News:

Thank you for your patience during the Forum downtime while we upgraded the software. Welcome back and see this thread for some new features and other changes to the forum.

Main Menu

Minor things that bother you

Started by planxtymcgillicuddy, November 27, 2019, 12:15:11 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

US 89

Online forms that ask you for both state and zip code and won't autofill the state for you.

Which, yeah, is most forms you encounter... but if you know zip code, you automatically know not just what state, but what general area of the state you're mailing to.

Also, forms that alphabetize a list of countries and don't put the US at the top by default. If 99.5% of people filling it out are going to select "United States" for the box in question, you'd think they might want to to save people some time instead of having them scroll all the way down to the U's.


Scott5114

Quote from: US 89 on November 21, 2021, 04:23:46 PM
Online forms that ask you for both state and zip code and won't autofill the state for you.

Which, yeah, is most forms you encounter... but if you know zip code, you automatically know not just what state, but what general area of the state you're mailing to.

I was about to argue and say that would require frequent updates with the USPS servers but...the first 3 digits of a zip code correspond to a postal sorting office, and those don't cross state lines.

Quote from: US 89 on November 21, 2021, 04:23:46 PM
Also, forms that alphabetize a list of countries and don't put the US at the top by default. If 99.5% of people filling it out are going to select "United States" for the box in question, you'd think they might want to to save people some time instead of having them scroll all the way down to the U's.

This is definitely pretty frustrating, especially if you're a tech-savvy enough person to click the box and hit U on the keyboard...and get Uganda.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

hbelkins

Brittany/Britney/Brittney -- Kentucky's governor's wife's first name is spelled "Britainy." Wonder if she was named after a country?

I wonder what motivates people to choose alternate spellings. "Micheal" for "Michael," "Shelia" for "Sheila," and so on.

That's not to mention all these made-up names. "Domquavious." Not that I know anyone, nor have I ever heard of anyone, with that name, but it wouldn't be surprising.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

hotdogPi

Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

SSOWorld

Spelling is off-the-books with regards to names.  Someone does a misspell for a birth certificate, it sticks for their life.
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

kkt

Quote from: SSOWorld on November 21, 2021, 06:02:20 PM
Spelling is off-the-books with regards to names.  Someone does a misspell for a birth certificate, it sticks for their life.

Unless they get it legally changed when they're 18.

Scott5114

Quote from: kkt on November 21, 2021, 06:29:23 PM
Quote from: SSOWorld on November 21, 2021, 06:02:20 PM
Spelling is off-the-books with regards to names.  Someone does a misspell for a birth certificate, it sticks for their life.

Unless they get it legally changed when they're 18.


I feel like if my parents had used some sort of goofy spelling like Skawt or Schocht or something like that, that's exactly what I would do.

I actually seriously considered taking my wife's last name, Perry, when we got married, simply because it's way easier to spell than Nazelrod, and even got to the point designing a new signature. I'm a little glad I didn't go through with it, though, because there's a Congressman by that name now, and I don't want to be associated with a Congressman.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

noelbotevera

My full name is ridiculously complicated, is inherited from the men of my father's side, has my mother's maiden name for some reason, is slightly Spanish despite them being kicked out of the Philippines in 1898, and has a mineral.

Just call me Alex.


1995hoo

About 29 years ago I worked with a guy in Minneapolis whose last name was...

Hittler.

Note the spelling is not the same as the infamous German's. Still hard for me to imagine not changing your name. On the other hand, it made me think about just how hard it must be to change your name.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

kkt

I don't think it is that hard, really.  Maybe he just didn't want to.  His family name, and why should he change it just because of that German guy?

CtrlAltDel

Quote from: kkt on November 21, 2021, 10:04:37 PM
I don't think it is that hard, really.  Maybe he just didn't want to.  His family name, and why should he change it just because of that German guy?

That reminds me of this.
Interstates clinched: 4, 57, 275 (IN-KY-OH), 465 (IN), 640 (TN), 985
State Interstates clinched: I-26 (TN), I-75 (GA), I-75 (KY), I-75 (TN), I-81 (WV), I-95 (NH)

wanderer2575

Car commercials and tech (cellphone and laptop) commercials with indie music featuring a singer who sounds like he/she just crawled out of bed and still has a hangover.  This is supposed to make me want to buy the product?

thenetwork

Quote from: US 89 on November 21, 2021, 04:23:46 PM
Online forms that ask you for both state and zip code and won't autofill the state for you.

Which, yeah, is most forms you encounter... but if you know zip code, you automatically know not just what state, but what general area of the state you're mailing to.

Also, forms that alphabetize a list of countries and don't put the US at the top by default. If 99.5% of people filling it out are going to select "United States" for the box in question, you'd think they might want to to save people some time instead of having them scroll all the way down to the U's.

Also those online forms that ask you to enter a phone number,  date or birthdate, but do not tell you the PROPER way to enter it until after your first attempt.

ie MM/DD/YY instead of MM-DD-YYYY.
Or (###)###‐#### instead of ##########.

jeffandnicole

Quote from: US 89 on November 21, 2021, 04:23:46 PM
Online forms that ask you for both state and zip code and won't autofill the state for you.

Which, yeah, is most forms you encounter... but if you know zip code, you automatically know not just what state, but what general area of the state you're mailing to.

Also, forms that alphabetize a list of countries and don't put the US at the top by default. If 99.5% of people filling it out are going to select "United States" for the box in question, you'd think they might want to to save people some time instead of having them scroll all the way down to the U's.

Or zip codes that auto fill the town, except the zip may cover a few towns and you have to change the town anyway, then verify that, yes, that is the actual mailing address.

kkt

Quote from: CtrlAltDel on November 21, 2021, 10:38:22 PM
Quote from: kkt on November 21, 2021, 10:04:37 PM
I don't think it is that hard, really.  Maybe he just didn't want to.  His family name, and why should he change it just because of that German guy?
That reminds me of this.

Yeah, I was kinda thinking of poor Michael.

Scott5114

Quote from: jeffandnicole on November 21, 2021, 11:40:20 PM
Quote from: US 89 on November 21, 2021, 04:23:46 PM
Online forms that ask you for both state and zip code and won't autofill the state for you.

Which, yeah, is most forms you encounter... but if you know zip code, you automatically know not just what state, but what general area of the state you're mailing to.

Also, forms that alphabetize a list of countries and don't put the US at the top by default. If 99.5% of people filling it out are going to select "United States" for the box in question, you'd think they might want to to save people some time instead of having them scroll all the way down to the U's.

Or zip codes that auto fill the town, except the zip may cover a few towns and you have to change the town anyway, then verify that, yes, that is the actual mailing address.

If it's autofilling correctly, it's pulling the names from the USPS database. USPS has one preferred town name assigned to each zip code. Of course, some zip codes contain multiple cities, like 73093, which contains both Goldsby and Washington, Oklahoma. But the PO is in Washington, so 73093 = 'WASHINGTON OK' in the USPS database. This means that any letters to "Goldsby, OK, 73093" are technically addressed incorrectly. However, USPS uses zip codes in combination with the street address to route mail, and the city name is just a backup to that, so most of the time it doesn't actually matter.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

SSOWorld

Quote from: Scott5114 on November 22, 2021, 01:03:19 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on November 21, 2021, 11:40:20 PM
Quote from: US 89 on November 21, 2021, 04:23:46 PM
Online forms that ask you for both state and zip code and won't autofill the state for you.

Which, yeah, is most forms you encounter... but if you know zip code, you automatically know not just what state, but what general area of the state you're mailing to.

Also, forms that alphabetize a list of countries and don't put the US at the top by default. If 99.5% of people filling it out are going to select "United States" for the box in question, you'd think they might want to to save people some time instead of having them scroll all the way down to the U's.

Or zip codes that auto fill the town, except the zip may cover a few towns and you have to change the town anyway, then verify that, yes, that is the actual mailing address.

If it's autofilling correctly, it's pulling the names from the USPS database. USPS has one preferred town name assigned to each zip code. Of course, some zip codes contain multiple cities, like 73093, which contains both Goldsby and Washington, Oklahoma. But the PO is in Washington, so 73093 = 'WASHINGTON OK' in the USPS database. This means that any letters to "Goldsby, OK, 73093" are technically addressed incorrectly. However, USPS uses zip codes in combination with the street address to route mail, and the city name is just a backup to that, so most of the time it doesn't actually matter.
Also companies looks for the bottom line when it comes to programming web forms as this is not a pressing interest for them, selling product/services is.  I am bothered by the quality of forms - period.
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

GaryV

Quote from: kevinb1994 on November 21, 2021, 03:39:17 PM
Quote from: GaryV on November 21, 2021, 03:31:58 PM
Try doing genealogy when the family name goes back to the beginning settlements of North American or before.  One of my wife's ancestors' name was spelled Treat, Tret, Trat, Trette, Trotte and Trott in various (legal and church) documents.

As for non-standard spelling, my daughter hates Brittney Spears, because "she spells her name wrong".  When Spears got famous, my daughter's name got spelled like Spears' name, instead of the standard Brittany.
I didn't realize that the Treat name extends that far into the present. I'm aware of who founded Newark, NJ, a city that my family has lived near.

My wife's line descended through several daughters, so they didn't bear the Treat family name.  After co-founding Newark, Robert Treat moved back to Connecticut and became the colonial governor for 40 years.  There are still a number of Treat's living in CT.  And I believe some living in NJ from his nephew's(?) family who went with Robert to NJ.

vdeane

Another annoyance with forms is when they use a drop-down for state but don't let you type out the postal abbreviation or name and have it go to the correct entry.  It's awesome when it does because then I can just tab through and type all the fields, but more often than not, they only use the first letter if anything and then I have to grab the mouse, scroll to NY, and then switch back to the keyboard for the ZIP code.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

J N Winkler

Quote from: thenetwork on November 21, 2021, 11:16:48 PMAlso those online forms that ask you to enter a phone number,  date or birthdate, but do not tell you the PROPER way to enter it until after your first attempt.

ie MM/DD/YY instead of MM-DD-YYYY.

Or (###)###‐#### instead of ##########.

Related annoyance:  forms that reject your input when you click to post to the server but don't tell you what format will pass validation.  (A few days ago I was trying to book a covid booster shot and it took multiple tries before I figured out the form was complaining about "Jonathan N Winkler" in the patient name fields and "Jonathan N. Winkler" in the signature line.)
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

Scott5114

Forms that require typing a "signature" bother me. Anyone can type someone's name in a box–that's no proof of the identity of the person filling out the form at all. May as well leave it off.

I was quite alarmed that the online signing process for buying a house allowed the user to just type their signature onto the form (although at least the signing process had to be initiated by the real estate agent, so there was a verifier who could say "Yes, I sent the form to Scott's email after talking to him about it on the phone at X date and time"). It did allow the user to draw a bitmap signature as well, though, so I opted to use my tablet to sign my actual signature onto the form.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

JayhawkCO

Let's be honest.  The fact that we're still scribbling ink on to a piece of paper to verify identity seems a little bit 19th century (or earlier) to me.  I don't even try to make my signature look like my name, because, what's the point?

Scott5114

To me a signature doesn't really verify identity. I think we've all seen a printed or stamped signature on something. It verifies intent. "I agree to the above", "It was by my authority that the above was done", etc. After all, when the President signs a bill, everyone knows that the person signing it is the actual President, but the signature is still important because applying it to the bill makes it law.

Typing a name into a box doesn't carry that level of deliberateness and intent to me.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

JayhawkCO

Quote from: Scott5114 on November 22, 2021, 03:25:58 PM
To me a signature doesn't really verify identity. I think we've all seen a printed or stamped signature on something. It verifies intent. "I agree to the above", "It was by my authority that the above was done", etc. After all, when the President signs a bill, everyone knows that the person signing it is the actual President, but the signature is still important because applying it to the bill makes it law.

Typing a name into a box doesn't carry that level of deliberateness and intent to me.

But still.  The fact that a legal standard is proven by some pattern of oil and carbon dropped into a pattern on tree scraps just still screams antiquated. 

kkt

Quote from: Scott5114 on November 22, 2021, 03:25:58 PM
To me a signature doesn't really verify identity. I think we've all seen a printed or stamped signature on something. It verifies intent. "I agree to the above", "It was by my authority that the above was done", etc. After all, when the President signs a bill, everyone knows that the person signing it is the actual President, but the signature is still important because applying it to the bill makes it law.

Typing a name into a box doesn't carry that level of deliberateness and intent to me.

Yes.  When you really need to verify your identity, you get a notary to check your ID and certify that you look like your photo.

Then there's medalion signature guarantees in which not only does your bank certify that the photo looks like you but your signature matches what they have on file, and your bank takes financial responsibility if through their negligence the person or institution transferring money to you loses it.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.