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

[EvigMidnat]

Hmm, try two years unemployed. That did suck. Hope it isn't as long for you Evig'. If you need any help with the CV then please ask. I am now employed and still cannot afford to go to conventions though.

 

Now that is a rant you should not get me started on. I HATE the new style of convention. It's pay pay pay all the way. We need the old-fashioned for-charity style of con where guests expenses were met and nothing else, no money for photos, no paying for autographs, nothing but talks, competitions and shows, fashion parade and disco saturday evening, the good stuff. I miss those conventions from the 80s and 90s, the smaller intimate convention which could still pull decent guests but didn't cost an arm and a leg to go. This money-grabbing thing is against everything I believe in. It is now no longer for charity and has turned into big business for the people who run them. Name me one convention recently that has given it's proceeds to charity and I will be glad to stand corrected.

 

1 year and about 6 months and counting.

 

i see where your coming from about cons, but i didn't go to my friend uk 3 day con till 2008/9. he i didn't know we had uk cons till i went to a US con in 05.

just to say though I know that there is a con that does stuff for charity, its Supernatural con Asylum, i could dig around and find the picture that doug auction for about £150 for charity but i'm not sure who bought it.

[JessieBlackwood]

I sympathised with John the other day, B&Q's autotills are a screwup. First the one I was using refused to recognise I had scanned anything, then it told me to take the item I had scanned and rescan it. I did. Then the next item needed the assistant, to verify my age for paint remover. Okay, it has to do that, it has solvent in it. Next item it decided it didn't like either and wouldn't recognise the bar code. It then decided it would recognise it and told me to put it on the bagging area. I already had. It told me this again until the assistant came up and pressed a button to stop it. It then wouldn't recognise my card in the reader. I took it out again. It told me to take it out after I had done. It then told me to put it back again. I did... you get the picture. Snafu.

 

My car has gone wrong too. Battery has died. Either this is the battery that has died or the alternator has packed in. I hope it is just the battery. Otherwise it might cost an arm and a leg and possibly a few internal organs as well. Might have to pawn something... The joys of motoring...

[aely]

Name me one convention recently that has given it's proceeds to charity and I will be glad to stand corrected.

 

Discworld Con. Not only does it support charity, it's supports 2 main charities every con (it runs every other year) - all the money raised from the main auction goes to charity and there is a stall in the dealers room for each of the chosen charities. Discworld con has been supporting the orangutan foundation for years, in fact, there is even a thank you letter on the site from the foundation that you can see here. As for other cons, if the guests want to auction items for charity, they are free to do so - Kai Owen has done this on a number of occasions for CLIC sargent at Hub cons.

[Carol the Dabbler]

.... I wonder how much of the current crises was made worse by the news shouting "crisis! crisis! the end is nigh! Crisis!" at the top of their voices...

 

Indeed!

 

Well, yeah, the Queen is head of the Church ... and ratifies government decisions ....

 

OK, so the situation actually is as convoluted as I thought. D'you happen to know if there have been any safeguards put in place to protect the country against a "Henry IX" ?

 

... Government seem to be much aware of how independent from them the Church is, it seems to be the other way around that doesn't quite work as it should. ... the Church, as an organisation, using their influence on church-goers to try and mobilise them... is what annoys me...

 

Over here, "separation of church & state" is all about restrictions on government -- the formation of a state religion is banned, and each individual is guaranteed the right to choose their own religion. Perhaps you think of it also in vice-versa terms because you do have a state religion, which presumably has some degree of official power. We more or less take it for granted that various religious groups will attempt to influence their members' votes -- and because their beliefs vary, their votes often tend to cancel each other out anyhow.

 

... B&Q's autotills are a screwup. First the one I was using refused to recognise I had scanned anything, then it told me to take the item I had scanned and rescan it.... Then the next item needed the assistant, to verify my age for paint remover.... Next item it decided it didn't like either and wouldn't recognise the bar code. It then decided it would recognise it and told me to put it on the bagging area. I already had. It told me this again until the assistant came up and pressed a button to stop it. It then wouldn't recognise my card in the reader. I took it out again. It told me to take it out after I had done. It then told me to put it back again....

 

And here I thought that the checkout scene at the beginning of "The Blind Banker" was a huge exaggeration! My condolences. I have no idea why, but our automated checkout systems tend to -- how shall I phrase this? -- work. They will occasionally flag the attendant, but that's typically for an unusual situation, or when someone isn't familiar with the procedure. I was intimidated by them when they were first introduced, but now I generally prefer them over trying to deal with a live checkout clerk (which may be because the machines are getting better, while the current crop of clerks, well ....)

[deducingtoconclusions]

Wow, my rant sounds pitiful compared to everyone else's issues... but I can't stand the book my school is forcing the high school to read. Personally, I'm a fan of classic literature, but I really don't try to force my opinion on others if it's not their cup of tea and I can only hope that they do the same. However when I'm forced to read a book written in a style that drives me crazy and narrated by a teenage girl with absolutely no personality to speak of, I can't help but feel the impulse to complain and rant to anyone that will listen. All my friends are avid readers but they love this book and it makes me feel like even more of an outcast since they all hate books written earlier than twenty years ago. I just wish my school didn't force us to read one book. They really can't choose something that will fit everybody's taste, so why can't we just choose our own book?

 

I'm almost halfway through but I keep putting it off. I don't know how I'll ever finish it.

[aely]

I hated having to read The Mayor of Casterbridge for my English lit - if I'd done my English lit the following year I would have got The Lord of the Rings which I love. I dislike Thomas Hardy's writing in general, not just Mayor of Casterbridge, so getting Tess of the Durbevilles wouldn't have been any better!

 

I think they get you all to read one book because they can't keep tabs on everything and if everyone chose their own it would be chaos. A good compromise would be to give a list of say 3 books and let people choose off that.

 

I thought that the checkout scene at the beginning of "The Blind Banker" was a huge exaggeration!

Never, ever go shopping with me to Asda if I end up having to use the self-checkout. I have walked out leaving my shopping still in the basket before now and swearing never to return. When I go in now, usually after midnight, the cashier on duty knows me and opens a till specially to save us all the hassle of me turning the air blue and assaulting the auto-checkout with my handbag.

 

Funnily enough, it was Asda that they used in TBB so I have nothing but sympathy for John!

 

I don't have the same hassle with Sainsbury's self checkouts, which is weird. Unfortunately they aren't open when I go shopping a lot of the time - 24 hour opening is a godsend when you work shifts!

Edited June 12, 2012 by aely

[Banshee]

In order to avoid swearing, I'll summarise today's rant to: GAH! Neighbours! WHY?!?!?!

[Undead Medic]

In order to avoid swearing, I'll summarise today's rant to: GAH! Neighbours! WHY?!?!?!

 

You know that people are going to think you're referring to a certain Australian soap opera there!

[Banshee]

You know that people are going to think you're referring to a certain Australian soap opera there!

 

No, I meant actual neighbours. The people living downstairs...

[aely]

No matter which type of neighbours was meant the 1GAH! Neighbours! WHY?!?!?!' is still appropriate.

 

I am annoyed with myself for realising I accidentally ordered a region 1 dvd instead of a region 2 dvd when it ARRIVED through my door. Will be why it was cheap.

[EvigMidnat]

Never, ever go shopping with me to Asda if I end up having to use the self-checkout. I have walked out leaving my shopping still in the basket before now and swearing never to return.

i can vouch for this

[EvigMidnat]

watched a show today that reminded me of a book i'd read as a kid, but as a kid I hadn't had the were withall to remember the name or author, so now its stuck in my head and i know i won't be able to find it because the description is so vague and its driving me more insane than i usually am

[Undead Medic]

watched a show today that reminded me of a book i'd read as a kid, but as a kid I hadn't had the were withall to remember the name or author, so now its stuck in my head and i know i won't be able to find it because the description is so vague and its driving me more insane than i usually am

 

I hate it when that happens! Give us some details about the show and maybe we can all deduce the title of the book between us?

[EvigMidnat]

i doubt it i'm begging to wonder if it was a short in a book or a stand along.

 

Post apocalyptical world

two children left on the roadside by there parents

join a bunch of other kids living in a city dump.

 

and thats all i can recall

[aely]

It wasn't Stig of the Dump was it?

[Banshee]

Dear people at work,

 

Nobody tells an architect "go build a house" and expects the bloke to come back in three days with the plans, and the plans to be right the first time. So why, pray tell, do you believe "we need to make this faster", "this is not working as expected" or "we need such and such new functionality added" to be perfectly good starting points for me to do my job? I'm a software engineer, not a miracle worker!

 

No love,

Me

[EvigMidnat]

should have come back on sooner

nah Al, its no big, doubt i'll ever find it,

 

I'm being sent on a 3 week Customer service course by the dreaded JC which i know can't hurt me career wise cos its another line on the CV but it suck ass cos Customer Service is sooo not what I want to do

[Banshee]

Dear people at work,

 

Pulling me into a meeting that begins with "when's this going to be available?" just as I am about to check that something in and make it available is not conducive to me finishing things in time. Spending half an hour discussing what needs to be done once I check it in doesn't help either. Ending the meeting with "shall we have another quick catch-up tomorrow morning" will only make me take you out of my Christmas list and never want to do you a favour and give your work priority ever again.

 

No love,

Me.

[aely]

Dear NHS, I know you are trying to kill me so I don't need to claim my pension, but I would appreciate it if you would stop trying occasionally.

 

I haven't had a break on my last 2 night shifts and yesterday we had 9 admissions and 2 transfers out. I am bloody knackered. At least I got more than 2 hours sleep today.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Nobody tells an architect "go build a house" and expects the bloke to come back in three days with the plans, and the plans to be right the first time. So why, pray tell, do you believe "we need to make this faster", "this is not working as expected" or "we need such and such new functionality added" to be perfectly good starting points for me to do my job? I'm a software engineer, not a miracle worker!

 

I had to chase one fellow around for weeks, begging him to give me his specs, until he finally (literally!) jotted a few notes on the back of an envelope. Then as soon as I had the system installed, he wanted it all different. I pointed out that it could have been done that way if he had just told me what he wanted in the first place (but it would now mean starting all over again).

 

You have my sympathy.

[InGenHarborMaster]

Oh I have a good rant!

I work at a place where there are a lot of heavy things and most of the people who work there are women. Well, I am the person, out of many, who unload the trucks of merchandise. What I'm trying to get at is the people who shop there feel it necessary to comment on what I can lift and cannot lift. It makes me think " WTF, are you really judging me, especially since I'm trying to help you out?!?!?!?!??!!!!!!" I almost want to slap them for saying the things they say. I mean come on people do you honestly see any men who work here, we only have one guy and he barely does any of the lifting. This stereotype I hate the most, at least when it comes to how I'm treated,hate really hate people who underestimate the things that I can do just because I'm a girl. Damn!! This angers me so very much! Word to the wise, don't underestimate people, if you need help picking up something just say is there anyone who can help or can you help me. Just saying.....

[EvigMidnat]

there are times i think i'd be happier with no JSA than having to jump through these bloody hoops.

my fortnight of 8-6 customer service "course" starts tomorrow, wish me luck

[Carol the Dabbler]

Pulling me into a meeting that begins with "when's this going to be available?" just as I am about to check that something in and make it available is not conducive to me finishing things in time.

 

It's called motivation!

[Banshee]

 

 

I had to chase one fellow around for weeks, begging him to give me his specs, until he finally (literally!) jotted a few notes on the back of an envelope. Then as soon as I had the system installed, he wanted it all different. I pointed out that it could have been done that way if he had just told me what he wanted in the first place (but it would now mean starting all over again).

You have my sympathy.

Must be something to do with IT-related lines of work. It's like, because it is only someone's time, and it doesn't waste materials if things have to be redone thirty times, nobody cared that people have to redo the same work thirty times. Not to mention how frustrating it is when you manage to get something done, having had to work through more problems and hurdles than is healthy, only to hear "ahm, no, that's not exactly what I wanted".

 

 

I still think IT personnel should be issued a big wooden spoon when starting a new job. And allowed to used said wooden spoon on people who make a habit of not getting specs right from the start, or not wanting to spend the time thinking specs through. The world would be a much better place!

 

 

Yesterday I had my boss fast-track a highly risky (read: if I messed up, 2/3 of our service becomes unusable) change to our test environment (which is customer facing test environment, not internal!). On a Friday afternoon (I don't usually release any changes on a Friday, period). Without having gone through proper testing before (a change this risky should have been given two days to bed in and be tested). I did my preemptive I-told-you-sos, and made it very clear that if the shit hits the fan over the weekend, I don't want to know about it, and I won't be fixing it magically in five minutes on Monday morning. GAH! Seriously, one day all this flying by the seat of our pants will backfire, and we'll be in deep trouble...

 

Nonetheless, I suspect someone will be making puppy eyes on Monday morning and expecting me to fix it.

 

 

Maybe I should take a wooden spoon with me on Monday?

[Carol the Dabbler]

... it is only someone's time, and it doesn't waste materials if things have to be redone thirty times, nobody cared that people have to redo the same work thirty times....

 

Never time to do it right. Always time to do it over.

I had that mentally framed on my office wall, along with

 

Good

Fast

Cheap

Pick any two.

And

 

Failure to plan on your part

does not constitute an emergency on my part.

Not that that ever changed anything ....

 

I still think IT personnel should be issued a big wooden spoon when starting a new job. And allowed to used said wooden spoon on people who make a habit of not getting specs right from the start....

 

And school teachers. For use on vice principals who interrupt your class with complaints like, "Your window shades are not all at the same level."

 

I used to go home after school and bake brownies -- beating the batter vigorously in a big mixing bowl, using a big wooden spoon. Never thought to take the spoon to school with me, though.

 

Then I got into computers. Much easier!

 

 

Seriously, one day all this flying by the seat of our pants will backfire, and we'll be in deep trouble...

 

Yes, seriously. Very seriously. Can you say "Challenger"? Or "O-rings"?

 

Sometimes "I told you so" seems inadequate.