You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

[alandhopewell]

     Digital television-just HOW was this supposed to make things better?
This is a plot hatched by the cable and satellite companies.

     This bothers me personally....I've been looking for work ever since I was released from prison in 2006.

      Let me get this part out of the way....
In 1997, I stabbed a young woman, a prostitute. She survived, but is paralyzed. I pled guilty, and served eight years and eleven months of a nine year sentence.

     I was taking antidepressants at the time-in fact, I was part of a study that was testing Depakote for use as an antidepressant. I'd wrestled with depression since childhood, and had problems with side effects whenn I'd been presecribed. I'd joined the study hoping to find a drug that I could use without the side effects. The violence was due to the drug....I carried a weapon strictly because I worked in downtown Cleveland, and didn't get off work until 11:30 or later. I had no intention of harming this woman, or anyone else, unless it was in self-defense.

     That's in the past....the part that bothers me is that this is my only felony, I don't have a record of violent behavior, didn't have one in prison, yet I saw guys with lengthly prison records, often for violent acts, GET jobs, some of them quitting / getting fired (in violation of post-release rules) then get hired again somewhere else.

     Outside of $191 a month I get for the 21st century version of food stamps, Trace pays for everything. I've got applications up everywhere I can find, been doing that for six years (in fact, that's why I got online in the first place), and N O T H I N G!

      Some folks might think this is what I've got coming, for what I did, but would you rather have me (and people like me) working, paying taxes, or living off illegal activities?

[AndyC]

Getting things shipped by mail. I bought some capacitors about three weeks ago, to repair a motherboard that was really going to be too much trouble and expense to replace. I had the choice of ordering from a place in Toronto, only about 300km from here, or ordering from China on eBay.

Getting the order mailed from Toronto would have cost over $20 (their minimum charge), which is ridiculous for a $5 order that could be slipped in a padded envelope and sent with a stamp. Ordering from China, the shipping cost hardly anything to come halfway around the world, and I've had orders come from there in about a week and a half.

So, it's three weeks later (I got a shipping notification within two days of ordering), and the capacitors still aren't here. So, I'm now left with the choice of paying a shipping charge that is four times the cost of the parts (and possibly having the China order show up before it arrives anyway), or waiting around for the parts to come from China when they are already late even by the generous delivery times posted by the seller.

Meanwhile, I still have some files I can't access, because they are on a RAID array, and that is the only machine I have with RAID. I'm tempted to cannibalize the parts from another board, but I don't think it's a good idea to recap a motherboard with used capacitors, for a number of reasons.

It's just annoying, especially when I have clothing suppliers who can send a big box of stuff from Toronto, charge less for shipping by courier than this electronic supplier charges for mail, and have it to me the next day. I would prefer to spend my money in Canada, but I won't pay $20 to get $5 worth of stuff sent to me from just down the highway.

All I want is shipping that's predictable and reasonably priced, and somewhat consistent from one place to the next.

Of course, it could be that customs is holding my parcel, which is another peeve in its own right. I get my mail delayed, opened, messed with, they decide not to charge any duty on it, but I still have to pay a fee for their time and trouble interfering with my mail. This is another reason why I would much prefer to order from Canada, which just makes the high shipping cost that much more annoying.

[Jack]

I'm actually ordering a garden hose from Amazon because the only ones available locally are such unbelievably cheap rubbish that they're unusable.  They've all got plastic fittings on the end instead of metal ones.  The first one I bought had the wrong threads - you couldn't screw it on the faucet more than one turn.  The one I got in exchange (a different brand but identical product) was only slightly better - you could get it on about three-quarters of the way if you didn't mind putting 50 lbs of torque on the sharp and uncomfortable protrusions surrounding the plastic nut.  But turn the water on and it just sprayed out from the joint between the hose and the end fitting.  Even if it did work, I can just imagine how long those plastic threads would last    Oh and I'm replacing the old hose because after a year of use, it's folded over in many spots and very easily cuts off the water flow if it gets the least bit bent.  After a year of use - the cheap replacement was doing that within seconds of me unrolling it for the first time.

I took it back, tossed it on the counter, and told them their merchandise was so cheap they should be embarrassed to sell it.

The garbage you buy today...it's not even real products.  It's the cheapest plastic available molded to resemble actual products.  As long as more people throw this crap out instead of return it, they make a profit.  It's gotten to the point where you have to buy what's considered a "top end" product just to get the equivalent of what you could find laying around in any bargain bin ten years ago.

[Mr. DS]

^ All old man complaining jokes aside I'm totally with Jack on how flimsey crap is made nowadays.  From garden hoses to cell phones to cars, I really think products are tanking early in order for places to make more money on new products.  Sounds like extortion to me. 

[AndyC]

It's true. Companies used to build things to last, but found that limited their sales in the long run. It also increased production costs.

I've been convinced for years that automakers design their cars to fall apart in the shortest time possible without looking like crap. After 6 or 7 years, everything starts breaking down and rusting out at once. Then, if you are the sort who gets repairs done at the dealership, you'll have mechanics constantly planting the idea that your car is not worth fixing as they hand you inflated repair estimates.

Of course, today's consumer isn't looking to keep something forever, or repair it when it breaks. They want something cheap and ultimately disposable. Hence the ubiquity of flat-pack furniture made of particle board and plastic.

[The Gravekeeper]

It's true. Companies used to build things to last, but found that limited their sales in the long run. It also increased production costs.

I've been convinced for years that automakers design their cars to fall apart in the shortest time possible without looking like crap. After 6 or 7 years, everything starts breaking down and rusting out at once. Then, if you are the sort who gets repairs done at the dealership, you'll have mechanics constantly planting the idea that your car is not worth fixing as they hand you inflated repair estimates.

Of course, today's consumer isn't looking to keep something forever, or repair it when it breaks. They want something cheap and ultimately disposable. Hence the ubiquity of flat-pack furniture made of particle board and plastic.

That cheap furniture wears out even faster if you move a lot. It's not at all designed to be taken apart, and being packed up for moving in one piece still wears down on it. I had to throw away a book shelf after just 2 years because of that.

[Jack]

Pruned a few shrubs so I've got a few small branches left out for the garbage man.  Of course he didn't take them last week.  It would take all of 10 seconds for him to toss them in his truck, but no - I'm spending 15 minutes with my saw cutting these little things up into even smaller pieces, putting them in bags, then putting the bags in the garbage can so he'll take them.

What f***ing idiocy   

[EstherBlodgett]

My boss. He gives the same instructions over & over, about the same
things every day....turn on the lights when it gets dark is the most
irritating. It doesn't take a genius level I.Q. to see that it's time to
turn on the lights. DUH !  He also has a habit of picking his nose &
scratching his crotch  WHILE HE'S TALKING TO ME ! How
rude is that ?!

[alandhopewell]

     People who will call in to talk programs, or even insinuate their way into conversations, who have no clue as to what the discussion is about, but they "want to be heard".

     Buy a dog.

[bob]

Yesterday someone allwoed their pet to take a big massive dump in my front yard. There is doubt it was intentional because it was right next to the garage. 

[Rev. Powell]

He also has a habit of picking his nose &
scratching his crotch  WHILE HE'S TALKING TO ME ! How
rude is that ?!

At least it's slightly less gross than doing it in the opposite order!

[Chainsawmidget]

He also has a habit of picking his nose &
scratching his crotch  WHILE HE'S TALKING TO ME ! How
rude is that ?!

Could be worse.  He could pick your nose and scratch your crotch while he's talking to himself. 

[El Misfit]

Product placement- Look, it's okay to have them in movies, TV shows, as ads....but I draw the line at songs. Don't believe me? Go listen to the beginning of Pitbull's Give Me Everything or in Train's Drive By. There is a place reserved in Hell for these bastards giving money to music artists to have product placements in their song's lyrics!

[Jack]

When I place my cursor on some text, hold down the left button, and move my cursor to the right, that means I want to highlight what's to the right of where I placed my cursor.  It doesn't mean I also want stuff to the left to automatically be highlighted, or everything in the whole box to be highlighted.  For f***'s sake man, it ain't rocket science.

[AndyC]

When I place my cursor on some text, hold down the left button, and move my cursor to the right, that means I want to highlight what's to the right of where I placed my cursor.  It doesn't mean I also want stuff to the left to automatically be highlighted, or everything in the whole box to be highlighted.  For f***'s sake man, it ain't rocket science.

I know your pain.