OT: Name some things that drive you fucking nuts

[Comeds]

High Europa property taxes.

 

[forty_three]

I am going to be in Baltimore this weekend briefly for a wedding. I have about 2 hours on Friday free and I have a massive hankering for Pizza John's pizza. Perfect, right?

Just found out my Father In Law, being ever so cognizant of my feelings, didn't want me to feel left out of his dining room remodel project, so he saved me some work to do. On Friday.

Yep. He has had a hole in his dining room wall since January that he left just so I could feel included and be the one to fix it.



And the Wedding is on MY side of the family. We weren't intending to spend much, if any, time with them.

So my gut feeling is that hole is gonna be there til thanksgiving. I need Pizza John's.



I swear Mrs 43 was adopted.

 

[puckhead]

bad landings

 

[forty_three]

Youth hockey coaches who do not understand goaltending... My son tried out for a selects travel team, and in his age group there were 8 goalies total, five his age, 3 one year older. He was by no means the best, but I would have ranked him tied for second among his birth year kids. And I would know where he racked and stacked because I ran the drills. I saw each one.

The coach just sent me the final ratings and which three areas were they assessed in? Skating, Stickhandling, Speed. Exactly the same as all the skaters. Yes. Goalies need to be solid on their skates. But how well you push a puck through cones, or how fast you get through Russian circles doesn't have shit to do with reading plays and stopping pucks. I spent 2 hours coming up with drills to showcase what goalies need to be able to do, and the dimwits with the clipboards only tuned in during warmups.

Oh well, at least if they somehow manage to keep it within a goal or two, when it comes time to pull the goalie he can get to the bench fast. Cuz the kid they picked to start has won 3 games in the last two years. But he can skate. He even plays goal in forward skates. This year they take slapshots.

 

[Brahmsian]

People who don't de-ice the sidewalks in front of their houses after snowstorms.

Icy sidewalks are much too common here in Boston during the winter.

Litterbugs and people who ignore litter rather than placing it in proper receptacles.

 

[Brahmsian]

People who pump their brakes or stop when I am taolgating

So quit tailgating!

It's rude, as well as being unsafe!

 

[IPostedWhat]

So quit tailgating!

It's rude, as well as being unsafe!

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

The fact that I can't hit idiots on airplanes who can't figure out how to turn off their cell phones when the flight attendant tells them to and the lighted sign is on.

Was on a flight last night where the woman next to me was sending a text message as the plane was lifting off the runway.

And I'm the one that would be charged if I smacked her or smashed her phone.

 

[pixburgher66]

The fact that I can't hit idiots on airplanes who can't figure out how to turn off their cell phones when the flight attendant tells them to and the lighted sign is on.

Was on a flight last night where the woman next to me was sending a text message as the plane was lifting off the runway.

And I'm the one that would be charged if I smacked her or smashed her phone.

Although I listen when I'm told, and think others should: I've also heard that those truly don't affect the plane's systems.

 

[BOSSMANPC]

I was in the doctors office waiting room last week and saw four people on cell phones and there are four signs asking people to please turn their cell phones off.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

Although I listen when I'm told, and think others should: I've also heard that those truly don't affect the plane's systems.

It's highly unlikely that they could affect the plane's systems, but in reality only a very small % of devices have been fully tested.

On newer airplanes, they're supposed to be fully hardened against interference, but there are so many older planes still in use in the US that they still consider it a small risk.

My perspective is that even if the odds are 1 in a million or 1 in a billion, that's a completely 100% preventable factor that could be eliminated.

Safety of the plane is only one factor though. Part of the reason cell phones aren't allowed is because of an FCC ban.

 

[IPostedWhat]

In 1993, the International Association of Transport Aircraft (IATA) suggested that airlines prohibit the use of personal electronic devices during takeoff and landing, despite a lack of evidence that these gadgets had caused a single accident. The IATA's Terry Denny then said, "We haven't been able to trace an accident to the use of one of these devices...but we are convinced that this could happen."

Can My iPod Make This Airplane Explode?

 

[forty_three]

Youth hockey coaches who do not understand goaltending... My son tried out for a selects travel team, and in his age group there were 8 goalies total, five his age, 3 one year older. He was by no means the best, but I would have ranked him tied for second among his birth year kids. And I would know where he racked and stacked because I ran the drills. I saw each one.

The coach just sent me the final ratings and which three areas were they assessed in? Skating, Stickhandling, Speed. Exactly the same as all the skaters. Yes. Goalies need to be solid on their skates. But how well you push a puck through cones, or how fast you get through Russian circles doesn't have shit to do with reading plays and stopping pucks. I spent 2 hours coming up with drills to showcase what goalies need to be able to do, and the dimwits with the clipboards only tuned in during warmups.

Oh well, at least if they somehow manage to keep it within a goal or two, when it comes time to pull the goalie he can get to the bench fast. Cuz the kid they picked to start has won 3 games in the last two years. But he can skate. He even plays goal in forward skates. This year they take slapshots.

LOL. Seems the original coach backed out of Selects.

New head coach for Selects called me and expressed a similar concern about how the goalies were rated. He wants me to design 3-6 drills for next week's house conditioning so the goalies can be re-evaluated.

I guess the fact that he was the coach in house last year where the "#1" goalie was on his team and they didn't win a game might have had some sway in it...

 

[elocomotive]

Youth hockey coaches who do not understand goaltending... My son tried out for a selects travel team, and in his age group there were 8 goalies total, five his age, 3 one year older. He was by no means the best, but I would have ranked him tied for second among his birth year kids. And I would know where he racked and stacked because I ran the drills. I saw each one.

The coach just sent me the final ratings and which three areas were they assessed in? Skating, Stickhandling, Speed. Exactly the same as all the skaters. Yes. Goalies need to be solid on their skates. But how well you push a puck through cones, or how fast you get through Russian circles doesn't have shit to do with reading plays and stopping pucks. I spent 2 hours coming up with drills to showcase what goalies need to be able to do, and the dimwits with the clipboards only tuned in during warmups.

Oh well, at least if they somehow manage to keep it within a goal or two, when it comes time to pull the goalie he can get to the bench fast. Cuz the kid they picked to start has won 3 games in the last two years. But he can skate. He even plays goal in forward skates. This year they take slapshots.

Youth coaches are not always the best - sometimes its just who volunteers. I remember I played on a traveling soccer team when I was 13-14 and our coach had never played soccer (he was a football player who nearly made the NY Giants a couple times). Needless to say our team was terrible and he spent games roaming the sidelines yelling things at players like "oh oh, pass the ball to Tom..pass the ball to Tom!!!" Anyone who knows soccer or hockey knows this is a very effective strategy.

New head coach for Selects called me and expressed a similar concern about how the goalies were rated. He wants me to design 3-6 drills for next week's house conditioning so the goalies can be re-evaluated.

I guess the fact that he was the coach in house last year where the "#1" goalie was on his team and they didn't win a game might have had some sway in it...

Hey - improvement!

 

[forty_three]

Youth coaches are not always the best - sometimes its just who volunteers. I remember I played on a traveling soccer team when I was 13-14 and our coach had never played soccer (he was a football player who nearly made the NY Giants a couple times). Needless to say our team was terrible and he spent games roaming the sidelines yelling things at players like "oh oh, pass the ball to Tom..pass the ball to Tom!!!" Anyone who knows soccer or hockey knows this is a very effective strategy.

Our problem is apparently not the coaches, it's the "coordinator". For one, he's a stats professor who was very proud of his "Statistically even" distribution of players.

We all know the value of the old "very tough on paper" thing...

The coordinator must have gotten serious flack for the choices and bailed on coaching his statistically perfect team.



We are kinda lucky because one of our coaches made the AHL and the advisor for the travel program and coach of the AAA Junior Jackets was an NHL player.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

Can My iPod Make This Airplane Explode?

New article about this today:

Can your cell phone bring down a plane? - CNN.com

We can find no instance in which electromagnetic interference from a portable electronic device brought down a commercial plane or was a contributing factor in an accident. And the National Transportation Safety Board says it has never issued a recommendation about such devices on planes.

But those who flatly say there's no evidence that electronic devices have caused interference on planes are wrong. (More on that later.)

<Snip>

Pilots have reported cases of suspected interference.

From 2003 to 2009, there were 75 instances of suspected electronic device interference, including 29 involving mobile phones, according to a study by the International Air Transport Association.

That is one event for every 283,300 flights.

Though rare, the reports suggest that such interference can affect almost every aircraft system, from communication and navigation systems to flight controls (such as autopilot) and warning systems.

The International Air Transport Association could not independently validate that personal electronics caused the problems. Replicating the problems can be difficult or impossible.

But the pilots who reported the problems seemed convinced, saying that when passengers were instructed to turn off electronic devices, the problem went away.

 

[BOSSMANPC]

New article about this today:

Can your cell phone bring down a plane? - CNN.com

I have one question about this. What about when a plane is taking off or landing in a heavily populated area why don't the cell phones on the ground mess with the electronics? I lived very close to the end of the runway at BNIA for years and we were so close I swear you could wave to the pilot. This is a densely populated area at the foot of runway 23 the main runway.

Not trying to be a jerk, just wondering.

Edit: I was just thinking, there is also a large cell phone tower at the end of the Airport Plaza that is practically in the flight path.

 

[dare2be]

I would think it's the combination of proximity (people on the plane are exponentially closer to the systems) and concentration (many electronic devices condensed in one small area) compared to the ground proximity and density.

/Unless you have 200 people partying in your house (and on your lawn) all using their cell phones at once...

 

[elocomotive]

I just don't think there is much chance of interference, Boss. The article confirms that by and large. The fact is we have all kinds of waves and signals shooting all around us at all times.

That said, when I'm on a plane, I'm glad they aren't chancing it. If anything, we could all stand to shut our phones off a little more often, so 10 minutes at the beginning and end of a flight isn't a big deal. We existed for centuries by meeting people at places at certain times without cell phone devices.

I always laugh at the crazy scramble when landing when people are allowed to use their phone again. I never stand up early. I never turn on my phone at that point. I just sit back and enjoy the symphony of idiocy that ensues - the guy who acts frustrated it's taking so long to get off the plane (you're in the 17th row, dude, have you done this before?), the inane call to the person confirming they are meeting exactly where they said they would when they are literally 3 minutes from that actually happening, etc. etc. People are silly.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

I just don't think there is much chance of interference, Boss. The article confirms that by and large. The fact is we have all kinds of waves and signals shooting all around us at all times.

That said, when I'm on a plane, I'm glad they aren't chancing it. If anything, we could all stand to shut our phones off a little more often, so 10 minutes at the beginning and end of a flight isn't a big deal. We existed for centuries by meeting people at places at certain times without cell phone devices.

I always laugh at the crazy scramble when landing when people are allowed to use their phone again. I never stand up early. I never turn on my phone at that point. I just sit back and enjoy the symphony of idiocy that ensues - the guy who acts frustrated it's taking so long to get off the plane (you're in the 17th row, dude, have you done this before?), the inane call to the person confirming they are meeting exactly where they said they would when they are literally 3 minutes from that actually happening, etc. etc. People are silly.

That's exactly how I feel about it. Sure there's no evidence of an electronic device ever crashing a plane, but given that we're talking a grand total of ~20 minutes per flight, it's not that big of a deal and it is a 100% preventable factor.