Minor things that bother you

[Molandfreak]

Sheriff's departments actively encouraging motorists to be mindless idiots unless they have the right of way.

[Plutonic Panda]

Sheriff's departments actively encouraging motorists to be mindless idiots unless they have the right of way.

What are you talking about? That seems like pretty good advice on defensive driving. Not jumping the intersection as soon as the light turns green and looking both ways to make sure no one takes the red light has saved me from quite a few crashes

[Scott5114]

Sheriff's departments actively encouraging motorists to be mindless idiots unless they have the right of way.

What are you talking about? That seems like pretty good advice on defensive driving. Not jumping the intersection as soon as the light turns green and looking both ways to make sure no one takes the red light has saved me from quite a few crashes

That's considered common wisdom in Las Vegas. Since Metro doesn't enforce traffic laws, red light running (and the associated crashes) is very common here.

[webny99]

The half of times that you don't get the code must be even more annoying.

Definitely not.  My windows just pop up right again, still signed in?  No need to pull out my cell phone?  That's the opposite of annoying!

HB said the system timed out, though, which would seem to mean a login code would be required.

[ZLoth]

You know what is more annoying, though?  When it decides it needs my code, so I choose the 'send a text' option, then it tells me it sent me a text with the code, but no text message ever comes through on my phone, so I have to close the program, open it again, and go through the process again.  That happened to me twice this week.

Sending a one-time password via text message isn't the most secure method of two-factor authentication, especially when better and more secure methods are available.

[Scott5114]

You know what is more annoying, though?  When it decides it needs my code, so I choose the 'send a text' option, then it tells me it sent me a text with the code, but no text message ever comes through on my phone, so I have to close the program, open it again, and go through the process again.  That happened to me twice this week.

Sending a one-time password via text message isn't the most secure method of two-factor authentication, especially when better and more secure methods are available.

If I still worked for a company I hated, I think I would try to get an ADA accommodation to opt out of two-factor authentication altogether. 2FA makes it a lot harder to get anything done when you have "forget what you're in the middle of doing" disease. Also, if HR insisted, it would probably cause a flag day with IT, and that's always fun.

[vdeane]

Recently, a little box for comments has been popping up in Word whenever I highlight any text in any document at any time. It's apparently a new feature that cannot be turned off, even if I roll back to an earlier version.

This box annoys me, not only because I find it distracting, but also because it's happening in Word 2021, a program I bought specifically because I generally do not like any of the changes that Microsoft has been making, and I thought that I would be able to avoid them by using an older program.

 

The recent Office changes in general.  The latest update just got rid of the scrolling ability in certain ribbon items (such as the styles in Word), requiring an extra click on a big ugly button with an arrow.

Sheriff's departments actively encouraging motorists to be mindless idiots unless they have the right of way.

I'm generally paying attention even when the light is red, so I don't really need a ton of time after the light turns green to determine if anyone is coming, but there is one time I do that: at intersections with red light cameras, to eliminate the risk of the camera giving me a ticket thinking the light is still red.

[TheCatalyst31]

You know what is more annoying, though?  When it decides it needs my code, so I choose the 'send a text' option, then it tells me it sent me a text with the code, but no text message ever comes through on my phone, so I have to close the program, open it again, and go through the process again.  That happened to me twice this week.

Sending a one-time password via text message isn't the most secure method of two-factor authentication, especially when better and more secure methods are available.

If I still worked for a company I hated, I think I would try to get an ADA accommodation to opt out of two-factor authentication altogether. 2FA makes it a lot harder to get anything done when you have "forget what you're in the middle of doing" disease. Also, if HR insisted, it would probably cause a flag day with IT, and that's always fun.

It really depends on how the 2FA is set up. My employer has 2FA, but they use a centralized system for it, so once you provide your 2FA code once you're good for the rest of the day. Speaking from experience, though, having to do it repeatedly throughout the day gets annoying fast.

[JayhawkCO]

You know what is more annoying, though?  When it decides it needs my code, so I choose the 'send a text' option, then it tells me it sent me a text with the code, but no text message ever comes through on my phone, so I have to close the program, open it again, and go through the process again.  That happened to me twice this week.

Sending a one-time password via text message isn't the most secure method of two-factor authentication, especially when better and more secure methods are available.

If I still worked for a company I hated, I think I would try to get an ADA accommodation to opt out of two-factor authentication altogether. 2FA makes it a lot harder to get anything done when you have "forget what you're in the middle of doing" disease. Also, if HR insisted, it would probably cause a flag day with IT, and that's always fun.

It really depends on how the 2FA is set up. My employer has 2FA, but they use a centralized system for it, so once you provide your 2FA code once you're good for the rest of the day. Speaking from experience, though, having to do it repeatedly throughout the day gets annoying fast.

My job requires 3 different VPNs for various things, and all have different 2FA systems, only of which is 24 hours. It is miserable.

[jeffandnicole]

You know what is more annoying, though?  When it decides it needs my code, so I choose the 'send a text' option, then it tells me it sent me a text with the code, but no text message ever comes through on my phone, so I have to close the program, open it again, and go through the process again.  That happened to me twice this week.

Sending a one-time password via text message isn't the most secure method of two-factor authentication, especially when better and more secure methods are available.

If I still worked for a company I hated, I think I would try to get an ADA accommodation to opt out of two-factor authentication altogether. 2FA makes it a lot harder to get anything done when you have "forget what you're in the middle of doing" disease. Also, if HR insisted, it would probably cause a flag day with IT, and that's always fun.

It really depends on how the 2FA is set up. My employer has 2FA, but they use a centralized system for it, so once you provide your 2FA code once you're good for the rest of the day. Speaking from experience, though, having to do it repeatedly throughout the day gets annoying fast.

My job requires 3 different VPNs for various things, and all have different 2FA systems, only of which is 24 hours. It is miserable.

Our VPN sessions only lasts 8 hours. 8 hours is the normal workday length, including lunch. So if someone signs in early or needs to work late, they need to sign in again. 

At least it's better than the time originally provided which was 4 hours, which meant everyone had to sign in to the VPN twice a day at minimum.

[CtrlAltDel]

Recently, a little box for comments has been popping up in Word whenever I highlight any text in any document at any time. It's apparently a new feature that cannot be turned off, even if I roll back to an earlier version.

This box annoys me, not only because I find it distracting, but also because it's happening in Word 2021, a program I bought specifically because I generally do not like any of the changes that Microsoft has been making, and I thought that I would be able to avoid them by using an older program.

 

The recent Office changes in general.  The latest update just got rid of the scrolling ability in certain ribbon items (such as the styles in Word), requiring an extra click on a big ugly button with an arrow.

I wish I had known that that was an option, since that would have made things a bit easier. As it stands, I delete the styles I don't use, so the ones I do use are necessarily easy to access.

[ZLoth]

My job requires 3 different VPNs for various things, and all have different 2FA systems, only of which is 24 hours. It is miserable.

That was my world, and it was by requirement. 2FA for work stuff, and a completely different set of 2FA (three for three different systems) for the systems that were government-related per our Authorization To Operate.

[ZLoth]

Will someone please explain WTF I'm checking the UPS website several times a day for a personal laptop that I ordered to get here? I know the estimated time it will get here (Wednesday between 3-5 PM), and the specs are intentionally on the low end (it's not a gaming laptop, those can get quite expensive).

[kphoger]

Sending a one-time password via text message isn't the most secure method of two-factor authentication, especially when better and more secure methods are available.

But it's the one option available to me that doesn't involve receiving it in a phone call or my buying a smartphone do download an app.  And, really, if it's secure enough for the company that requires it of me, then it's definitely secure enough for me!

My job requires 3 different VPNs for various things, and all have different 2FA systems, only of which is 24 hours. It is miserable.

I use multiple VPNs and VDIs at work too, but fortunately only two of them require 2FA.  And one of them times out in a frustratingly short amount of time.

Our VPN sessions only lasts 8 hours. 8 hours is the normal workday length, including lunch. So if someone signs in early or needs to work late, they need to sign in again. 

At least it's better than the time originally provided which was 4 hours, which meant everyone had to sign in to the VPN twice a day at minimum.

Oh, what I wouldn't give for 4 hours of uninterrupted sign-in!  Even one hour isn't bad, but fifteen minutes is just ridiculous.

[1995hoo]

Sending a one-time password via text message isn't the most secure method of two-factor authentication, especially when better and more secure methods are available.

But it's the one option available to me that doesn't involve receiving it in a phone call or my buying a smartphone do download an app.  And, really, if it's secure enough for the company that requires it of me, then it's definitely secure enough for me!

The thing that bugs me lately about SMS-based two-factor authentication is not necessarily the security concerns. Rather, what bugs me is the proliferation of text-message spam. That is, for some reason I've been getting a lot of political spam. Sending back "STOP," blocking the numbers, or reporting it as junk doesn't really help because you just get more spam from another number (and I remain suspicious of "STOP" because I fear it just confirms you have a live number).

How does that relate to two-factor authentication? Well, I'd love to set my phone to reject all text messages not from known contacts. The problem comes when you get an SMS-based two-factor authentication message. It's probably feasible to designate some of the ones you get regularly as known contacts, but then there are some you don't use very often, and then there is the issue of the occasion when you may get such a message from a new source. So setting it up to filter out the spam has the problematic knock-on effect of potentially hamstringing your ability to log onto legitimate things you want to use. (I wish more banks would support things like a YubiKey or a 2FA app.)

Our VPN sessions only lasts 8 hours. 8 hours is the normal workday length, including lunch. So if someone signs in early or needs to work late, they need to sign in again. 

At least it's better than the time originally provided which was 4 hours, which meant everyone had to sign in to the VPN twice a day at minimum.

Ours last up to 12 hours. It used to be 10, but during the COVID shutdowns they changed it to 12. Most of us are online more than eight hours in a day, so the longer duration is helpful.

[kphoger]

The VPN I use that doesn't time out after just 15 minutes, on the other hand, does require 2FA for Every Single Application within the environment.  Fortunately, I have a desktop widget for that one.

[kernals12]

The continuous descents that airlines use nowadays makes the sensation of landing less fun.

[kkt]

Websites that use embedded maps which, when I use the mouse wheel to zoom, instead display "use cloverleaf + to zoom".  If you know what I'm trying to do, why the hell don't you just DO it?  Also I am using a Mac, but with a 3rd party external keyboard, so I do not HAVE a cloverleaf key.  Why can't Apple use the same keys on its keyboards as the ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD?

[Scott5114]

The continuous descents that airlines use nowadays makes the sensation of landing less fun.

If LAS is your home airport you get to experience the world at a 45° angle on the way in and out.

[hbelkins]

Websites that use embedded maps which, when I use the mouse wheel to zoom, instead display "use cloverleaf + to zoom".  If you know what I'm trying to do, why the hell don't you just DO it?  Also I am using a Mac, but with a 3rd party external keyboard, so I do not HAVE a cloverleaf key.  Why can't Apple use the same keys on its keyboards as the ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD?

I use a Mac as well. The cloverleaf key is "command" or "cmd." Not hard to figure out.

What bugs me is the keyboard shortcut differences between Mac and Windows. Command-left arrow moves the browser back a window on the Mac, but it's alt-left arrow on a PC.

[formulanone]

Websites that use embedded maps which, when I use the mouse wheel to zoom, instead display "use cloverleaf + to zoom".  If you know what I'm trying to do, why the hell don't you just DO it? 

It's Control + Mouse to us Windows folks and it's also an annoying backwards design step. You can hold the left/right-click button and zoom in but that feels like a requirement from 2005.

Here...try it on United Airlines' site.

I encounter this with my work travel software and most hotel/airline websites; I'm not sure what the purpose of it is except that perhaps it's an Accessibility requirement...but usually that's less of a reason to ask a user to hold down a key while doing something else.

A quick search suggests Google Maps tries to prevent over-zooming or ruining the zoom value of the parent webpage, which sounds a little bogus; it still over-zooms, if not more so.

[kphoger]

If LAS is your home airport you get to experience the world at a 45° angle on the way in and out.

I once met a man who flew into and out of Baghdad during the Iraq war.  He said that, because the airspace was so restricted, the airplane had to go past 90° after takeoff in order to not violate the boundary.

(He also mentioned that, if you have passport stamps from Iraq and Israel and Afghanistan and places like that—multiple ones—then you're pretty much guaranteed to undergo a lot of questioning in every airport you fly through.)

[Molandfreak]

Websites that use embedded maps which, when I use the mouse wheel to zoom, instead display "use cloverleaf + to zoom".  If you know what I'm trying to do, why the hell don't you just DO it?  Also I am using a Mac, but with a 3rd party external keyboard, so I do not HAVE a cloverleaf key.  Why can't Apple use the same keys on its keyboards as the ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD?

I use a Mac as well. The cloverleaf key is "command" or "cmd." Not hard to figure out.

What bugs me is the keyboard shortcut differences between Mac and Windows. Command-left arrow moves the browser back a window on the Mac, but it's alt-left arrow on a PC.

Veteran Mac and Apple II users refer to this key as the "open-apple key," furthering the confusion.

[hotdogPi]

Mac keyboards have an additional modifier key compared to Windows; it's not just a renaming or replacement. Of note: like shift, option acts as a secondary keyboard and will never perform an action when combined with a key.

[LilianaUwU]

The continuous descents that airlines use nowadays makes the sensation of landing less fun.

What, do you expect the planes to just land on a cloud or something?