Minor things that bother you

[mgk920]

Now that the Super Bowl is over, hopefully no more Taylor Swift and her love life. I think her romance got more media attention than Covid has.

I really wasn't exposed to much of it, since I don't watch the NFL that often.  Saw some references to it through Facebook friends and generally knew it was a thing.  So, because her and Kelce were so tied to sports coverage, it would seem that one's exposure to it would die off...unless they went looking for it.

Frankly, I didn't find the half-a-dozen or so times they showed her briefly to have been a distraction to the game.

There was no coverage of the 4th quarter streakers, so we're probably all better off.

That is sooooo 1970s nostalgic . . .

Instead of the Taylor Swift affair, how about some coverage of Tom Brady's ex wife getting bored and walking out because she thought that she could do better (she didn't) and how he is now with someone who is younger and hotter?

Mike

[Big John]

^^ Steaking in the 70s usually just involved the naked body.  Modern shots not shown by network TV also have some sort of message or advertisement on the body.

[1995hoo]

CNN has video posted. Turns out they were not actually streakers, as they were shirtless (both were male) but were wearing pants.

[Rothman]

Now that the Super Bowl is over, hopefully no more Taylor Swift and her love life. I think her romance got more media attention than Covid has.

I really wasn't exposed to much of it, since I don't watch the NFL that often.  Saw some references to it through Facebook friends and generally knew it was a thing.  So, because her and Kelce were so tied to sports coverage, it would seem that one's exposure to it would die off...unless they went looking for it.

Frankly, I didn't find the half-a-dozen or so times they showed her briefly to have been a distraction to the game.

Normally I don't listen to reports, but the TV is on at work, and what do you think it's tuned in to?  ( Rhetorical question of course) ESPN and several times during 30 minute break time it flashes to a scene of Taylor in her private box or hugging her beau in public.

Of course I have nothing against her personal life, but against the media for pegging them as the Couple of all time.

Who was the couple of all time, then?  DiMaggio and Monroe?  Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez?  Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn?  Barnum and Bailey?

[Rothman]

Now that the Super Bowl is over, hopefully no more Taylor Swift and her love life. I think her romance got more media attention than Covid has.

I really wasn't exposed to much of it, since I don't watch the NFL that often.  Saw some references to it through Facebook friends and generally knew it was a thing.  So, because her and Kelce were so tied to sports coverage, it would seem that one's exposure to it would die off...unless they went looking for it.

Frankly, I didn't find the half-a-dozen or so times they showed her briefly to have been a distraction to the game.

There was no coverage of the 4th quarter streakers, so we're probably all better off.

That is sooooo 1970s nostalgic . . .

Instead of the Taylor Swift affair, how about some coverage of Tom Brady's ex wife getting bored and walking out because she thought that she could do better (she didn't) and how he is now with someone who is younger and hotter?

Mike

Ew.

[kphoger]

Is it even legal to pass multiple cars everywhere?  One of my professors in college once got a ticket for passing multiple cars at once.

That's one of those that I would want to know what the citation was actually for, including statute number.  Because I'm going to guess there isn't a law that prohibits passing multiple vehicles at one time.  If a cop witnessed it, my guess would be either he saw the professor driving over the limit (Speeding), or completing the passing too close to opposing traffic (Unsafe Passing).

It's quite easy for me to imagine the "shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle" part of the UVC being reworded as something like "shall drive to the right side of the roadway when safely clear of the overtaken vehicle" in some state's vehicle code.

[ZLoth]

At which point does the costs of maintaining a driver or parts on an old printer outweigh the benefits of keeping an old printer running? The HP Laserjet 4 printer (which I owned at one point) was introduced in 1992, and the drivers stopped being available in Windows sometime in 2018. That's 25 years of driver availability. Part of that longevity is that it was a popular printer driver that was emulated by other printer manufacturers, part of it was that the printer was a tank in term of longevity (minus the "accordian fold" that required regular roller replacement). Per Amazon, a Brother HL-L2350DW Duplexing monochrome printer that prints at 32 pages per minute with USB/WiFI Connectivity is $150. Since I prefer ethernet connectivity, that would be the Brother HL-L2370DWXL with a slightly higher 36 ppm for $260. Both of these printers are faster and more energy efficient than the HP Laserjet 4 I purchased in 1995 and lasted me for multiple years. Problem is, I can find a inkjet printer for less than half of those costs. Some people look at the short-term costs rather than long-term value and efficiencies.

For whatever it's worth.... I checked the manual, and found that my Brother HL-L8350CDW can be expanded from the factory 128MB with a 256MB DDR2 SO-DIMM. This would be smaller than the memory of some old laptops I junked a few years ago. The cost is $20. However, I did a misreading, and ordered DDR instead of DDR2. I'm not sure if I'll see some actual improvement in my print jobs.

[tmoore952]

Now that the Super Bowl is over, hopefully no more Taylor Swift and her love life. I think her romance got more media attention than Covid has.

I really wasn't exposed to much of it, since I don't watch the NFL that often.  Saw some references to it through Facebook friends and generally knew it was a thing.  So, because her and Kelce were so tied to sports coverage, it would seem that one's exposure to it would die off...unless they went looking for it.

Frankly, I didn't find the half-a-dozen or so times they showed her briefly to have been a distraction to the game.

Normally I don't listen to reports, but the TV is on at work, and what do you think it's tuned in to?  ( Rhetorical question of course) ESPN and several times during 30 minute break time it flashes to a scene of Taylor in her private box or hugging her beau in public.

Of course I have nothing against her personal life, but against the media for pegging them as the Couple of all time.

Who was the couple of all time, then?  DiMaggio and Monroe?  Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez?  Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn?  Barnum and Bailey?

Bogart and Bacall were mentioned in the 1982 song "Key Largo".     (not that I care, it was just another couple I thought of)

[kkt]

Antony and Cleopatra?  They've certainly been remembered a long time.

[thenetwork]

Now that the Super Bowl is over, hopefully no more Taylor Swift and her love life. I think her romance got more media attention than Covid has.

I really wasn't exposed to much of it, since I don't watch the NFL that often.  Saw some references to it through Facebook friends and generally knew it was a thing.  So, because her and Kelce were so tied to sports coverage, it would seem that one's exposure to it would die off...unless they went looking for it.

Frankly, I didn't find the half-a-dozen or so times they showed her briefly to have been a distraction to the game.

Normally I don't listen to reports, but the TV is on at work, and what do you think it's tuned in to?  ( Rhetorical question of course) ESPN and several times during 30 minute break time it flashes to a scene of Taylor in her private box or hugging her beau in public.

Of course I have nothing against her personal life, but against the media for pegging them as the Couple of all time.

Who was the couple of all time, then?  DiMaggio and Monroe?  Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez?  Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn?  Barnum and Bailey?

Now that the Super Bowl is over, hopefully no more Taylor Swift and her love life. I think her romance got more media attention than Covid has.

I really wasn't exposed to much of it, since I don't watch the NFL that often.  Saw some references to it through Facebook friends and generally knew it was a thing.  So, because her and Kelce were so tied to sports coverage, it would seem that one's exposure to it would die off...unless they went looking for it.

Frankly, I didn't find the half-a-dozen or so times they showed her briefly to have been a distraction to the game.

Normally I don't listen to reports, but the TV is on at work, and what do you think it's tuned in to?  ( Rhetorical question of course) ESPN and several times during 30 minute break time it flashes to a scene of Taylor in her private box or hugging her beau in public.

Of course I have nothing against her personal life, but against the media for pegging them as the Couple of all time.

Who was the couple of all time, then?  DiMaggio and Monroe?  Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez?  Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn?  Barnum and Bailey?

Huntley & Brinkley.

[D-Dey65]

The idiots at Amazon are making it impossible to print return labels, and impossible to cancel returns you don't want to make.

Phone number is 888-280-4331, although online chat is recommended. I usually don't have problems with returns as I get provided with a QR code which I then scan in at the nearby Whole Foods to return the product.

However, I suspect that your situation is a bit more complicated.

Well, I called, and both problems were resolved.

I still have trouble with QR codes.

[ZLoth]

Phone number is 888-280-4331, although online chat is recommended. I usually don't have problems with returns as I get provided with a QR code which I then scan in at the nearby Whole Foods to return the product.

However, I suspect that your situation is a bit more complicated.

Well, I called, and both problems were resolved.

I still have trouble with QR codes.

Whats the issue with QR codes?

[kphoger]

QR code

QR codes

QR codes

Our kids used to call them "Munzees", because that's the only kind of QR code they had ever interacted with.

[webny99]

• The fact that I can never spell "received" correctly on the first try, even though it's a word I write/type all the time

[Big John]

QR code

QR codes

QR codes

Our kids used to call them "Munzees", because that's the only kind of QR code they had ever interacted with.

I still don't know how to decode those (don't say "scan" as that is no help to me), but aren't those like shortcut URLs such as tinyurl where you have no idea where it will lead to and could lead to a malicious site?

[kphoger]

I still don't know how to decode those (don't say "scan" as that is no help to me), but aren't those like shortcut URLs such as tinyurl where you have no idea where it will lead to and could lead to a malicious site?

Everything you just said is true of half the QR codes out there, as far as I'm concerned.

"Scan code to tell us about your experience" might lead to a malicious site.

[1995hoo]

QR code

QR codes

QR codes

Our kids used to call them "Munzees", because that's the only kind of QR code they had ever interacted with.

I still don't know how to decode those (don't say "scan" as that is no help to me), but aren't those like shortcut URLs such as tinyurl where you have no idea where it will lead to and could lead to a malicious site?

You open your mobile device's camera app and point it at the code, then tap on the box that pops up and it takes you to the website. You don't have to take a photo of the code—the camera detects what it is and offers you a box accordingly. The box won't display the full URL, though.

You're correct that you need to use caution in deciding whether a given QR code is safe to use. At a reputable sit-down restaurant that offers a QR code on your receipt so you can pay the tab at your table, odds are you're probably safe. But if, say, a mass transit agency posted a QR code on the in-station map allowing people to get info in other languages (which I think would be an ideal use for a QR code), you'd want to look closely to make sure some miscreant hadn't put a sticker over the real QR code so as to misdirect you to a malicious site.

[thspfc]

QR code

QR codes

QR codes

Our kids used to call them "Munzees", because that's the only kind of QR code they had ever interacted with.

I still don't know how to decode those (don't say "scan" as that is no help to me), but aren't those like shortcut URLs such as tinyurl where you have no idea where it will lead to and could lead to a malicious site?

It took you twice the effort to type this post than it would have taken to Google "how to scan QR code". (But I know it's less about learning how to use a phone camera and more about complaining for the sake of complaining.)

[Big John]

QR code

QR codes

QR codes

Our kids used to call them "Munzees", because that's the only kind of QR code they had ever interacted with.

I still don't know how to decode those (don't say "scan" as that is no help to me), but aren't those like shortcut URLs such as tinyurl where you have no idea where it will lead to and could lead to a malicious site?

It took you twice the effort to type this post than it would have taken to Google "how to scan QR code". (But I know it's less about learning how to use a phone camera and more about complaining for the sake of complaining.)

Yep, even more arrogant commentary towards me specifically from you as you assume it is intuitive technology for everyone.

[ZLoth]

Take a look at https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/ which can create the QR codes, and the camera app should have a feature you can enable to also scan QR codes. The most common use is for encoding URLs, but it can also encode email addresses, phone numbers, virtual contact cards, and even WiFi Access codes.

In terms of security, URLs encoded as a QR code are worse than just typing out the URL since you have to view and review the URL prior to clicking on it.

In terms of Amazon returns, you either print out the QR code or open up the QR code and have it scanned at the return box or by a associate. WalMart+ and Sam's Club have a "Scan and Go" system which allows you to scan the items into the app, pay from the app, then checkout with the associate scanning a QR code from your phone.

[Scott5114]

Software that constantly badgers you to set up parental controls. Microsoft is doing that now with their new "Family Sharing" controls. I suppose the software companies don't include an option for "I don't have kids" because kids might take advantage of inattentive parents to disable this sort of feature, but it's annoying to be nagged about it when you don't have kids and don't have a need for that sort of feature.

Software companies have been popping up all this "tips" and "we want your feedback" nags more and more lately and there is NO way to turn these off (they show you ways, but then they do an end run around and show more as if they have a different hidden setting).

Sure there is. Format your hard drive and install Linux. That shuts them up real quick.

[Scott5114]

About six months ago my dad gave me a desk. It's a big, solid, sturdy, 1970s-era US government desk. It has a very dense, heavy desktop much like a countertop, with steel drawers. It was a bitch and a half to drag across two time zones.

...And it doesn't fit in my apartment so I'm going to have to get rid of it.

[kphoger]

About six months ago my dad gave me a desk. It's a big, solid, sturdy, 1970s-era US government desk. It has a very dense, heavy desktop much like a countertop, with steel drawers. It was a bitch and a half to drag across two time zones.

...And it doesn't fit in my apartment so I'm going to have to get rid of it.

Just lift it up over the patio wall and in through the sliding glass door.  Get eight of your neighbors to help you out, should be no problem.  Unless there's a hedge in front of the patio wall, in which case you might need twice as many helpers.

[thspfc]

QR code

QR codes

QR codes

Our kids used to call them "Munzees", because that's the only kind of QR code they had ever interacted with.

I still don't know how to decode those (don't say "scan" as that is no help to me), but aren't those like shortcut URLs such as tinyurl where you have no idea where it will lead to and could lead to a malicious site?

It took you twice the effort to type this post than it would have taken to Google "how to scan QR code". (But I know it's less about learning how to use a phone camera and more about complaining for the sake of complaining.)

Yep, even more arrogant commentary towards me specifically from you as you assume it is intuitive technology for everyone.

2+2=4 isn't intuitive, yet we still expect people to know it.

[kphoger]

It took you twice the effort to type this post than it would have taken to Google "how to scan QR code". (But I know it's less about learning how to use a phone camera and more about complaining for the sake of complaining.)

Yep, even more arrogant commentary towards me specifically from you as you assume it is intuitive technology for everyone.

Sarcasm aside, he didn't assume it should be intuitive for you.  Actually, he suggested that, if you really wanted to know how to scan a QR code, then you might have googled it—and the fact that you haven't done so leads him to believe you don't really want to know.

While that position does have an air of superiority, you must also admit that he has a point.

2+2=4 isn't intuitive, yet we still expect people to know it.

Oh.  Never mind.  Apparently you really do think everyone over the age of five should already know how to scan QR codes.