Minor things that bother you

[kphoger]

Whole-home TV service—by which I mean one cable box being the host and other cable boxes being client boxes that get all their info from the host box instead of directly from the cable provider's headend—has been available for several years now, and it is made possible through DSG tunneling.  Typically, cable boxes are only on the receiving end of the data transmission:  the only info they send back to the headend is a small amount of out-of-band stuff.  But, for whole-home TV to work, in-band data has to be sent both directions through the cable lines—i.e., from one box to another.  In order to prevent that upstream data from knocking a modem offline, or even going back outside through the tap and knocking a neighbor offline, there are filters that a cable tech can install on the back of the modem or outside at the point of entry.

Filters in general are nothing new in the cable world.  In the days before everything went digital, for example, there were filters to block all TV service for internet- and phone-only customers, there were filters to block only the higher channels for customers who were only subscribed to basic cable, there were filters to block specific premium channels, there were high-pass filters, etc.  And it was common for a cable provider to color-code these filters with a band of tape around the device.  So, for example, at least in this area, Cox used gold-colored tape for one type, yellow for another, purple for another, etc.  Cable techs typically referred to these filters by color:  The customer's TV wasn't working because there was a purple trap up at the pole, or whatever.

Anyway, the filters that are used with whole-home systems are the product of the Multimedia over Coaxial Alliance, or MoCA for short.  When they first launched in this area, the MoCA filters had a brown-colored band around them;  in fact, I think they still do.  It wasn't tape like what had previously been used on other types of filters, but it kind of looked like it.

So the minor thing that bothers me is that some cable techs refer to them as "mocha filters", because they incorrectly assume that their name has to do with the somewhat-coffee-colored band around them.

[elsmere241]

When you call your internet provider Sunday morning because you'd lost your connection the night before, and the technician comes Tuesday afternoon.  Then the connection goes out again Wednesday afternoon and it's around noon Friday when another technician comes.

This is why I haven't posted much this week.  (But it's not like I've been other places online.)

[vdeane]

I heard that the US is phasing out the traditional green squares and red triangles for marine navigation in favor of boring buoys.

[Scott5114]

My wife likes to order grocery deliveries from Walmart. This supposedly saves me time going grocery shopping. Although half the time they don't bring what we actually ordered, but instead something kinda similar that we don't want. Like instead of the kind of Sprite we specify, they bring the kind that has sweetener my wife is allergic to. Or this time, instead of bringing orange and key lime yogurt, they brought the strawberry kind that has fruit chunks in it that neither of us like.

And then I end up having to go to WinCo anyway to buy the thing we tried to order. Sigh. At least Walmart refunds it. Which raises the question of how they actually make any money bringing people stuff they don't want and having to refund them...

[elsmere241]

My wife likes to order grocery deliveries from Walmart.

While we do some grocery shopping (mainly at the club stores), my wife orders quite a bit online.  That means I bring a lot of boxes in from the porch, and then eventually have to get rid of the boxes.  (And squeeze them into the recycling bin on Thursday nights.)

[JayhawkCO]

My wife likes to order grocery deliveries from Walmart. This supposedly saves me time going grocery shopping. Although half the time they don't bring what we actually ordered, but instead something kinda similar that we don't want. Like instead of the kind of Sprite we specify, they bring the kind that has sweetener my wife is allergic to. Or this time, instead of bringing orange and key lime yogurt, they brought the strawberry kind that has fruit chunks in it that neither of us like.

And then I end up having to go to WinCo anyway to buy the thing we tried to order. Sigh. At least Walmart refunds it. Which raises the question of how they actually make any money bringing people stuff they don't want and having to refund them...

By paying the people who eff up your order minimum wage.

[Scott5114]

My wife likes to order grocery deliveries from Walmart. This supposedly saves me time going grocery shopping. Although half the time they don't bring what we actually ordered, but instead something kinda similar that we don't want. Like instead of the kind of Sprite we specify, they bring the kind that has sweetener my wife is allergic to. Or this time, instead of bringing orange and key lime yogurt, they brought the strawberry kind that has fruit chunks in it that neither of us like.

And then I end up having to go to WinCo anyway to buy the thing we tried to order. Sigh. At least Walmart refunds it. Which raises the question of how they actually make any money bringing people stuff they don't want and having to refund them...

By paying the people who eff up your order minimum wage.

But if they're having to give away so much product for free, how do they even make enough to cover those people's minimum wage?

[JayhawkCO]

My wife likes to order grocery deliveries from Walmart. This supposedly saves me time going grocery shopping. Although half the time they don't bring what we actually ordered, but instead something kinda similar that we don't want. Like instead of the kind of Sprite we specify, they bring the kind that has sweetener my wife is allergic to. Or this time, instead of bringing orange and key lime yogurt, they brought the strawberry kind that has fruit chunks in it that neither of us like.

And then I end up having to go to WinCo anyway to buy the thing we tried to order. Sigh. At least Walmart refunds it. Which raises the question of how they actually make any money bringing people stuff they don't want and having to refund them...

By paying the people who eff up your order minimum wage.

But if they're having to give away so much product for free, how do they even make enough to cover those people's minimum wage?

Higher margins than most because they have such a robust distribution network. And probably most people don't ask for a refund and just deal with it. It's like mail in rebates; sometimes people think the juice isn't worth the squeeze or they just plain forget.

[bugo]

What would keep a non-Muslim from visiting Mecca? Are there security guards at the entrances, and how do they tell if a person is a Muslim or not? Couldn't somebody just pretend to be a Muslim and walk in?

[Molandfreak]

What would keep a non-Muslim from visiting Mecca? Are there security guards at the entrances, and how do they tell if a person is a Muslim or not? Couldn't somebody just pretend to be a Muslim and walk in?

From what I understand, visiting Mecca is entirely dependent on what visa you have if you're not a citizen of one of the GCC countries. Obtaining the necessary visa to make Hajj requires a Shahadah certificate, which a mosque will provide for you upon request for this purpose.

Whether these certificates can easily be faked for the purpose of entering Mecca, I don't know. They may or may not have a system sophisticated enough to weed out pretend converts.

[Scott5114]

From what I understand, visiting Mecca is entirely dependent on what visa you have if you're not a citizen of one of the GCC countries.

Geez, I've heard it described as "religious differences", but I didn't know people took choice of C compiler that seriously.

[DenverBrian]

I'm mildly annoyed that GM still makes Buicks. Don't get me wrong, I'm a GM fan. I drive a Chevrolet. I just think that Buick is a brand that should be retired, as Pontiac and Oldsmobile were. GM should focus on three brands: Chevrolet as the flagship brand, GMC for rugged trucks and SUVs, and Cadillac for luxury vehicles.

Who still buys Buicks, anyway? A quick Google search says women and Chinese people.

Buick and GMC should be retired and Pontiac brought back. Chevy for budget vehicles and all trucks, Pontiac for sports/performance vehicles, Cadillac for "luxury" vehicles.

Buick survived the last purge specifically because the Chinese love them.

[Max Rockatansky]

The sad thing is that GM finally got the Pontiac lineup to be fairly distinct and performance oriented by the time it went defunct.  The G8 was a gem of a car and the Solstice (especially the GXP) was a nice alternative to the Miata. 

[Rothman]

The sad thing is that GM finally got the Pontiac lineup to be fairly distinct and performance oriented by the time it went defunct.  The G8 was a gem of a car and the Solstice (especially the GXP) was a nice alternative to the Miata. 

...but the Aztec...

[Scott5114]

The sad thing is that GM finally got the Pontiac lineup to be fairly distinct and performance oriented by the time it went defunct.  The G8 was a gem of a car and the Solstice (especially the GXP) was a nice alternative to the Miata. 

When I took my G6 to get new tires, the guy behind the counter started geeking out over it like it was a classic car. Apparently he has one at home he's restoring and hadn't had one come through the shop since he started working on it. That was a little weird.

[Max Rockatansky]

The sad thing is that GM finally got the Pontiac lineup to be fairly distinct and performance oriented by the time it went defunct.  The G8 was a gem of a car and the Solstice (especially the GXP) was a nice alternative to the Miata. 

When I took my G6 to get new tires, the guy behind the counter started geeking out over it like it was a classic car. Apparently he has one at home he's restoring and hadn't had one come through the shop since he started working on it. That was a little weird.

The GTP was about as interesting as those cars got.  Either way, no Epsilon platform car is ever going to be a classic.

[tchafe1978]

My wife likes to order grocery deliveries from Walmart. This supposedly saves me time going grocery shopping. Although half the time they don't bring what we actually ordered, but instead something kinda similar that we don't want. Like instead of the kind of Sprite we specify, they bring the kind that has sweetener my wife is allergic to. Or this time, instead of bringing orange and key lime yogurt, they brought the strawberry kind that has fruit chunks in it that neither of us like.

And then I end up having to go to WinCo anyway to buy the thing we tried to order. Sigh. At least Walmart refunds it. Which raises the question of how they actually make any money bringing people stuff they don't want and having to refund them...

If an item you ordered isn't avaiable, you should get a notification or an email. You will then be offered substitutions for the item that isn't avaiable and can approve or deny the substituion. If you deny the substitution you won't be charged for the item you didn't get. If you approve the substitution you'll be charged for the item you did get. Maybe you're not getting the notifications or emails?

[Scott5114]

My wife likes to order grocery deliveries from Walmart. This supposedly saves me time going grocery shopping. Although half the time they don't bring what we actually ordered, but instead something kinda similar that we don't want. Like instead of the kind of Sprite we specify, they bring the kind that has sweetener my wife is allergic to. Or this time, instead of bringing orange and key lime yogurt, they brought the strawberry kind that has fruit chunks in it that neither of us like.

And then I end up having to go to WinCo anyway to buy the thing we tried to order. Sigh. At least Walmart refunds it. Which raises the question of how they actually make any money bringing people stuff they don't want and having to refund them...

If an item you ordered isn't avaiable, you should get a notification or an email. You will then be offered substitutions for the item that isn't avaiable and can approve or deny the substituion. If you deny the substitution you won't be charged for the item you didn't get. If you approve the substitution you'll be charged for the item you did get. Maybe you're not getting the notifications or emails?

I don't know. That's all my wife's doing. I still go to the store every Monday and pay cash like an old person (because fuck the Visa Corporation in particular). This only becomes an issue if she wants stuff the store I go to doesn't have, or she's trying to be helpful when I can't go on Monday for whatever reason and it throws the schedule off. Dragging my ass down to WinCo is annoying but it's less annoying than whatever's happening with Walmart.

Based on her anger whenever I tell her what's in the bags, I'm guessing she's not getting notifications. (I do remember her telling me a few times "They didn't have XYZ so I cancelled it", so she at least gets them sometimes.) But of course she wouldn't get a notification if the person doing the picking at the store grabbed a Sprite Zero instead of a Sprite Chill because they didn't notice or care about the difference.

[GaryV]

When you go to the store and are irritated about the number of older people clogging the aisles. And then you realize, you are one of the older people.

[I-57/Route 66 Fan]

Scalpers

[Max Rockatansky]

Scalpers

I too find it annoying when random passersby try to scalp me with a hatchet.

[I-57/Route 66 Fan]

Scalpers

I too find it annoying when random passersby try to scalp me with a hatchet.

I'm talking about trading cards and toys

[kkt]

I'm mildly annoyed that GM still makes Buicks. Don't get me wrong, I'm a GM fan. I drive a Chevrolet. I just think that Buick is a brand that should be retired, as Pontiac and Oldsmobile were. GM should focus on three brands: Chevrolet as the flagship brand, GMC for rugged trucks and SUVs, and Cadillac for luxury vehicles.

Who still buys Buicks, anyway? A quick Google search says women and Chinese people.

Buick and GMC should be retired and Pontiac brought back. Chevy for budget vehicles and all trucks, Pontiac for sports/performance vehicles, Cadillac for "luxury" vehicles.

Buick survived the last purge specifically because the Chinese love them.

At least someone loves Buick.

[Max Rockatansky]

Funny, my grandpa was a Buick man for years and years.  Even he made the switch to a Pontiacs Bonneville in the late 1990s before his license was taken away.

[Scott5114]

Pontiacs Bonneville

They're like Attorneys General.