Minor things that bother you

[Hobart]

This is a new one, but about the classic subject of self-checkout.

At the supermarket I go to (Metro Market in Milwaukee on Juneau and Van Buren), the self-checkout only has enough room for 3 bags; if you have a family, or if you buy groceries two weeks at a time, you're gonna use more than 3.

Tonight, I had to perform a balancing act between 6 bags and a 12-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon to keep it all on the platform where the bags are, because if you don't, it thinks you're shoplifting and tells you to bag the item for some reason. It makes the shopping experience difficult and unenjoyable.

This is on top of the fact that there's a camera above every register; if you buy 10 cans of the same item, you have to scan each individual one, rather than the same one ten times, otherwise it flags you as shoplifting as well.

It's like,,, I get that nobody wants to work for dirt poor wages anymore, and there are positions to eliminate, but why even put the self check out in if you aren't gonna trust me with it?

[ZLoth]

When did the first day of school move from "just after Labor Day" to "beginning of August"? I know that when I took community college ages ago, they moved the start of the fall semester two week to mid-August so that finals took place in December instead of the beginning of January. It also interfered with attending the California State Fair.

Also, when did "Thanksgiving week" mean entire week off for schools instead of Thursday and Friday?

[Dirt Roads]

When did the first day of school move from "just after Labor Day" to "beginning of August"? I know that when I took community college ages ago, they moved the start of the fall semester two week to mid-August so that finals took place in December instead of the beginning of January.

This is disconcerting to legislators in North Carolina as well.  The Old North State currently requires school districts to start on (or after) August 25, but school districts can request a "hardship" exemption from the state's Board of Education.  However, this year a total of 18 school districts are opening early without such an exemption (a move that some legislators have called illegal).  The main reason for the August 25 school opening requirement is from the tourism industry; however, most tourist locations in North Carolina are now booked up through the end of September (and even into October) with many travellers preferring the off-school shoulder season).  Year-round schools are becoming more popular in the bigger counties here, so I wouldn't be surprised if next year ends up with many schools starting in early August.

[CtrlAltDel]

Also, when did "Thanksgiving week" mean entire week off for schools instead of Thursday and Friday?

Just out of idle curiosity, why does that bother you?

While I can't speak to primary and secondary education, the main reason universities are increasingly likely to give off the whole week of Thanksgiving is to appeal to out-of-state students. It also matches, to an extent, the week-long break given in the spring semester.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The full week off for Thanksgiving for grade schools is a very recent development within the last 10 years. I always had a half-day on Wednesday up until I graduated HS in 2009.

[Big John]

In Wisconsin, the start of the school year was creeping into August then a state law was passed saying school could not start before Labor Day, with the reasoning given that the earlier start was hurting the tourism industry.

[ZLoth]

Also, when did "Thanksgiving week" mean entire week off for schools instead of Thursday and Friday?

Just out of idle curiosity, why does that bother you?

Reason #1: TRADITION!

Reason #2: Since I manage my team's schedules, this means some schedule adjusting. But, I'm that weird person who begins planning for the end of the year in August in penciling out what may happen, and then starts asking people of their availability in early September. It's much easier to make adjustments much closer to the holidays.

I can understand some of the reasons why they now have the entire Thanksgiving week off. The number of absences on the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving was higher when I was in school because of travel reasons.

[1995hoo]

The full week off for Thanksgiving for grade schools is a very recent development within the last 10 years. I always had a half-day on Wednesday up until I graduated HS in 2009.

We never had any time off on Wednesday. It was a full day of school. (And my parents insisted we attend.) My mother, who is a retired teacher, says that by the late 1990s, lots of parents were taking their kids out of school for either all or part of the day on Wednesday in order to travel for Thanksgiving, so many school administrators decided to close for part or all of that day.

[GaryV]

In Wisconsin, the start of the school year was creeping into August then a state law was passed saying school could not start before Labor Day, with the reasoning given that the earlier start was hurting the tourism industry.

Michigan had the same thing, saying early starts hurt tourism, but it got watered down. First a district could get an exemption to start in August (I don't know the criteria) as long as there was a 4-day Labor Day weekend. Now almost any district can get an exemption, and most schools start before Labor Day.

[hbelkins]

When did the first day of school move from "just after Labor Day" to "beginning of August"? I know that when I took community college ages ago, they moved the start of the fall semester two week to mid-August so that finals took place in December instead of the beginning of January. It also interfered with attending the California State Fair.

In Kentucky, since the late 1970s.

The winters of 76-77, 77-78, and 78-79 were brutal around here. For the most part those three winters, when school dismissed for Christmas, classes didn't resume in most Kentucky counties until the first week of March. This pushed the end of school back to the point where it interfered with the start of summer school classes for the universities. (Kentucky requires teachers to obtain a master's degree within a certain number of years of beginning employment, so summer terms at our colleges are full of teachers pursuing that educational requirement.)

So in order to keep the number of instructional days without the state legislature needing to approve emergency days -- at the time, Kentucky's General Assembly met only once every two years -- school districts pushed the start date up to the first or second week of August.

Urban districts generally start later than do the rural districts, because they don't have narrow crooked hilly-to-mountainous roads over which they must run school buses.

[Scott5114]

When did the first day of school move from "just after Labor Day" to "beginning of August"?

When you moved to Texas. First day of school being in early- to mid-August is just how the Plains does things.

I was similarly weirded out by the concept of the first day of school being around Labor Day when I was first exposed to the idea, since it was always in mid-August for me. Likewise, it's weird that other states' schools get out for the year sometime in June; in Oklahoma school normally lets out the week before Memorial Day.

[Scott5114]

My mother, who is a retired teacher, says that by the late 1990s, lots of parents were taking their kids out of school for either all or part of the day on Wednesday in order to travel for Thanksgiving, so many school administrators decided to close for part or all of that day.

Our school was closed the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but my parents always took me out of school that Tuesday so we could travel for the holiday. Dad wanted to beat the Wednesday travel rush (and we would always come back Friday or Saturday to avoid the rush going home on Sunday).

[zachary_amaryllis]

When did the first day of school move from "just after Labor Day" to "beginning of August"? I know that when I took community college ages ago, they moved the start of the fall semester two week to mid-August so that finals took place in December instead of the beginning of January. It also interfered with attending the California State Fair.

In Kentucky, since the late 1970s.

The winters of 76-77, 77-78, and 78-79 were brutal around here. For the most part those three winters, when school dismissed for Christmas, classes didn't resume in most Kentucky counties until the first week of March. This pushed the end of school back to the point where it interfered with the start of summer school classes for the universities. (Kentucky requires teachers to obtain a master's degree within a certain number of years of beginning employment, so summer terms at our colleges are full of teachers pursuing that educational requirement.)

So in order to keep the number of instructional days without the state legislature needing to approve emergency days -- at the time, Kentucky's General Assembly met only once every two years -- school districts pushed the start date up to the first or second week of August.

Urban districts generally start later than do the rural districts, because they don't have narrow crooked hilly-to-mountainous roads over which they must run school buses.

Growing up, more or less within 500 feet of where I sit, I remember most winters, we may or may not get a snow day. The bus driver was an absolute psycho, who was who taught me how to drive the canyon. I have gone down this canyon in blizzards, on the school bus.

Seems like now, they're cancelling school if it even is 'threatening' to snow. I think it has to do with more 'remote learning', except it doesn't work well up here. Either that, or lawyers.

[LilianaUwU]

The Trudeau government has essentially allowed for Internet censorship with the Online News Act. I guess it's a major thing that bothers me.

[thenetwork]

I have several TVs in my house, and all with the Roku streaming device:

When these devices came out, I was under the impression that the device -- as well as the channels you choose to stream -- were soooo technologically advanced that they will use your algorithms to tailor-make program/movie selections as well as commercial ads based on what you watch.

I have never purposely stopped on a Spanish-themed or Spanish language channel, nor do I watch any Spanish language movies as I only remember a few Spanish words from Sesame Street and High School...

...Yet it seems that 1 out of every 3 ads that are placed in the ad breaks are in SPANISH! 

So Roku, etc...: How are those algorithms going for you and your Spanish advertisers???  No hablo Espanol!!!

[thenetwork]

When did the first day of school move from "just after Labor Day" to "beginning of August"? I know that when I took community college ages ago, they moved the start of the fall semester two week to mid-August so that finals took place in December instead of the beginning of January. It also interfered with attending the California State Fair.

Also, when did "Thanksgiving week" mean entire week off for schools instead of Thursday and Friday?

At least here in my neck of the woods, the earlier August starts benefits the school kids more, giving them slightly longer mid-year breaks, and it officially puts the end of the first half of the school year (including mid-term exams) before the Christmas break.

When I went to school in Ohio back in the day (where even as a senior, we did not get out of school until the 2nd week of June), my official start of the 2nd half of the school year did not occur until mid-late January, which meant that after close to 2 weeks being off around Christmas and New Years, I had to get right back into study mode for mid-term exams.

By having a new Semester begin with the new calendar year in January, students don't have that extra pressure of having to quickly remember everything they learned before the holidays again for tests and exams, nor were any reports or homework assignments due upon return from break.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The Trudeau government has essentially allowed for Internet censorship with the Online News Act. I guess it's a major thing that bothers me.

With how Canada usually operates (multiple laws designed to blunt the influence of US media), you would think a law charging international outlets for providing their content on social media in Canada would make more sense than charging social media for Canadian content.

[LilianaUwU]

The Trudeau government has essentially allowed for Internet censorship with the Online News Act. I guess it's a major thing that bothers me.

With how Canada usually operates (multiple laws designed to blunt the influence of US media), you would think a law charging international outlets for providing their content on social media in Canada would make more sense than charging social media for Canadian content.

Making sense doesn't make sense for Justin Trudeau.

[vdeane]

I mean, link taxes just don't make sense period.  The fact that politicians seem to think they're a good idea shows two things:
1. Politicians don't know anything about technology.
2. News organizations are upset that people now get their news by clicking links from social media and search engines, and would like to go back to the older model where people went directly to one or two places directly for all their news, usually with a subscription for at least one of those, and they are willing to use the force of law to make this change for them if necessary.

[jeffandnicole]

News sites, especially newspapers, and especially local newspapers, were very slow to adapt to the internet. They seemed to have a belief that the less they provided online, the more likely people would continue to buy newspapers.

They didn't think that online news sites would develop.  And they were grossly behind on how social media would transform news distribution.

They also seemed to drop one of the main reasons of their existence - to gather news of the government, and tell us what was really happening.  Newspaper writers instead jumped in bed with the government, and allowed them to tell the story. 

The public started seeing thru that, and figured, why buy the paper?  Then when people stopped buying the paper, the paper didn't have the money to write their stories, and the papers shrunk. And merged.  And folded. 

Newspapers thought they could fight against the internet.  They were KO'ed, and the ref stands back as the internet continues to punch the newspapers while they lay flattened on the mat.

[ZLoth]

You only forgot the big reduction in advertising revenue that the newspapers received, especially from the classified advertising which Craigslist "stole" from them.

[jeffandnicole]

You only forgot the big reduction in advertising revenue that the newspapers received, especially from the classified advertising which Craigslist "stole" from them.

And then businesses found other ways to look for employees besides the newspaper also. 

To get some revenue, they increased the prices that the government needs to pay to publish their legal notices, which due to archaic laws most still need to print in the paper (they were barely read before; and now almost no one sees them).  And Obituaries drastically went up in price.  They used to be published for free in many papers, and now they charge by the line.

[triplemultiplex]

Eating an apple and getting a piece of the skin wedged in between two of your molars.
Must... find... toothpick....

[kkt]

And yet, real news organizations have no replacement.  Social media has no professional standards; they don't care if a story is true or false, the only important thing is that it generate clicks.

[7/8]

Why does Outlook automatically change approx. to approx.. (with two periods)? Drives me nuts!