Oh my Gawd! - Totally unOfficial Pet Peeve Thread.

[Marigold Devin]

Today's pet peeve.

Uber-geeks who think everyone is or should be wired up the same way as them and to have so much basement-dwelling time on their hands that they have the time to wade through reams and reams of clusterf*ckery on a website, or get told they shouldn't be using computers at all, because for them it does not come naturally to know or understand or to spend ages having to read and work out what they are doing on a computer.

We all learn at a different rate, or should be allowed to. It isn't helpful to put other people down when they come here - or to any forum - asking for help and support.

As annoying as it may be - as much of a pet peeve as it may be - for others, when some people appear not to know how to RTFM!

Edited November 19, 2021 by Marigold Devin
My tether has an end and I am right there.

[Orwar]

2 minutes ago, Marigold Devin said:

RTFM!

   Squints.

   Pet peeve: the much too many abbreviations that require constant Googling to understand what people are saying. 

   Like 'TGIF'. I mean really, if you're so worn out by the week that you can't muster the effort to spend more than 4 button clicks to express your exhilaration, it's time to reconsider your career choices. Besides, you shouldn't thank 'God' for it being Friday; you should thank Emperor Constantine who established the 7-day week in 321 CE (prior to which the Romans used 8 day weeks - and don't you go thinking that it was an extra day of weekend!). 

[Rowan Amore]

Read the ..... Manual?

[Marigold Devin]

9 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

Read the ..... Manual?

Effing, yes.

Although I do not usually like to use any abbreviations, it seemed appropriate in that moment.

Edited November 19, 2021 by Marigold Devin
Now I have Bucks Fizz Making Your Mind Up running through my head!

[Janet Voxel]

Funny story: My boss sent me an email about something and at the end she said "I want you to TNA as soon as possible."

I had to email her I'm on it, but I just have to ask what TNA means.

Take Necessary Action....I didn't have the heart to tell her what the other meaning is.

God I love English.

[QwiQ]

On 11/17/2021 at 10:53 PM, Scylla Rhiadra said:

https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/people-who-highlight-minor-grammar-points-are-amazing-2013082378916

As a friend of mine recently pointed out:

"Great minds discuss ideas;
average minds discuss events;
small minds discuss people;
tiny minds have nothing to discuss now that Grammarly is a thing."

[Madelaine McMasters]

10 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Maddy, I find the application of the term "proper usage" to "um" . . . odd! There can be effective, and meaningful uses of it, as I tried to demonstrate, but "proper"? Show me the grammar!

Yeah, proper ain't the right word. "Effective and meaningful" might not quite get there, either. I don't know enough about grammar to show you any examples. Wanna see a dead squirrel?

Using "I mean" as you do is effective and meaningful. Using it in the way Rolig noted can also be effective and meaningful, though the effect and meaning are probably counter to the speaker's intention, as with Janet Yellen. Perspective!

10 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

you are both absolutely correct, of course, to note, and be peeved by, annoying misuses of discourse markers and "fillers" (or, indeed, of any words and phrases!).

I like "misuse" it anchors the perspective at the speaker.

As for being peeved, that would only happen if I detected myself doing it. If you did it, I'd be surprised and maybe a little curious. If my high school debate opponent did it, I'd be aroused to take advantage of it. If someone I didn't like did it, I'd be pleased.

I rarely post in this thread because most things don't peeve me unless I do them. Sometimes not even then. Perspective!

Okay, gotta go.

Edited November 19, 2021 by Madelaine McMasters

[Madelaine McMasters]

Okay, didn't actually have to go.

I recently switched health insurance companies and had to create a new account. The process required answering "secret questions". Here's the list of potentials they presented:

1) What's the name of your favorite pet?
2) What's the title of your favorite book?
3) What's the title of your favorite song?
4) In what city does your eldest sibling live?
5) How many nieces/nephews do you have?

I called them to ask if they expected all their customers to be on their death beds. The customer service representative was confused by my question.

"Let me explain...

1) What happens if my favorite pet eats the neighbor's dog? What if my next pet does?
2) Why must I stop reading?
3) What happens if Adele or Taylor Swift finally break through my tough exterior?
4) If my sister wants to move to Florida, must I kill her before the move?"
5) Is this a ploy to sell sterilization services?

Get it?"

"Ooooh, I do. Those are stupid questions."

I call it a win when I get a customer service rep to diss their employer.

Edited November 19, 2021 by Madelaine McMasters

[Madelaine McMasters]

I'm not sure which thread this belongs in...

I recently left my old bank because of continued problems accessing services via the web. I'd be locked out of my accounts for days at a time and my account balances were sometimes wildly wrong. Making no progress via their online customer support, I decided to try my local branch. My dashboard showed a photo and the name of my very own local personal banker, James. I'd never heard of him.

I called.

"Hi, this is James. I'm no longer handling customer accounts. Please call our main office line for assistance."

The main office was of no help, so I moved everything across the street to a competing bank. Yesterday morning, I had my first face-to-face meeting with my new personal banker, who'd just joined the team.

Wanna guess his name?

Edited November 19, 2021 by Madelaine McMasters

[Madelaine McMasters]

I'm having a good day. I just went out to put a letter in my mailbox. The neighbor's little dog ran up to meet me.

"Frenchie!!! What are you doing outside alone? You know the coyotes will try to eat you!"

He's adorable, with an engine always pegged at red line and only two gears, neutral and sixth. He'll run circles around you, then approach, standing on his hind legs, to shake your hand. Then he'll roll over on his back and wait for a belly rub. Don't try to pick him up though, that just throws him back into sixth.

So, as I've done so many times before. I walk back to his house while he circles me. I open the front door and let him back inside. As I walked down the driveway to return home, my phone rang.

"Maddy? Is that you in the driveway?"
"Yes."
"Did you just bring Frenchie home?"
"Mmm hmm."
"You just let him in the house?"
"Yep, your doorbell doesn't work and the front door is always unlocked, sometimes even ajar."
"Have you done this before?"
"Many times."
"OMG, how long have you been doing this?"
"I dunno, five years, maybe more? I see Frenchie has a little arthritis now."
"Oh god, this explains so much. We thought he had some secret hiding place inside the house."
"He does, it's called the great outdoors."

Who says people are smarter than dogs?

[Scylla Rhiadra]

@Madelaine McMasters -- OMG, woman. Speaking of a misuse of language: you tell us you're leaving, which is apparently a signal that there is going to be no shutting you up!

[Madelaine McMasters]

11 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

@Madelaine McMasters -- OMG, woman. Speaking of a misuse of language: you tell us you're leaving, which is apparently a signal that there is going to be no shutting you up!

...beams

[Silent Mistwalker]

1 hour ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

Okay, didn't actually have to go.

I recently switched health insurance companies and had to create a new account. The process required answering "secret questions". Here's the list of potentials they presented:

1) What's the name of your favorite pet?
2) What's the title of your favorite book?
3) What's the title of your favorite song?
4) In what city does your eldest sibling live?
5) How many nieces/nephews do you have?

I called them to ask if they expected all their customers to be on their death beds. The customer service representative was confused by my question.

"Let me explain...

1) What happens if my favorite pet eats the neighbor's dog? What if my next pet does?
2) Why must I stop reading?
3) What happens if Adele or Taylor Swift finally break through my tough exterior?
4) If my sister wants to move to Florida, must I kill her before the move?"
5) Is this a ploy to sell sterilization services?

Get it?"

"Ooooh, I do. Those are stupid questions."

I call it a win when I get a customer service rep to diss their employer.

❣️

[LittleMe Jewell]

3 hours ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

Okay, didn't actually have to go.

I recently switched health insurance companies and had to create a new account. The process required answering "secret questions". Here's the list of potentials they presented:

1) What's the name of your favorite pet?
2) What's the title of your favorite book?
3) What's the title of your favorite song?
4) In what city does your eldest sibling live?
5) How many nieces/nephews do you have?

I called them to ask if they expected all their customers to be on their death beds. The customer service representative was confused by my question.

"Let me explain...

1) What happens if my favorite pet eats the neighbor's dog? What if my next pet does?
2) Why must I stop reading?
3) What happens if Adele or Taylor Swift finally break through my tough exterior?
4) If my sister wants to move to Florida, must I kill her before the move?"
5) Is this a ploy to sell sterilization services?

Get it?"

"Ooooh, I do. Those are stupid questions."

I call it a win when I get a customer service rep to diss their employer.

I have always been bothered by security questions asking for 'favorite' anything.
The only 'city' question allowed is "what city were you born in?"  Someone thought that 'what city did you meet your husband in' was a good question - until I asked them "which husband"?

[Rolig Loon]

2 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

I have always been bothered by security questions asking for 'favorite' anything.
The only 'city' question allowed is "what city were you born in?"  Someone thought that 'what city did you meet your husband in' was a good question - until I asked them "which husband"?

You could always lie,  of course. Who's to know that you weren't really born in Pocatello? Just be sure to remember the lie. 😏

[LittleMe Jewell]

Just now, Rolig Loon said:

You could always lie,  of course. Who's to know that you weren't really born in Pocatello? Just be sure to remember the lie. 😏

There was a website that had only "favorite" questions.  I used a phrase and placed one word of the phrase in each answer.  I did make sure I noted the phrase in my password manager.

[LittleMe Jewell]

RTFM is pretty commonly known in the IT world, but not much outside of it.

Many abbreviations and acronyms are that way - only fully known within certain industries - but lots of people either forget or don't care.

[Madelaine McMasters]

6 minutes ago, Rolig Loon said:

You could always lie,  of course. Who's to know that you weren't really born in Pocatello? Just be sure to remember the lie. 😏

I've always lied.

In the early days of secret questions, they and the answers were often stored on websites in plain text. A hack would reveal your secrets. Now only the hashes are stored, so I have less objection to answering the questions, but still some objection.

[Madelaine McMasters]

37 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

RTFM is pretty commonly known in the IT world, but not much outside of it.

In the model airplane/rocket world, it stands for Ready To Fly Models. It's still a good idea to RTFM before launching your RTFM.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Oh!

Happy International Men's Day, btw!!!

 

 

I'll be repeating this message every day for the next 364.

🙂

[Silent Mistwalker]

3 hours ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

I have always been bothered by security questions asking for 'favorite' anything.
The only 'city' question allowed is "what city were you born in?"  Someone thought that 'what city did you meet your husband in' was a good question - until I asked them "which husband"?

What city did your parents meet in?

What is the name of the street you grew up on?

While the answer can change for the second one over time for the individual, they still know the answer they gave and those answers can be changed so I don't see the problem.

Both are security questions that are in use, btw.

Edit: Not saying those questions aren't stupid, they are. The ones like I put up there 👆 aren't quite so stupid though.

Edited November 19, 2021 by Silent Mistwalker

[LittleMe Jewell]

1 hour ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

What city did your parents meet in?

What is the name of the street you grew up on?

While the answer can change for the second one over time for the individual, they still know the answer they gave and those answers can be changed so I don't see the problem.

Both are security questions that are in use, btw.

Edit: Not saying those questions aren't stupid, they are. The ones like I put up there 👆 aren't quite so stupid though.

'Parents' could mean a few things - I had a birth father and 3 step-fathers, with 2 of the step-fathers being a part of my life much, much longer than my birth father. Likely, they all met my mom in the same big city that I was born in though.

For the second, yeah I never lived anywhere longer than 3 years growing up and most of the time it was much shorter - I moved a lot.  I do however have a standard answer for this one that I have used.

These two are far better choices than "favorite" anything though.

[Modulated]

Hotboxing yourself while driving. Thanks Taco Bell.

[Silent Mistwalker]

3 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

'Parents' could mean a few things - I had a birth father and 3 step-fathers, with 2 of the step-fathers being a part of my life much, much longer than my birth father. Likely, they all met my mom in the same big city that I was born in though.

For the second, yeah I never lived anywhere longer than 3 years growing up and most of the time it was much shorter - I moved a lot.  I do however have a standard answer for this one that I have used.

These two are far better choices than "favorite" anything though.

Parents, in most cases, refers to birth parents or adoptive parents. Step-parents aren't usually considered either one unless a formal adoption has taken place.

My point is people know what answers they give and those answers can be changed if someone forgets. 

There is no one size fits all security question(s).

[Rat Luv]

5 hours ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

RTFM is pretty commonly known in the IT world, but not much outside of it.

Many abbreviations and acronyms are that way - only fully known within certain industries - but lots of people either forget or don't care.

I know RTFM! But I don't work in IT, lol.

When I was at sixth form, we had a teacher who would sometimes scribble down "RTBQ" when we went off track - which was "read the bloody question" 🙂