Minor things that bother you

[J N Winkler]

But is Kansas one of those states that classify all their routes as state routes regardless of shield (such as California)?

It's actually hard to say one way or the other.  Kansas is one of the states that normally don't duplicate numbers across systems, US 177 and K-177 being a conspicuous (possibly unique) exception.  In press releases, environmental impact statements, and similar official documentation, routes are identified by system and number rather than just number, but in construction plans sets, the route-county portion of the project number does not identify the system (e.g., 59-50 KA-3903-01 is a project on US 59 in Labette County, 50th in the alphabetical listing of the 105 counties).  (Project numbers aren't "retconned" when the route number changes:  hence, the construction history for I-135 in Sedgwick County includes a bunch of 35W-87 and 135-87 projects.)

[1995hoo]

I suspect some of you on this forum will agree with Rat. I'm not going to comment further because the moderators don't want the substantive issue discussed, but I assume posting something like this intended to be humorous is still OK.

[J N Winkler]

This year, instead of setting them back one hour, I simply removed the AA batteries from a couple of infrequently used clocks that had stopped running unobserved and set them to 12:00 to signal that they're not running.  I don't know if there have been changes to how they are manufactured, but I've had the sense AA dry cells are much more likely to leak than they were 10 years ago.

[hbelkins]

I suspect some of you on this forum will agree with Rat. I'm not going to comment further because the moderators don't want the substantive issue discussed, but I assume posting something like this intended to be humorous is still OK.

I agree with Rat in the fall, but not in the spring. 

"Pearls Before Swine" was one of my favorite strips when I subscribed to a daily newspaper. When I let my subscription lapse years ago, I subscribed to the comics I liked most first via an RSS reader, then later via email when the RSS feed went buggy for some reason. "Dilbert," "BC," "Mallard Fillmore," "The Wizard of Id," and "Garfield" were among my must-reads. Life changes, though, and now I delete those emails sight unseen anymore. The only strip I read regularly anymore is "Rex Morgan M.D." and that's because it's a serial with a continuing storyline. I have to read it online on the web because I haven't found a direct feed for it.

[formulanone]

This year, instead of setting them back one hour, I simply removed the AA batteries from a couple of infrequently used clocks that had stopped running unobserved and set them to 12:00 to signal that they're not running.  I don't know if there have been changes to how they are manufactured, but I've had the sense AA dry cells are much more likely to leak than they were 10 years ago.

Last week, my son handed me a toy the kids hadn't used in about 6-7 years; I was amazed the original batteries hadn't leaked. Usually within 2-3 years of disuse, a battery-operated device seems to have leaky cells. I presume the diminishing mercury content is part of that problem?

[jakeroot]

Only had to change three things this Fall: microwave, oven, and my car.

My printer, originally manufactured in 2014, thinks it's 2006. So clearly I don't care about that clock. As well, my Keurig is broken, so that clock isn't getting touched.

[Scott5114]

Standard time is short enough anymore that I often leave non-self-updating clocks on Daylight Time year round and just mentally subtract an hour. (All of the main clocks I look at–computer, phone, the one by the TV–all self-update.)

[thspfc]

Standard time is short enough anymore that I often leave non-self-updating clocks on Daylight Time year round and just mentally subtract an hour. (All of the main clocks I look at–computer, phone, the one by the TV–all self-update.)

I would definitely forget that they're an hour ahead, and leave to go someplace an hour before I'm supposed to.

[Scott5114]

Standard time is short enough anymore that I often leave non-self-updating clocks on Daylight Time year round and just mentally subtract an hour. (All of the main clocks I look at–computer, phone, the one by the TV–all self-update.)

I would definitely forget that they're an hour ahead, and leave to go someplace an hour before I'm supposed to.

It's definitely made easier by them not being the main ones that I use for telling time; the way my house is structured, if I'm getting ready to go somewhere I'm probably not in the kitchen looking at the microwave or stove (seriously, they're a foot apart from each other, why do I need clocks on both), or in the hallway looking at the clock on the intercom controller (which I forget even exists most of the time) or thermostat (I forget this has a clock). The only one that really trips me up sometimes is my car, but by that point I've already left, and I'm like "Oh shit, how am I an hour late–oh, wait, yeah, the clock is off an hour".

[hbelkins]

I guess being a writer by trade, a lot of my pet peeves are language-related.

I saw this one posted in a thread elsewhere today and made a mental note to mention it here.

"Centered around." That term is contradictory, if you think about it. The correct term is "centered on."

Wrong: "His transportation strategy centered around identifying the lowest-rated bridge in each county and putting it on the replacement list."

Right: "His transportation strategy centered on identifying the lowest-rated bridge in each county and putting it on the replacement list."

[thspfc]

I guess being a writer by trade, a lot of my pet peeves are language-related.

I saw this one posted in a thread elsewhere today and made a mental note to mention it here.

"Centered around." That term is contradictory, if you think about it. The correct term is "centered on."

Wrong: "His transportation strategy centered around identifying the lowest-rated bridge in each county and putting it on the replacement list."

Right: "His transportation strategy centered on identifying the lowest-rated bridge in each county and putting it on the replacement list."

That used to be me, but I guess I accepted that our semi-broken education system allows students to pass high school English classes without really knowing English.

[JayhawkCO]

I guess being a writer by trade, a lot of my pet peeves are language-related.

I saw this one posted in a thread elsewhere today and made a mental note to mention it here.

"Centered around." That term is contradictory, if you think about it. The correct term is "centered on."

Wrong: "His transportation strategy centered around identifying the lowest-rated bridge in each county and putting it on the replacement list."

Right: "His transportation strategy centered on identifying the lowest-rated bridge in each county and putting it on the replacement list."

That used to be me, but I guess I accepted that our semi-broken education system allows students to pass high school English classes without really knowing English.

Eh.  You know English.  If you're understood by other people who speak it, you speak it.  There's a whole different world between prescriptive and descriptive grammar.

Chris

[kkt]

U-240 has a half-life of 14.1 hours. Surely the road lasted much longer than that?

[kkt]

This year, instead of setting them back one hour, I simply removed the AA batteries from a couple of infrequently used clocks that had stopped running unobserved and set them to 12:00 to signal that they're not running.  I don't know if there have been changes to how they are manufactured, but I've had the sense AA dry cells are much more likely to leak than they were 10 years ago.

One thing I really like about my microwave is that you can just set the clock window to blank.  No flashing 12:00, just blank, until you microwave something.  A clock in the microwave is really redundant - there are clocks in the regular oven, one on the wall, and one on the cordless phone.

[hotdogPi]

I've heard about flashing 12:00, but in my experience, it doesn't work that way. With everything I've seen, it starts at 12:00 flashing but moves in real time (still flashing), which means you can tell what time the power came back on by subtracting the amount of time on the clock.

[vdeane]

People who aren't moderators or admins who try to dictate discussions in threads.

[thspfc]

On that topic except the opposite: moderators and admins deleting relevant discussion for reasons other than it was offensive/a personal attack.

[1995hoo]

Seen on another forum this morning. I'm mildly bothered that Wahoos1 didn't tell us how the discussion went after she made this request.

[vdeane]

On that topic except the opposite: moderators and admins deleting relevant discussion for reasons other than it was offensive/a personal attack.

They're not mutually exclusive... I've been annoyed about interesting side discussions getting ended or nuked, but at least the mods/admins have a staff role around that that individual users declaring "now this thread will be about X" do not.

[thenetwork]

One issue I see on the road from time to time:

People who drive vehicles with bent frames, resulting in the vehicle body looking like it's "drifting" to the left or right, but the wheels are aligned to drive straight.

[hbelkins]

Use of the term "vibe" as a description of relating to, getting along with, hanging out, etc.

"I'm looking for someone to vibe with."

My warped mind immediately goes to thinking they're soliciting a partner for mutual masturbation with battery-powered sex toys. 

[snowc]

First of all, congrats to @formulanone to being promoted to LTFWWTM! 
Second, I lost power. Won't be back on till 6. Getting takeout. 

[CtrlAltDel]

This year, instead of setting them back one hour, I simply removed the AA batteries from a couple of infrequently used clocks that had stopped running unobserved and set them to 12:00 to signal that they're not running.  I don't know if there have been changes to how they are manufactured, but I've had the sense AA dry cells are much more likely to leak than they were 10 years ago.

We are definitely different people. I would have either replaced the batteries or thrown the clocks way. A deliberately nonfunctioning clock is just not allowed in my brain.

Standard time is short enough anymore that I often leave non-self-updating clocks on Daylight Time year round and just mentally subtract an hour.

My brain wouldn't allow this either. Even when traveling, I adjust my clock at the next place I stop, even if, say, I'm traveling from Chicago to Florida (65-24-75), and I have to adjust the clock three times.

[wanderer2575]

One issue I see on the road from time to time:

People who drive vehicles with bent frames, resulting in the vehicle body looking like it's "drifting" to the left or right, but the wheels are aligned to drive straight.

I once read something about how a similar look was common on Chevrolet Novas built in the mid-1970s.  There was a design defect that caused the pin keeping the rear axle aligned to shear off, thus causing the axle to go out of alignment.  Supposedly some cars were already out of alignment before they even left the factory.

[webny99]

When the traffic lights at freeway interchanges (or at any other location where two signals are located close together) are not in sync with one another.

In addition to messing with the flow of traffic, it's also potentially dangerous, especially in cases where the first light is green and there's an overpass that could impede your view of the second light, which is red. When you see the first light is green, you're not expecting to slow down for the second one. I've noticed this on NY 250 where it crosses the NY 104 freeway in Webster, and it's a head scratcher.