Minor things that bother you

[kkt]

The number of tidal estuaries that are erroneously referred to as rivers.

Then there's a lot of estuaries incorrectly referred to as bays.

[1995hoo]

Regarding turning, yesterday we were coming off the Beltway in the same lane where the Google car is in this image. If you look closely or click around the corner to the right, you'll see that lane sort of splits, as it were—people in that lane can go into the curb lane, which is right-turn-only at the next light, or can go into the rightmost straight-thru lane. The middle lane (where the white pickup is in the Street View image) can go right or left; most drivers in that lane go left. But yesterday everyone in our lane had to slam on the brakes and stop. Why? A guy in the middle lane went right, but made a hard right cutting across traffic from our lane to get into the right-turn lane for the next light. This is an excellent reason why it is not OK just to turn into whichever lane you like.

(A few minutes later, we were just south of there in the right-hand of the two straight-thru lanes, roughly where the arrow is on the pavement. The guy in front of us decided he would turn right. He was an asshole anyway—he had driven into the shoulder to pass and cut people off on the Beltway a few minutes earlier.)

[webny99]

In theory, if people would turn into the correct lane it would allow greater efficiency insofar as people could turn right on red while people coming the other way are turning left—at least, it would allow that at intersections where the "destination road" has enough lanes that no turns "should" come in conflict with each other, or at intersections where turns on red are restricted from one lane.

I've always approached this with the expectation that a red light is a red light. A motorist has no right to turn on red. If there is opposing left turn traffic with a green arrow, the RTOR traffic should not be moving for any reason, no different than when there is traffic on the crossroad with the green.

If there is a protected phase for left turns, then I agree that right turners should not be turning during that phase. If it is just a standard green with multiple lanes to turn into, obviously right turners have priority but there's no reason both can't go at once.

[wxfree]

The number of tidal estuaries that are erroneously referred to as rivers.

Then there's a lot of estuaries incorrectly referred to as bays.

I'm not certain about the definition, but I've always thought of an estuary as being defined by a function rather than a formation.  To me, an estuary is a place where runoff and sea water mix, and may be something like a bay, inlet, lagoon, marsh, or river.  I remember reading where someone said that the Amazon estuary extends into the ocean.  Due to the volume of water there's freshwater mixing out in the open ocean (according to this source).  I don't know if anyone authoritative describes it that way.

[vdeane]

I have a micro SD card that I bought when I first got a smartphone ~9 years ago.  Turned out to be less useful than I thought it would be, and modern phones have more storage and are less likely to allow for extending that storage, so it sits on a shelf.  Meanwhile, my trusty Kodak point and shoot digital camera that I've had for 18 years has a Y2K problem coming up where the date will rollover from 12/31/2025 to 1/1/2006.  All the photos on my site display the date by reading the EXIF data on when the photo was taken, so this is a big deal, and forces me to replace the camera.  Modern devices have all moved from regular SD cards to micro SD cards, but since I have a micro SD card that I'm not using, I should be fine, right?

There's one big problem: my USB SD card reader doesn't recognize it, even with the SD/micro SD card adapter (which I verifed works fine on a computer with a native SD card reader, which sadly my desktop lacks).  Right now it's just a minor thing that bothers me, but in a few months, it could well be a total show-stopper (unless IT allows me to purchase my current work computer after it's replaced, and assuming said replacement is still on; I was supposed to be emailed to schedule that appointment last week, but no such email came).  How can I get this micro SD card recognized on my desktop?

Also, if anyone knows of any good replacements for my camera, let me know.  My phone camera isn't nearly as good, and I don't want to give up road photography, either.


Also, the fact that places that use online services like Booksy require you to create an account just to book an appointment.  No, I'm not interested in making an account for an appointment I only make once a year, so I guess I'm going to have to try to remember to call tomorrow because they're not open today.

Several years ago, I used to be able to book appointments without an account, so it feels like we've gone backwards.

[J N Winkler]

I have a micro SD card that I bought when I first got a smartphone ~9 years ago.  Turned out to be less useful than I thought it would be, and modern phones have more storage and are less likely to allow for extending that storage, so it sits on a shelf.  Meanwhile, my trusty Kodak point and shoot digital camera that I've had for 18 years has a Y2K problem coming up where the date will rollover from 12/31/2025 to 1/1/2006.  All the photos on my site display the date by reading the EXIF data on when the photo was taken, so this is a big deal, and forces me to replace the camera.  Modern devices have all moved from regular SD cards to micro SD cards, but since I have a micro SD card that I'm not using, I should be fine, right?

There's one big problem: my USB SD card reader doesn't recognize it, even with the SD/micro SD card adapter (which I verifed works fine on a computer with a native SD card reader, which sadly my desktop lacks).  Right now it's just a minor thing that bothers me, but in a few months, it could well be a total show-stopper (unless IT allows me to purchase my current work computer after it's replaced, and assuming said replacement is still on; I was supposed to be emailed to schedule that appointment last week, but no such email came).  How can I get this micro SD card recognized on my desktop?

Also, if anyone knows of any good replacements for my camera, let me know.  My phone camera isn't nearly as good, and I don't want to give up road photography, either.

If your camera will adhere to a predictable date progression after its "Y2K" event, then you can use a shell script wrapped around an EXIF tool to change the date provided by the camera to the true date.  I know awk has this capability because I use the GnuWin32 port of it to convert Reiwa era dates (basically, adding 20180000 to input in YMMDD format, 2019 being Reiwa year one) in my NEXCO-E downloader.  You may even be able to accomplish this updating while forcing file timestamps not to change.  This is a bit of a kludge, but is considerably cheaper than buying a new camera when the existing one still works and has superior optical performance.

As for the microSD card, you can try formatting it and seeing if it is read both in your computer and camera.  I suspect, however, that it may have gone bad on the shelf, and even a large discounter like Walmart will likely have replacements of equal capacity for much less than you paid nine years ago.

Also, the fact that places that use online services like Booksy require you to create an account just to book an appointment.  No, I'm not interested in making an account for an appointment I only make once a year, so I guess I'm going to have to try to remember to call tomorrow because they're not open today.

Several years ago, I used to be able to book appointments without an account, so it feels like we've gone backwards.

I suspect these sites now require accounts to discourage certain forms of abuse, such as (in this particular use case) making an appointment and then no-showing, or making multiple appointments in some random person's name without any intent to keep them.

A related problem is various sites' increasing adroitness in frustrating CAN-SPAM unsubscribe, which I now use as my first line of defense against unwanted marketing emails.  So far I have seen:

*  Not providing global unsubscribe and creating dozens upon dozens of categories of email that must be unsubscribed from individually (LinkedIn and NextDoor are particularly bad in this regard)

*  Playing UI tricks on the user, such as showing a toggle at the unsubscribe link--the user must click on the toggle to confirm the unsubscribe but it is unclear which position corresponds to the "off" (no emails) setting (Sam's Club is the worst at this I've seen)

[vdeane]

If your camera will adhere to a predictable date progression after its "Y2K" event, then you can use a shell script wrapped around an EXIF tool to change the date provided by the camera to the true date.  I know awk has this capability because I use the GnuWin32 port of it to convert Reiwa era dates (basically, adding 20180000 to input in YMMDD format, 2019 being Reiwa year one) in my NEXCO-E downloader.  You may even be able to accomplish this updating while forcing file timestamps not to change.  This is a bit of a kludge, but is considerably cheaper than buying a new camera when the existing one still works and has superior optical performance.

It should; as I understand it, the year just slides to 2006 as if it were 2026.  Then again, I'm going off how the date/time settings window responds; who knows what it will do in practice.

Interesting that you mention superior optical performance.  I've actually been feeling like the camera is slightly more sluggish to take pictures (a quarter to half a second, but that can be a lot on the road), assuming it's not just my imagination.  It also feels like it might be getting pickier on light as well (or maybe my standards are just going up?).  Then again, I don't know what the state of the point and shoot market is, although I'm guessing it's not the best if Gen Z and Gen Alpha are looking for used cameras when they go retro rather than buying new.

As for the microSD card, you can try formatting it and seeing if it is read both in your computer and camera.  I suspect, however, that it may have gone bad on the shelf, and even a large discounter like Walmart will likely have replacements of equal capacity for much less than you paid nine years ago.

The problem isn't the micro SD card; it will read just fine via the "SD card" adapter that it came with if plugged in directly to a computer that has a built-in SD card reader like my laptop.  It only failed with connected via my USB-connected card reader that I need for my desktop (which does read my regular SD card, so it's something about how they all interact).

[formulanone]

If your camera will adhere to a predictable date progression after its "Y2K" event, then you can use a shell script wrapped around an EXIF tool to change the date provided by the camera to the true date.

I use a photo organization tool called Faststone Image Viewer, which allows for changing groups of photos' EXIF dates and times, with the option to update the file date as well.

I have used it for some older photos which updated by file date after a backup I performed in 2007. There's also several times I have forgotten to update the time zone on the camera.

Interesting that you mention superior optical performance.  I've actually been feeling like the camera is slightly more sluggish to take pictures (a quarter to half a second, but that can be a lot on the road), assuming it's not just my imagination.  It also feels like it might be getting pickier on light as well (or maybe my standards are just going up?).  Then again, I don't know what the state of the point and shoot market is, although I'm guessing it's not the best if Gen Z and Gen Alpha are looking for used cameras when they go retro rather than buying new.

Cellphones have almost eliminated the market for small point-and-shoot cameras; or at least, the less-expensive end of the market. There's a handful of "bridge cameras" which may suit your needs but most of the camera manufacturers have either consolidated into the Micro 4/3 market, hanging on to the DSLR, or have gone to fully mirrorless SLRs. The last three have a ~$500 entry point, though some decent bargains exist for equipment that's 5-10 years old. I would be wary of equipment older than that unless it was a pro-level camera, but the weight and clumsiness of those may also be non-starters. But there are people who have shelved their hobby or found it just wasn't for them...

I would also caution people to not look at cameras from brands you may not have heard before; there are a number of cellphone-based cameras repackaged into a small point-and-shoot form factor, mimicimg SLRs / bridge cameras. They have tantalizing prices but extremely limited features compared to cellphones themselves. They are more for children or people who don't want to risk damaging their phone, at best. They tend to be called "scameras" by the hobbyists.

So that's why a lot of the market for point-and-shoot cameras are in the used realm. Unfortunately, it's a mixed bag with used equipment; definitely put something through its paces before committing to a purchase. Sometimes they overheat quicker, the specific batteries are no longer produced, the screen is unreadable, especially if situations like battery leakage or it was dropped a few times in the past.

[Bruce]

My car was broken into, and among the annoying-to-replace items is one of my USB flash drives I use for playing music in the car. Bought a replacement from the same manufacturer at a reputable store, but it turns out in the time since I bought the other drive, they changed the default formatting from exFAT to FAT32, which my car can't read. And my attempts to properly format it into exFAT with a clone of the files I have from the other drive have not proven successful; about half of the songs refuse to read.

My old drive (and the contents of my secondary wallet, which included a limited-edition transit card) are likely in the regional dump by now.

[vdeane]

The way TV producers have started calling time periods "timelines" (particularly with respect to Star Trek).  A timeline is something like a different version of history, not the past or future.

[Plutonic Panda]

The way TV producers have started calling time periods "timelines" (particularly with respect to Star Trek).  A timeline is something like a different version of history, not the past or future.

I don't much care for the universe anymore, like the Marvel or DC universe. I mean, Marvel did pretty good up until avengers infinity war in my opinion. I was not a big fan of Endgame. I mean hey let's just travel back in time and undo everything that was done. It's just lazy writing. They made so much money off of all the other Marvel movies only to make so much more off of one that undoes all the others.

And then DC failed horribly at it in my opinion.

I haven't seen a Marvel movie since Ant-man Quantumania. Though if they bring back Jonathan Majors as Kang(who I thought did an amazing job) I'll probably watch that even though I wasn't a big fan of the movie overall. I felt like it had potential, but Disney is putting too much pressure on Marvel to pump out all of these movies and TV shows. The CGI was absolutely comical. And then we have a group of genius writers who actually made a pretty cool city in the quantum world but then they had people like subatomic consciously alive broccoli walking around and living in it.

Movies in general just have not been too great lately. I could go on a rant about this for hours though. And then you really can't make good comedy movies anymore but that's a can of worms I don't wanna open up.

But the whole movie universe thing seems to be way overdone. And I was kind of excited for the Dark/Monster Universe which I think had something to do with the mummy or maybe Van Helsing I can't remember. I do believe now they're making a horror version of the mummy.

And then you have a lot of these creative licensing rights being expired entering public domain there's a lot of people that are making horror movies from Winnie the Pooh to Pinocchio. I do wish they would've given a grinch horror film a higher budget, as I think that could've worked under the right circumstances.

[Scott5114]

I don't much care for the universe anymore

I would agree if you meant the actual universe...

[Max Rockatansky]

Marvel somehow lucked into a shared cinematic universe.  A lot of those early movies weren't very good.

[Molandfreak]

I don't know, the whole "let's take this traditionally child-friendly property that just entered the public domain and make a horror movie out of it" schtick is so creatively bankrupt. It's been done so many times. I do wish Dreamworks still had a little bit of that freshly-fired Katzenberg bitterness so that they could make something like Shrek using the first versions of Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh, though.

[vdeane]

I don't know, the whole "let's take this traditionally child-friendly property that just entered the public domain and make a horror movie out of it" schtick is so creatively bankrupt. It's been done so many times. I do wish Dreamworks still had a little bit of that freshly-fired Katzenberg bitterness so that they could make something like Shrek using the first versions of Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh, though.

I can't help but wonder if our obnoxiously long copyright term is to blame.  Works stay copyrighted for so long that anything that hasn't become part of our core culture isn't going to be remembered enough for anyone to care about it, and works that are will have a bunch of people chomping at the bit to do something totally radical to spite the corporations that held the copyright (and who were probably lobbying Congress for copyright extensions over the years).  It's gotten so bad that our intellectual property laws now do the exact opposite of their stated purpose in the Constitution.

[Plutonic Panda]

Marvel somehow lucked into a shared cinematic universe.  A lot of those early movies weren't very good.

The first one I remember is The Hulk and it had a very unique comic book type editing to it.

To date my favorite superhero movie is Watchmen.

[Max Rockatansky]

Marvel somehow lucked into a shared cinematic universe.  A lot of those early movies weren't very good.

The first one I remember is The Hulk and it had a very unique comic book type editing to it.

To date my favorite superhero movie is Watchmen.

And that Hulk has nothing to do with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

As for Frank Miller stuff, it can be really good or really bad.  The movie version of Watchmen was hugely inferior to the comic.  The Dark Knight Returns was the best Frank Miller story adaptation I've seen on film.

[Plutonic Panda]

Man, I just had a huge post written up that I just lost and I'm fucking pissed. I mean, I had like 15 paragraphs typed out. Fucking goddamnit.

[Plutonic Panda]

Man I'm sorry I'm not retyping all of that. i'm angrier than I am when I see something about a freeway expansion being canceled in California.

[Scott5114]

Man I'm sorry I'm not retyping all of that. i'm angrier than I am when I see something about a freeway expansion being canceled in California.

Damn NIMBYs even got your post canceled!

[Plutonic Panda]

Man I'm sorry I'm not retyping all of that. i'm angrier than I am when I see something about a freeway expansion being canceled in California.

Damn NIMBYs even got your post canceled!

Oh my God, I don't know what happened. I had to go take a shot just now to calm down. I had this huge post written out. I opened up a new tab because I wanted to make sure that I was spelling Sam Raimi's name right because I always spell it wrong. And then I open the AARoads tab and everything I wrote is gone. I almost threw my phone through the wall.

[Molandfreak]

Man, I just had a huge post written up that I just lost and I'm fucking pissed. I mean, I had like 15 paragraphs typed out. Fucking goddamnit.

I know the feeling. A couple years ago, I had to type out an acceptance letter for a scholarship and didn't think to save it in a separate word document. When I hit send, the connection timed out and I lost all of my work, so I had to start from scratch. 

[Plutonic Panda]

Man, I just had a huge post written up that I just lost and I'm fucking pissed. I mean, I had like 15 paragraphs typed out. Fucking goddamnit.

I know the feeling. A couple years ago, I had to type out an acceptance letter for a scholarship and didn't think to save it in a separate word document. When I hit send, the connection timed out and I lost all of my work, so I had to start from scratch. 

Oh man, well I can only imagine how frustrating that must've been. That's a tad more important than me going on a rant about comic book movies lol. Congratulations on your acceptance letter though.

[Scott5114]

Man I'm sorry I'm not retyping all of that. i'm angrier than I am when I see something about a freeway expansion being canceled in California.

Damn NIMBYs even got your post canceled!

Oh my God, I don't know what happened. I had to go take a shot just now to calm down. I had this huge post written out. I opened up a new tab because I wanted to make sure that I was spelling Sam Raimi's name right because I always spell it wrong. And then I open the AARoads tab and everything I wrote is gone. I almost threw my phone through the wall.

Phones hide the fact that they don't have much RAM by having the OS silently kill background processes when RAM usage reaches a certain point. Sounds like what happened was whatever site you checked was a memory hog and the out-of-memory killer saw that tab with a great big post in it as a juicy block of RAM to reclaim.

This is one of the reasons I rarely use my phone to do anything. My desktop has an excessive amount of RAM, and even if I didn't, the Linux OOM killer behaves a lot more predictably and transparently than the Android one does.

[Rothman]

I feel strangely guilty about my loss of interest in the MCU.  Used to really enjoy keeping up with it.  But I look at Brave New World and shrug.

Maybe it was just a case of overload.  Too many series and movies to keep up with to keep up with the connections across such and just gave up on it.  Or, all the products were just too similar in entertainment value.

Whatever.