@surreality said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
@rnmissionrun The husband uses one of those silicon skins over his keyboard to help keep it clean.
He had me try one, because I go through keyboards like kleenex. (With all the long-winded bullshit I type, I realize this probably shocks no one.)
I am so brutal on keyboards that it lasted less than three months before I had worn right through it. I mean, I have stupidly acidic skin on my hands (has eaten through fine leather gloves inside a day before), but... uh, just keep that caution in mind in case you are similarly hard on keyboards.
If you're not, though, one of those might help, and they're reasonably cheap.
I was using those, but I went through them fast, too. And they just seemed to impede my typing.
As for putting Linux on- been there, done that, don't have the hours to waste on dealing with the bullshit.
If you have the free time to waste, be my guest. I don't. As it is, I don't get enough sleep at night for how busy I am. I use Mac or Windows because I know it'll work. I can work with Unix, I have worked with Unix, but regardless of distro, you're going to sit and spend time finding packages to make shit work.
And then doing it again months later.
And again months later.
and again...
..........and so on.
Some people get their kicks doing that. I don't anymore. You wanna pay me to do it, sure. But not on my free time.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
@auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
@surreality said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
@rnmissionrun The husband uses one of those silicon skins over his keyboard to help keep it clean.
He had me try one, because I go through keyboards like kleenex. (With all the long-winded bullshit I type, I realize this probably shocks no one.)
I am so brutal on keyboards that it lasted less than three months before I had worn right through it. I mean, I have stupidly acidic skin on my hands (has eaten through fine leather gloves inside a day before), but... uh, just keep that caution in mind in case you are similarly hard on keyboards.
If you're not, though, one of those might help, and they're reasonably cheap.
I was using those, but I went through them fast, too. And they just seemed to impede my typing.
As for putting Linux on- been there, done that, don't have the hours to waste on dealing with the bullshit.
If you have the free time to waste, be my guest. I don't. As it is, I don't get enough sleep at night for how busy I am. I use Mac or Windows because I know it'll work. I can work with Unix, I have worked with Unix, but regardless of distro, you're going to sit and spend time finding packages to make shit work.
And then doing it again months later.
And again months later.
and again...
..........and so on.
Some people get their kicks doing that. I don't anymore. You wanna pay me to do it, sure. But not on my free time.
That's not my experience at all but then we're probably not using our PCs for the same things.
@rnmissionrun said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
@auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
@surreality said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
@rnmissionrun The husband uses one of those silicon skins over his keyboard to help keep it clean.
He had me try one, because I go through keyboards like kleenex. (With all the long-winded bullshit I type, I realize this probably shocks no one.)
I am so brutal on keyboards that it lasted less than three months before I had worn right through it. I mean, I have stupidly acidic skin on my hands (has eaten through fine leather gloves inside a day before), but... uh, just keep that caution in mind in case you are similarly hard on keyboards.
If you're not, though, one of those might help, and they're reasonably cheap.
I was using those, but I went through them fast, too. And they just seemed to impede my typing.
As for putting Linux on- been there, done that, don't have the hours to waste on dealing with the bullshit.
If you have the free time to waste, be my guest. I don't. As it is, I don't get enough sleep at night for how busy I am. I use Mac or Windows because I know it'll work. I can work with Unix, I have worked with Unix, but regardless of distro, you're going to sit and spend time finding packages to make shit work.
And then doing it again months later.
And again months later.
and again...
..........and so on.
Some people get their kicks doing that. I don't anymore. You wanna pay me to do it, sure. But not on my free time.
That's not my experience at all but then we're probably not using our PCs for the same things.
I always seem to end up with the situations where I have one or two devices with really annoying to find / finicky drivers. Like, without fail. Hell, I have that happen on my current machines. The plight of a power user. 
@auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
I use Mac or Windows because I know it'll work. I can work with Unix, I have worked with Unix, but regardless of distro, you're going to sit and spend time finding packages to make shit work.
Dependency hell is so 1997!
These days there is a GUI and everything. Not that I'd use such a dirty, heretical thing.
Desperately need haircut. I think the length (my hair is heavy, it has contributed in the past) is causing some of these recent migraines. Can't afford haircut (since haircut is cost of haircut + cost of rideshare to/from because I don't have the free time to spend a couple hours on the bus).
I'm dangerously close to trying to cut it myself.
@quinn I will move to there and do all of the things. ALL.
@auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
Desperately need haircut. I think the length (my hair is heavy, it has contributed in the past) is causing some of these recent migraines. Can't afford haircut (since haircut is cost of haircut + cost of rideshare to/from because I don't have the free time to spend a couple hours on the bus).
I'm dangerously close to trying to cut it myself.
Do it! It's ridiculously easy to cut your own hair if you don't mind a little length. There are a couple of different strategies, my favorite involving tossing my head upside down and using a hair band - I've never gotten more compliments on my hair than when I did it using that method.
You can find videos on YouTube.
@lisse24 said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
@auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
Desperately need haircut. I think the length (my hair is heavy, it has contributed in the past) is causing some of these recent migraines. Can't afford haircut (since haircut is cost of haircut + cost of rideshare to/from because I don't have the free time to spend a couple hours on the bus).
I'm dangerously close to trying to cut it myself.
Do it! It's ridiculously easy to cut your own hair if you don't mind a little length. There are a couple of different strategies, my favorite involving tossing my head upside down and using a hair band - I've never gotten more compliments on my hair than when I did it using that method.
You can find videos on YouTube.
I'm just so scared of fucking it up. I know what looks flattering on me and I doubt I'll come out remotely close to pulling it off. 
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
@auspice Shave it. Wear wig.
He/Him
@tinuviel said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
@auspice Shave it. Wear wig.
You buying? I'd like mermaid hair, plz. Something non-itchy.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
@auspice Psh, no. This is a you problem. I don't even have enough right now to pay attentio- ooh shiny.
There is no greater first world pain than one earbud dying in the middle of work.
I've been on the National Do Not Call Registry since 2004. As of 8/01/2016, the maximum fine is $40,000 USD per call.
Three days ago, someone called me claiming to be from a certain bank where I don't have an account. I informed him I was on the registry. I told him to remove me from his list. I informed him of the fine. I warned him that if he called me again, I would report him to the FCC.
He called again about 25 minutes ago. I told him, "I told you the other day that I was on the Do Not Call Registry. I told you to remove me from your list. I am now reporting you to the FCC."
He immediately hung up.
I immediately reported both calls to the FCC. I'm certain he's made more than two such calls. I'm also certain he will be unable to pay the fines for all those calls.
So even though I'm kinda peeved, I feel good for reporting him.
@karmageddon said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
I've been on the National Do Not Call Registry since 2004. As of 8/01/2016, the maximum fine is $40,000 USD per call.
Three days ago, someone called me claiming to be from a certain bank where I don't have an account. I informed him I was on the registry. I told him to remove me from his list. I informed him of the fine. I warned him that if he called me again, I would report him to the FCC.
He called again about 25 minutes ago. I told him, "I told you the other day that I was on the Do Not Call Registry. I told you to remove me from your list. I am now reporting you to the FCC."
He immediately hung up.
I immediately reported both calls to the FCC. I'm certain he's made more than two such calls. I'm also certain he will be unable to pay the fines for all those calls.
So even though I'm kinda peeved, I feel good for reporting him.
A while back I got some spam that was -very- well created trying to get my information for my Apple Store account.
I uh.. don't have an Apple Store account.
So I did all the things, reported to the FBI cybercrime website, reported to Apple, got a thank you email from the latter. Pretty gratifying.
@ortallus I got a bunch of those from banks loosely related to my own bank, but only while I was in the United States. Very odd.
We're on the registry, too, not that it matters... ever.
I always love the 'we're calling about your car's warranty' -- I don't have a car. No, really, I don't.
'We're calling about your credit card account, this is impo-' 'Which card?' 'Your card!' 'Uh huh. Which card?' <click>
My favorite are the microsoft computer virus scammers, though. We only have macs here. I am a lifelong mac user. I have never once owned a computer that runs on windows. The most recent anything that ran windows in this house was when Spider lived here.
Sadly, I also know how many elderly folk fall for this shit, so I will keep those fuckers on the line for as long as possible now and then, and often enough, they're dumb enough to use the same fake spoofed number on caller ID, so they can be recognized easily. I consider these soulless fuckers my venting stress relief therapy and means of continuing education in improv to keep the skills sharp.
For a while, they were calling multiple times per day, at which point I got tired of their bullshit and when I answered the call, it was with best phone operator voice I could muster:
Me: "Hello, Microsoft Headquarters Wilmington, how may I direct your call?"
Them: <click>
And for months, there was blissful, wondrous silence.
Oh fucking well.
On the subject of phone scams I got one recently about my credit card account at least that was what the person said at the beginning I got to shock the scammer with being someone that does not have a credit card. (Due to past trouble with them once I got out of the hole I cancelled every one of them.)
Most of the scam calls don't even come out of the US anymore. They're just spoofing numbers to make it look like it. they don't care about a do not call registry because it's law doesn't apply to them and they're already trying to steal your money.
My boss has said his new response to scam calls isnto just pretend to be on drugs and tell them he is too high to deal with them right now. Their befuddled responses are rather humorous apparently
I actually have an app on my phone called Hiya that will tell me if it's a spoofed/scam number. It's great! The spoofed numbers were really frustrating since I'd worry it was my kids' daycare calling since it would look like a local number. Now there's a little note under those numbers that says like: suspected scammer so I don't rush to answer it.
@quinn Such apps rely on both governmental and crowd-sourced listings, so everyone be sure to report scam numbers to the authorities if you find one!
