Minor things that bother you

[webny99]

Similarly, if I see a line that long, I just park and go in. It's quicker.

I see that at Starbucks all the time-cars backed up from the Drive-Through through the parking lot and sometimes onto the street. I always drive around them, park, and get in and out in a jif while those in their cars are still waiting for their drinks.

I've had mixed results with this. Sometimes, there's really no one inside to take my order, and then it can take longer.

Most places offer ordering ahead. I don't know why more people don't do this, especially at busy times. I can't comprehend waiting in a long drive-thru line when you can virtually eliminate the wait and have your order ready and waiting in about five clicks. Especially at Dunkin', where the lines often back onto the street in the morning and I can be in and out before a single car moves in the drive-thru line.

The Popeyes across the street has online ordering, but I have never known them to make up the order until I arrive and announce myself, and the wait time can be less than five minutes on one visit and as long as half an hour on the next.

Wow! That's a sign of poor systems. If I placed an order online and still had to (a) tell them I was there before they started it and (b) wait more than ten minutes (never mind a half an hour), I would likely never return to that location.

Having to tell a restaurant you're there before they start your order in general is another "minor thing that bothers me". Any fast-food restaurant that does this doesn't understand that customers who are bothered to pre-order are almost always more concerned about their order being ready than they are about having it potentially be less fresh by being ready before they arrive.

[zzcarp]

Several AutoCAD/Civil3D ones:
- When I get a random "fatal error" and have to restart the program
- When I go to edit a pipe network and the menu option for "pipes only/structures only/pipes and structures" is greyed out (unselectable). Only solution I've found is to close the drawing and re-open
- When I try to change the annotative scale in model space or a viewport and the program freezes. Lesson learned: unload all xrefs before doing that. Still a pain though since I have to reload the xrefs after
- When I start opening a drawing and realize it's the wrong one, or change my mind. I haven't found a way to abort the process, so I just have to wait it out
- When the same pipe (data referenced) is showing as different diameters in separate drawing files. I've figured out that this relates to the pipe catalogue. What worries is me is what if I miss the error elsewhere?
- When I update sheet set information, but the table with revision number, date, etc. doesn't want to update with regen. It's specifically one table that has this issue. I have to click in the table and do "update field" for each piece of text. Then I have to copy that table into each sheet to make sure each sheet is properly updated.
- When I start working on a project partway done and have to figure out what's going on. Why are there multiple existing surfaces and multiple proposed storm pipe networks, which one should I use?
- When the client changes the scope of the project which requires changing the sheet layouts/viewports. Similarly, when they decide to break up a single project into multiple contracts, which means dividing the drawings into separate project subfolders which adds more complications.

I agree with many of those. My current day job uses the Vault, which in theory is great for organizing references and backing up drawings but in practice seems to just cause permission problems and seemingly random choosing of previous surface versions which change all our manhole rim elevations, etc.

When I have two drawings open, my laptop install will sometimes type the commands I want to use in the current window into the inactive window instead, causing me to have to switch back to the "wrong" window then to the "right" one. Super annoying.

[1995hoo]

For me this is a minor one, but I could understand why some people might consider it more than a minor issue, or at least potentially more:

People who don't know how to e-mail a group of recipients by putting all the recipients' addresses in the "bcc:" field. A fellow I used to work with, who is a nice well-intentioned guy but is also a technical buffoon, occasionally e-mails groups of people and dumps everyone in the "To:" field. I'm now getting spam messages–obvious spam–purporting to be from a friend of his whose name was in the "To:" field on one of those messages a few years ago. They come from different e-mail addresses every time, so I don't know whether someone's e-mail got hacked, someone's contact list got stolen, or what happened, but I tend to suspect that had all our e-mail addresses been put in the "bcc" field the way standard online courtesy directs, the problem may not have happened.

So far it's been more of a nuisance than anything else because whenever I see that guy's name I just delete the message without reading. On the plus side, he's not someone with whom I'd ever had direct communication, so that at least simplifies the process compared to the nuisance that would occur if I had to separate his real stuff from spoof messages.

[kphoger]

This is one that some people would consider more than a minor thing:

When someone e-mails a large group of people and puts all their addresses in the "To:" field instead of bcc'ing everyone. A fellow I know (who is, to be sure, a bit of a Luddite and probably doesn't even know about using bcc for this purpose) did that this weekend–I was one of 48 people on the message he sent. I think what annoys me more than the failure to use bcc is that some of the other recipients have hit reply-all, one of them three times.

But I'm not going to say anything to him any time soon. Reason: It would be in poor taste and tacky to do so right now because the reason he sent the message was to tell us his father died on Saturday morning and to let us know when Mass will be.

For me this is a minor one, but I could understand why some people might consider it more than a minor issue, or at least potentially more:

People who don't know how to e-mail a group of recipients by putting all the recipients' addresses in the "bcc:" field. A fellow I used to work with, who is a nice well-intentioned guy but is also a technical buffoon, occasionally e-mails groups of people and dumps everyone in the "To:" field. I'm now getting spam messages–obvious spam–purporting to be from a friend of his whose name was in the "To:" field on one of those messages a few years ago. They come from different e-mail addresses every time, so I don't know whether someone's e-mail got hacked, someone's contact list got stolen, or what happened, but I tend to suspect that had all our e-mail addresses been put in the "bcc" field the way standard online courtesy directs, the problem may not have happened.

So far it's been more of a nuisance than anything else because whenever I see that guy's name I just delete the message without reading. On the plus side, he's not someone with whom I'd ever had direct communication, so that at least simplifies the process compared to the nuisance that would occur if I had to separate his real stuff from spoof messages.

I see things have taken a turn for the worse since last time.  That is to say, your minor annoyance has become less minor.

[1995hoo]

Yeah, it's still not a big deal on the whole because it's someone with whom I've never had direct contact. If it were someone I actually knew, the problem would be more serious. The real nuisance in this case is that the spoof messages come from all different addresses, so it's not as simple as just blocking the sender. The name-based rule I set up didn't work, but I plan to try again this weekend.

[hotdogPi]

Regarding the Proximity app:

People who leave the app enabled while driving (or as a passenger). I have my radius set to 50 feet, which is enough to detect someone on the other side of the street for most streets in Massachusetts. However, when someone who has the app enabled is driving, it pings me, but I obviously can't talk to her because she's in a car and won't be there for more than a few seconds. Does it ever occur to them that they're receiving pings, too, and probably more than I am because of the gender ratio of the app?

Occasionally, I have to turn wifi off because LTE runs better than what it tries to put me on. Sometimes, I forget to turn it back on later. When wifi is explicitly turned off, it consistently puts my location about 1000 feet north of my actual location. And I mean consistent – if I move east 100 feet, my phantom location will move east 100 feet. And whoever is there will get pinged and not see anyone around...
The phantom location issue also affects when I try to get an Uber ride.

Finally, I Do. Not. Care. about your zodiac sign.

[Scott5114]

Finally, I Do. Not. Care. about your zodiac sign.

When talking to these people, it's fun to claim you're an Ophiuchus (or even better, some constellation that doesn't even cross the ecliptic, like Orion), or something along the lines of "I used to be a Virgo, but I had the DMV change it to Pisces" or something like that.

[ZLoth]

Finally, I Do. Not. Care. about your zodiac sign.

I Do. Not. Care. about your blood type either. I'm a technician, not a medical professional, and don't see how Blood Type Personality has to do with anything.

[Max Rockatansky]

Some women I dated were big into Zodiac sign nonsense.  One in particular used to draw all sorts of conclusions about me based off the Zodiacs supposedly speaking to my personality somehow.

[mgk920]

Regarding the Proximity app:

People who leave the app enabled while driving (or as a passenger). I have my radius set to 50 feet, which is enough to detect someone on the other side of the street for most streets in Massachusetts. However, when someone who has the app enabled is driving, it pings me, but I obviously can't talk to her because she's in a car and won't be there for more than a few seconds. Does it ever occur to them that they're receiving pings, too, and probably more than I am because of the gender ratio of the app?

Occasionally, I have to turn wifi off because LTE runs better than what it tries to put me on. Sometimes, I forget to turn it back on later. When wifi is explicitly turned off, it consistently puts my location about 1000 feet north of my actual location. And I mean consistent – if I move east 100 feet, my phantom location will move east 100 feet. And whoever is there will get pinged and not see anyone around...
The phantom location issue also affects when I try to get an Uber ride.

Finally, I Do. Not. Care. about your zodiac sign.

Have those signs been added to the MUTCD?



Mike

[skluth]

Finally, I Do. Not. Care. about your zodiac sign.

I Do. Not. Care. about your blood type either. I'm a technician, not a medical professional, and don't see how Blood Type Personality has to do with anything.

Blood type indicates personality? I guess zodiac signs weren't stupid enough.

[bm7]

Finally, I Do. Not. Care. about your zodiac sign.

I Do. Not. Care. about your blood type either. I'm a technician, not a medical professional, and don't see how Blood Type Personality has to do with anything.

Blood type indicates personality? I guess zodiac signs weren't stupid enough.

It's mostly a thing in Japan and South Korea, I haven't heard of it being believed anywhere else before.

At least with blood types it's something physical that theoretically could (but almost certainly does not) affect someone's personality.

[J N Winkler]

The Popeyes across the street has online ordering, but I have never known them to make up the order until I arrive and announce myself, and the wait time can be less than five minutes on one visit and as long as half an hour on the next.

Wow! That's a sign of poor systems. If I placed an order online and still had to (a) tell them I was there before they started it and (b) wait more than ten minutes (never mind a half an hour), I would likely never return to that location.

Having to tell a restaurant you're there before they start your order in general is another "minor thing that bothers me". Any fast-food restaurant that does this doesn't understand that customers who are bothered to pre-order are almost always more concerned about their order being ready than they are about having it potentially be less fresh by being ready before they arrive.

This location is ineptly managed and has super-high staff turnover--I suspect it stays in business because it has no real local competition.  The nearest other Popeyes is about thrice as far away and there are currently no nearby chain establishments that offer mild/spicy breaded fried chicken with typical Southern/Cajun side dishes.  There is a Church's Chicken being built in the strip shopping center across the street, so we will see if they force that Popeyes to up its game.  (Church's is a bit too spicy for me, but I am sure there are others for whom it is at least an acceptable substitute.)

[hotdogPi]

April fools on the mention of the Proximity app above. There is no dating app in existence that looks for people physically next to you.

[hbelkins]

The OTUS acronym. I hate it.

POTUS, SCOTUS, FLOTUS, etc. I even read it last week in relation to waters of the United States. WOTUS.

[ZLoth]

The fact that "modern" computer cases do not come with either 5¼" or 3½" external drive days. I'm in process of building a new system to replace my old i7-4790K, but I still use the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drives. If I want a case that has modern USB 3/USB-C connectors, then there are no external drive days. That's good for air circulation, but bad because some of us still need legacy technology.

Just as an update... after assembling a new computer to replace my eight year old i7-4790k last December, I was using my old computer mainly as a ripping/home theater computer hooked up to my 4K television. (It comes in handy during storm season when I want to display radar maps and thunderstorm maps). The computer died last week by both refusing to boot (I have backups) and not going into the computer setup (formerly BIOS)... yeah, that's a problem, and I didn't feel like making the effort.

So, about the replacement.... while I was initially expecting to do the replacement at the end of the year, the local Microcenter has a sweet combo deal on a AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, MSI B650-P Pro WiFi, G.Skill Flare X5 Series 32GB DDR5-6000 Kit combo for $500+tax. the case I got was a Fractal Design Focus G which is mid-tower ATX case which appears to have been released in May, 2017. The key part for me is that it has two 5¼" external drive days which is getting harder and harder to find nowadays. I was able to recycle the two BluRay drives and the SSD from my old computer.

[kkt]

Having to tell a restaurant you're there before they start your order in general is another "minor thing that bothers me". Any fast-food restaurant that does this doesn't understand that customers who are bothered to pre-order are almost always more concerned about their order being ready than they are about having it potentially be less fresh by being ready before they arrive.

Similar to that is my pharmacy that will NOT start packing up my prescriptions until I am there in person.  I can call them, my doctor's assistant can call them, I can renew a prescription online, but regardless of the method when I show up even days after it was supposed to be ready they always tell me it's not ready yet and I need to wait about 30 minutes.  Maybe they think I'll make some more impulse purchases while I stand around waiting for my Rx to be done.

[bm7]

The OTUS acronym. I hate it.

POTUS, SCOTUS, FLOTUS, etc. I even read it last week in relation to waters of the United States. WOTUS.

I don't like them either, they just sound weird. It's unnecessary in most contexts anyway to specify that you're talking about the United States president, or United States Supreme Court, etc.

[roadman65]

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/scotus-potus-flotus

[JoePCool14]

The OTUS acronym. I hate it.

POTUS, SCOTUS, FLOTUS, etc. I even read it last week in relation to waters of the United States. WOTUS.

While we're at it, the recent flailing about with the Waters of the US stuff. Concerning that every ditch could be classified this way, making development incredibly challenging. I know we're paying attention to this at my office.

[SSOWorld]

The OTUS acronym. I hate it.

POTUS, SCOTUS, FLOTUS, etc. I even read it last week in relation to waters of the United States. WOTUS.

how about the SEC acronym. SECDEF, SECSTATE, and just plain SEC?

[Big John]

Securties and Exchange Commission? 

[formulanone]

The OTUS acronym. I hate it.

POTUS, SCOTUS, FLOTUS, etc. I even read it last week in relation to waters of the United States. WOTUS.

I don't like them either, they just sound weird. It's unnecessary in most contexts anyway to specify that you're talking about the United States president, or United States Supreme Court, etc.

Totally agreed, it's unnecessary and sounds weirdly condescending at the same time.

They all sound like intestinal plumbing conditions.

Finally, I Do. Not. Care. about your zodiac sign.

When talking to these people, it's fun to claim you're an Ophiuchus (or even better, some constellation that doesn't even cross the ecliptic, like Orion), or something along the lines of "I used to be a Virgo, but I had the DMV change it to Pisces" or something like that.

Hey baby, I'm an Octant. I hear Grus are totally compatible and should avoid Air Pumps when Canis Venatici is visible with the Mazda Capella.

[Scott5114]

the Mazda Capella

Is that the constellation Ford Prefect is from?

[formulanone]

the Mazda Capella

Is that the constellation Ford Prefect is from?

I thought it was the Taurus, but based on the planned site of the expressway, maybe it's the Taunus.