The Vent and Rant Thread

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

That's the entire problem with that sort of technology. It lives for a very long time, so it looks like it never breaks.

"Don't fix it if it's not broken." At some point, there are problems, but they can still be fixed. Then replacement gets postponed for so long that *when* it finally breaks, the house burns down.

It won't happen. Though the fusebox is old, it's still safe. However, we are reaching a point when a new one is needed. My mother would love to cook electric, which needs to go on it's own fuse, and my father would like a separate fuse for the the computer (don't ask my why) and this box can't be added to, since those fuse holders aren't available anymore. So the time will soon come when that fusebox we have in stock will be used for our home. Hopefully it'll be a quick switch, but if it goes wrong at least my bedroom will still have power (it used to be an office for the store, so it's on the store's fusebox).

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

He's in his early 60s. He isn't that out of touch, except that he a few believes that are just plain wrong, and never were right...

Ah HA! That's the answer, he's too young to have a proper appreciation for time.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

How old is your father?

<SNIPPAGE>

To be honest, I can't really see myself becoming like that, because I work in IT. Everything changes all the time, and it will for the next 30 years. So, there's no way for me to get 'stuck' in 2015 like current old people sometimes seem to be stuck in 1975.

Yeah. Nobody ever sees themselves becoming like that, and guess what? Everybody DOES. It's like aging. When you're young, you tell yourself that you'll age gracefully. Do you know what that's code for? "Aging gracefully" is code for NOT AGING. It's such utter BS.

And then, despite the fact that you logically knew you'd age; despite taking care of yourself, working out, etc.,...you AGE. Not gracefully, either, no matter how young you look for your age. (The ubiquitous qualifier). And then you learn that all that logic doesn't help--you really DID age, and ARE aging, and...yes, it's happening to you, too. And then forget all the crap showing up on your face and body, it starts happening INSIDE, just so you don't forget that the grim reaper awaits.

Yeah. Nobody plans on being that old codger. And then everybody IS an old codger.

(Yeah, I still play 20 year old computer games for nostalgic reasons, but I do so on a *new* computer; and I play new games as well. Even though I thought some games were beautiful to look at back then, I can clearly see that they're crap nowadays, especially on LCD-screens that don't have any other resolution than their native one.)

Yup, and next thing will be something around the house, or a pair of glasses you don't want to let go of, or your computer setup...just wait.

Hitch

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Yeah. Nobody plans on being that old codger. And then everybody IS an old codger.

Old I'll possibly be, but I can't see myself spending my retirement years the same way my dad has been doing: sitting in the same chair from 7am till 12pm with the remote control pointed at the TV, going *zap, zap, zap*.

He was already retired before I moved out, and did that back then already. He still does it now. The only thing I hear when I visit is that there's nothing on TV, because he's seen everything already.

Yup, and next thing will be something around the house, or a pair of glasses you don't want to let go of, or your computer setup...just wait.

I'm not hanging on to the old computer games and programs. When I encounter such an old game and I think it worth playing, I put it onto my todo list. Then at some point, I'll play it (somehow, in a virtual machine if need be), and after that, I don't really mind what happens to it and if it will run in another 10 years.

I've made it a point a long time ago to sell/give away/throw away what I don't use anymore, and I don't expect it to change; at least not during my working life.

[Katsunami]

Finally.

The internet is becoming unreadable because of a trend towards lighter and thinner fonts, making it difficult for the elderly or visually-impaired to see words clearly, a web expert has found.

Finally someone else is seeing what I've been seeing for over two years now. If some sites make their fonts even thinner or even lighter in color, it's just as well to just not write any text at all.

[wodin]

Agreed, I've also noticed the trend towards lower contrast colors. As my vision deteriorates with age I've come to realize that ctrl-plus is my friend. It does, however cause an overabundance of horizontal scrolling.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by wodin

Agreed, I've also noticed the trend towards lower contrast colors. As my vision deteriorates with age I've come to realize that ctrl-plus is my friend. It does, however cause an overabundance of horizontal scrolling.

I've hit the designer at my company over the head with it for two years.

"You're designing unreadable sites. Not everybody has 20/20 vision. Some people have problems (case in point: me). There are also old people who need to use computers."
His response was: "Well, this is modern design. And most people have normal vision. I'm not going to compromise for only a few people."

Also, *HE* had a somewhat OK screen; a lower-end IPS screen with acceptable viewing angles. When I showed him his sites on an el-cheapo TN-type screen, where all of his nice graduations count for nothing and text disappears into the background, his only comment was that people just had to use good screens.

As long as designers keep thinking that the only thing that counts is their design, the web (and software) will keep deteriorating. To be honest, I don't see myself working until 67. I could work perfectly with any computer up until 2005-2006. ANY program I ever used fit nicely into 1280x960 at most, and many of them were usable at 1024x768. So, I could use a smaller CRT such as a 15 inch at 1024x768, and a bigger one at 1280x960 or something. Everything fit, and you could do actual work on a lower resolution, even with only one monitor.

When monitors became bigger and resolutions became higher, due to cheap TFT-screens, everything with regard to keeping stuff usable with less screen real estate went out of the window.

Now, many programs need at AT LEAST 1280x720 (instead of at most). Some need more, such as Adobe Reader, which has a print dialog that is around 1000 pixels high. That makes such programs very hard to use on my laptop, which is at 150% (1920x1080, but 1280x720, effectively.) Some programs have been designed for a 'normal' monitor, such as 19 inch at 1280x1024, and STILL don't support high-dpi scaling, which has been part of Windows since XP. Those programs are unusable on any screen that is not set to 100%, because when upscaling them.

Not to mention the idiotic sticky headers that seem to become bigger and bigger on many sites. Sometimes the browser tabs + header takes up 30% of the vertical space, and I dislike reading on the bottom of the screen.

There is also a trend to use huge images and titles in combination with small body text. Not resizing leaves you with unreadable body text; resizing leaves you with titles and images so big that a blind man can view them from a 100 yards away.

[badgoodDeb]

Yeah, I'm starting to wonder if I should check out iPhone 6 or 7s, despite the fact that I REALLY just want the SE, so it'll fit in my pouch. But it's getting hard to read ....

[Hemmi]

Yeah! Quick and easy glasses fix and they changed both nosepieces without me even asking them to so they both match and are shiny new. I could not have taken it had they only changed one.

I did have to explain the blue glue-like substance to them. It's that tacky stuff you use to stick posters to the wall. Worked wonderfully to keep the nose piece in place for the weekend. I don't even care that it all didn't come out. Just so glad to have new nose pieces that actually make my glasses sit up a bit more so the bridge isn't nearly resting on my nose.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I hate HP. My mom drop her laptop off for me to fix. It's a HP 15 Laptop and the keyboard and touchpad stopped working. Gurus help!
My sister did a system restore which I think made it worse.

It seems my brother upgraded it to Windows 10 for her last year so I'm trying update that.

It took me time to find the on screen keyboard but it's acting buggy.. The touch screen seems buggy.

The HP website does not support Windows 10.

She told me it started auto scrolling by itself and I think my sister did something to it that made it stop working and isn't telling me. She is not tech savvy.

*head desk*

Sent from my XT1528

I wonder is the scrolling might be caused by a physically stuck mouse button?

[wodin]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I wonder is the scrolling might be caused by a physically stuck mouse button?

Or one of the keys.

[Freeshadow]

You think the key is the key? (sorry I just had to)

[Hemmi]

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate doing scheduling at work?

I posted a list of everyone's weekends to work two months ago, going to the end of the year. We are on a 5 weekend rotation so you only work every 5th weekend (not bad for a retail job!). Today, I get complaints from the New Year's Eve person about having to work then since she's also working the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Really? That's been up for 2 months. You offer no suggestions for who else should work and want me to just draft someone? I'm not going to be the bad guy although you may think I am when I say, well, work it out with your other coworkers and let me know who is going to work. You know, what it says on the top of the weekend rotation schedule. If you have an issue with your weekend, work out a switch with someone else.

I pay no attention to holidays, it's a weekend rotation and sometimes it breaks in your favor and sometimes it does not. You are not the first person to tell me they end up working every holiday. Funny how there's more than one of you that work every holiday when there really is not. And no one can offer any constructive advice on how to make it fair to all.

[Katsunami]

Do *you* work on weekends and holidays?

I can remember the planner at the support desk were I once worked having a similar attitude, but *he* had a nice 8:30-5, Monday to Friday job and never saw any problems, not even if you ended up working 6 days in one week.

Personally, I didn't care back then, especially because working on a weekend day not only got you 125% salary for the day, but also half a day added to your leave.

Actually, I'd love to work on Sunday, if I could get Wednesday off. I did that for some time back then. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, day off, Thursday, Friday, day off. For me, the week felt quite a lot shorter like that, and as said, it also netted me 125% of salary for the Sunday and 4 hours of leave each time.

I built up A LOT of leave, so I could have REALLY LONG vacations, especially because I planned them around obligatory holidays half a year in advance

[Hemmi]

We're actually closed on the major holidays but I'm always there the day before and day after. I don't normally work weekends but I often end up at least stopping by or being on call. If we're particularly busy or had a large order on Friday, I often end up coming in on Saturday for a while.

I would love to work weekends (and have a day off during the week) but the majority of my job duties are needed during the week and there's no one to fill in and do the daily things that need to be done if I'm not there. So, if I work on the weekend, it's always an extra day for me.

I have so much vacation time built up it's ridiculous. And I really never get to take it. But that's another rant...