Minor things that bother you

[Scott5114]

People who took one statistics class in college and subsequently believe every situation is like flipping a coin, have no concept of what events are independent and what events are not, and believe any statistical outlier, no matter the context, must be luck and will eventually regress to an average.

Hey, at least those people keep the lights on at my house. 

[Beltway]

People who took one statistics class in college and subsequently believe every situation is like flipping a coin, have no concept of what events are independent and what events are not, and believe any statistical outlier, no matter the context, must be luck and will eventually regress to an average.

That is like the "if it saves one life" logical fallacy.

The "if it saves one life" argument is often considered a logical fallacy because it appeals to emotion while ignoring trade-offs, unintended consequences, and proportional reasoning. It's a rhetorical shield that can shut down critical analysis.

It leverages the emotional weight of a single life to override rational cost-benefit analysis. While saving lives is important, policies must consider broader impacts, including lives lost or harmed elsewhere due to the same policy.

[Scott5114]

People talk about saving lives all the time, but you never hear of them going back and loading the saves.

[Max Rockatansky]

I always keep at least one save file while playing Doom.  Having to get going from a pistol start often isn't any fun with modern WAD map packs.

[vdeane]

People talk about saving lives all the time, but you never hear of them going back and loading the saves.

Fortunately, the Doctor does load saves.

[Beltway]

Unfalsifiability

The argument "if it saves one life" is often used to justify any action, no matter how costly or ineffective, because it's impossible to prove a life wasn't saved. This makes it immune to scrutiny.

[CoreySamson]

A small little thing that has annoyed me this semester:

One of my university's perks is free laundry. The old washing machines we had were designed with coin payment in mind, but ORU decided to make it all free. This summer, ORU replaced all of the washing machines on campus. It seems that the washing machine supplier they sourced from stopped making machines with coin slots and have now completely shifted to electronic payment with an app for their washers. As a result, the new washing machines designed with an app for payment still require the app (and an account in the app!) to operate the washing machines, even though they are still free. Now I have to take my phone into the laundry room and connect it to the washing machine (which occasionally does not connect) in order to start my laundry.

Is it annoying? Yes. Would I tolerate it if it meant I still had free laundry? Also yes, so it's not that big of a deal.

[Scott5114]

A small little thing that has annoyed me this semester:

One of my university's perks is free laundry. The old washing machines we had were designed with coin payment in mind, but ORU decided to make it all free. This summer, ORU replaced all of the washing machines on campus. It seems that the washing machine supplier they sourced from stopped making machines with coin slots and have now completely shifted to electronic payment with an app for their washers. As a result, the new washing machines designed with an app for payment still require the app (and an account in the app!) to operate the washing machines, even though they are still free. Now I have to take my phone into the laundry room and connect it to the washing machine (which occasionally does not connect) in order to start my laundry.

Is it annoying? Yes. Would I tolerate it if it meant I still had free laundry? Also yes, so it's not that big of a deal.

Why didn't they just order the kind of industrial washers places like hotels have for their housekeepers to do their laundry? I guess they wanted to leave themselves open to being able to charge again in the future?

[formulanone]

Unfalsifiability

The argument "if it saves one life" is often used to justify any action, no matter how costly or ineffective, because it's impossible to prove a life wasn't saved. This makes it immune to scrutiny.

Conversely, mankind's collective greed and selfishness would plunder everyone's resources and destroy its fellow humans for a mere flickering moment of happiness, if it lacked a sense of foresight before hindsight.

Source: history of mankind

[Beltway]

A small little thing that has annoyed me this semester:
One of my university's perks is free laundry. The old washing machines we had were designed with coin payment in mind, but ORU decided to make it all free. This summer, ORU replaced all of the washing machines on campus. It seems that the washing machine supplier they sourced from stopped making machines with coin slots and have now completely shifted to electronic payment with an app for their washers. As a result, the new washing machines designed with an app for payment still require the app (and an account in the app!) to operate the washing machines, even though they are still free. Now I have to take my phone into the laundry room and connect it to the washing machine (which occasionally does not connect) in order to start my laundry.
Is it annoying? Yes. Would I tolerate it if it meant I still had free laundry? Also yes, so it's not that big of a deal.

We lost power for 8 days from tropical storm Irene in 2011.

So I needed to take a load of clothes to a local laundromat that still had power.

With inflation and all it took a barrel full of quarters to do two loads of washer and dryer.

Nowadays I would surmise that they have credit card interfaces.

[1995hoo]

^^^^

I had to go to a laundromat last February when the suspension rods failed in our old washer. The machines no longer had coin slots. Instead, they were card-operated, but "card" here doesn't mean credit or debit—at least, not directly. Instead, there was a vending machine on one wall that sold a reloadable declining-balance card you swiped when starting the washer or dryer. The machine took both cash and credit/debit. It worked fine, although the downside from my point of view is that I now have some relatively small balance going to waste on the card. I guess at least it's a local laundromat such that maybe I'll use it up someday (e.g., washing a bulky item like a car cover that won't fit in the washer at home).

I recall a few years ago we stayed at a timeshare-style resort in Weston, Florida, where the washers and dryers were activated using an app. That also worked fine, and again the downside is that I have something like a $1.54 balance left in that app and I'm highly unlikely ever to use it.

[kphoger]

How do you get a landlord to stop ghosting you?  I ... tried to go down today, and they have a substitute who doesn't even have computer permissions to look up anything related to this property ...

Go again later, when the manager is there.  Did you ask the substitute when would be a good time to try?

[vdeane]

A small little thing that has annoyed me this semester:

One of my university's perks is free laundry. The old washing machines we had were designed with coin payment in mind, but ORU decided to make it all free. This summer, ORU replaced all of the washing machines on campus. It seems that the washing machine supplier they sourced from stopped making machines with coin slots and have now completely shifted to electronic payment with an app for their washers. As a result, the new washing machines designed with an app for payment still require the app (and an account in the app!) to operate the washing machines, even though they are still free. Now I have to take my phone into the laundry room and connect it to the washing machine (which occasionally does not connect) in order to start my laundry.

Is it annoying? Yes. Would I tolerate it if it meant I still had free laundry? Also yes, so it's not that big of a deal.

Interesting.  At Clarkson, back when laundry wasn't free, it was paid for via one's student ID (as was everything else).  When they made laundry free, they set up the system so that a "payment" would be made via the student ID card as before, just now without needing to pay to add funds or anything.  Eventually they managed to make it work without swiping the card.

How do you get a landlord to stop ghosting you?  I ... tried to go down today, and they have a substitute who doesn't even have computer permissions to look up anything related to this property ...

Go again later, when the manager is there.  Did you ask the substitute when would be a good time to try?

The local property manager was normally in that time, so she would have been out for the day.  And I'm rarely available to talk to them during the week (unless I want to take time off work, which is very tight with all the travel I do for family).  I practically never see anyone higher up the food chain there.

I did manage to make a call to someone at the corporate office, so I guess I'll see if anything comes of that.  I know maintenance did more sanding today, but only because my upstairs neighbor overheard and sent me an email.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Unfalsifiability

The argument "if it saves one life" is often used to justify any action, no matter how costly or ineffective, because it's impossible to prove a life wasn't saved. This makes it immune to scrutiny.

Because this line of thinking usually leads to "since we cannot stop all instances of X from happening, it's a waste to try to prevent X from happening at all." We let perfect be the enemy of good. Now, of course we can evaluate our responses and actions and determine how we can do better, and sometimes we do, sometimes not so much.

[kphoger]

Remember, kids, the goal is always zero.  Anything but zero is failure.

[Takumi]

^^^^

I had to go to a laundromat last February when the suspension rods failed in our old washer. The machines no longer had coin slots. Instead, they were card-operated, but "card" here doesn't mean credit or debit—at least, not directly. Instead, there was a vending machine on one wall that sold a reloadable declining-balance card you swiped when starting the washer or dryer. The machine took both cash and credit/debit. It worked fine, although the downside from my point of view is that I now have some relatively small balance going to waste on the card. I guess at least it's a local laundromat such that maybe I'll use it up someday (e.g., washing a bulky item like a car cover that won't fit in the washer at home).

I recall a few years ago we stayed at a timeshare-style resort in Weston, Florida, where the washers and dryers were activated using an app. That also worked fine, and again the downside is that I have something like a $1.54 balance left in that app and I'm highly unlikely ever to use it.

We had to use a laundromat for a bit when our washer and dryer both broke down. The one we went to used an app to control the machines.

[roadman65]

Cars that have drivers that don't pay attention to the green light change at quick changing signals and wait ten or fifteen seconds to move or react to the now green signal.  Meanwhile you are number four in line and the light turns red for car number three directly ahead of you.

[Max Rockatansky]

I hate cars that don't pay attention.

[Molandfreak]

Cars that have drivers that don't pay attention to the green light change at quick changing signals and wait ten or fifteen seconds to move or react to the now green signal.  Meanwhile you are number four in line and the light turns red for car number three directly ahead of you.

Careful, apparently "jumping the light" and having the courtesy to pay attention to your surroundings before the light turns green is dangerous somehow.

See also: My post on the topic

[Beltway]

People that don't "stake out their left turn."

When you're waiting in a left turn lane to turn left at an intersection, "staking out" means pulling forward into the intersection (past the stop line, but not into oncoming traffic) so you're ready to complete the turn when the light changes or when there's a gap. It's a common practice because it signals intent, positions you to turn quickly, and ensures at least one car gets through when the light turns yellow.

People who don't do it sit behind the stop line, waiting for a perfect gap. They often miss the chance to turn, block cars behind them, and waste the cycle. In heavy traffic, this can mean no left turns at all until the next green, frustrating everyone behind.

It is like not RTOR (turning right on red) -- you are not legally required to do it but it is a social violation of traffic expectations if you refuse to do it (assuming it is safe to do so).

[kphoger]

People that don't "stake out their left turn."

When you're waiting in a left turn lane to turn left at an intersection, "staking out" means pulling forward into the intersection (past the stop line, but not into oncoming traffic) so you're ready to complete the turn when the light changes or when there's a gap. It's a common practice because it signals intent, positions you to turn quickly, and ensures at least one car gets through when the light turns yellow.

People who don't do it sit behind the stop line, waiting for a perfect gap. They often miss the chance to turn, block cars behind them, and waste the cycle. In heavy traffic, this can mean no left turns at all until the next green, frustrating everyone behind.

I often split the difference.  I wait behind the line till I see a potential gap in traffic, and then I pull out in expectation of it.

[JayhawkCO]

I do it basically every morning when I drop my son off for day care. It's a busy enough intersection that I'm pretty much forced to be in the intersection so that I can legally turn left once the light goes yellow->red.

[mgk920]

Only the FINEST Bubblewrap in the Uline catalog will do!

Mike

[thenetwork]

I do it basically every morning when I drop my son off for day care. It's a busy enough intersection that I'm pretty much forced to be in the intersection so that I can legally turn left once the light goes yellow->red.

I just was behind a pick up truck with trailer on a busy 2-lane road that not only remained behind the stop bar, but they did NOTHING but sit there through one full cycle.  He almost did this on the next cycle but he finally turned left a hair before the light turned yellow again.

[1995hoo]

People that don't "stake out their left turn."

When you're waiting in a left turn lane to turn left at an intersection, "staking out" means pulling forward into the intersection (past the stop line, but not into oncoming traffic) so you're ready to complete the turn when the light changes or when there's a gap. It's a common practice because it signals intent, positions you to turn quickly, and ensures at least one car gets through when the light turns yellow.

People who don't do it sit behind the stop line, waiting for a perfect gap. They often miss the chance to turn, block cars behind them, and waste the cycle. In heavy traffic, this can mean no left turns at all until the next green, frustrating everyone behind.

It is like not RTOR (turning right on red) -- you are not legally required to do it but it is a social violation of traffic expectations if you refuse to do it (assuming it is safe to do so).

This issue has been the topic of various threads in the past. I think the boldfaced definitely depends on where you are. Certainly on urban roads with no turn lanes/turn lights you have to pull out to wait. It can also be more practical to do so where intersection geometry gives you a clear view of traffic coming the other way. But I can think of plenty of intersections where it's harder to see oncoming traffic if you pull out, especially if someone coming the other way does the same thing. At the intersection nearest my house, most of us wait behind the line because it's just plain easier to see and because traffic is often heavy enough that you're not likely to get an opportunity to turn anyway (and there will invariably be at least two red-light runners, one per lane, usually at fairly high speeds, so you'd wind up waiting until several seconds after the light turns red to be able to complete your turn). To put it differently, I know the intersection and the traffic flow after living in this location for over 24 years and making that turn all the time, and the fact that someone who doesn't live in this area may think that pulling out into the box is the better practice as a general matter holds zero weight with me.

What I really hate are the people who think it's OK to pull out more than halfway across the intersection to stage a turn. They render it impossible for anyone to see what's coming in the other direction.