Minor things that bother you

[Rothman]

Gas pumps that play commercials while you pump.
Will avoid that gas station next time.

There was a gas station like that near where I used to live in Illinois. That was strike one. Strikes two and three and the ejection by the umpire was the time I went there and there was a card skimmer on every pump. Luckily it was obvious enough that I noticed before putting my card in. Never went back after that.

I've seen legit credit card readers that stick out quite a ways from the pump.  Makes me wonder if legit readers are being mistaken for skimmers.

[ZLoth]

Strikes two and three and the ejection by the umpire was the time I went there and there was a card skimmer on every pump. Luckily it was obvious enough that I noticed before putting my card in.

This is why we need to eliminate the magnetic stripe on cards in favor of the on-card chip, and also utilize a PIN like we do on debit cards. What some of the thieves are doing is drilling holes into the RFID antennas to force the consumer to insert their card and use their skimmer. Magnetic stripes were first introduced in 1970.

Can RFID skimmers be used? Yes, but it is much harder and requires breaking into the gas pump.

[algorerhythms]

Gas pumps that play commercials while you pump.
Will avoid that gas station next time.

There was a gas station like that near where I used to live in Illinois. That was strike one. Strikes two and three and the ejection by the umpire was the time I went there and there was a card skimmer on every pump. Luckily it was obvious enough that I noticed before putting my card in. Never went back after that.

I've seen legit credit card readers that stick out quite a ways from the pump.  Makes me wonder if legit readers are being mistaken for skimmers.

This one was very blatantly obvious and amateurishly done. Like, they put glue in the card slot so you couldn't use it, then taped the skimmer (which wasn't connected to the pump itself) to the side of the pump, with a handwritten note that said to use that instead. You'd have to be extremely oblivious to fall for it.

Strikes two and three and the ejection by the umpire was the time I went there and there was a card skimmer on every pump. Luckily it was obvious enough that I noticed before putting my card in.

This is why we need to eliminate the magnetic stripe on cards in favor of the on-card chip, and also utilize a PIN like we do on debit cards. What some of the thieves are doing is drilling holes into the RFID antennas to force the consumer to insert their card and use their skimmer. Magnetic stripes were first introduced in 1970.

Can RFID skimmers be used? Yes, but it is much harder and requires breaking into the gas pump.

I agree. It amazes me that you can still find mag stripe readers on gas pumps these days. Now I live in Canada, and if, when driving in the U.S., I encounter a gas station that still uses mag stripe readers, I'll skip it and find another gas station later. Not worth the inconvenience and potential security issues, when mag stripe reader pumps, and even some chip readers for some reason, require typing in a ZIP code, and I don't currently have a ZIP code. Well, I do have a postal code, but their keypad doesn't have any letters on it...

[7/8]

I agree. It amazes me that you can still find mag stripe readers on gas pumps these days. Now I live in Canada, and if, when driving in the U.S., I encounter a gas station that still uses mag stripe readers, I'll skip it and find another gas station later. Not worth the inconvenience and potential security issues, when mag stripe reader pumps, and even some chip readers for some reason, require typing in a ZIP code, and I don't currently have a ZIP code. Well, I do have a postal code, but their keypad doesn't have any letters on it...

Helpful tip for Canadians in the US: use the three numbers in your postal code followed by two zeroes. Some gas pumps near the border have a sticker telling you that. Though hopefully the zip code thing dies off with increased adoptions of PIN numbers.

[ran4sh]

I don't see how PIN is more secure than the ZIP code...

[algorerhythms]

I don't see how PIN is more secure than the ZIP code...

If someone steals a random card, then chances are they can guess the ZIP code just by guessing local ZIP codes, because most people will be from the area. A PIN is at least somewhat more likely to be random.

[ran4sh]

I don't see how PIN is more secure than the ZIP code...

If someone steals a random card, then chances are they can guess the ZIP code just by guessing local ZIP codes, because most people will be from the area. A PIN is at least somewhat more likely to be random.

This is definitely not my experience when using credit cards. I don't get asked for a ZIP code at my local gas stations, I only see it at other locations when I travel away from home. Which, when I first noticed that, it seemed to me that it was doing so based on the fact that my ZIP code is *not* local. Maybe it's different elsewhere though.

And more to the point, I'm not aware of credit card purchases that use PINs. I'm not sure I even have a PIN on my card.

[ZLoth]

And more to the point, I'm not aware of credit card purchases that use PINs. I'm not sure I even have a PIN on my card.

Chip-and-PIN for credit cards is more common in Europe than in the United States.

[US 89]

I don't see how PIN is more secure than the ZIP code...

If someone steals a random card, then chances are they can guess the ZIP code just by guessing local ZIP codes, because most people will be from the area. A PIN is at least somewhat more likely to be random.

This is definitely not my experience when using credit cards. I don't get asked for a ZIP code at my local gas stations, I only see it at other locations when I travel away from home. Which, when I first noticed that, it seemed to me that it was doing so based on the fact that my ZIP code is *not* local. Maybe it's different elsewhere though.

I have always been asked for my zip code just as often at local stations as stations when I'm traveling. I'd say I get asked probably one time out of three - with the exception that I've never been asked for it if I tapped my card onto a RFID reader.

The issue with zip codes is if your card gets stolen, it has your name on it. Especially if your name is not super common, it's not that hard to get on the internet and figure out where you live.

[kphoger]

People who "panic buy" in advance of snow.  I needed to do my normal grocery shopping (due Tuesday, but I don't like shopping in pouring rain, so I did it today) ...

I don't understand not wanting to go out in the snow, when it's someone who has experience driving in snow.  The other day, my wife asked if we should go shopping on a different day than planned, because winter weather was forecast for that day.  The thought hadn't even occurred to me?  Why shouldn't we go shopping during the snow?

I'm like you:  I'd much rather do my errands during the snow than during the rain.  Yeah, it's really hard to push a shopping cart in the snow, but at least half my groceries don't get drenched on the way to the car.

Depends on the context and area ... In Texas ... snow removal equipment can only be found at the two airports. With snow being such a rarity, noone has chains ...

But none of that would be much of a problem, if only people in Texas knew how to drive in the snow.  I grew up in a small town in northwestern Kansas, where snow accumulation of more than six inches was pretty much guaranteed to happen at least once a year, and occasionally up to ten inches.  The town was cheap when it came to snow removal, and their general practice was to simply not plow the streets at all when it snowed.  I've never owned chains, and I only bought my first 4WD vehicle when I was about 30 years old.

[Rothman]

Meh, depends on how much snow. 

It's never yourself you have to worry about, but the bonehead out there driving the other vehicle.

[J N Winkler]

I don't understand not wanting to go out in the snow, when it's someone who has experience driving in snow.  The other day, my wife asked if we should go shopping on a different day than planned, because winter weather was forecast for that day.  The thought hadn't even occurred to me?  Why shouldn't we go shopping during the snow?

I know how to drive in snow, but still prefer not to go out in it if I can avoid it, and if I must, I prefer to do so in a vehicle that has already been out in it at least once.  We have a rule that any vehicle driven in snow must be scheduled for washing soon after warmer weather returns and the streets are clear of deicing salts, so that the underbody can be rinsed to prevent corrosion.

Depends on the context and area ... In Texas ... snow removal equipment can only be found at the two airports. With snow being such a rarity, noone has chains ...

But none of that would be much of a problem, if only people in Texas knew how to drive in the snow.  I grew up in a small town in northwestern Kansas, where snow accumulation of more than six inches was pretty much guaranteed to happen at least once a year, and occasionally up to ten inches.  The town was cheap when it came to snow removal, and their general practice was to simply not plow the streets at all when it snowed.  I've never owned chains, and I only bought my first 4WD vehicle when I was about 30 years old.

I've driven for over 30 years and never owned a vehicle with AWD, 4WD, a set of tire chains, or indeed a traction device of any type (some cars cannot use chains at all; for example, the only manufacturer-authorized traction device for my Saturn is a set of snow belts).  The areas where it makes sense to have really restrictive chain laws, such as the Sierras in California or the I-70 corridor in Colorado, tend to be mountainous and comprise only a microscopic fraction of the land area that routinely sees snow.

I would venture to say that except in a few narrow cases (such as emergency response or delivery of life-critical supplies), it makes more sense to postpone travel than to use chains.  Vehicles typically cannot travel faster than 30 MPH with them, and restrictive chain control typically corresponds to a high likelihood of full closure of the highway.

[CtrlAltDel]

I don't understand not wanting to go out in the snow, when it's someone who has experience driving in snow.  The other day, my wife asked if we should go shopping on a different day than planned, because winter weather was forecast for that day.  The thought hadn't even occurred to me?  Why shouldn't we go shopping during the snow?

I know how to drive in snow, but still prefer not to go out in it if I can avoid it, and if I must, I prefer to do so in a vehicle that has already been out in it at least once.  We have a rule that any vehicle driven in snow must be scheduled for washing soon after warmer weather returns and the streets are clear of deicing salts, so that the underbody can be rinsed to prevent corrosion.

It's relevant, I think, to note that Kyle takes a certain indifference to matters of safety:

Staying safe is not the goal of my life.  Heck, staying alive isn't even the goal of my life.  I fully expect to die at some point in my life.  That doesn't mean I live recklessly, but it does mean that "is it safe?" isn't the guiding question that controls my decisions.

[kphoger]

It's relevant, I think, to note that Kyle takes a certain indifference to matters of safety:

Staying safe is not the goal of my life.  Heck, staying alive isn't even the goal of my life.  I fully expect to die at some point in my life.  That doesn't mean I live recklessly, but it does mean that "is it safe?" isn't the guiding question that controls my decisions.

1.  Good job with the quote-hack!  Nice to see someone else make the effort. 

2.  Yes, my impression is that Jonathan's outlook on safety is quite different from mine.  After all (since we're now having fun searching for years-old posts, he's the one who said . . .

If that means I have to drive like a blue-rinse old lady, so be it.

[J N Winkler]

It's relevant, I think, to note that Kyle takes a certain indifference to matters of safety:

Staying safe is not the goal of my life.  Heck, staying alive isn't even the goal of my life.  I fully expect to die at some point in my life.  That doesn't mean I live recklessly, but it does mean that "is it safe?" isn't the guiding question that controls my decisions.

I remember that post.  OTOH, I don't think safety is the real driver of my reluctance to go out in snow.  I tend to focus more on the hassle factor, especially when driving around town.  Snow introduces an element of unpredictability in journey times, and since Wichita does not plow side streets, heavy snowfall (say, six inches or more) greatly increases the likelihood of my getting stuck when I turn in or out of my street.

So if it is a routine errand and I can do it just as easily on a no-snow day as on a day it is snowing, I will choose the former nine times out of ten.  Though I do not organize my life to avoid all hassle, I try to weed out the part of it that is not productive.

Yes, my impression is that Jonathan's outlook on safety is quite different from mine.  After all (since we're now having fun searching for years-old posts, he's the one who said . . .

If that means I have to drive like a blue-rinse old lady, so be it.

Those are still words to live by.

[kphoger]

... since Wichita does not plow side streets, heavy snowfall (say, six inches or more) greatly increases the likelihood of my getting stuck when I turn in or out of my street.

So if it is a routine errand and I can do it just as easily on a no-snow day as on a day it is snowing, I will choose the former nine times out of ten.

Since Wichita does not plow side streets, heavy snowfall greatly increases the likelihood of my having fun when I turn in or out of my street.

So if it is a routine errand and I can do it just as easily on a no-snow day as on a day it is snowing, I will choose the latter nine times out of ten.

[formulanone]

... since Wichita does not plow side streets, heavy snowfall (say, six inches or more) greatly increases the likelihood of my getting stuck when I turn in or out of my street.

So if it is a routine errand and I can do it just as easily on a no-snow day as on a day it is snowing, I will choose the former nine times out of ten.

Since Wichita does not plow side streets, heavy snowfall greatly increases the likelihood of my having fun when I turn in or out of my street.

So if it is a routine errand and I can do it just as easily on a no-snow day as on a day it is snowing, I will choose the latter nine times out of ten.

Since the Tennessee Valley does exactly nothing for snow and/or ice removal, I just avoid going out of the house because there's a 90% chance nobody showed up to their respective jobs, either. The few times I've ventured out in it, there were remarkably few vehicles to be concerned with. Snow doesn't bug me even nearly much as ice does.

I get to drive in enough of it away from home, so there's no novelty factor.

[kphoger]

Snow doesn't bug me even nearly much as ice does.

I wholeheartedly agree with that.

[dvferyance]

That we are likely going to have a 3rd straight Presidential election with 2 really old candidates.

[kkt]

That we are likely going to have a 3rd straight Presidential election with 2 really old candidates.

Hillary Clinton was 69 in 2016.  That's not really old, by presidential standards.

[Scott5114]

Strange but true: Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, and Trump were all born in the summer of 1946 (Trump in June, Bush in July, and Clinton in August).

[Rothman]

That we are likely going to have a 3rd straight Presidential election with 2 really old candidates.

Hillary Clinton was 69 in 2016.  That's not really old, by presidential standards.

Sure it is.  We didn't have anyone elected that old until Ronald Reagan.

[D-Dey65]

I'm still pissed off that I can't find this location on Long Island;
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Long_Island_Run._(5606543006).jpg
I almost thought it might've been Suffolk CR 105 @ NY 24 in Flanders, but if that had been the case, the traffic signals would've been green. Then I looked up the rest of the gallery on Flickr, and I had a glimmer of hope, assuming it might've been Suffolk CR 83 at Mooney Pond Road. The trouble with that is that there are too many overhead signs mixed with the signals there, so I'm back to square one.

BTW, the signals at CR 83 and Mooney Pond should be replaced with a bridge, and an interchange at NY 25 via New Lane.

[kkt]

That we are likely going to have a 3rd straight Presidential election with 2 really old candidates.

Hillary Clinton was 69 in 2016.  That's not really old, by presidential standards.

Sure it is.  We didn't have anyone elected that old until Ronald Reagan.

You're right... but working into the mid 70s seems pretty normal now, especially for people in high level jobs where they feel they are making a difference.

[tmoore952]

Meh, depends on how much snow. 

It's never yourself you have to worry about, but the bonehead out there driving the other vehicle.

I had an accident in January 2000 in a snowstorm, on the US 1 expressway right at the Sesame Place exit (Oxford Valley Road?), when I got cut off at the onramp from someone merging too fast. Ever since then, I only drive in a non-dusting snowfall if it's absolutely necessary.

I share the feeling about.feeling that you are surrounded by people who know how to drive in snow. I always felt more comfortable driving in upstate New York in winter, than I do in Philly/Delaware/Maryland.