getting a mailer addressed to my house, from the Oklahoma State Department of Health, promoting the benefits of getting a covid vaccine. By the time I got it, my friend had already gotten both doses of Moderna...from the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

[kkt]

For the school mail, at least they give up and stop mailing you after a couple of years.  Some other mailers are still sending mail to my grandfather, who's been dead for 15 years.

It gets worse. My grandmother lived in Oklahoma for the vast majority of her life all the way up until she passed back in...2017, I think. After that, we had her mail forwarded to my parents' house in Utah to make the legal paperwork easier since none of my family lived there anymore. Naturally, all the typical old person mailers (think doctors' offices) got wind of this and started sending stuff to her at my parents' house. The weirdest part is that there is now mail from Utah-based places being sent directly to my parents' address in her name. Some random hearing doctor in Davis County really shouldn't have known she existed in the first place, much less associated her with my parents' address.

Yes.  That grandfather's mail I mentioned got forwarded to my mom after my grandmother died, then after my mom died it got forwarded to me and followed me to my new home.  I know I've called or written a couple of times to each mailer asking them to desist, and I'm pretty sure my mom did too, but no joy.  People live and then they die, but junk mail is forever and ever amen.

[Scott5114]

That's why I got a stamp that says No Longer At This Address and send them back. Once they start getting it back and see that it's a waste of money to send out (and have to dispose of the junk mail themselves), they usually get the clue and take you off the mailing list.

Unless, of course, they're savvy enough to put "...or current resident." Then you're stuck with it.

[J N Winkler]

Some of it importantish stuff, like investment statements. I stamp them "No Longer At This Address" and send them back, but they refuse to stop sending them or contact her through other means to get an updated address (assuming she's not dead).

I went through this with an index-linked mutual fund in which I have some money invested.  Back in 2020 statements stopped arriving and I didn't have the 1099 form I needed to do my tax returns.  Finally something got through:  a letter saying that since multiple pieces of mail had been returned undelivered, my funds were on the brink of being turned over to the state treasurer as unclaimed property.  It seems the USPS (or some other address provider) re-coded my street as an Avenue or a Street, or vice versa, and this was sufficient to prevent delivery.  (I can't tell you from one day to the next which it is.)

[kkt]

That's why I got a stamp that says No Longer At This Address and send them back. Once they start getting it back and see that it's a waste of money to send out (and have to dispose of the junk mail themselves), they usually get the clue and take you off the mailing list.

Unless, of course, they're savvy enough to put "...or current resident." Then you're stuck with it.

The first class ones go back if you mark them "return to sender".  The junk mail rates do not.  If you want to ask them to take you off your list, you've got to pay for your own stamp.

[Scott5114]

It seems the USPS (or some other address provider) re-coded my street as an Avenue or a Street, or vice versa, and this was sufficient to prevent delivery.  (I can't tell you from one day to the next which it is.)

An inherent hazard of living in Wichita, I'd say.

That raises the question of what they expected that letter to accomplish if every other piece of mail sent to that address had bounced, but it's a good thing that of all things, that was the one that went through.

[GaryV]

We have lived in our current house for over 30 years.  We bought it from a couple that were retiring.  Within the last 5 years we still have received a parish newsletter addressed to the mother of the previous owner.

[J N Winkler]

It seems the USPS (or some other address provider) re-coded my street as an Avenue or a Street, or vice versa, and this was sufficient to prevent delivery.  (I can't tell you from one day to the next which it is.)

An inherent hazard of living in Wichita, I'd say.

Yes--very much so.

That raises the question of what they expected that letter to accomplish if every other piece of mail sent to that address had bounced, but it's a good thing that of all things, that was the one that went through.

Yes, it was lucky.  I suspect that letter was required for compliance purposes--i.e., demonstrating that all reasonable efforts to locate the beneficial owner of the account had been made before transferring the assets to the state treasurer.

[Scott5114]

When websites auto log you out even if you press the "remember me" button.

*cough* College Board's site

That was the one I was thinking about!

College Board is an annoyance to me for the past 3 years. Glad I'll be done with them after this year's AP exams.

Wait 'til you find out how common that is for employer's mandatory email systems and payroll systems...

Can you not save passwords?

At the casino I worked at our systems were all configured to force password changes every 90 days. I had logins for, let's see...Windows (which also got me into email and payroll), Bally's ACSC, Everi, bingo, keno (which went away eventually), and off-track betting. So six different passwords I had to keep track of, and if you weren't careful you were likely to have the 90-day expiry windows hit at different times, so even if you were trying to save yourself some sanity and keep some of them the same (like I did) you had to be careful to proactively change all of the others so they'd all expire at once, or else you'd have some systems using your old password and some your new one. Except bingo wouldn't allow you to change your password yourself, so it would inevitably end up desynced and you'd either have to reset everything else to be on bingo's schedule or just deal with it having a different password.

No password manager was provided and users didn't have admin rights to install their own. It wouldn't have been that useful anyway, because bingo, keno, and OTB all used separate computer systems. So most people either synced their passwords so they were all the same, or they wrote all six of their passwords down on a sticky note and stuck it to the back of their ID badge (which of course would inevitably fall off and land on the floor in a customer-accessible area). Information security was clearly my old employer's passion.