Your pet peeve, technical or otherwise.

[Cubdriver]

Ebay appears to have reconfigured the way they display the 'saved sellers' list.  It now shows as two columns where previously it was one, and the new default sort order is by date added.  WTF?  Why in the wide, wide world of sports would someone want to display them in that order other than as a curiosity thing to determine who came first?  It seems far more logical (to me at least) to sort them alphabetically.  Saved sellers in my case at least are added as I find ones that pique my interest, and they are thus more or less random and certainly in no logical order of any kind.  Now to search it I have to select then resort it as alphabetized.

Can anyone suggest a logical reason to default sort by date added for the vast majority of users, or is this just (as usual) ebay being ebay?  (At least they left 'saved searches' in numerical/alphabetical order...  For now, at least...)

-Pat

[james_s]

I guess the reasoning is the most recently added ones probably tend to be the most currently relevant for a lot of people. If you added a saved seller ages ago it may have been because they had something you were interested in at the time but now you may not be. Not a sorting method I'm likely to use much but I can see where it might be useful to somebody.

[Bud]

The reasoning is that their head of Development wanted it that way. Guaranteed.

[vk6zgo]

The "buggy whip" analogy, part of the "tool box" of "change agents".

Their story, as handed to them at the knees of their mentors is that anyone who  raises objections to some muddle headed change which completely ignores ongoing commitments is like the "buggy whip makers" who weren't prepared for change.

It is absolute bollocks, as buggy whips were never anything but a niche market-----most people who worked with horses never used them, & even the ones that were sold, lasted for many decades with a little easy care.

Industries which were more likely to be badly affected, like makers of horsedrawn vehicles, easily survived the early onset of "horseless carriages", being the people with expertise in making the "carriage" part.
Studebaker, who were a major automaker for many years, used to make covered wagons.

You can bet that the transition was slow, & they didn't say to their existing customers "Sorry, but from next week we are making " widgets" instead!"

History is littered with the remains of businesses which seized upon "something new" as the answer to all their problems, only to sink ignominiously when the world didn't go in that direction.

[vk6zgo]

When you ask for a solution to something  dead simple that you are doing and you get replies that are seven orders of magnitude more complex than that problem you are trying to solve.
E.G.
"Learn the C language".
"Use a Raspberry Pi".
"Get an engineering degree".
"Put an LS engine in it".

This is common in this forum.

A noob will ask how to switch something from another thing.
The answer which a Tech would provide, is "use a relay".

Engineers must "engineer" though, so there will follow ten pages or so of alternative ways to do it, all using the most convoluted methods conceivable.
It will eventually descend into very erudite discussions about the pros & cons of various devices & processes.

It is an Engineering "master class", but it doesn't really address the OP's simple requirements.

[vk6zgo]

Back to a more "technical" peeve.

On several occasions in a row, my iPad has not connected to the WiFi signal from my modem, but to one of several airconditioners in adjacent houses.

Unfortunately, that doesn't allow me to mess with their A/Cs, but it does mean I have to re-select the correct signal.

Interestingly, the Aircond WiFi doesn't have a password, so there doesn't seem to be any way to stop this happening from time to time, as Apple have set things up so the iPad can use "free Wifi" where available.

"Internet of things", my furry backside!

[james_s]

This is common in this forum.

A noob will ask how to switch something from another thing.
The answer which a Tech would provide, is "use a relay".

Engineers must "engineer" though, so there will follow ten pages or so of alternative ways to do it, all using the most convoluted methods conceivable.
It will eventually descend into very erudite discussions about the pros & cons of various devices & processes.

It is an Engineering "master class", but it doesn't really address the OP's simple requirements.

But usually the simple answer gets posted first, then after that people start discussing alternate methods, likely as you point out because engineers like to engineer. As long as the question is answered I don't see any problem with discussing other options, even if they border on Rube Goldberg complexity.

[Nominal Animal]

When you ask for a solution to something  dead simple that you are doing and you get replies that are seven orders of magnitude more complex than that problem you are trying to solve.

I guess I'm guilty of that.  I sincirely apologize, but cannot help myself.

In my defense, the extra information is to describe the expected pitfalls ahead, so you avoid falling into them; not unwarranted complexity for the sake of verbosity.
Also, often there are several answers with different sets of benefits and drawbacks, so to avoid directing you into a hornets nest, I have to describe at least one in detail, to give you enough information to decide for yourself.
So, it is there only because I need the advice I give to be useful and reliable.

I know people want simple answers, but the world is a complicated place, and I for one want robust, reliable devices, not easily designed and implemented ones.

[Ed.Kloonk]

When you ask for a solution to something  dead simple that you are doing and you get replies that are seven orders of magnitude more complex than that problem you are trying to solve.

I guess I'm guilty of that.  I sincirely apologize, but cannot help myself.

In my defense, the extra information is to describe the expected pitfalls ahead, so you avoid falling into them; not unwarranted complexity for the sake of verbosity.
Also, often there are several answers with different sets of benefits and drawbacks, so to avoid directing you into a hornets nest, I have to describe at least one in detail, to give you enough information to decide for yourself.
So, it is there only because I need the advice I give to be useful and reliable.

I know people want simple answers, but the world is a complicated place, and I for one want robust, reliable devices, not easily designed and implemented ones.

Be verbose, Mr Animal. We wouldn't have you any other way.

[Siwastaja]

Related pet peeve:

Certain people who can't stand someone being verbose or coming up with a "wall of text".

Those TLDR STFU people.

You can feel the hate and envy oozing out of them; they can't write more than 3-4 sentences by themselves, they can't form a chain of logical thinking, they lose all arguments by not even trying, and can only basically say "you wrong lol stfu" and hope some of the similar minded presses the upvote button.

We have a few here on this forum (and yes they "thank" each other's posts) but really, I like this place because we don't have too many, they are not too vocal (typically all with < 1000 posts), and not of the absolute worst kind.

[TimNJ]

Related pet peeve:

Certain people who can't stand someone being verbose or coming up with a "wall of text".

Those TLDR STFU people.

You can feel the hate and envy oozing out of them; they can't write more than 3-4 sentences by themselves, they can't form a chain of logical thinking, they lose all arguments by not even trying, and can only basically say "you wrong lol stfu" and hope some of the similar minded presses the upvote button.

We have a few here on this forum (and yes they "thank" each other's posts) but really, I like this place because we don't have too many, they are not too vocal (typically all with < 1000 posts), and not of the absolute worst kind.

Yes, it's interesting when you branch out to other forums/areas of interests...anything more than 1,000 words in a post and half of the responses are like "do you seriously expect me to read this" "tldr' etc. Not saying I'm great at it, but it's definitely a good skill to be able to extract what you need and to perhaps come back later once you understand more.

[Canis Dirus Leidy]

"Use an FPGA"

Reminded of some discussion on the electronix.ru forum. It started with a question about a program for a school digital electronics club and quickly turned into a "FPGA vs Raspberry Pi" flame.

P.S. Unrelated pet peeve: articles with titles like "Simple Direct Conversion Receivers"... where reader met by a circuit with mechanically controlled variable capacitor. As if the authors had been in suspended animation for twenty (or when it was still possible to find old radios in the nearest landfill) years.

[Bud]

Related pet peeve:

Certain people who can't stand someone being verbose or coming up with a "wall of text".

Those TLDR STFU people.

You can feel the hate and envy oozing out of them; they can't write more than 3-4 sentences by themselves, they can't form a chain of logical thinking, they lose all arguments by not even trying, and can only basically say "you wrong lol stfu" and hope some of the similar minded presses the upvote button.

We have a few here on this forum (and yes they "thank" each other's posts) but really, I like this place because we don't have too many, they are not too vocal (typically all with < 1000 posts), and not of the absolute worst kind.

Yes, it's interesting when you branch out to other forums/areas of interests...anything more than 1,000 words in a post and half of the responses are like "do you seriously expect me to read this" "tldr' etc. Not saying I'm great at it, but it's definitely a good skill to be able to extract what you need and to perhaps come back later once you understand more.

I am one who does not read long posts but i do not bash people for writing such either. I just skip them. What those posters fail to understand is they lose part of audience because of this. If this is not an issue to them, then who cares.

[james_s]

Related pet peeve:

Certain people who can't stand someone being verbose or coming up with a "wall of text".

Those TLDR STFU people.

You can feel the hate and envy oozing out of them; they can't write more than 3-4 sentences by themselves, they can't form a chain of logical thinking, they lose all arguments by not even trying, and can only basically say "you wrong lol stfu" and hope some of the similar minded presses the upvote button.

We have a few here on this forum (and yes they "thank" each other's posts) but really, I like this place because we don't have too many, they are not too vocal (typically all with < 1000 posts), and not of the absolute worst kind.

I've noticed something like this with a few people I work with, they get annoyed by detailed information and if you send them a long message it's like they have a buffer overflow and just lock up and don't process it. Mostly seems to be the younger people, I've wondered if it is the twitter brain training that has ruined their ability to process larger quantities of information, or maybe it's just people getting into the tech industry who previously never would have given it a second thought.

[james_s]

"Use an FPGA"

Reminded of some discussion on the electronix.ru forum. It started with a question about a program for a school digital electronics club and quickly turned into a "FPGA vs Raspberry Pi" flame.

P.S. Unrelated pet peeve: articles with titles like "Simple Direct Conversion Receivers"... where reader met by a circuit with mechanically controlled variable capacitor. As if the authors had been in suspended animation for twenty (or when it was still possible to find old radios in the nearest landfill) years.

I wonder if there's enough of a niche retro market for those to make it worthwhile for somebody to produce them again? They are not particularly high tech, no exotic materials are required, a person could make one themselves if they really wanted to. A single series could have a lot of shared parts, just a frame, shaft, and identical sets of plates that could be installed in the number needed.

[TimNJ]

Related pet peeve:

Certain people who can't stand someone being verbose or coming up with a "wall of text".

Those TLDR STFU people.

You can feel the hate and envy oozing out of them; they can't write more than 3-4 sentences by themselves, they can't form a chain of logical thinking, they lose all arguments by not even trying, and can only basically say "you wrong lol stfu" and hope some of the similar minded presses the upvote button.

We have a few here on this forum (and yes they "thank" each other's posts) but really, I like this place because we don't have too many, they are not too vocal (typically all with < 1000 posts), and not of the absolute worst kind.

Yes, it's interesting when you branch out to other forums/areas of interests...anything more than 1,000 words in a post and half of the responses are like "do you seriously expect me to read this" "tldr' etc. Not saying I'm great at it, but it's definitely a good skill to be able to extract what you need and to perhaps come back later once you understand more.

I am one who does not read long posts but i do not bash people for writing such either. I just skip them. What those posters fail to understand is they lose part of audience because of this. If this is not an issue to them, then who cares.

True, but like you say, the long post is not for everyone. When I post on a forum, usually I am in a bind, and I want to figure out something (relatively) quickly. If the only response I got was extremely long-winded, I might be a little upset because it means I have to do a lot of sifting to find the "quick fix" to my problem. But, that's usually not the case. Usually there is a mixed variety of responses, shorter ones usually being more immediately practical/pragmatic, and longer ones to dwell/sleep on. I think they are both useful.

[TerraHertz]

Australia Post. Nearly everything they do, but in particular their very uninformative parcel tracking site.

So, here's an example of what I'd consider adequate tracking info. In this case a parcel being sent from a reshipper in LA, to me in Australia. (It's one of three parcels that went at the same time.)

06/11/2021    Shipito Warehouse    Shipment Recorded
06/11/2021    Shipito Warehouse, LA    Departure Scan
06/11/2021    LAX    Shipment Booked Flight #: PO9232 Sched. Dep:13-June Sched. Arr:14-June
06/12/2021       Shipping information received by Australia Post
06/13/2021    LAX    Enroute to Australia
06/14/2021    Australia    Flight Arrived
06/14/2021       Shipping information approved by Australia Post

Once Australia post has them, this is what happens:  (see pic)
* "It's being prepared" Infuriating garbage newspeak, like it's their job to somehow improve the package, instead of just transporting it.
* So they sat around all week, nothing happening. Sheesh. Or at least nothing they want to mention.
* Their stupid web page is one of those html abortions that prevents you from selecting text and Ctl-C copying it for your records. On a tracking info list, whhhhy?
* You can click it for 'more info' but that just says the same nothing.
* The site keeps wanting you to do a survey to tell them 'how are we doing'. Pretending they care.

Incidentally, who else has had their postal delivery cut back to 2 or 3 days a week?

[Ed.Kloonk]

Australia Post. Nearly everything they do, but in particular their very uninformative parcel tracking site.

So, here's an example of what I'd consider adequate tracking info. In this case a parcel being sent from a reshipper in LA, to me in Australia. (It's one of three parcels that went at the same time.)

Imagine how peeved you'd be if you realise that law enforcement can find out where every parcel is in an instant and who sent it. And you paid for the ability for them to do so.

Incidentally, who else has had their postal delivery cut back to 2 or 3 days a week?

It was part of the back and forth which led to the postage increase. It was no secret.

[Sal Ammoniac]

* Their stupid web page is one of those html abortions that prevents you from selecting text and Ctl-C copying it for your records. On a tracking info list, whhhhy?

Probably because they don't want you collecting evidence of their incompetence.

[DrG]

People giving me a ration for driving with the AC on and the windows open. The reason is empirically sound and if you don't like it, get out and walk!

If the car is hot from baking in the sun, AND I have a short drive - say 10-15 minutes, I will both run the AC (which puts out cool air in less than a minute of driving) and have the windows opened to some degree. This, because it is more comfortable! I know I am not going to be driving long enough for the entire cabin to be cooled in time. I will also do this initially for a longer drive.

This is NOT the same as running the AC at home with all the windows open you fricken brain-washed dimwits.

My position was reinforced during the recent local infestation of cicadas.



There were so many of these flying around, I had to keep the windows closed always because it was guaranteed that at least one would make its way into the car. Now, it is largely back to normal.

[Gribo]

My pet peeve - clients that don't want to pay for labor  .

[Circlotron]

Incorrect sayings that people repeat without actually thinking about e.g. “it’s darkest just before the dawn”. That is so wrong. If there is no moon out it is darkest about halfway between sunset and the next sunrise, not just before the next sunrise.

[PlainName]

If there is no moon out

But what if there is? What if it's cloudy? Mid-Winter?

If you're going to pull things apart you can't really do so on the basis of an 'if'. This kind of saying often isn't meant to be taken literally.

[vk6zgo]

Incorrect sayings that people repeat without actually thinking about e.g. “it’s darkest just before the dawn”. That is so wrong. If there is no moon out it is darkest about halfway between sunset and the next sunrise, not just before the next sunrise.

Dunno about darkest, but in mid-Winter Perth it is always coldest just after dawn.
By the way, it was 2C last night, & yesterday, my old work area in Bickley didn't get above 9C----2 degrees colder than Kalamunda a few km away!
I can just imagine how cold it would be 145m up the TVW tower.

Radio & TV Transmitter sites always seem to be situated in the coldest, windiest places possible.

Back on topic, how about "the dark side of the Moon?"

[rdl]

How dark it is just before dawn obviously depends on the contribution of light from the Moon. Which means it will also depend on the observers location. And in modern times you'd have to factor in the effects of artificial lighting. Today, locally, the Moon rises at about 5:00 am, about an hour before sunrise, and is 90% illuminated, so it's probably not going to be darkest before dawn.

edit: should be 5:00pm not am