Shoot the Wall (A.K.A. The Rant Thread)

[Carol the Dabbler]

 

On 5/27/2025 at 1:23 PM, Carol the Dabbler said:

Our landline has been down since May 17th .... they said a repair technician would come to deal with it on the 28th .... today .... I was told that we're now scheduled for June 17 -- 

... and that was later postponed to today (July 23).  But late yesterday they texted us that we'd been postponed AGAIN, to September 15.

At this point, we strongly suspect they have absolutely no intention of EVER trying to fix our line.  In fact I'd bet a small but meaningful sum that they don't even bother to employ any repair technicians.  They're presumably stringing us along (billing us every month!) until we finally give up on them.  Even though we really prefer landline service, yesterday's postponement was the last straw.  

Anybody know of a good VOIP service?

 

[Caya]

As what sometimes feels like the last landline user of Austria, I hear ya  ("Can I have your phone number?" - "Sure, it's +43 1 ..." - [pause at the other end, then:] "Don't you have a cell phone?" - "Sure." - "Well can I have that number then?" - "Why?" - [long pause]  ) Keeping fingers crossed that there's a provider out there for you. 🤞 

[Carol the Dabbler]

We found what appears to be a good VOIP company (Ooma), and have signed up with them.  With any luck, our landline number will be transferred and we'll be up and running on VOIP well before our current landline "provider" bills us again.

According to a number of articles I ran across online (while looking for VOIP companies), most countries are planning to phase out all copper-wire landlines within a very few years anyhow.  The infrastructure simply isn't aging gracefully at this point.  And nobody's going to install fiber-optic landlines in rural areas like where we live -- the present low customer density makes it economically impractical.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 7/23/2025 at 8:47 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

At this point, we strongly suspect they have absolutely no intention of EVER trying to fix our line.  In fact I'd bet a small but meaningful sum that they don't even bother to employ any repair technicians.

On further thought, I'm wondering if they simply pulled the plug on us.  Something isn't kosher about all this, that's for sure.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 7/23/2025 at 4:17 PM, Caya said:

As what sometimes feels like the last landline user of Austria, I hear ya  ("Can I have your phone number?" - "Sure, it's +43 1 ..." - [pause at the other end, then:] "Don't you have a cell phone?" - "Sure."

So your landlines and your cellphones have different types of numbers?  Ours are all of the format xxx-xxx-xxxx.  So if it's important for someone to know which type our phone is, we need to specify.

Though our "landline" is now VOIP.

Oh -- our erstwhile landline/internet provider keeps billing us, and threatening to cut off our service if we don't pay.  I assume those warnings are part of an automated system, but good grief guys, we haven't had any kind of service from you since May 17th!

 

[Caya]

Guess you‘ll somehow have even less of a service then. 

Our landlines have a different format, yes. They start with a local area code (01 in case of Vienna) while cell phones start with a provider code (say, 0664 for A1). Comes with living in a tiny country I guess.

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 9/1/2025 at 8:31 AM, Caya said:

Guess you‘ll somehow have even less of a service then. 

'Bout the only way they could accomplish that would be to break into our house.  Not that I'd entirely put it past them.

 

[Fantasy Lover]

*emerges from hiatus*

 

My grandparents are the only landline users I know, but my grandfather has a flip phone in case of emergency should he get a flat tire on the way to the grocery store

[Carol the Dabbler]

Hi, FL -- welcome back!

20 hours ago, Fantasy Lover said:

My grandparents are the only landline users I know

Yes, I suspect it's mostly older people and/or people living in older houses who still have landlines.  I think most of the newer houses in our neighborhood never have had landlines.

 

[Fantasy Lover]

Hi Carol, long time no see

[Carol the Dabbler]

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

My landline died on me a few years ago, even though I paid for it (comes with internet). Didn't realize it until I got a handed down handset that it no longer worked.

I downgrade my internet anyway and got it of it altogether. The one in my family's house is still working.

I think nothing beats the satisfaction of slamming down the receiver when we are pissed. Pressing a button with a controlled rage while gritting teeth is not healthy.

[Carol the Dabbler]

7 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I downgrade my internet anyway and got it of it altogether. The one in my family's house is still working.

I'm glad you still have internet access somewhere -- always glad to see you here!

7 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I think nothing beats the satisfaction of slamming down the receiver when we are pissed. Pressing a button with a controlled rage while gritting teeth is not healthy.

How true!  Though I think I've only ever actually slammed the receiver once -- when an obscene call woke me out of a sound sleep.  I'm not sure it was intended as an obscene call, though.  Upon further reflection I suspected that he may have simply misdialed his girlfriend's number.  Wonder how long took him to realize he'd said that to a total stranger at 3 am?

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

Wait wait wait, what did he say?

Do tell! 

[Carol the Dabbler]

19 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

Wait wait wait, what did he say?

I don't think the forum software would allow me to quote him, so let's just say he offered to come to my place and do me a very personal favor!

 

[Fantasy Lover]

Wow, unbelievable

[Van Buren Supernova]

On 9/11/2025 at 11:43 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

I don't think the forum software would allow me to quote him, so let's just say he offered to come to my place and do me a very personal favor!

I hope it was really a misdirect!

Yeah, back then we picked up every call and listed our address to the world out there. That was how the terminator found Sarah Connor!

To be fair, and this is the right thread. I prefer the terminator than the AI that is rampant now.

I used to have freelance projects that helped me pay the bills after the failed business, but the company uses AI now. I don't blame them, but it sucks. 

It has also invaded writing in a very invasive and bad way. I hope real readers still choose to read work from human writers.

[Fantasy Lover]

John Connor would be SO disappointed in us

[J.P.]

On 9/12/2025 at 12:16 PM, Van Buren Supernova said:

It has also invaded writing in a very invasive and bad way. I hope real readers still choose to read work from human writers.

I'm not sure if we will have them for long. I observe a decline in writing skills, which is alarming. More and more people seem to be unable to write in full sentences.

[Fantasy Lover]

I blame laptops, children don't need to practice cursive writing anymore. Which is why there is a backlash against laptops now mainly due a cheating scandal related due laptops, and people are demanding to bring back paper tests because cheating used paper tests is fool proof /s

[J.P.]

I'm talking about adults. And it's not people who are not fluent in their second language. I mean, word salad they leave in discussion forums, syntax and punctuation be damned.

Not enough chaos to be a cat running across the keyboard, though. There seems to be some thought behind it, but you cannot crack the code… 😕

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 9/12/2025 at 6:16 AM, Van Buren Supernova said:

AI ... is rampant now.

It has ... invaded writing in a very invasive and bad way. I hope real readers still choose to read work from human writers.

I've been noticing how subtitles are becoming less and less accurate (and less coherent).  At first, they were generally quite accurate, presumably done by real live native speakers with a good ear for dialog.  Ten or twenty years ago, they were still pretty good, but every now and then there'd be a ludicrous bad guess (like "mucking about" instead of "Mafeking Road" in one Sherlock episode.  And now -- well, have y'all tried the YouTube subtitles lately?  They used to be better than nothing, at least!

Also -- and I know this isn't exactly what you were talking about, plus it really belongs in the WTF thread -- I'm stunned to see that lonely people are being advised to hook up with an AI chat-bot.      If there are no real people around, I'd far rather chat with my own imagination!

 

13 hours ago, J.P. said:

I observe a decline in writing skills, which is alarming. More and more people seem to be unable to write in full sentences.

Seems like they can't *read* full sentences either.  I've just about given up trying to give a complete description of a problem to the site's Help department.  Seems like they read about half of my first sentence before replying.  Come to think of it, maybe the Help desk is now being staffed by AI.  I mean, seriously!
 

13 hours ago, Fantasy Lover said:

... there is a backlash against laptops now mainly due a cheating scandal related due laptops, and people are demanding to bring back paper tests because cheating used paper tests is fool proof /s

Well, ain't nothing foolproof!  But yeah, if kids (or adults) are allowed to use their own laptops (or any laptops with an internet connection) for a test, what's actually being tested in many cases is their internet skills.

 

13 hours ago, J.P. said:

... word salad they leave in discussion forums, syntax and punctuation be damned.

Not enough chaos to be a cat running across the keyboard, though. There seems to be some thought behind it, but you cannot crack the code…

I've been noticing since long before the internet era that some people who are perfectly coherent when speaking can't seem to write worth a damn.  They seem to think that written language has to be sort of phony, compared to spoken language (and admittedly, formal usage can be a bit odd!).  I'd rather see someone write a coherent casual sentence than try to write a "proper" sentence when they don't understand how.

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

20 hours ago, J.P. said:

I'm not sure if we will have them for long. I observe a decline in writing skills, which is alarming. More and more people seem to be unable to write in full sentences.

The sad thing is these people go to publish books written by AI, which in turn, clouds the whole indie writers pool and undermine books written by genuine indie authors.

I used to avoid reading reviews before the books, but now I have to skim through them because they are allowed to exist, and sometimes it's not easy to spot them, so I could only count on other readers pointing them out.

As the decline in writing skills, sometimes I see jarring mistakes made by native speakers, especially those obvious ones like your, you're, yours. Selfishly, it makes me feel better, but in all seriously, it's alarming, like you said.

However, I see it happen in my native language as well. People butcher words (purposely) and I have to admit I barely understood anything after working abroad for a long time. There are so many informal slangs and ridiculous translation they smash into new words, and the abominable vocabulary is growing!

7 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

And now -- well, have y'all tried the YouTube subtitles lately?  They used to be better than nothing, at least!

I've had it a few times, mostly because it was automatically turned on after I clear cache I guess. There were many wrong words, just like, you know, the time when we were in high school and tried to write down lyric from the radio "You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seven teeth..." 

[Van Buren Supernova]

20 hours ago, Fantasy Lover said:

I blame laptops, children don't need to practice cursive writing anymore. Which is why there is a backlash against laptops now mainly due a cheating scandal related due laptops, and people are demanding to bring back paper tests because cheating used paper tests is fool proof /s

Actually I’m really glad I studied in the era before laptop. Want to cheat? We had to make an paper accordion with micro writing in it for math, chemistry, and physic formula. Or a PSST to a friend and crumpled paper throwing, or finger signs to answer multiple choice questions. 1 finger for A, 2 fingers for B, etc. And the quality of the cheat is only as smart as the cheat provider.

At least, the playground is leveled enough. Intelligence and diligence means something, and there was barely any need to defend your result.

I don’t envy kids now or their future.

20 hours ago, J.P. said:

I mean, word salad they leave in discussion forums, syntax and punctuation be damned.

You were not describing me right? I remember I was chastised for this on my first week here.

As for social media, yes, I’ve seen horrible ones. Fortunately, the one I’m active with seems to be populated with great users with great attitude, maybe I’m helped by the algorithm from those I regularly interact with.

[Van Buren Supernova]

7 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Also -- and I know this isn't exactly what you were talking about, plus it really belongs in the WTF thread -- I'm stunned to see that lonely people are being advised to hook up with an AI chat-bot.      If there are no real people around, I'd far rather chat with my own imagination!

I guess you don’t realize this has been a very big thing since a while ago. There are many suicides related to this. People don’t need to be advised, many are already doing this. Let me see if I can pull a quick example, here

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/oct/23/character-ai-chatbot-sewell-setzer-death

This doesn’t only happen to teenagers or with AI. There are many examples of people having ‘relationships’ with objects, video game characters, anime.

It’s not indirectly related, I’d say this is also why romance scam is still a very lucrative industry (and I believe those preying on elderly and vulnerable people should be flayed), because they target human’s loneliness, the difficulty of making connections with others, the disappointment with past relationship, or fear for the potential ones, which is the same reason many people might find companionship in AI chat-bot. It’s very sad actually.

I’d say as an introvert, I think at the very least, we have some advantage on that. We are not easily lonely, because as you said, Carol, our heads are busy and we only need minimum interactions.

It's annoying to see those post on Twitter 'Would you stay at home for a month for 100000 dollars?' This comes in many permutations, each more annoying than the other. I'd be filthy rich by now.

WHERE IS MY MONEY?