What Irked You Today?

[espo]

43 minutes ago, SfanGoch said:

Not true. From the USPS website:

What it boils down to is many postal workers, like a fairly sizable number of gubmint employees, don't care about the public service aspect of their positions. They're there for the paycheck and benefits. From Forbes:

Finally, Shapiro points out that the USPS pays its workers salaries and benefits far above the rates paid to similar workers in the private sector. Labor accounted for 78% of the organization’s costs in 2014, “with about 89% of those costs involving employees represented by collective bargaining.” These higher labor costs, plus the absence of a need to innovate due to government-granted monopolies, has freed the USPS from $20 billion in labor and productivity costs per year, Shapiro estimates. “While we do not technically count this as a subsidy,” he writes, it represents an economic burden on others arising directly from USPS’s monopoly position.” Postage, for instance, would likely be cheaper for everyone if the organization were subject to the same competitive pressures as private firms.

Ever notice that there never seems to be anyone working the service windows when you go to the P.O.? I've had the pleasure of standing in line at the Main Post Office in Downtown Brooklyn for nearly 90 minutes because, out of 22 service windows, only one or two are open at any given time. There are at least two dozen employees milling around behind the windows on perpetual coffee breaks, though.

 

Haven't had to find a counter person here locally. I mailed some Christmas stuff too one of my brother in laws yesterday and had to wait in line if only maybe 10 minutes since there were a couple of people ahead of me. The delivery problems come from bits of conversations with the postal employees them selves. The $20 billion mentioned in the Forbes article is not exactly small change. I have experienced what you mentioned about your personal experience in Brooklyn, but like you this was at one of the main offices in the metro area.  Out here in the sticks they just under staff the O.P. 

[cobraman]

Lane hoppers. I was driving yesterday to pick up my wife from work. Traffic was pretty heavy and there are more than a few stop lights on Baseline here in Arizona. Anyway, not far behind me I see this guy in a Honda Civic bouncing from lane to lane. Left lane, right lane, left lane and so on. After going a few miles and a few stop lights. There he was pretty much in the same place he had been miles back. He got nowhere fast. No telling how many people he cut off to maybe get one car ahead. Silly.

[DPNM]

Probably already mentioned but this irks me.

First pic is what it says. Second pic is how it seems far too many people read it.

 

 

[bobthehobbyguy]

So true.

[Flat32]

Perhaps a legal definition of what a traffic stop is should be created (and published) wherein a period of time with no discernable forward motion is stated, like two or three seconds.  Seems too subjective now.  Big difference between my wife's view and mine.  Her's gets her tickets.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Ahhhhh...the old rolling stop. I know it well.

[Tom Geiger]

11 hours ago, cobraman said:

Lane hoppers. I was driving yesterday to pick up my wife from work. Traffic was pretty heavy and there are more than a few stop lights on Baseline here in Arizona. Anyway, not far behind me I see this guy in a Honda Civic bouncing from lane to lane. Left lane, right lane, left lane and so on. After going a few miles and a few stop lights. There he was pretty much in the same place he had been miles back. He got nowhere fast. No telling how many people he cut off to maybe get one car ahead. Silly.

 I worked in Pearl River New York and traveled the Garden State Parkway  with a carpool mate.  The parkway is one big stop and go mess.  There was a guy who worked at the same place we did (we didn't know him) who drove a gray Mazda Miata.  He would do that very same thing.  There'd be times he'd get a bit ahead of us, but we always wound up side by side as he turned off his exit!   And that was entertaining for car pooling.

[High octane]

31 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Ahhhhh...the old rolling stop. I know it well.

Otherwise known as the "California Stop" from what I hear.

[Snake45]

10 hours ago, Flat32 said:

Perhaps a legal definition of what a traffic stop is should be created (and published) wherein a period of time with no discernable forward motion is stated, like two or three seconds.  Seems too subjective now.  Big difference between my wife's view and mine.  Her's gets her tickets.

Cops will tell you the vehicle is stopped when the wheels stop rolling. Since the top of the wheel is moving at twice the forward speed as the whole vehicle, wheel movement is real easy to see. 

I once got a ticket for blowing a red light I didn't blow. I knew the route and timing of the lights, and timed it perfectly, I idled up to the light and just as I got there it turned green, so I got back on the gas. The cop, watching this from at least a block behind me (maybe more like two), claimed "Your brake lights never even came on at all" (this was at night on empty streets) and refused to accept my explanation. He must have had poor depth perception. 

Edited December 15, 2019 by Snake45

[espo]

12 hours ago, High octane said:

Otherwise known as the "California Stop" from what I hear.

This term has always set me on edge when I have heard it used. More than half of my life, more tears than I care to disclose, Has been spent in several different parts of California. You "Roll a Stop" in California it was going to cost you a lot $$$ and it should. In the KC Metro area the drivers seem to look at a Stop sign as nothing more than a suggestion. Stop lights are just run if they haven't been red very long. As for establishing what does or doesn't constitute a stop may I suggest reading the little books that the state's DMV hand out. Sign me driving very defensively in the heart land.    

[stitchdup]

14 hours ago, Flat32 said:

Perhaps a legal definition of what a traffic stop is should be created (and published) wherein a period of time with no discernable forward motion is stated, like two or three seconds.  Seems too subjective now.  Big difference between my wife's view and mine.  Her's gets her tickets.

maybe i studied a different language at school but I think the stop part might give a clue. but then again.....

[Ace-Garageguy]

57 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

maybe i studied a different language at school but I think the stop part might give a clue. but then again...

Common-core spelling (and drawing correct inferences from available data) at its finest...not you, the STPO sign. Just wanted to make that clear.  

Edited December 15, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy

[DPNM]

54 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

maybe i studied a different language at school but I think the stop part might give a clue. but then again.....

I know around here the letters are on separate boards that they lay down. I guess the painter may need to check to see if they happen to be in the correct sequential order before applying paint. 

And they could have gotten:

POST
SPOT
TOPS

[89AKurt]

1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Common-core spelling [...]

Thought that only applied to maths. ? Last century when I went to school, it was "mathematics", and the multiplication symbol was x not ·.  I've been noticing people are putting the $ after the amount, like 500$.  Also the abbreviation for the year, instead of typing two more numbers as 2019, I was taught '19, but now many are typing 19'.  Don't get me going on Twitter grammar.

[Joe Handley]

Baby clothes, I'm trying to find fun, brightly colored clothes to give my niece and all I seem to find it clothing that manufacturers seem to have to have used the same survey groups that seemed to think that beige, gold, and 50 shades of grey are good automotive color choices

Most of the choices I keep finding are all dull and, quite frankly, ugly......

[slusher]

On 12/14/2019 at 9:21 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

Ahhhhh...the old rolling stop. I know it well.

Sooner or later that habit will get them a ticket or a wreck...

[espo]

Got an E Mail today that my Super Chevy and Car Craft magazine subscriptions that are paid well into 2020 are being terminated and I'm being offered on line only option of Motor Tread, which I also have a subscription in print now,  or Hot Rod magazine, witch I also have a subscription to, in place of Super Chevy and Car Craft. Do I feel ripped off, yes I do. Do I have any say in this, evidently not. I guess I'm just old fashion but I have always liked to read the magazines and save some that I feel have information I would like to have at a later date. I know you're supposed to be able to look up old articles and they may have even saved all of the pictures all stored in the Cloud. What happens when it rains and the cloud dumps all this information ?  I wonder how many others here are having the same problem. 

[Snake45]

Car Craft being terminated? Oh, the humanity....

Walmart just started carrying it again! 

ETA: CAZART, they're killing 19 magazines in all, including Musclecar Review and Hot Rod Deluxe! The horror! THE HORROR! 

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/motortrend-discontinuing-19-automotive-magazines

Edited December 16, 2019 by Snake45

[stitchdup]

40 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

Car Craft being terminated? Oh, the humanity....

Walmart just started carrying it again! 

ETA: CAZART, they're killing 19 magazines in all, including Musclecar Review and Hot Rod Deluxe! The horror! THE HORROR! 

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/motortrend-discontinuing-19-automotive-magazines

If you read the list in the link, some were ended years ago. I am surprised to see lowrider being cut though, and it looks like most of the truck ones are gone too

[ewetwo]

What irked me was the woman coming at me. Head on. 55 mph. Who was looking down at her phone texting. But luckily looked up and yanked her steering wheel to her right to avoid the collision. I was on the shoulder of the road. I was flashing my headlights at her. When will people learn. If you are driving. Put your phone away. Don't wait until you kill someone to do so. 

[TonyK]

I get Automobile and really like it. Also been against online/digital reading. I do the things I want to do online and then get on with my day. There are just too many advantages for me with a magazine. Just the other day I brought one with me to read while waiting for car service as that's the most comfortable way to read for me. Sometimes I rip out pages from a magazine to stuff in a model box for reference when I go to build it.

[espo]

While this is only my opinion and I understand that others may feel differently about it. I think in the end they will lose many readers/viewers with this change. Their advertisers should also take notice as fewer people will look at their adverts on line than in the magazine. I can understand how this could lower their cost of operation by going digital but is it really providing the same or better service to their subscribers  ??   I'll try it for a while as it seems that since I have been a long time subscriber to many of these listed titles I will be getting "free ?" viewership.   

[TonyK]

Good point about the advertising. When looking at a magazine I notice the ads on the pages as I have to turn the page and many times there will be a nice car pictured or something that gets my attention. I've trained myself to completely ignore any pop-ups or ads on the Internet.

[HomerS]

Funko......

So i ordered two Pops characters and eight Protectors taking advantage of their 20% off Black Friday special.  I get the shipment and the box is clearly too small to contain ten things.  I open it and the Pops characters were there but only two protectors with the packing label showing it should have contained ten items.  I e-mailed Funko the same day....no response.  Next day I day a pic of the box and the contents showing the box is too small....THAT provoked a response.  They apologized and will ship my missing items but to allow seven days to fulfill it.  Wait....the first one took over a week to ship via ground (which was fine since it was part of the Black Friday offer) so it'll be at least TWO weeks to get what I should already have?

Earlier this week, they sent a survey asking how the customer support person did.  I marked it as unsatisfactory as the rep did an okay job as an error that obvious one would think they would expedite the shipping.

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 12/15/2019 at 2:51 PM, 89AKurt said:

Thought that only applied to maths. ? Last century when I went to school, it was "mathematics", and the multiplication symbol was x not ·.  I've been noticing people are putting the $ after the amount, like 500$.  Also the abbreviation for the year, instead of typing two more numbers as 2019, I was taught '19, but now many are typing 19'.  Don't get me going on Twitter grammar.

Yeah, all the above. And scrambling common words is rampant, with few folks apparently knowing (or caring about) the difference between to, too and two, its and it's, who's and whose, there, their, and they're, roll and role (I read a car "journalist" the other day rabbiting on about the "roll of the driver"), bowl and boll (someone selling sheets going on about "cotton bowls"), sight and site and cite (how many times I see "web sight" written is beyond belief), pair, pare and pear, and I even saw somebody who obviously meant "kudos" writing "coodles to you". Lotsa folks using apostrophes for plurals too: car's for more than one.

I don't know how you can get out of grade school without knowing this stuff, or being able to read and understand written instructions...or ANYTHING...but say something about it, you're the grammar police. Communicating accurately USED to be a sign of having had a decent education, and was part of the ticket to well-paying work. Now it's becoming a lost art. Thing is though, it's not hard, and it helps keep one from instantly seeming to be an idiot.

Funny thing on the web a while back, a young office employee got her knickers all wadded up and went home crying to mommy because her boss had the audacity to correct her spelling on a document. In business, it's generally considered advisable to have your written communications reflect a certain level of professionalism, but this girl started screaming her creativity was being "oppressed" by the patriarchy, and that HER way of spelling was as valid as anyone else's. OK. Next.

And then there's fractions, percentages, figuring a tip or making change without an app...