Pant Thread (because we need more panting)

[Steax]

(possible trigger warning about death? best be on the safe side.)

Spoiler:

It annoys me endlessly when people compare dying people.

On one end, we have people making jokes about "steve jobs dies, a million weep, a million die [of hunger], nobody weeps". And "why is everyone so busy about celebrities dying of overdose? Look at this awesome story of how a man died to protect his squad/team/family/group!" These would be valid claims if they hadn't been so comparing - "millions are dying of hunger" and "remember what that hero did" is perfectly acceptable. Ridiculing someone else's death with a comparison is not.

At the other, we have excessive things like what I just saw straight on CNN. And I quote:
"15 die in Baghdad bombing"
"Mexican deadly prison melee"
"Teen mom and child found shot"
"3 dead in washington avalanche"
And suddenly the announcer says...
"It's tragic when the worst thing you thought could possibly happen occurs. And today, it has. Whitney Houston has passed away." (I think this was a clip for a previous airing.)

People are personal family members and heroes to at least one other. Treat the dead with respect, respect those they left behind, and move on. Stop comparing one death with another. Each is tragic in their own way.

... And next step up are the people saying "BUT 200,000 PEOPLE DIED FROM NUKES!"

[I Am Raven]

(possible trigger warning about death? best be on the safe side.)

Spoiler:

It annoys me endlessly when people compare dying people.

On one end, we have people making jokes about "steve jobs dies, a million weep, a million die [of hunger], nobody weeps". And "why is everyone so busy about celebrities dying of overdose? Look at this awesome story of how a man died to protect his squad/team/family/group!" These would be valid claims if they hadn't been so comparing - "millions are dying of hunger" and "remember what that hero did" is perfectly acceptable. Ridiculing someone else's death with a comparison is not.

At the other, we have excessive things like what I just saw straight on CNN. And I quote:
"15 die in Baghdad bombing"
"Mexican deadly prison melee"
"Teen mom and child found shot"
"3 dead in washington avalanche"
And suddenly the announcer says...
"It's tragic when the worst thing you thought could possibly happen occurs. And today, it has. Whitney Houston has passed away." (I think this was a clip for a previous airing.)

People are personal family members and heroes to at least one other. Treat the dead with respect, respect those they left behind, and move on. Stop comparing one death with another. Each is tragic in their own way.

... And next step up are the people saying "BUT 200,000 PEOPLE DIED FROM NUKES!"

Thank you. You are definitely not the only one.

Spoiler:

How can you go around comparing people's deaths when you can't even compare people's lives? I mean, one person becomes a worldclass cello player, the next gets guy is really thin and likes the colour green a lot, the next guy is very generous and a bus driver, and the next guy leads a European country into WWII. It's not only because we do things differently, it's also because we are different.

[gorcee]

A twofer on rants:

First, USPS. Let's have a chat. You're having serious budget issues. You try to offer online package tracking. It's fucking worthless. The package is going to be at my doorstep before you post it online. And that's pretty amazing, considering the fact that I get my weekly magazine subs a week late, and my weekly mailer from the local supermarket arrives at 6pm on the day the deals end. So really, just stop trying and save yourself some money.

Second, fuck you, RPI, and fuck you, Shirley Ann Jackson. Not only did you royally fuck over my finances, forcing me to complete 8 semesters of requirements in 7 semesters of actual work with 6 semesters of realized aid, but then I learn that you throw a 10-year anniversary party for the hiring of the most self-serving president in Institute history? A party, mind you, that was thrown the year that she was recognized as the highest paid university president in the country? And a party that included Aretha Franklin performing? Let's talk a second about how Aretha Franklin's performance rider includes a mandate of having $25,000 in cold hard greenback bills handed to her prior to the event. You motherfuckers took $20k out of my pocket, much of it while I was working a barely above minimum wage job, money, mind you, that I did not rightfully owe, and handed it over to a woman that has a pop music career than spans 5 decades? Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, and go fuck off.

[Hofstadter'sLaw]

The other day, I got a magazine in the mail that I'm not subscribed to. The next day, I got a bill for a subscription to that magazine and subscriptions for two other magazines that I never subscribed to. Today I got a package from a company that makes collectable figures, and I've never ordered anything from them. I haven't opened it, but there's a bill in the envelope attached to the front.

WHO'S ORDERING CRAP USING MY ADDRESS? >_<!

[gorcee]

The other day, I got a magazine in the mail that I'm not subscribed to. The next day, I got a bill for a subscription to that magazine and subscriptions for two other magazines that I never subscribed to. Today I got a package from a company that makes collectable figures, and I've never ordered anything from them. I haven't opened it, but there's a bill in the envelope attached to the front.

WHO'S ORDERING CRAP USING MY ADDRESS? >_<!

My bad.

[roband]

Didn't get the promotion. Not that bothered, but both the extra responsibility and the extra money would have been very nice.

[phlip]

The other day, I got a magazine in the mail that I'm not subscribed to. The next day, I got a bill for a subscription to that magazine and subscriptions for two other magazines that I never subscribed to. Today I got a package from a company that makes collectable figures, and I've never ordered anything from them. I haven't opened it, but there's a bill in the envelope attached to the front.

WHO'S ORDERING CRAP USING MY ADDRESS? >_<!

I've heard of that before... it's a moderately popular scam - send people crap in the mail, unsolicited, and then try to goad them into paying for it. IIRC if it's actually addressed to you (ie it's actually this scam, and not someone else's mail that's just been mis-delivered), then you can keep it and ignore the bill. The Internet agrees.

Now, if the people sending them look like real companies, and not scam artists, then it's probably worth contacting them and telling them in no uncertain terms (a) that you got stuff from them, (b) that you didn't order it, (c) that you're under no obligation to, and have no intention to, pay for or return them. This goes especially for the subscription one... if that's coming from an actual magazine company, then you definitely want them to stop sending you stuff in the future. However, if they do look like scam artists, the best bet is to make no contact at all... don't give them an opening to respond to, don't even acknowledge that you received anything, or even exist.

Of course, I'm not a lawyer, I'm just some guy with access to Google. But all the same, that's what I'd do in the situation.

[Hofstadter'sLaw]

WHO'S ORDERING CRAP USING MY ADDRESS? >_<!

My bad.

You, sir, have horrible taste in magazines/figurines.

I've heard of that before... it's a moderately popular scam - send people crap in the mail, unsolicited, and then try to goad them into paying for it....Of course, I'm not a lawyer, I'm just some guy with access to Google. But all the same, that's what I'd do in the situation.

The stuff was addressed to me, and the bills were in my name, so it’s not mail that’s being mis-delivered.

I e-mailed all the companies (at websites I looked up on Google, not whatever websites were included on the bills) to tell them to cancel my accounts because I hadn’t signed up/ordered anything. One magazine e-mailed me back so far, and they said they cancelled my account. All the companies are well-known, so I don’t think it’s scams.

I looked at your two links, but my credit card hasn’t been charged (the bills all request a credit card number), and they don’t say anything like, "Keep this if you like, for only $10, or return in the pre-paid packaging." Thanks for the links though. It's good to know that stuff for future reference.

I’m starting to get worried. I don’t want to have to e-mail random companies everyday to cancel accounts and have to keep going to the post office to drop off “refused—return to sender” packages. =/

[Steax]

I've heard of that happening through referral scams. People gain referral access, often through a third party (such as a store owner) to hide their real identity, then harvest the web for people's addresses and names. Then they sign them up for everyone. More often than not, people just pay or ignore the deliveries, so the publisher assumes the person is/isn't interested, instead of it being spam. Then the referral gets cash.

[Hofstadter'sLaw]

I've heard of that happening through referral scams. People gain referral access, often through a third party (such as a store owner) to hide their real identity, then harvest the web for people's addresses and names. Then they sign them up for everyone. More often than not, people just pay or ignore the deliveries, so the publisher assumes the person is/isn't interested, instead of it being spam. Then the referral gets cash.

Ah, okay. That makes sense. My address isn't on the internet, so it must be someone that knows me (and that hates me, apparently).

My mom said if I ignore the bills, I could get bad credit if the companies report my name/address for unpaid bills. Is that true? I can't find anything about that on Google.

[Steax]

Your address is likely everywhere, and some people sell that stuff online, sometimes for extremely cheap prices, to less than a cent each (which means even a 1/100 turnover rate and a $1 referral payout, both of which are probably really low, would break even). So yeah.

You should report it to the company, preferably by phone. I wouldn't contact general customer service; if they have a specific option for security/privacy issues, use that. In the end it depends on the company, though. They are, however, definitely losing money to this kind of practice.

[rath358]

Second, fuck you, RPI, and fuck you, Shirley Ann Jackson.

Cheers!

[phlip]

My mom said if I ignore the bills, I could get bad credit if the companies report my name/address for unpaid bills. Is that true? I can't find anything about that on Google.

I don't think they're allowed to, legally, but IANAL, and that probably won't stop them anyway. And fighting it if it gets to that point would take up a lot of time, effort and money. So yeah, if it's looking like the people sending you the stuff are real companies (who are either sending it to you by mistake, or some third party has signed you up for it for whatever reason) definitely contact them and make sure it's cleared up. The "agressive ignore" strategy is applicable more to when the people charging you money are themselves the scammers.

[TheMaskedGecko]

Ah, a place to vent.

NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO PLEASE THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR. <-This to the drummer of the band that my band is supporting (friends playing in a school hall, not attempting to sell out Wemberly Arena). No matter how nicely you phrase it, coming along two days before the performance, listening to our set (of Shrek movie covers mostly) and declaring that we should do Dubstep due to it being more "crowd pleasing" instead will generally cause you to come across as a bit of a dick. Especially if the vocalist and the bassist (yours truly) are not fans of said electronic awfulness(I will admit that it is an art form but, just like half a dead cow or poisonous porcelain sunflower seeds, not one I wish to be too close to). This dispute has lead to me temporarily leaving the band in an attempt at a dignified defense of artistic integrity, which likely came across as a petty sulk.

(On the plus side, it is nice to have a place to ramble (and the fact that this isn't being marked by an english teacher means I can use as many brackets as I damn well want (whoopie!)))

[SecondTalon]

Ah, a place to vent.

...This to the drummer of the band that my band is supporting ....declaring that we should do Dubstep ...

Holy shit, you know a sentient drum machine!?

[Menacing Spike]

Ah, a place to vent.

...This to the drummer of the band that my band is supporting ....declaring that we should do Dubstep ...

Holy shit, you know a sentient drum machine!?

Damnit ST, stop writing my comments before I do.

[Giant Speck]

When I was a kid, I had an annoying neck-stretching tic. I'd stretch my neck from side to side whether it was sore or not, and in turn ended up making my neck very sore all the time.

I outgrew the tic once I got into middle school, where it was replaced by a couple short-lived tics (including an even more annoying throat-clearing tic). Once I got to high school, I didn't have the tics anymore.

Well, the neck-stretching tic resurfaced shortly after I arrived in Las Vegas. I want to believe that it surfaced because I've been sleeping on an air mattress for about a month, and that it will go away after my real bed arrives on Saturday. However, I'm not entirely convinced it will and it worries me.

[wam]

Argh why do adverts say stupid things.

An advert on the radio station i listen to has the line "no child is born to die".

Surely every child born will die at some point!!

[OBrien]

No, you're born to live, but you live to die.

[wam]

No, you're born to live, but you live to die.

True. I think what annoyed me mainly was the way it was phrased.

[SecondTalon]

Argh why do adverts say stupid things.

An advert on the radio station i listen to has the line "no child is born to die".

Only because the TV Stations keep turning down my reality show "Baby Hunters"

[Garm]

Ah, a place to vent.

NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO PLEASE THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR. <-This to the drummer of the band that my band is supporting (friends playing in a school hall, not attempting to sell out Wemberly Arena). No matter how nicely you phrase it, coming along two days before the performance, listening to our set (of Shrek movie covers mostly) and declaring that we should do Dubstep due to it being more "crowd pleasing" instead will generally cause you to come across as a bit of a dick. Especially if the vocalist and the bassist (yours truly) are not fans of said electronic awfulness(I will admit that it is an art form but, just like half a dead cow or poisonous porcelain sunflower seeds, not one I wish to be too close to). This dispute has lead to me temporarily leaving the band in an attempt at a dignified defense of artistic integrity, which likely came across as a petty sulk.

(On the plus side, it is nice to have a place to ramble (and the fact that this isn't being marked by an english teacher means I can use as many brackets as I damn well want (whoopie!)))

Q: What's the difference between a drummer and a large pizza?
A:

Spoiler:

The pizza can feed a family of four

[Menacing Spike]

Argh why do adverts say stupid things.

An advert on the radio station i listen to has the line "no child is born to die".

Only because the TV Stations keep turning down my reality show "Baby Hunters"

Why do babies even have rights anyway?

[Jave D]

Yeah. Put your arm around her. That way all these people know she's YOURS. Your possession. Stroke her constantly. That way we can all know that you fuck regularly. That you fucked before the meeting, and that you'll fuck after, and that you'd probably prefer to fuck right now if not for this damn meeting. I get it. Thanks for the message. GET A ROOM, assholes.

[Deva]

Received seven telephone calls from campaigns, fund-raisers, and survey-takers today. Called two to four times per day over the past week. Please stop.

[Garm]

Received seven telephone calls from campaigns, fund-raisers, and survey-takers today. Called two to four times per day over the past week. Please stop.

Tell the campaigns to stop. If it's political season then tell them you've already made up your mind who you're voting for, you won't be persuaded otherwise, you will vote (even if you won't), and that they are wasting resources by calling you. That should get them to stop. Volunteer time is very precious and any contact DB admin worth his/her salt will get you off the call list ASAP. Fund-raisers... probably best to let your cat walk on the phone at that point. I usually hand the phone to my son.

[rath358]

I say that I do not make donations or purchases over the phone.
It usually seems to work.

[Deva]

Received seven telephone calls from campaigns, fund-raisers, and survey-takers today. Called two to four times per day over the past week. Please stop.

Tell the campaigns to stop. If it's political season then tell them you've already made up your mind who you're voting for, you won't be persuaded otherwise, you will vote (even if you won't), and that they are wasting resources by calling you. That should get them to stop. Volunteer time is very precious and any contact DB admin worth his/her salt will get you off the call list ASAP. Fund-raisers... probably best to let your cat walk on the phone at that point. I usually hand the phone to my son.

Does that work with automated telephone calls? Hangs up immediately after hearing a recorded voice. Never waited for/heard a "talk to a real person" option. May not record that, though. Already wastes volunteers' time, also, based upon repeat calls.

Considered voting for the Ronpaul (instead of not at all) for being the least annoying. Involves voting for the Ronpaul, unfortunately.

Should cease by tomorrowtoday's end. Will be completely forgotten until either financial troubles or the next election. Retains the glow of ruthlessly hanging up on a potential President('s voice) until then. Feels almost important that way.

I say that I do not make donations or purchases over the phone.
It usually seems to work.

Have they ever countered by sending a representative?

[darknut]

I say that I do not make donations or purchases over the phone.
It usually seems to work.

Have they ever countered by sending a representative?

Then say: i dont make donations or purchases with strangers showing up at my door, give me your office location and wait there for me. should the mood strike me i might possible come by maybe sometime
counter that!

and be sure to actually yell "counter that" before shutting the door

[Deva]

Then say: i dont make donations or purchases with strangers showing up at my door, give me your office location and in the future should the mood strike me i might possible come by maybe sometime
counter that!

and be sure to actually yell "counter that" before shutting the door

Follow-up reminder calls/visits. Cannot let you "forget" to donate.

Take that.

[Garm]

Ugh. Robo-calls. Those are generally more difficult, if not impossible, to stop. For one thing, they're often paid for by someone who is only loosely associated with a campaign. I hate robo-calls and often times wonder about their efficacy.

[roband]

"Aha, I think you mean.. no, wait, brain, that IS a word."

[SecondTalon]

Ugh. Robo-calls. Those are generally more difficult, if not impossible, to stop. For one thing, they're often paid for by someone who is only loosely associated with a campaign. I hate robo-calls and often times wonder about their efficacy.

I often wonder if the group paying for it is actually in favor of who they claim to support. Like.. Citizens for Newt Gingrich, for example, putting out an obnoxious robo-call because the Citizens for Newt Gingrich actually want Mitt Romney elected, so they want people to think Newt's crowd is full of the kind of jackass that robo-calls people.


Then again, I also think that robo-calling should be punished by everyone involved being drawn and quartered. And that a punishment like that would be getting off light.

[Menacing Spike]

My Uni has a slot where people come and give presentation, usually on pretty technical and interesting subjects (in the fields of neuroscience and robotics).

But this week:

Abstract: Being an Engineer/Scientist is a fantastic career choice. Somebody out there pays you quite reasonably to do exciting and challenging stuff; to travel the world, meet interesting people and dine with them. Of course you know the money has to come from somewhere; but that is the business side ... which somebody else looks after. But things have been changing of late, and the financial crisis with ensuing budget constraints has brought this to a head; now unnecessary things and lost-causes are on the block ... and due to our failure to market ourselves and our technology are numbered amongst them! With every advancement of our technology, the ensuing products and their interfaces become more sophisticated; and our technology and roles within it, increasingly invisible. Alas, with invisibility comes depreciation and neglect. We must regain our visibility, and this seminar sets out your role in doing so.

what

[e^iπ+1=0]

...what? "Being a scientist is awesome because people will pay you money to do it. Also, apparently it involves travel and meals? Unfortunately, people are apparently no longer willing to pay us to do science because they don't see the connection between the person who thought of that cool feature on the latest iWhatever and that feature itself. Clearly it must have magically been put there. (Also, coming up with new gadgets is evidently the only thing you can do with science.) What we need to do is shove our existence in their faces. Here's how to do so!"

[Garm]

Ugh. Robo-calls. Those are generally more difficult, if not impossible, to stop. For one thing, they're often paid for by someone who is only loosely associated with a campaign. I hate robo-calls and often times wonder about their efficacy.

I often wonder if the group paying for it is actually in favor of who they claim to support. Like.. Citizens for Newt Gingrich, for example, putting out an obnoxious robo-call because the Citizens for Newt Gingrich actually want Mitt Romney elected, so they want people to think Newt's crowd is full of the kind of jackass that robo-calls people.


Then again, I also think that robo-calling should be punished by everyone involved being drawn and quartered. And that a punishment like that would be getting off light.

That's a thing that happens all the time. I think that's what Harper's party is being investigated for in Canada. Here in the US, several GOP operatives have recently gone to jail for misleading robo-calls near elections. We just strengthened our laws regarding this practice. No drawing and quartering yet, however. I'd be happy with a crotch punch for the offender... one from each phone call that was made.

[SecondTalon]

That's a thing that happens all the time. I think that's what Harper's party is being investigated for in Canada. Here in the US, several GOP operatives have recently gone to jail for misleading robo-calls near elections. We just strengthened our laws regarding this practice. No drawing and quartering yet, however. I'd be happy with a crotch punch for the offender... one from each phone call that was made.

Soft on crime, I see.

[emceng]

I am earning .0008% interest per month on my saving account.

[Magnanimous]

When we were learning about compound interest in grade school my teacher apparently knew nothing about calculus, as he taught us that compounded continuously meant that the annual rate was being applied constantly and left it at that. I spent a few weeks thinking that you'd get the annual interest every 1/infinity seconds... as in, infinite money.

[e^iπ+1=0]

I've only been thinking seriously about the fact that I'm running for this position since.. todayish. I had initially decided to just wing it, but now realize that's not gonna work in the slightest. So tomorrow I have to come up with a speech, and I tend to dislike both writing and politics. And at least one of the two people running against me has a pretty decent chance of beating me, I think.