Minor things that bother you

[kphoger]

How about when pedestrians completely ignore the signals?  Happens all the time on the arterial three blocks parallel from my street.

Depends on where. If you're in downtown Denver and you wait for the signal, you're immediately outed as a tourist. It's not that hard to see if traffic is coming or not.

I wait to see how the locals are doing it. Of course, that also depends on how many other tourists are around.

Usually I just cross if nobody's coming (or quite distant). When the kids were little, I tried to set an example. Now that they're older, I look to see if we can all cross at once even if it's a DONT WALK situation. Kind of bugs me that my wife's gut reaction is to wait a few moments even when there's zero vehicles around.

I tell my kids that, even if there's a car coming, it's still safer to stay with the group than to hang back and try to cross by himself later.  A family of five is a lot more visible to drivers than a single child.

[bm7]

When a line of cars are stopped at a stoplight, and one car pulls up slightly, then the car behind it pulls up, then the next, and the next, etc.

What's the point? It very rarely is going to do you any good to be a foot closer to the light, yet almost everyone seems to do this at every intersection. When the car in front of me does this, I just stay put.

[wanderer2575]

When a line of cars are stopped at a stoplight, and one car pulls up slightly, then the car behind it pulls up, then the next, and the next, etc.

What's the point? It very rarely is going to do you any good to be a foot closer to the light, yet almost everyone seems to do this at every intersection. When the car in front of me does this, I just stay put.

As do I.

What's really stupid is when the driver in front repeatedly inches forward, eventually over the stop line and well into or past the crosswalk, then isn't looking and sits there for a few seconds when the light turns green.

[1995hoo]

When a line of cars are stopped at a stoplight, and one car pulls up slightly, then the car behind it pulls up, then the next, and the next, etc.

What's the point? It very rarely is going to do you any good to be a foot closer to the light, yet almost everyone seems to do this at every intersection. When the car in front of me does this, I just stay put.

I absolutely stay put because I normally have the car in neutral and I'm not going to step on the clutch and shift into gear just to roll forward a short distance. If a gap of a carlength or more were to appear likely to open, that'd be different because I don't want someone to see it as an invitation to pull into the gap.

If I'm first on line, I'm watching the light for the other street to see when my light is likely to turn green, so I'm not one of those people who rolls forward randomly while waiting. I will always wish American traffic lights had the combined red-yellow cycle signalling you're about to get a green.

[kphoger]

When a line of cars are stopped at a stoplight, and one car pulls up slightly, then the car behind it pulls up, then the next, and the next, etc.

What's the point? It very rarely is going to do you any good to be a foot closer to the light, yet almost everyone seems to do this at every intersection. When the car in front of me does this, I just stay put.

Depends on the situation.

If there's a lot of traffic, then I pull forward in order to keep the queue of stacked traffic as short as possible.  This may allow turning traffic toward the back of the queue a chance to turn, where there wouldn't have been an opportunity otherwise.  If there's a turn bay, it may allow a car to enter it, where access to the lane would have been blocked otherwise.  If it's a tight diamond interchange and we're all under the bridge at a red light, then it may allow more cars to clear the light, where they would possibly have been blocking the box otherwise.

Also, if I know that the stoplight has a hair trigger for turning red, such that any halfway decent gap between cars will prompt the end of the green cycle, then I'll glue my front bumper to the rear bumper of the leading car.  All too often, I've left what seemed like a reasonable gap in front of me, only to find the sensor decide prematurely that our queue was emptying out.  There's one intersection on my regular commute home that's particularly bad about this, and it has four-way split phasing and waiting through a whole set of cycles is excruciating if you just miss the end of the green.

[vdeane]

When people decide to send three emails when one will do.  I just had that happen today, containing materials for a training to happen in a couple weeks, and now I have three emails to sit in my inbox for that whole time; meanwhile, I've been trying to clean my inbox up a little so I don't have to scroll so much all the time.  The reason for three emails?  There were about 12 attachments between them - little ones, too, so it's not like file size was a problem.  This is why zip files were invented!

[webny99]

If there's a lot of traffic, then I pull forward in order to keep the queue of stacked traffic as short as possible.  This may allow turning traffic toward the back of the queue a chance to turn, where there wouldn't have been an opportunity otherwise.  If there's a turn bay, it may allow a car to enter it, where access to the lane would have been blocked otherwise.

Agreed. I've seen this exact scenario play out many times at NY 31/NY 65 . The right turn lane for NY 65 SB used to extend back to I-590, but that became a safety issue for cross traffic when the through lanes were stopped while the right turn lane was moving at speed. Now, the right lane (former center lane) keeps moving as people move into the turn lane, but only if it's not blocked by traffic going straight (and it is very annoying when that happens given how congested it can get here).

[GaryV]

What's really stupid is when the driver in front repeatedly inches forward, eventually over the stop line and well into or past the crosswalk, ...

Especially if it's the car in the left lane, and I'm in the right lane trying RTOR - now I can't see the traffic coming from my left because this big vehicle is blocking my sight line. And it's always a big vehicle - pickup or SUV - often with tinted windows you can't see through.

[1995hoo]

Depends on the situation.

If there's a lot of traffic, then I pull forward in order to keep the queue of stacked traffic as short as possible.  This may allow turning traffic toward the back of the queue a chance to turn, where there wouldn't have been an opportunity otherwise.  If there's a turn bay, it may allow a car to enter it, where access to the lane would have been blocked otherwise. ....

....

I wasn't thinking of that scenario when I made my comment earlier and you make an excellent point. I definitely try to maintain awareness of the situation around me and I will not only move up, I will also try to pull further to one side of the lane if necessary to help someone access a turn lane. One of my pet peeves is people who deny me access to the left-turn lane that leads to my neighborhood such that I miss the green arrow, either because they leave too much space and won't pull up or because they slow down so far in advance that there's no hope of making the arrow. Because that bugs me, I try not to do the same. But if I'm in the middle of the queue well beyond the start of the turn lane and the car in front of me moves up less than half a carlength, I'm not likely to shift into gear and move up then unless I see in my mirror that someone back there is trying to get into the turn lane. I don't leave huge gaps between cars in the first place (except maybe on a steep uphill in case the car in front of me rolls back).

[kphoger]

What's really stupid is when the driver in front repeatedly inches forward, eventually over the stop line and well into or past the crosswalk, ...

Especially if it's the car in the left lane, and I'm in the right lane trying RTOR - now I can't see the traffic coming from my left because this big vehicle is blocking my sight line. And it's always a big vehicle - pickup or SUV - often with tinted windows you can't see through.

It also encourages left-turning traffic coming from the right to not keep their lane:  when the normal curve takes you within a couple of feet of someone's front bumper, it seems more prudent to swing wide into the right lane during your turn instead.

[webny99]

What's really stupid is when the driver in front repeatedly inches forward, eventually over the stop line and well into or past the crosswalk, ...

Especially if it's the car in the left lane, and I'm in the right lane trying RTOR - now I can't see the traffic coming from my left because this big vehicle is blocking my sight line. And it's always a big vehicle - pickup or SUV - often with tinted windows you can't see through.

It also encourages left-turning traffic coming from the right to not keep their lane:  when the normal curve takes you within a couple of feet of someone's front bumper, it seems more prudent to swing wide into the right lane during your turn instead.

Which is especially problematic when it's a double-left turn.

[ZLoth]

The phrase that has irked me lately has been.... "I know you meant well.... but..."

This has been used many times by my 81 year old mother over the past few months. She lives with me, and has been having a bout of health challenges over the past three months. I also manage a small, specialized support team which had some challenges. That means that I'm balancing my work, my mother, my home, and my sanity. These include scheduling medical appointments. Some of these appointments are identified as "priority", which means I take the first available one even if it's in the early morning and juggling my work schedule around it. My mother hates anything earlier than "late morning", but often those appointment slots fill up fairly quick! Yet, she relies on me as her unpaid administrative assistant. So, I'm juggling the best I can, and resent that phrase when I tell her she has an early appointment and has to get started early. Would she have tolerated that when I was a child? Certainly NOT.

[kurumi]

Some people use the word "but" in a way that everything in their sentence preceding it should be ignored

[abefroman329]

Some people use the word "but" in a way that everything in their sentence preceding it should be ignored

Or, as covered extensively on Curb Your Enthusiasm, "that being said"

[kphoger]

Some people use the word "but" in a way that everything in their sentence preceding it should be ignored

I'm not racist or anything . . . but . . .

I mean this in the nicest way possible . . . but . . .

And the worst offender of all:  I don't mean to gossip . . . but . . .

[kirbykart]

^ Yes, upon looking at it more closely I would say that section 1131 only applies to interstates and other fully access-controlled freeways.

Also, "shall not be made by driving off the pavement", not mentioned in the Oklahoma law, is an important distinction. I'm talking about cases where the passing maneuver is completed on a paved shoulder (see the two links in my previous post).

Here's one I've seen a couple of different times: When someone makes a left turn by going into the left lane a good hundred meters before the turn! Thankfully, I've only seen this on rural roads when someone is turning into a driveway, because this is extremely dangerous and illegal!!!

Speeding is extremely dangerous and illegal. And everyone does it. <shrugs>

If the left turner is on a rural road, with good sightlines, and no oncoming traffic anywhere to be seen...then, by all means, move into the oncoming traffic lane to make the left turn into the driveway and let cars behind get around.

I also don't have a problem with moving left to make a left turn if sightlines are good, especially if it's in a passing zone. I don't see it as a safety issue, and in fact, you could even argue it's a safety benefit: moving left in this manner makes clear to drivers behind you that you are going to be turning, which will prevent them from pulling out to pass.

And when someone comes towards this person around a blind corner or crest? Absolute death trap! There aren't very many flat, straight roads around here, y'know.

[webny99]

...

Here's one I've seen a couple of different times: When someone makes a left turn by going into the left lane a good hundred meters before the turn! Thankfully, I've only seen this on rural roads when someone is turning into a driveway, because this is extremely dangerous and illegal!!!

Speeding is extremely dangerous and illegal. And everyone does it. <shrugs>

If the left turner is on a rural road, with good sightlines, and no oncoming traffic anywhere to be seen...then, by all means, move into the oncoming traffic lane to make the left turn into the driveway and let cars behind get around.

I also don't have a problem with moving left to make a left turn if sightlines are good, especially if it's in a passing zone. I don't see it as a safety issue, and in fact, you could even argue it's a safety benefit: moving left in this manner makes clear to drivers behind you that you are going to be turning, which will prevent them from pulling out to pass.

And when someone comes towards this person around a blind corner or crest? Absolute death trap! There aren't very many flat, straight roads around here, y'know.

Note the bolded phrases. Of course, this would exclude blind corners and crests.

And even if The Great State of New York (NYSDOT Region 5) doesn't have very many flat, straight roads... other parts of the country do.

[US 89]

Depends on the situation.

If there's a lot of traffic, then I pull forward in order to keep the queue of stacked traffic as short as possible.  This may allow turning traffic toward the back of the queue a chance to turn, where there wouldn't have been an opportunity otherwise.  If there's a turn bay, it may allow a car to enter it, where access to the lane would have been blocked otherwise. ....

....

I wasn't thinking of that scenario when I made my comment earlier and you make an excellent point. I definitely try to maintain awareness of the situation around me and I will not only move up, I will also try to pull further to one side of the lane if necessary to help someone access a turn lane. One of my pet peeves is people who deny me access to the left-turn lane that leads to my neighborhood such that I miss the green arrow, either because they leave too much space and won't pull up or because they slow down so far in advance that there's no hope of making the arrow. Because that bugs me, I try not to do the same. But if I'm in the middle of the queue well beyond the start of the turn lane and the car in front of me moves up less than half a carlength, I'm not likely to shift into gear and move up then unless I see in my mirror that someone back there is trying to get into the turn lane. I don't leave huge gaps between cars in the first place (except maybe on a steep uphill in case the car in front of me rolls back).

That might actually be one thing about Tallahassee that really bothers me. A lot of people will stop with so much space in front of them and eventually block access to the left-turn bays (where often times very few cars are lined up, and the turn cycles are quite short). And most of the big roads here have concrete medians, so it is physically impossible to access the left-turn lane until you actually get up there - as opposed to most roads in Utah or Georgia, which often have a center turn lane you can use to get around anyone blocking the way to the left-turn bay.

[CtrlAltDel]

Depends on the situation.

If there's a lot of traffic, then I pull forward in order to keep the queue of stacked traffic as short as possible.  This may allow turning traffic toward the back of the queue a chance to turn, where there wouldn't have been an opportunity otherwise.  If there's a turn bay, it may allow a car to enter it, where access to the lane would have been blocked otherwise. ....

....

I wasn't thinking of that scenario when I made my comment earlier and you make an excellent point. I definitely try to maintain awareness of the situation around me and I will not only move up, I will also try to pull further to one side of the lane if necessary to help someone access a turn lane. One of my pet peeves is people who deny me access to the left-turn lane that leads to my neighborhood such that I miss the green arrow, either because they leave too much space and won't pull up or because they slow down so far in advance that there's no hope of making the arrow. Because that bugs me, I try not to do the same. But if I'm in the middle of the queue well beyond the start of the turn lane and the car in front of me moves up less than half a carlength, I'm not likely to shift into gear and move up then unless I see in my mirror that someone back there is trying to get into the turn lane. I don't leave huge gaps between cars in the first place (except maybe on a steep uphill in case the car in front of me rolls back).

That might actually be one thing about Tallahassee that really bothers me. A lot of people will stop with so much space in front of them and eventually block access to the left-turn bays (where often times very few cars are lined up, and the turn cycles are quite short). And most of the big roads here have concrete medians, so it is physically impossible to access the left-turn lane until you actually get up there - as opposed to most roads in Utah or Georgia, which often have a center turn lane you can use to get around anyone blocking the way to the left-turn bay.

Sometimes, when there's a really big gap like that, I will merge in, even if I'm not going that way, just for humor.

[hbelkins]

When your MacBook fails to boot due to a kernel panic and you have to restore from a Time Machine backup.

[dlsterner]

When your MacBook fails to boot due to a kernel panic and you have to restore from a Time Machine backup.

At least Time Machine keeps it a "Minor thing" rather than a "Major thing". 

[Scott5114]

When your MacBook fails to boot due to a kernel panic and you have to restore from a Time Machine backup.

How the heck are you experiencing kernel panics in 2022? Are Apple update releases really that slipshod?

[hbelkins]

When your MacBook fails to boot due to a kernel panic and you have to restore from a Time Machine backup.

How the heck are you experiencing kernel panics in 2022? Are Apple update releases really that slipshod?

I have no idea. I am using my brother's MacBook Pro because mine died a couple of years ago. He has 10.9.5 installed and can't go any higher on the internal drive because newer versions of the OS break some software he uses.

What happened was, I started up from an external drive with a newer version of the OS installed because I needed to do something that required that newer version. When I shut down and then attempted to restart using the internal drive, that's when I got the error. I knew it was software related because it started back up with the external drive.

[dlsterner]

When your MacBook fails to boot due to a kernel panic and you have to restore from a Time Machine backup.

How the heck are you experiencing kernel panics in 2022? Are Apple update releases really that slipshod?

I have no idea. I am using my brother's MacBook Pro because mine died a couple of years ago. He has 10.9.5 installed and can't go any higher on the internal drive because newer versions of the OS break some software he uses.

What happened was, I started up from an external drive with a newer version of the OS installed because I needed to do something that required that newer version. When I shut down and then attempted to restart using the internal drive, that's when I got the error. I knew it was software related because it started back up with the external drive.

Yeah, going backwards in version numbers can be problematic with macOS, and should be avoided if possible.  When booting the newer OS, perhaps something was written to disk that when the older OS was booted, it choked on it.  You did say that you were able to restore from Time Machine and everything is OK now, right?

My two cents ... macOS 10.9.5 "Mavericks" is ancient (2013).  Apple no longer supports it with security updates etc.  You or your brother may want to see if there is a newer version of his critical application (or a suitable replacement application) that will run on a newer OS, and to consider upgrading the application and the OS to something newer.  Assuming that the macBook Pro itself isn't too old to run a newer OS.  Again, just my thoughts.

[hbelkins]

I had previously booted from the external (running El Capitan) without issue. It only happened this time.