Your pet peeve, technical or otherwise.

[Kim Christensen]

Many countries' traffic lights go from Red to Yellow and then Green instead of directly from Red to Green like in North America. It makes more sense to me since it stops people from looking at the cross traffic lights instead.

[james_s]

Many countries' traffic lights go from Red to Yellow and then Green instead of directly from Red to Green like in North America. It makes more sense to me since it stops people from looking at the cross traffic lights instead.

I always thought this was a great idea. I usually put my car in neutral while I'm stopped at a light so I don't sit there with my foot on the clutch wearing out the release bearing and related parts. If I'm at the front of the line I usually have to crane my neck to look at the other signal phase so I have enough warning to put my car in gear without abusing the 1st gear synchro before the person behind me gets impatient.

[Ed.Kloonk]

Many countries' traffic lights go from Red to Yellow and then Green instead of directly from Red to Green like in North America. It makes more sense to me since it stops people from looking at the cross traffic lights instead.

I always thought this was a great idea. I usually put my car in neutral while I'm stopped at a light so I don't sit there with my foot on the clutch wearing out the release bearing and related parts. If I'm at the front of the line I usually have to crane my neck to look at the other signal phase so I have enough warning to put my car in gear without abusing the 1st gear synchro before the person behind me gets impatient.

Isn't it about time that facebook would send drivers a message that the light has changed to green? You know, so they'd know they can go.

[Bud]

Many countries' traffic lights go from Red to Yellow and then Green instead of directly from Red to Green like in North America. It makes more sense to me since it stops people from looking at the cross traffic lights instead.

I always thought this was a great idea.

But I think it is not. Garanteed, many drivers start moving when Red goes to Yellow and before getting Green.

[Ed.Kloonk]

Many countries' traffic lights go from Red to Yellow and then Green instead of directly from Red to Green like in North America. It makes more sense to me since it stops people from looking at the cross traffic lights instead.

I always thought this was a great idea.

But I think it is not. Garanteed, many drivers start moving when Red goes to Yellow and before getting Green.

As an Aussie who spent a bit of time driving in England (which has the red/yellow before green), it doesn't happen. What it does though is enable drivers to 'get the car into gear' and be ready for the green. It's the second car you've got to worry about. They are expecting you to move when the light goes green.

I had some eurotrash volkswagon that liked to turn off the engine when stopped. The yellow light was a godsend because the car needed to be nudged forward to wake the engine up.

London traffic in the morning.. if you're dragging your feet...  BEEEP!

[PlainName]

Garanteed, many drivers start moving when Red goes to Yellow and before getting Green.

Some, but generally most drivers don't have the reactions to do that, and don't think to watch the other set to see when they go red.

It's also kind of a traffic offence. You MUST NOT (the Highway Code's words) cross the white line before the lights go green, so clever drivers stop a couple of feet back and watch the opposing lights, so they cross the white line at a rate of knots exactly as the lights go green.

[james_s]

But I think it is not. Garanteed, many drivers start moving when Red goes to Yellow and before getting Green.

Do you have any evidence that this occurs in the places where traffic lights do in fact work like this? If somebody starts moving when the light turns yellow that is their problem and they should be cited for it. Everyone knows the green light means go.

[Ed.Kloonk]

But I think it is not. Garanteed, many drivers start moving when Red goes to Yellow and before getting Green.

Do you have any evidence that this occurs in the places where traffic lights do in fact work like this? If somebody starts moving when the light turns yellow that is their problem and they should be cited for it. Everyone knows the green light means go.

My own accounts of this are that people that do roll over the line, technically, as the light goes green. Happens often enough to notice it yet doesn't appear to be very dangerous. I found that red light runners are fewer in number probably because on the other side, you don't wait forever for the cars to get moving like red/green systems do. It does get cars moving on the green but I simply don't agree that it turns every driver into a Fangio.

[vk6zgo]

Many countries' traffic lights go from Red to Yellow and then Green instead of directly from Red to Green like in North America. It makes more sense to me since it stops people from looking at the cross traffic lights instead.

I hated them when I visited the UK back in the day, not so much in high traffic situations, but because in light traffic, when the lights went yellow both ways simultaneously, two drivers, both "sneaking through on the yellow" could have a very unpleasant result.

Maybe UK drivers of the time were less wild than Oz drivers, as I didn't see that happen, but it always worried me!

Other delights were "three lane roads" with the middle lane available for overtaking from both directions, the roundabout outside Southampton with a small hill in the middle, & the propensity of drivers to drive on their parking lights at night.

The latter, which had just become illegal in 1971 was still widespread, & combined with those godawful Sodium lamps made cars without any yellow in their colour scheme virtually disappear.

Another side effect of not using dipped lights was that many lights would be grossly out of adjustment, causing glare to oncomers, & of little use to the user.

[Bud]

But I think it is not. Garanteed, many drivers start moving when Red goes to Yellow and before getting Green.

Do you have any evidence that this occurs in the places where traffic lights do in fact work like this? If somebody starts moving when the light turns yellow that is their problem and they should be cited for it. Everyone knows the green light means go.

Yrs of course it is their problem. However this is a cultural thing. "Everyone" you mean in the US ? 

[jonovid]

People who believe that cryogenic freezing is living for eternity.
when was the last time granny go 30 more yrs from been defrosted.

[Labrat101]

People who believe that cryogenic freezing is living for eternity.
when was the last time granny go 30 more yrs from been defrosted.

If that's within the Best Before Date?

[Nominal Animal]

People who believe that cryogenic freezing is living for eternity.
when was the last time granny go 30 more yrs from been defrosted.

Ever since I saw Fargo in late nineties, I've told my family I want to be disposed of that way: First deep-frozen, then put through a wood chipper.  They were, and are horrified about the idea.

(I do believe there is an experimental setup in Sweden, where the corpsicles are frozen and then ultrasonically turned into slurry.)

Thing is, I'm not actually kidding.  Burning releases quite a bit of heavy metals into the air.  Decomposition is slow, and can cause heavy metal poisoning in the soil.  Being turned into small chips, and then distributed over a larger area, would reduce the environmental impact, not require too much energy, and it would make it safer for the little critters to turn me back into life-bearing soil.  I wouldn't mind being fertilizer for say a small nice copse of birches.

And it would be funny as hell, of course.

[TimFox]

The American horror author H P Lovecraft was perhaps the first writer to consider what would go wrong with "re-animation" of deceased humans in a series of short stories.

[george.b]

Lots of crosswalks have downcounters to tell pedestrians how much time remains for them to cross. But I was blown away in Shenzhen when I saw they had downcounters for the traffic lights! My immediate thought was the drag racing Christmas tree... and that Shenzhen was basically encouraging drivers to anticipate and sprint off the line.

Non-citizens cannot rent a car nor drive in (at least) Shenzhen. After seeing those lights that made more sense.

We have traffic lights that count down where I live (Florianópolis, Brazil). Dunno if they're the same as in Shenzhen. Someone was seemingly impressed by them and put a video up on YouTube:



I don't find that it causes drivers to anticipate. When they want to disobey the traffic lights they usually won't even stop anyway (mostly motorcyclists).

[eti]

When you've done VAST amounts of research into a product, for weeks or months, and give someone the EXACT product details, barcode number, product code... in fact LOTS of details to make sure there couldn't possibly be any doubt that you want THIS EXACT ONE AND NOTHING ELSE, the EXACT colour, specs, and you tell them "I don't care about the cost, BUY IT PLEASE, I need THIS ONE, it's my money"

... and then... the person charged with purchasing it returns with:

 "I didn't get it as I thought it was a little pricey"

OR

"I got this one instead, it's near enough" (uneducated opinion-based decision, went over your head)

 


I know who I can trust with this type of decision, and there aren't many. Non-engineers DO NOT understand how crucial this stuff is, and the subtle nuances and spec diffs between versions of something which LOOKS the same, but isn't.

[DrG]

I have always found it annoying when people go into some incredibly speculative rant about something and end with "...just saying" Am I to believe that there is no reason that those words came out of your mouth? Would the proper response be "...just hearing"?

It is right up there with "It is what it is".

[eti]

I have always found it annoying when people go into some incredibly speculative rant about something and end with "...just saying" Am I to believe that there is no reason that those words came out of your mouth? Would the proper response be "...just hearing"?

It is right up there with "It is what it is".

“… just saying” - I despise the mass societal adoption of this supposed “disclaimer” that people tack onto the end of their often bigoted/highly inappropriate/uneducated/whatever “observations”/passive-aggressive insults. It’s childish and often used to deride or offend… but okay, that’s fine, since they’re “…just saying” 🤦🏻‍♂️

“It is what it is” - this is about the most empty, open-ended, airhead filler phrase one could ever not wish to hear. It’s not even classifiable as circular logic, it’s many exponents more idiotic than that.

Western society has truly become a logical,
moral and intellectual wasteland.

[PlainName]

It is right up there with "It is what it is"

Don't see a problem with that one. It is succinctly pointing out that something isn't what one might wish it to be; that one has to accept that to get anywhere, this is where you start; you can't go back and make it different, etc. Sometimes people do need that pointing out.

[Siwastaja]

It is right up there with "It is what it is"

Don't see a problem with that one. It is succinctly pointing out that something isn't what one might wish it to be; that one has to accept that to get anywhere, this is where you start; you can't go back and make it different, etc. Sometimes people do need that pointing out.

Yes - as always, every idiom - even "just saying" - has a valid use case. The actual problem is that idioms come in and and go out of fashion, causing phases of severe overuse. After that, they become "pet peeves" of everyone until in a few years, they are forgotten.

[DrG]

OK thanks for clearing that up because here I was thinking that people who say "It is what it is" are merely annoying simpletons so utterly devoid of understanding and creativity that they can do no better than "it is what it is".  Now, I understand that it is more complicated and that there are actually three varieties of these simpletons.

1. "It is what it is" - these folks belong to the reflexive party of reality and want to let everyone know as much.

2. "It is what it isn't" - these folks are the realty deniers from the alternative truth party.

3. "It isn't what it is" - these are the contrarians that, no matter the position, they disagree.

Thanks so much, I am now on my way to being a better person

[SilverSolder]

[...] The actual problem is that idioms come in and and go out of fashion, causing phases of severe overuse. After that, they become "pet peeves" of everyone until in a few years, they are forgotten.

It is what it is! 

[SilverSolder]

It is right up there with "It is what it is"

Don't see a problem with that one. It is succinctly pointing out that something isn't what one might wish it to be; that one has to accept that to get anywhere, this is where you start; you can't go back and make it different, etc. Sometimes people do need that pointing out.

I agree.  I'm open to suggestions for a replacement phrase to get that point across, since some people don't actually understand the meaning!  I can't think of anything that doesn't become long and tedious.

E.g.  "life's like that sometimes, you just have to suck it up"

[nctnico]

It is right up there with "It is what it is"

Don't see a problem with that one. It is succinctly pointing out that something isn't what one might wish it to be; that one has to accept that to get anywhere, this is where you start; you can't go back and make it different, etc. Sometimes people do need that pointing out.

I agree.  I'm open to suggestions for a replacement phrase to get that point across
E.g.  "life's like that sometimes, you just have to suck it up"

Yeah. 'Life sucks' kind of sums it up. Sometimes I use a more polite version: 'Everything is not perfect and there is nothing we can do about it right now'.

[rsjsouza]

I also don't see a problem with "It is what it is", but I know many that do object to it.

I also use "Nothing is perfect" but that is usually on a conversation with someone I know well - otherwise it may trigger some more vitriolic reactions depending on the subject (people may think you are dismissing their argument, instead of pointing out realities of life).