Some middle aged man grumps for the day …
Remember when you used to call someone on the phone and you’d let the phone ring like 10 times before hanging up and assuming they were not home? In fact, I remember there were times I’d zone out and let the phone ring like 50 times or something. But basically, we had this idea that it might take someone a bit more than 3 seconds to get to the phone. So why in the name of Loki do cell phone go to GD Voicemail after three rings? Or maybe five? How many times does a person call you and you get to the phone for it only to read “missed call” and you call them like a whole seven seconds later. Really? Yes, yes, I know there is some setting where I can probably make my phone ring infinitely, but why is the default like three rings?
Okay, frankly I am glad that all this repetitive calendar date stuff is over tomorrow. It is sort of boring to me the folks that find great joy in bringing it up. Actually I am sure that this means at least one of the three people who read this blog will search for some crazy number sequence thing in the calendar that means absolutely nothing.
If you are a blogger who approves comments why do you also have the “prove your not a robot” dialogue? I mean pick one or the other. Either have me enter the increasingly hard to read google blog junk or approve my comment WITHOUT that. Are you really getting so many comments from spam that you need to do both?
If your kid is selling popcorn or cookies or candy bars, don’t get pissed if I say I won’t buy them from you but I’d be happy to buy them from your kid when your kid sells them. Your assuming that I MUST support your kid because you hang the order form outside your cube is pure bollocks on your part. If your kid is selling something, let them learn the lesson of selling versus the lesson that you are their lackey to do everything for them.
Ultra lotteries suck but apparently there are over 100 hundred milers out there. And some on the cheap (comparatively … and frankly some much cheaper by the mile than even your local 5k or 10k). Take your show there.
Now you kids get off my lawn.
Love it. Parents hawking candy for kids drives me nuts, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd approved comments wise, I literally have 41k pending comments to go through right now. Seriously. I need a bette filter. Askimet sucks.
I imagine your site is one of those sites that get a bit more than the regular blogspot level of comments.
DeleteLaughs first thing in the AM! Yeah.
ReplyDeleteThe real end of the earth was in the year 1212, when some monk in a monastery probably made the same comment you did.
Enjoyed the grumps. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I just proved you have >3 readers.
Glad to know I'm not the only one who can't decipher this new wave of captchas.
ReplyDeleteThis... is awesome. First laugh of the day.
ReplyDeleteTakin my show to the Double Top 100. Never been to GA and probably wouldn't if it wasn't for this race. Should be fun!
ReplyDeleteJustin - excellent!
DeletePMS much? :) Seriously... all of the gripes are 100% legit! I hate voice mail. I hate missing calls and I hate having to listen to vm's and THEN calling someone back. So unproductive. And everything else is spot on... :)
ReplyDeleteIt makes me think that cell technology could be smarter. Like when you call the person and they are three feet away. Why not just have the phone tell you that you are too damn close to make a legitimate call?
DeleteThe worst is when you pick the phone up and see you just missed their call, then you call that person back but the phone lines are in some weird state where the other person doesn't even know you're trying to call them so it rings (and they're leaving you a voicemail)....and rings..."they JUST called me! PICK UP!"...and rings....so maybe you leave a message, or not - so you hang up and dial in to listen to your voicemail and halfway through that they see you called and call you back.
ReplyDeleteMight just be me...
Not just you. That is just stupid design.
DeleteIf a phone is going to voicemail that fast, what's happening is the dude on the other end sees you calling, says "Oh, it's GZ" then clicks decline. Boom. to voicemail. btw - http://lifehacker.com/5878635/change-how-long-your-phone-rings-before-sending-calls-to-voicemail and..
ReplyDeleteIf you are a blogger who approves comments why do you also have the “prove your not a robot” dialogue? Because then you'd be approving mass amounts of spam! One of my popular blogs I manage would get 200+ spam "comments" a day...but in addition, I didn't want other people posting stupid shit either...
Rob - I see it on the other side too. I am getting a phone call and the damn phone goes to VM before I can get to it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the life hacker tip.
I see what you mean on the double quality check on comments, and that is probably valid for some of the bigger blog sites ... but this on sites where guys get few (if any) comments.
I remember when I was kid a loaf of bread was a nickel--well, maybe a buck and nickel. And you could go to the movie, which we called "the picture," for 50 cents. Nowadays you have to refinance your house to get some bread or go see your favorite movie. What the hell is wrong with kids today? They got no respect.
ReplyDeleteCould be a pretty awesome weekly installment!? "Old Man Mondays"
ReplyDeleteMy dearest George, you cannot harsh my mellow today. For yesterday, you reposted the link to your snot rocket post from 2010: http://georgezack.blogspot.com/2010/01/snot-rocket-problem.html
ReplyDeleteNot only is that post an epic all time best, but the comments down the thread just get better and better as you read. Nobody can put me in a bad mood for weeks now. I slept like a baby last night and had sugar plums and hat filled snot rockets dancing in my head.
Out of curiosity I checked, and I'm one of those guilty as charged re: word verification + moderation.
ReplyDeleteI turned off the verification, I don't even remember turning it on.
I did have a relentless wave of spam about a year ago. They were posting the same dumb messages on multiple posts, I suspect via automation. Or maybe by forcing third-world orphans to do it.
No one calls me.
ReplyDeleteActually I recall when you were out here this summer you had a bit of the opposite problem.
DeleteYeah, notice I didn't give my "no one calls me" a negative overtone...
Delete12th of November next year is going to be awesome!
ReplyDeleteRick - I might need to block you.
DeleteJust use an especially un-readable Captcha test and you're good.
DeleteWill you sponsor my kid to the Blue Knights???
ReplyDelete:)
Jill - drop me a note so we can talk that through.
Delete