Minor things that bother you

[Rothman]

If there is anyone here who will admit to routinely going a consistent speed in the right lane, then slowing down to pass someone on the left, is there some sort of safety benefit to this that I'm missing?

I understand that the newer adaptive cruise control systems are garbage and don't work properly, but surely you can pay attention to your speedometer at certain points when you know it's going to slow down. I just can't think of a good reason to do this other than having garbage adaptive cruise control and not paying attention to it.

I think some people pay more attention to the angle at which their foot is on the accelerator than what number the needle is pointing to.  They maintain a constant speed not by maintaining a constant number on the speedometer, but by maintaining a constant ankle position.  So, when they come up on someone slower, they first let off the gas pedal as they prepare to pass, and then that's just the new position their foot is in.  Well, that's one theory, anyway.

It would also explain people who don't maintain speed going uphill.

[GaryV]

That doesn't explain drivers who are being followed on a road with one lane in each direction, and when they get to a passing lane they dutifully move to the right. But then they speed up. Obviously it's not the ankle angle.

I think it's more of a perceived safety factor. The driver at the passing lane now has more space between them and oncoming traffic, so they unconsciously feel they can go faster. The driver from the original scenario who is passing feels less safe because they are closer to another vehicle (and also closer to oncoming traffic), so they slow down.

[vdeane]

If there is anyone here who will admit to routinely going a consistent speed in the right lane, then slowing down to pass someone on the left, is there some sort of safety benefit to this that I'm missing?

I understand that the newer adaptive cruise control systems are garbage and don't work properly, but surely you can pay attention to your speedometer at certain points when you know it's going to slow down. I just can't think of a good reason to do this other than having garbage adaptive cruise control and not paying attention to it.

I think some people pay more attention to the angle at which their foot is on the accelerator than what number the needle is pointing to.  They maintain a constant speed not by maintaining a constant number on the speedometer, but by maintaining a constant ankle position.  So, when they come up on someone slower, they first let off the gas pedal as they prepare to pass, and then that's just the new position their foot is in.  Well, that's one theory, anyway.

That doesn't explain why they speed up again when done passing... but I think that is indeed a thing because I've found it easier to pass on uphill stretches and harder on downhill (including passenger cars, not just trucks).

... what number the needle is pointing to....

There are more and more people to whom that doesn't even apply as more cars go to digital speedometers that simply display the number. I suppose you get used to it after a while if you have that sort of car. I've never experienced it for more than a week at a time (rental cars), so I've never really gotten used to it. I suppose it might be nice when you travel to Canada or Mexico if it makes the km/h number more legible than it is on a lot of traditional analog speedometers. 

I love my digital speedometer.  No looking at small numbers in Canada for me!  Of course, Honda can switch to metric at the push of a button (well, everything except temperature).  On some cars the option is buried in settings, so it's much less convenient for those.

I also like having a number for how fast I'm going rather than estimating with a needle (or having to count off which line it's pointing at, in cars that mark every mph).

That doesn't explain drivers who are being followed on a road with one lane in each direction, and when they get to a passing lane they dutifully move to the right. But then they speed up. Obviously it's not the ankle angle.

I think it's more of a perceived safety factor. The driver at the passing lane now has more space between them and oncoming traffic, so they unconsciously feel they can go faster. The driver from the original scenario who is passing feels less safe because they are closer to another vehicle (and also closer to oncoming traffic), so they slow down.

I've also seen people who drive slow most of the time but then speed up when you hit a straight section with a passing zone, making them impossible to pass without going WAY over the speed limit.

[LilianaUwU]

If someone with a goddamn Casio can find a way to take just one seat on the bus, then what's stopping people with just a backpack from doing the same?

[Scott5114]

If someone with a goddamn Casio can find a way to take just one seat on the bus, then what's stopping people with just a backpack from doing the same?

The hilarity of this post varies based on what kind of Casio product you assume the person to be toting. (I like to think it's a digital watch, or perhaps a digital saxophone.)

[cockroachking]

If someone with a goddamn Casio can find a way to take just one seat on the bus, then what's stopping people with just a backpack from doing the same?

The hilarity of this post varies based on what kind of Casio product you assume the person to be toting. (I like to think it's a digital watch, or perhaps a digital saxophone.)

The first two things I though of when I saw Casio were a calculator or a synthesizer. They couldn't be much more different in size. And of course the calculator came to my mind first, which made the post initially seem a little strange to say the least.

[kkt]

More simply, most people on the bus should be prepared to take up only one seat, if seats are scarce.
If you need more space than that, there's Ubers or trucking services...

[Rothman]

More simply, most people on the bus should be prepared to take up only one seat, if seats are scarce.
If you need more space than that, there's Ubers or trucking services...

Meh.  Nah.  Too many people rely upon public trans as their primary mode of transport.

[Scott5114]

And of course the calculator came to my mind first, which made the post initially seem a little strange to say the least.

When was the last time you saw someone whip out a calculator on the bus?

Meh.  Nah.  Too many people rely upon public trans as their primary mode of transport.

Which is why they shouldn't be taking up more than one seat on the bus. Maybe it could be allowed if they paid a second fare.

[Scott5114]

When a multi-serving pack of some sort of food item only contains nutrition information on the outer box, and not on the individual serving containers. This means in order to be able to consult the information, I either need to keep the box around (meaning the empty space is going to take up room in my extremely stupid cabinets), cut the nutrition facts out of the box and keep it vaguely around the food item, or do something like Sharpie the most relevant figures on each container. ("Look it up on the phone" isn't an option because when I go downstairs to decide what to eat, I normally don't remember to bring the phone downstairs with me, and food manufacturers vary on how easily-accessed nutrition information is online.)

[LilianaUwU]

Too many people rely upon public trans as their primary mode of transport.

😳

[cockroachking]

And of course the calculator came to my mind first, which made the post initially seem a little strange to say the least.

When was the last time you saw someone whip out a calculator on the bus?

Not a public transit bus, but probably the last time I did math homework in the morning on the way to high school

Then again, the thoughts that run through my head are usually about as rational as π or e...

[Rothman]

Meh.  Nah.  Too many people rely upon public trans as their primary mode of transport.

Which is why they shouldn't be taking up more than one seat on the bus. Maybe it could be allowed if they paid a second fare.

Nah.  People have grocieries and laundry just like anyone else.

Have any of you lived without a car before?

[Scott5114]

Nah.  People have grocieries and laundry just like anyone else.

Nah, I'm pretty sure that's not true.

[Rothman]

Nah.  People have grocieries and laundry just like anyone else.

Nah, I'm pretty sure that's not true.

Grozeriez.

[elsmere241]

Nah.  People have grocieries and laundry just like anyone else.

Nah, I'm pretty sure that's not true.

Grozeriez.

Coloniali.

[kphoger]

Have any of you lived without a car before?

I have.  And I've hauled an old-lady-style shopping cart full of groceries onto the bus from the store to my apartment a few times, too.  Really glad the bus wasn't full any of those times.

[Rothman]

Have any of you lived without a car before?

I have.  And I've hauled an old-lady-style shopping cart full of groceries onto the bus from the store to my apartment a few times, too.  Really glad the bus wasn't full any of those times.

Well, how dare you take up more spacr on the bus with your cart?

[thenetwork]

All of a sudden in the last couple of weeks, not only has my streaming channels via Roku have been bombarding me with slot machine app ads, but many of them are with 20-somethings in poorly produced smartphone camera videos saying how "easy" it is to make money on these apps.

I wish it were as easy is to drop repetitive "ads" on streaming devices as it is to stop seeing repetitive ads on Facebook. 

[kphoger]

Which is why they shouldn't be taking up more than one seat on the bus. Maybe it could be allowed if they paid a second fare.

Well, how dare you take up more spacr on the bus with your cart?

When I pay bus fare, I'm not even paying for one seat.  All I'm really paying for is passage on the bus—whether there's a seat available or not.  If it's standing room only, I don't get my money back.  So, if one fare doesn't even entitle me to a seat, then I don't see how two seats should require paying two fares.

[hotdogPi]

There's also the question: what if the bus fare is $0? A lot of smaller transit systems do this now.

[Rothman]

Which is why they shouldn't be taking up more than one seat on the bus. Maybe it could be allowed if they paid a second fare.

Well, how dare you take up more spacr on the bus with your cart?

When I pay bus fare, I'm not even paying for one seat.  All I'm really paying for is passage on the bus—whether there's a seat available or not.  If it's standing room only, I don't get my money back.  So, if one fare doesn't even entitle me to a seat, then I don't see how two seats should require paying two fares.

So, not only can I not spell growceriez, but I can't spell spaize, either...I guess I'm old enough to have to wear glasses whenever I post on here now.

[hbelkins]

When a multi-serving pack of some sort of food item only contains nutrition information on the outer box, and not on the individual serving containers. This means in order to be able to consult the information, I either need to keep the box around (meaning the empty space is going to take up room in my extremely stupid cabinets), cut the nutrition facts out of the box and keep it vaguely around the food item, or do something like Sharpie the most relevant figures on each container. ("Look it up on the phone" isn't an option because when I go downstairs to decide what to eat, I normally don't remember to bring the phone downstairs with me, and food manufacturers vary on how easily-accessed nutrition information is online.)

You mean people actually pay attention to that noise?

[kphoger]

Because I have access to two different MSOs' systems at work, I have to take two separate pee tests every year, along with a background check each time.  This time, for the first time, the background check submission has made "expected salary" a required field, and my co-worker can't submit it without that.  Can someone please tell me why the heck CrimShield needs to know how much money I'll be making this year in order to run my background?

[formulanone]

Because I have access to two different MSOs' systems at work, I have to take two separate pee tests every year, along with a background check each time.  This time, for the first time, the background check submission has made "expected salary" a required field, and my co-worker can't submit it without that.  Can someone please tell me why the heck CrimShield needs to know how much money I'll be making this year in order to run my background?

Please Check One which corresponds to your income:

_ above the law
_ will settle out-of-court
_ can afford a decent attorney
_ will go broke getting a lawyer
_ one with limited experience will be appointed to me
_ railroaded into worst sentence