What Irked You Today?

[martinfan5]

cheer up lads; windows 10 is coming this wednesday-day-day-day ....

 

smoke 'em if ya got 'em

There are already issues with  Windows 10 crashing Nvidia drivers,   my laptop has already reserved its free upgrade,  but I am going to hold off for at least a few months before I update/upgrade.

[Rob Hall]

cheer up lads; windows 10 is coming this wednesday-day-day-day ....

 

smoke 'em if ya got 'em

There are already issues with  Windows 10 crashing Nvidia drivers,   my laptop has already reserved its free upgrade,  but I am going to hold off for at least a few months before I update/upgrade.

Probably a good idea.. I've reserved my free upgrade also...I still like using Windows for certain applications, though I do prefer a Mac in general. 

[martinfan5]

cheer up lads; windows 10 is coming this wednesday-day-day-day ....

 

smoke 'em if ya got 'em

There are already issues with  Windows 10 crashing Nvidia drivers,   my laptop has already reserved its free upgrade,  but I am going to hold off for at least a few months before I update/upgrade.

Probably a good idea.. I've reserved my free upgrade also...I still like using Windows for certain applications, though I do prefer a Mac in general. 

I signed up for the program which I can not think of the name right this minute , to be beta testor for W10, did not take part in it though.

[High octane]

Harry, remember simpler times no digital cameras,no internet, no atta-boys just a kid with a kit and a tube of glue.

Those were great times Ken, great times.

[charlie8575]

The fridge conked out last night sometime. By the time I realized it this morning, it was room temp inside... had to throw out a lot of food... as in $$$.

And to top it all off, the repair cost me $320. All for a cheap little part (compressor relay). Probably costs about a buck or two in reality, but by the time they add in their markup on the part, their "house call" fee, their "emergency call" fee, their "zone two" travel fee, their weekend fee, their labor fee, their "fee just because they can" fee... it all runs me $320.

What am I gonna do, argue with the guy? I know I was ripped off, but what's a consumer to do? Call the BBB? Waste of time. 

I hate it when companies rip you off because they know that you're in a jam and you basically have to have repairs done NOW. And man, they take advantage of the situation to really screw you, big time.

Why are people so eager to screw over each other?

Sheesh... now I'm going to have to overcharge my next client to make that money back! 

 

Just kidding! I don't play that way. 

Kitchen Aids are pretty decent appliances. They're made by Whirlpool, and use the top-spec Whirlpool parts generally, with a few extra features or a little different design. Our Kitchen Aid was bough in November, 1992, when I was a senior in high school, and is still kicking along, although I'm talking with my father about replacing the door gaskets, age may have caught up to them. 

Dad and I have also talked about gutting and redoing the kitchen from the top down, and I was looking at some refrigerators. The salesman at Home Depot recommended getting a surge protector for any appliance less than about 15-18 years old, as many of them have micro-processors, and the slightest surge in power can wreck the micro-processor, and give you a kitchen of scrap metal. 

One thing we're almost certainly going to do is buy a new washer/dryer. The only ones I'm telling my father to take seriously are Speed Queens. They have no complex electronics and a real water level control, as opposed to the scale most machines use now, and, unlike a lot of white goods now, are still engineered to last for a long time, with testing showing about 25-30 years in normal residential use. 

Maybe it was time to buy a new refrigerator Harry, instead of putting money into the one you have. Or was that out of the question?

Funny you mention that. The fridge was bought in 2001, so it's pretty old as far as kitchen appliance lifespans go. But this was the first time it ever had any problems in all those years, so I figure I've gotten my money's worth out of it. The repair guy said the average age of a refrigerator that needs repair is four years old! So I lucked out big time, going more than three times that long before needing repairs.

We'll see how it goes. I may be good to go for another 14 years. Or it may break down again in a month. It's a Kitchen-Aid, which is supposedly a good brand. We'll see...

A home warranty policy is good for things like that...mine covers repairs to appliances, the A/C, plumbers, etc...

Yep. But one of those things you don't think sbout until you wish you had it! 

Funny how everybody is always harping on how much better cars, appliances and every other piece of carp under the sun is today.

We have a vintage fridge in the shop been running since 1955. Never repaired, just engineered and designed with top-quality parts and materials to operate well, and not cost-engineered into trash.

Of course, it doesn't have any iPhone apps, and it doesn't connect to the internet to remind you when your box of wine is getting low...it just keeps food cold.

What a concept.

I like Bill's approach the best. When I finally build my own house, I'm seriously thinking about going with mostly pre-1980 appliances. They last and work well, and many of the parts are still available, believe it or not. 

Charlie Larkin

The vintage model seller or sellers on ebay that lists models ''Buy it now''  a part per listing until the whole kit is listed taking up the whole page . I know its a get what you can get and I dont have to look or buy it. Maybe its just me, just sayin'.

Especially when these clowns part out a super-rare kit with a low demand for parts, but his Pavlovian response kicks in rather than actually thinking. I found one in that category, and If this bozo didn't sell any or much of it, I'm thinking of shooting him an e-Mail to make me an offer for the whole thing.

Charlie Larkin

[charlie8575]

Waking up to a terrible cramp in my calf that wouldn't go away for nearly half an hour. Bad enough that I couldn't even move my leg without excruciating pain.

Off to the grocery store in a few minutes to get some bananas, must be a little low on potassium.

Charlie Larkin

You could be dehydrated too Charlie, especially this time of year with the heat. I always drink several glasses of water in the evening before bed to avoid such problems.

Not too much of a problem, Mike, because it's been so humid and periodically hot, I've been drinking plenty of water lately. I ended up taking a potassium pill in hopes of some temporary relief, and it worked. Good thing, all I could find were green bananas.

Charlie Larkin

[Guest]

If you ask me, there is enough distracted driving going on without the need for ipada and ipods and phones and all this entertainment junk being put into them Why dont people try DRIVING instead of being entertained while they should be DRIVING???????

[Rob Hall]

If you ask me, there is enough distracted driving going on without the need for ipads and ipods and phones and all this entertainment junk being put into them Why dont people try DRIVING instead of being entertained while they should be DRIVING???????

60 years ago, some cars had record players..I'm sure the curmudgeons said the same thing then..

[Guest]

This has nothing to do with being a curmudgeon, it has EVERYTHING TO DO WITH SAFETY. Distracted driving has almost cost my life twice inside a month, some jack idiots driving in MY lane, oblivious to anything around them. Had to take the shoulder twice. Thank God there WAS a shoulder, or it may have been deep ditches or worse, a collision. We dont need entertainment in cars! We need to drive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Greg Myers]

Can't post pictures any more. Don't know what's going on. just get a box with a little spinnie thing going round and round.

[Harry P.]

I agree with Lee... all the electronic gadgets they're putting in cars now amount to more distracted drivers on the road. And let's face it, there are more than enough lousy drivers on the road already. Do we really want them to pay even less attention to what they're doing and more attention to their "synced" ipod? Seriously?

The whole tech fad is getting out of hand. Lots of manufacturers load up the cars with gadgets not because we need them, but because they are selling points for tech-hungry consumers. When I went to look at the new Mustangs at my Ford dealer, what was the first thing the salesman talked about? The new IRS? The new 6-speed? The new Eco-Boost engine? The improved HP/torque numbers?

No. His selling points were the pushbutton start and all the gadgets and doodads.

I told him I had no interest whatsoever in the magic devices in the dash, and would probably never use any of them. He couldn't believe it. He must have thought I was Amish or something! 

When did we become a society that "needs" a boatload of gadgetry loaded into their cars?  

[Ace-Garageguy]

This has nothing to do with being a curmudgeon, it has EVERYTHING TO DO WITH SAFETY. Distracted driving has almost cost my life twice inside a month, some jack idiots driving in MY lane, oblivious to anything around them. Had to take the shoulder twice. Thank God there WAS a shoulder, or it may have been deep ditches or worse, a collision. We dont need entertainment in cars! We need to drive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some interesting statistics to back this opinion are quoted below...

The LAST thing we need in cars is more options for distraction.

Many drivers are barely competent to handle a 3500 pound projectile, carrying 20 gallons of highly flammable fuel, travelling at 60MPH with NO distractions. So give 'em more, right? Yeah, that's a good idea.

Far as the old 45rpm record players in cars went, they wouldn't track when the vehicle was moving anyway.

 

General Cell Phone Statistics

Note: These are the most recent statistics available

• The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year.
• Nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving.
• 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving.
• Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.
• Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that's enough time to travel the length of a football field.
• Texting while driving causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road.
• Of all cell phone related tasks, texting is by far the most dangerous activity.
• 94% of drivers support a ban on texting while driving.
• 74% of drivers support a ban on hand-held cell phone use.

 

[Crazy Ed]

     Heck it was Cell Phones that got me off Motorcycles. Folks would just wander into my lane while chatting on their Phones. My response was to raise my right leg, hit the Throttle and remove the Drivers side rearview mirror n not slow down. I just figured they wern't using it anyway so they didn't really need it. I was driving a Wineberry Red Goldwing at the time, so it wasn't like they Couldn't See Me. Statute of Limitations has Long Passed

[crazyjim]

My truck has a thingie that allows me to talk hands free on my iphone.  It goes throught the radio.  I never used to answer my phone if it rang while I was driving.  The '86 Mustang though, doesn't have that feature, so I don't answer the phone while driving.  In fact, I rarely turn on the radio because I love hearing the sound of the engine and exhaust.

[Agent G]

A hands free phone system of some sort is a good thing if you must talk on the phone while driving. There are times I have to while working. The rest of the time, meh........

The issue as I see it is this. Manufacturers keep adding "safety" features to new autos. Drivers begin relying on said features more and more. So much so that they forget the basics in a crucial moment. I've looked at a bunch of new cars lately, I'd rather have Jim's Mustang. 

What ever happened to  simply driving the dam car? 

Just my 2 centavos, your mileage may vary.

G

[crazyjim]

     Heck it was Cell Phones that got me off Motorcycles. Folks would just wander into my lane while chatting on their Phones. My response was to raise my right leg, hit the Throttle and remove the Drivers side rearview mirror n not slow down. I just figured they wern't using it anyway so they didn't really need it. I was driving a Wineberry Red Goldwing at the time, so it wasn't like they Couldn't See Me. Statute of Limitations has Long Passed

Being you were a a shaver, they probably didn't hear you.  I like getting on the left side of cell phone driving idiots at a light and just rap the pipes on my Harley.  I know they can't hear the cell phone then.

[Pete J.]

I just watched one of the shows I regularly watch.  I watched a 30 minute show in 18 minutes.  I did this by fast forwarding through the commercials.  So when in the heck did it become the norm to have 12 minutes of commercials in a half hour show!!!!  It won't be long before the commercials are half or more of the show.  No wonder I record the shows I like.  I doubt I could stand to watch them in real time!

Edited July 27, 2015 by Pete J.

[Tom Geiger]

"And let's face it, there are more than enough lousy drivers on the road already."

I hate driving from PA to NJ on the weekends! It's surely amateur hour out there!  Nothing like drivers who  think they can do 50 in the center lane on the Turnpike, creating a hazard as everyone has to go around them.  And toll plazas?   These idiots cannot seem to pick a lane. Some of them just stop there in the middle of the plaza while they contemplate their move... and none of them have EzPass, so the turnpike doubles the number of cash lanes on the weekends.  

[Danno]

Dittos, Pete!

[XJ6]

I agree with Lee... all the electronic gadgets they're putting in cars now amount to more distracted drivers on the road. And let's face it, there are more than enough lousy drivers on the road already. Do we really want them to pay even less attention to what they're doing and more attention to their "synced" ipod? Seriously?

The whole tech fad is getting out of hand. Lots of manufacturers load up the cars with gadgets not because we need them, but because they are selling points for tech-hungry consumers. When I went to look at the new Mustangs at my Ford dealer, what was the first thing the salesman talked about? The new IRS? The new 6-speed? The new Eco-Boost engine? The improved HP/torque numbers?

No. His selling points were the pushbutton start and all the gadgets and doodads.

I told him I had no interest whatsoever in the magic devices in the dash, and would probably never use any of them. He couldn't believe it. He must have thought I was Amish or something! 

When did we become a society that "needs" a boatload of gadgetry loaded into their cars?  

It's not the Gadgets it's the Drivers who not use the Common Sense Behind the Wheel ?

[Crazy Ed]

     Heck it was Cell Phones that got me off Motorcycles. Folks would just wander into my lane while chatting on their Phones. My response was to raise my right leg, hit the Throttle and remove the Drivers side rearview mirror n not slow down. I just figured they wern't using it anyway so they didn't really need it. I was driving a Wineberry Red Goldwing at the time, so it wasn't like they Couldn't See Me. Statute of Limitations has Long Passed

 

Being you were a a shaver, they probably didn't hear you.  I like getting on the left side of cell phone driving idiots at a light and just rap the pipes on my Harley.  I know they can't hear the cell phone then.

   Jim, I had a couplea Harleys including a 45 Flathead that had a 3 Speed w/ Reverse. I used to carry 20-50 links of 530 Chain, 4 Master Links and a Chain Breaker along with a couple of Qts of 70 weight and a set of Points that's fit late 40's - late 60's HD's for those that Didn't make it Home. Also for Long Drives in the Sierra Foothills or through the Santa Cruz Mountain and up and down the Coast I often carried Many frozen packs of "ICE" with Beer and Ice Water in the other Sidebag. Yep I sold out and went Woosie. But I Never broke down on the Wing n Never needed 5 minutes to Unkink after a long days Ride.

[Roadrunner]

I have no use for any "infotainment system" in my car. No need to link a phone to my car. No need to connect an ipod to my car. None of that nonsense. All I want is when I turn the key, the car starts, runs well, handles well, gets decent mileage, and has decent handling/acceleration.

Does that make me "old fashioned?" I guess so. But all of this techno-BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH they're loading onto cars these days seems awfully silly to me. I know I'm in the minority with that opinion, but whatever...

Again I have to agree; most of this garbage just adds additional expense to cars that are all too frequently too expensive to begin with, and I personally have no use for all this gadgety junk.

[XJ6]

I would take a Audi RS-7 any day fully loaded ??

XJ6?

[High octane]

I have no use for any "infotainment system" in my car. No need to link a phone to my car. No need to connect an ipod to my car. None of that nonsense. All I want is when I turn the key, the car starts, runs well, handles well, gets decent mileage, and has decent handling/acceleration.

Does that make me "old fashioned?" I guess so. But all of this techno-BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH they're loading onto cars these days seems awfully silly to me. I know I'm in the minority with that opinion, but whatever...

Again I have to agree; most of this garbage just adds additional expense to cars that are all too frequently too expensive to begin with, and I personally have no use for all this gadgety junk.

I agree with you Kevin as I'm lookin' to buy a truck next year. Look what the dealers have in the way of trucks these days, more doors, small box, 4 x 4, loaded to the gills with accessories, and price tags of 40, 50, 60, & 70 thousand dollars. That is scary and I see lots of them on the road today.

[Guest]

I agree with Lee... all the electronic gadgets they're putting in cars now amount to more distracted drivers on the road. And let's face it, there are more than enough lousy drivers on the road already. Do we really want them to pay even less attention to what they're doing and more attention to their "synced" ipod? Seriously?

The whole tech fad is getting out of hand. Lots of manufacturers load up the cars with gadgets not because we need them, but because they are selling points for tech-hungry consumers. When I went to look at the new Mustangs at my Ford dealer, what was the first thing the salesman talked about? The new IRS? The new 6-speed? The new Eco-Boost engine? The improved HP/torque numbers?

No. His selling points were the pushbutton start and all the gadgets and doodads.

I told him I had no interest whatsoever in the magic devices in the dash, and would probably never use any of them. He couldn't believe it. He must have thought I was Amish or something! 

When did we become a society that "needs" a boatload of gadgetry loaded into their cars?  

It's not the Gadgets it's the Drivers who not use the Common Sense Behind the Wheel ?

Without the stupid gadgets there would be no temptation to be stupid, and one would pay attention a whole lot more than is being done now. I watched a girl going 75 down the highway holding her phone up high texting just a couple of days ago.