Things that Irk Me - Part 3

Parts 1 and 2 of this series was posted back in January and July of 2006.

I’ve had another year and a half for more things to irk me.

Window Media Player’s Sync Function

Why can’t it just have ‘Before’ and ‘After’ views? “Hey, here’s your media player now, and here’s what it will look like after I sync it.” Seems simple…but no…one has to sync first, then figure out what the device looks like. It should first analyze the player, combine the sync playlists, into a view, and present that to me. Why not?

TV Shows that Run Over or Start Too Soon and Screw up my Recordings

My DVR’s guide is good, but it only downloads every few days. Why do networks change their start and end times so that sometimes shows go from 8:00p-9:01p, or 8:58p-10:00p? And they’re scheduled that way…but not when my DVR gets its guide. Thus, I either miss some of my show, or my DVR disallows me from recording the following show, due to the over-run. <sigh>

Parking Lot Drivers

Okay. You’re out on the road. There are lines. Generally, you stay within them – more or less – and we get along fine. Sure, you turn in front of me, or you turn your signal on way too early…or not at all…but again, generally, we’re cool. Then you drive you’re a__ into a parking lot, and apparently, all rules are off. It’s Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, and you’re insane. You drive diagonally, across the entire lot, to get your big a__ pickup or SUV to that prime spot that you should be leaving for people who haven’t chosen, like you have, to be lazy a__es, but who actually need to park in the second spot away from Target’s doors. And then you shoot me a look when our paths intersect, because golly gee, I happened to be actually going up the up lane. What, are you… high? Jeez. You’re the same person who thinks they’re the world’s best driver-with-cell-phone. Here’s a tip; I’m a great driver, without a cell phone, and I suck holding a cell phone; we all do. You suck without the cell phone, so do the quick math, and guess what? You really, really suck, while holding a cell phone and driving. Now, pull into a parking lot with that cell phone, and you’re just asking parents to lose a toddler or two to your stupidity. Have a nice day.

GPS Units Sold With Old Maps

I get it. Products age on the shelves. New buildings and roads go up all the time. Fair enough. Okay then, make it easy to download at least the maps as the world exists when I buy the unit. A year or two down the road I’ll gladly plop another $50-$60 for updates. But until then, I’d really appreciate finding my own home actually exists, instead of irritating my English AI who screams at me for parking each day in the middle of the farmer’s field that existed four years ago, before we built our house. Don’t make it so hard for me to give you my money, Garmin.

Bluetooth Headsets While Ordering

I can’t believe I haven’t put this one up before. Have you ever been in line behind some prima donna (male or female) who is having a conversation, on via their headset, while ordering at Starbucks/the deli/fast food restaurant? Of course you have. The poor clerk starts answering the person, only to feel embarrassed that they misinterpreted the customer was talking to them. What the ?!?! Embarrassed? I’d say, “Hey, Bud, you gonna order or stand there talking to yourself?”, and if they replied, “I’m not talking to myself, I’m on the phone,” I’d reply, “I didn’t know, because you’re looking right at me and your lips are flapping, so I just sort of, you know, assumed you had something to say to me.” Folks, I have a bluetooth headset. Guess what? Almost no one has ever seen it on me, because I only use it in the car, or on a long phone conference in my home office. I’m a Science Fiction geek, and I even I think they’re just about the dorkiest looking things. And I wonder. Perhaps they wouldn’t look so dorky if people wouldn’t act so damn dorky wearing the things. Hmmm.

People Who Chew Clerks Out Over Return Policies

Sometimes we all buy things we regret, or the items don’t fit, or they’re defective, etc. Other times folks buy tons of crap, on impulse, leave it in their car for six months, stink it up with cigarette stink, and then take it back. Then the chew the customer service rep. out when the rep. mentions the products smell like a__. Dude, you stank the product up, like a__. That’s not the rep’s fault. So, take your bag full of a__ smell, back out to your car, and use it for ballast. It’s icy out there.

Randomly sorting a list in Excel - Cool trick

I needed to randomly sort a list, in Excel, and I had forgotten how to do it, so I performed an ask.com search and came up with this:  http://www.mrexcel.com/tip093.shtml

Basically, simply add the '=RAND()' function, in each cell adjacent to your list cells -- in a new column -- and then sort the range by that new column.  Each time you sort the range a new sort order will result, due to the random numbers.

Very, very cool.

I bought a Garmin c340 GPS Automotive Unit

I bought a Garmin c340 GPS automotive unit, at http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4016517, for $234.54. I'm having it shipped to my local Wal*Mart for free. As you know, from my prior postings, I've studied these things a lot ...like geeky, obsessively a lot, and what grabs me about this one is the text-to-speech feature, where it will say "turn right on University Avenue" instead of "turn right in 100 feet". Folks say that feature really helps a lot, especially in strange cities, to have the street name spoke aloud. Also, this unit is simple to update both the software and the maps; Magellan street units suck at that...rarely if ever even having updates. At least, for the series that I can afford/would pay for. I'm in the fortunate position of knowing two people who have the same unit, so I have their comfort factor too, aside from the various CNET and other reviews.

This beats the c330 in that the former does not have text-to-speech, and I think this one lets one save more "points of interest" (waypoints for us old folks), which one can set to alert one as they are near. For example, it would be cool to be reminded that I am passing within two miles of my favorite coffee houses, just in case I somehow forgot that I am a caffeine addict.

Should be cool.

10,000 Steps - Only 7,071 to go today

I joined my company's "10,000 Steps Per Day" program, which officially begins at the end of the month. I bought a pedometer, at Target ($12.99), and I didn't put it on until I got to work and sat down, so I missed getting credit for walking to my car, entering and exiting the gas station (coffee), and walking to my desk. This saddens me, as every little bit will help, since I'm Mr. Inactivity.

I took a couple of small trips around the building for various reasons before going to lunch. At lunch I went to the mall, walked in through the food court, took a left and went down to Sears, then back again. I drove to Starbucks, went in and read my book, then went in and looked around, in a video store (bought some previously viewed {used} console games) , then came back to work. I've gone to a meeting, gone to the cafeteria, and back to my desk. And I'm at 2,929 steps so far, and it's 1:36 PM.

I had mentally counted my steps from one spot, to another, then checked my reading. It was 125 by my count and 126 by the pedometer, so the thing is accurate. My guess is it was I who miscounted.

10,000 is a lot. Schnikies! Cool though. Guess I've got to really walk at lunch. Mall-walking Winter, here I come.

My wife has succumbed to the bean

Our relationship evolved something like this.

Stage 1 - Denial -- "You can't really like coffee that much."

Stage 2 - Anger -- "Do you realize how much you're spending each week on coffee!?  It's basically just dirty water!!"

Stage 3 - Bargaining -- "Right then.  How about this.  You can take $25 a week and do what you like with it, coffee-wise.  No more."

Stage 4 - Depression -- "We have to up your life insurance policy, because with the amount of coffee you're consuming, you'll be dead within a few short years."

[Note: I responded to stage 4 with numerous articles about how coffee drinkers are smarter, live more active lives, may possibly be avoiding heart and other diseases, etc.  Thus, stage 4 was rather brief.  I wore her down.]

Stage 5 - Acceptance -- Weekend mornings she would say, "Make your coffee now.  You're a bear without it, especially when you get those headaches."

Stage 6 -- Possession/Sequestration into the Cult -- This just in as of two days ago, via cell phone to me at lunch, after about three months of making morning pots for her and putting them in a thermal dispenser for her to use throughout the day as she takes care of our toddler and another lady's almost-4 year-old:  "Oh my God!  I totally get why you drink this stuff!  Even though I only had a few hours of sleep last night, I feel like I can conquer the world today!  As I'm talking to you right now I'm even cleaning!  Sure...like you, I'll probably have to crash eventually and pay for all this, but until then...woooo!"


Another one has joined us.  It took years, but it was inevitable.  Conform or be cast out!  Long live the bean!

Neural Interface Systems - Interesting Reading

People sometimes ask me if I have heard of any real neural interface systems (referred to as 'brain computer interface', or BCI systems) being used in the world today. Below is some interesting reading. Oh, and I have no affiliation with any of the companies listed.

For a primer on what neural interfaces are, and what they aspire to become, see Wiki's entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-computer_interface . It does a good job of outining the various technologies related to this field.

Cyberkinetics 'BrainGate Neural Interface System' - Currently in human testing, this system is comprised of a sensor, installed at the motor cortex of one's brain, and the brain impulses are then transmitted [possibly to a laptop or other receivers], interpreted, and used to guide mice, wheelchairs, TV remote controls, and other devices. Link: http://www.cyberkineticsinc.com/content/medicalproducts/braingate.jsp

An INFOWars piece: http://www.infowars.com/articles/science/brain_neural_interfaces.htm


Cochlear Implant: Bionic Ear: Check it out at the Wiki site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant or by Googling 'cochlear'.

National Institute of Health (NIH) Grant to fund research: August 2007 article at Medical News Today - http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/78699.php

Doctor Who - A Fine Show

When I was a kid, I caught Doctor Who, a year or two after its British release, on my local PBS station. Tom Baker was king back then. At that time, in Madison, there were four TV channels, and one of them was PBS.

I thought Season 1, of the "new" Doctor Who series, was silly, or rather, those episodes that I saw were silly. I'll catch them eventually, in re-run, and perhaps revise my opinion. However, with this new doctor (Seasons 2 and 3 so far), it's...kind of amazing (his page is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenth_Doctor). Really good drama, regardless of the SF.

As such, I thought I'd point to a few fun links:

The Wiki on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who

Kylie Minogue will guest star in a December 2007 Christmas special, though I am unclear on whether that will be in the U.S. by then.

The Wiki on the TARDIS. (they're grown, not built): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS

The current Doctor Who series has a spin-off, Torchwood, designed as a "series in the style of the American shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (both highly popular in Britain), and even having those series' James (Spike) Marsters as a guest star: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchwood . Note that Torchwood premiers tonight on BBC America, (a year or so later than in Britain, which is usual), and their site is http://www.scifi.com/sfw/screen/sfw16914.html. I don't have BBC America access, so it looks like I'll be buying the DVD's.

In another Buffy tie-in, Tony (Giles) Head appears as a villain in the animated series, per information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenth_Doctor .