Things that I find mildly irritating v.2

[KevShmev]

I don't see the purpose of that.  Why do I need an app to play songs from my phone when I can just play the songs directly from my phone?

[Cool Chris]

THat's what I was wondering. Especially if you have to have internet connectivity to use Spotify.

[The Walrus]

Huh, I never would have thought of that. I don't see the benefit for me, so never would have thought of that.

The benefit for me is when Spotify doesn't have the tracks or albums or artists I'm looking for. Also, when I sync my entire local library/physical collection, I only have to worry about adding whatever I find on Spotify; even if I remove all my Spotify downloads for whatever reason, I'll still have my physical collection. But also, a lot of Spotify's tags aren't correct (for example, as I just found out, Toto is formatted as "TOTO" on every single track which is annoying), so a local collection could solve that problem.

The issue comes when I re-sync for whatever reason or have to reinstall the app and then re-sync or do what I'm doing now, which is replacing all my local files with the ones on Spotify, 'cause I'm sick of looking at a bunch of greyed out unplayable tracks

[Stadler]

I get the occasional weird looks from people when I say I never use Spotify.  And then get even weirder looks when I tell them I have 5,000 songs on my iPhone, all of which are HQ mp3's uploaded from my hard drive (almost all of which were either ripped from CD's I own or stuff I bought digitally).

The woman - she's late 30's, I'd guess - that cuts my hair gave me that "awww, you're such a cute old man!" when we were talking last appointment and I said almost exactly the same thing. 

[cramx3]

I get the occasional weird looks from people when I say I never use Spotify.  And then get even weirder looks when I tell them I have 5,000 songs on my iPhone, all of which are HQ mp3's uploaded from my hard drive (almost all of which were either ripped from CD's I own or stuff I bought digitally).

Pretty much the same (except Android phone) and people do kind of question my music fandom when I say I don't use spotify (not totally true, I just rarely use it) but I'm like "no you don't get it, I actually have all this music"  I've got nothing against streaming, I just don't like relying on data and a service to provide the music when I can just get it myself and have full control without using data. I'm likely going to get an unlimited data plan when I upgrade my phone next year so I'd imagine I'd start streaming more then.

[Ben_Jamin]

I barely use spotify myself. But no streaming service will beat having my FIIO, might bite the bullet and get the newer model with a SD slot that can hold up to 2TB (whenever they plan to release those), those dang 1TB cards cost about as much as the FIIO itself. I say its worth it for me, I always travel with it and dont know when I will be in the mood for that song, especially if its an OC Remix.

[cramx3]

You need 1TB of storage? damn, my 128GB SD card is more than enough for me.  Doesn't have my whole library but has everything I'd want to listen to and a bunch of garbage.

[Ben_Jamin]

You need 1TB of storage? damn, my 128GB SD card is more than enough for me.  Doesn't have my whole library but has everything I'd want to listen to and a bunch of garbage.

I dont really need that much. But both my SD cards are filling up. I like to listen to music in Lossless, so files are big. For me it's easier to rip cds and do it that way than use the phone.

[The Walrus]

Even my uncle who's a diehard metal fan doesn't even buy physical media anymore, as I just recently found out. Made me feel so old school haha. I've been parting with a lot of my CDs because I've finally decided to clean up and limit my physical collection *just* to music I love. I might do the same several years from now when I need to clean house again, but it's nice to finally try to put a clean barrier between what I listen to casually and what I will plop down money for.

[cramx3]

You need 1TB of storage? damn, my 128GB SD card is more than enough for me.  Doesn't have my whole library but has everything I'd want to listen to and a bunch of garbage.

I dont really need that much. But both my SD cards are filling up. I like to listen to music in Lossless, so files are big. For me it's easier to rip cds and do it that way than use the phone.

ah true if you are going lossless, big files.  I'm good with my MP3s.  320kbps is good enough for my ears.

Even my uncle who's a diehard metal fan doesn't even buy physical media anymore, as I just recently found out. Made me feel so old school haha. I've been parting with a lot of my CDs because I've finally decided to clean up and limit my physical collection *just* to music I love. I might do the same several years from now when I need to clean house again, but it's nice to finally try to put a clean barrier between what I listen to casually and what I will plop down money for.

I was cleaning my basement last weekend.  I don't have the largest collection, but it defintiely takes up a lot of space and is super dusty.  I kind of like keeping it as it is on display, but I really hate adding to it at this point.  I got a free Babymetal CD and just struggled trying to find a place for it. For the last few years I just would buy CDs only if it were from my favorite band or if it was something unique (like a VUUR signed album from Anneke) but now, I just don't think I'd even buy the next DT album on CD.  Storing them is just a pain.  I rip it as soon as I open it and to storage and dust it goes. Amazon music is so damn simple and timely.  Really hard, as a consumer, to keep buying CDs. 

[The Walrus]

Gimme your collection. FEED ME. 

[cramx3]

Gimme your collection. FEED ME. 

You probably have most of it.  And it's mostly old stuff at this point.  But I have no interest in getting rid of it.  If anything I'd box it up and store it, but I have in my past, done massive reselling of my CD collection.  Once as a kid at my parents garage sale, I offloaded so much that I wish I had still today, some of which I re bought later (I'll never forgot my dad triple asking me if I was sure I wanted to sell my CDs).  And also I sold like a boxload of my old ska CDs to someone on this forum like 10 years ago as I put so much of it on ebay back awhile ago when I needed some cash.  I kind of regret doing it.  But then again, I'd have so much more dusty CDs now.  I just think at this point, if a CD is with me still, it has some meaning and I don't have any desire to get rid of it.  I just don't want to add more to it.  It's almost like my childhood in music in collection along my basement wall.

[Stadler]

Gimme your collection. FEED ME. 

You probably have most of it.  And it's mostly old stuff at this point.  But I have no interest in getting rid of it.  If anything I'd box it up and store it, but I have in my past, done massive reselling of my CD collection.  Once as a kid at my parents garage sale, I offloaded so much that I wish I had still today, some of which I re bought later (I'll never forgot my dad triple asking me if I was sure I wanted to sell my CDs).  And also I sold like a boxload of my old ska CDs to someone on this forum like 10 years ago as I put so much of it on ebay back awhile ago when I needed some cash.  I kind of regret doing it.  But then again, I'd have so much more dusty CDs now.  I just think at this point, if a CD is with me still, it has some meaning and I don't have any desire to get rid of it.  I just don't want to add more to it.  It's almost like my childhood in music in collection along my basement wall.

As much as I'm a physical CD guy - and I am, no doubt - this aspect of it really resonates with me.  I know that feeling.

[Stadler]

Speaking of which... I was ripping my CDs to my network drive last night, and I noticed "huh, I don't have my copy of Vision Quest soundtrack loaded, but I already did my soundtracks."   And I made a mental note to look for it tomorrow (today).  Lo and behold, I can't find it anywhere.  This is (only) the second time this has happened (Frankie Valli's Greatest was the other one) but since I'm not really in position where people can "steal" stuff, it means I misplaced it, which is...

...mildly irritating.

[Snow Dog]

The new thing this year for NFL prime time games where when the home team scores a touchdown, the stadium lights flash on and off. Not sure how it looks in person, but it’s very visually annoying when watching on TV.

[Lonk]

The Yankees do the same whenever someone hits a Home-Run and it’s just as annoying in person.

[jingle.boy]

Daylight Savings Time.  Begone with it already.  My body is still on DST, so I've been awake since 5am.  Can't get up, otherwise the dogs won't get their internal clocks adjusted.  So I just laid in bed for about an hour uselessly.

[lordxizor]

Daylight Savings Time.  Begone with it already.  My body is still on DST, so I've been awake since 5am.  Can't get up, otherwise the dogs won't get their internal clocks adjusted.  So I just laid in bed for about an hour uselessly.

I personally think they should leave daylight savings time on all the time, rather than getting rid of it, but either way we'd do away with the annoying time changes.

[Stadler]

Agreed on the light flashes.
Agreed on DST.

Mine?  The adoption of "tech" as a thing.  Every car ad touts the "tech", but doesn't say what it is, just that it's "tech".   Then another ad last night - I forget what it was, but it wasn't a car ad - also touted the "tech", and everyone was nodding their heads yes like lemmings - tech! - but for the life of me I don't know what that "tech" was, just that it was there. 

[cramx3]

DLS fucked me up good yesterday, my head felt like mush when I got to LA and it felt more liek a 4 hour time travel, but that extra hour did give me just enough time to catch the sunset at Griffith Observatory.  I'm still anti-DLS but at least I managed to get some benefit from it after dealing with my head issues.

[Chino]

Mine?  The adoption of "tech" as a thing.  Every car ad touts the "tech", but doesn't say what it is, just that it's "tech".   Then another ad last night - I forget what it was, but it wasn't a car ad - also touted the "tech", and everyone was nodding their heads yes like lemmings - tech! - but for the life of me I don't know what that "tech" was, just that it was there.

Smart homes escape me. A buddy of mine, between outlets, thermostats, a refrigerator, smart speakers, and doorbells, has at least a dozen devices in his home that track his habits. In addition, all that data is getting aggregated and sold on the behalf of our corporate overlords.

[The Walrus]

I hate all the technology infiltrating homes so much. I love my computers and video game consoles and my phone, but like... I have a Fire Stick beyond that, and that's all I need. Smart fridges? Cameras on the doorbell? Smart thermostats (had to set these up a lot when I was working HVAC and it drove me insane trying to get multiple thermostats working with someone's wifi or phones for example). I have a friend who has a god damn pressure cooker he can control with his phone while he's on the couch. Fucking... what?! I can't even. 

Cars too. I'm not an old guy, hell I'm not even 30. But the thought of owning a car with cameras, a touch screen, backup sensors etc. gives me a rash. Makes my ass itch thinking about owning a car with all that unnecessary (to me) crap in it. Gimme a bluetooth stereo for my music and I'm happy as a clam. The biggest upgrade I'm looking to make in my next car is heated seats. 

[cramx3]

I hate all the technology infiltrating homes so much. I love my computers and video game consoles and my phone, but like... I have a Fire Stick beyond that, and that's all I need. Smart fridges? Cameras on the doorbell? Smart thermostats (had to set these up a lot when I was working HVAC and it drove me insane trying to get multiple thermostats working with someone's wifi or phones for example). I have a friend who has a god damn pressure cooker he can control with his phone while he's on the couch. Fucking... what?! I can't even. 

Cars too. I'm not an old guy, hell I'm not even 30. But the thought of owning a car with cameras, a touch screen, backup sensors etc. gives me a rash. Makes my ass itch thinking about owning a car with all that unnecessary (to me) crap in it. Gimme a bluetooth stereo for my music and I'm happy as a clam. The biggest upgrade I'm looking to make in my next car is heated seats. 

I'm not a fan of all that "tech" in my home either but for the car, I used to think like you until I got my car last year.  Now when I have a rental I really miss having my cameras specifically.  My civic has a right turn camera (put on your blinker and I can see my camera in my right side blind spot on my dash).  It's become such an awesome convenience to not have to turn my head while driving.  I remember when the guy was showing me this when I was looking at the car and thinking "wow what an over the top feature that I'll probably never use" and boy was I wrong.

[Lonk]

I hate all the technology infiltrating homes so much. I love my computers and video game consoles and my phone, but like... I have a Fire Stick beyond that, and that's all I need. Smart fridges? Cameras on the doorbell? Smart thermostats (had to set these up a lot when I was working HVAC and it drove me insane trying to get multiple thermostats working with someone's wifi or phones for example). I have a friend who has a god damn pressure cooker he can control with his phone while he's on the couch. Fucking... what?! I can't even. 

Cars too. I'm not an old guy, hell I'm not even 30. But the thought of owning a car with cameras, a touch screen, backup sensors etc. gives me a rash. Makes my ass itch thinking about owning a car with all that unnecessary (to me) crap in it. Gimme a bluetooth stereo for my music and I'm happy as a clam. The biggest upgrade I'm looking to make in my next car is heated seats. 

I agree with the smart house appliance stuff. I understand the appeal to some people since it is convenient, but it just doesn't call my attention.

Cars though, I like all those things. Whenever I rent a car, I make sure it has at least a rearview camera and Apple Carplay/Android Auto. Plug in my phone and boom, I have my music available and GPS/map, all I need when driving.

[The Walrus]

See if you pay attention to the cameras that's awesome. You wouldn't believe how many people bring their cars in for repair because they didn't bother looking behind them... because they have come to rely on listening to the sensors instead of their eyes 

I guess I'm in the old man mentality of 'I've made it this far without 'em' and don't need any more distractions in the car. I like my bluetooth stereo but cameras, touch screens etc. are more distracting to me than helpful I don't even like putting my phone up on a stand/grip to use the GPS.

Me IRL:

[Stadler]

I'm somewhere in between.   I have a couple smart plugs ("Alexa, turn on office lamp" is a godsend when I have a handful of papers and a hot coffee as I go to my desk in the morning), and a ring doorbell (so I can see who's at the door when I'm in my basement office) but the rest... na-gana-da-it.   

Cars?  I have a 2016 Volvo which is wired like a NASA space capsule; cameras, blue tooth... I think it did a CAT scan of my prostate last time I drove it, and I know it did my wife's last mammogram.  But I'm working on a 1990 Jeep Wrangler in my garage and goddamn is it nice not to have to worry about anything except the mechanics of the combustion triangle, the physics of stop/go, and maybe some tunes to go along with it.   

[pg1067]

I got a new car earlier this year.  I specifically wanted as little "tech" as possible.  It has a backup camera, and that's fine.  I don't use it much, but it's handy for a couple things.  I can also connect my phone, which is nice.  It's the driver assist stuff that I want none of.  I don't want my car deciding when I need to slow down or that I shouldn't be changing lanes.  The only thing it has in this regard is a button which, when I push it, will hold the brake when I'm stopped.  That comes in handy now and then.


The "smart house" thing also strikes me as bafflingly stupid.  There's a commercial running on the radio out here where some people are gathered for a surprise party.  When the person enters the room, someone says, "smart assistant turn on the lights," and it "can't connect to internet" because it's in a "dead zone."  The commercial then depicts everyone acting helpless because the lights won't turn only.  I always yell at the radio, "HOW ABOUT YOU JUST FLIP THE LIGHT SWITCH, IDIOTS?!"

[Nick]

People who back into parking spaces.

I don't know why this bugs me, but it does.  Always seems like a lot more effort than pulling in forwards and backing out.

The fuck?

Backing into spaces is a lot easier (and safer, per NHTSA and others) than backing out of spaces.

[cramx3]

I guess I'm in the old man mentality of 'I've made it this far without 'em' and don't need any more distractions in the car.

I know the feeling and I'm often the same way, but sometimes when you finally come around to using the new tech, you realize why it's so popular.

One day, maybe I'll come around to the home tech stuff, but for now, I don't need it and I'm more concerned with the privacy than the usefulness. 

[pg1067]

People who back into parking spaces.

I don't know why this bugs me, but it does.  Always seems like a lot more effort than pulling in forwards and backing out.

The fuck?

Backing into spaces is a lot easier (and safer, per NHTSA and others) than backing out of spaces.

Way to be timely.

"Easier" is in the eye of the beholder.  It's annoying as fuck for a number of reasons, most prominently of which is that, if I'm parked opposite someone who does it and I'm backing out, you can tell that I'm doing so because my backup lights will be on.  I have no way at all of telling that the backed-in guy opposite me is pulling out at the same time.  Also, if I'm following someone who wants to back in, he has to go past the spot and then back up, which means I also have to back up.  Not really a good idea.

[cramx3]

I'm not sure whats the best, but pulling in seems much easier to me, especially with having back up cameras now.  Sure having the same camera makes it easier to back in as well, but that's still a trickier task to back into a confined space vs backing out into an open road.  I'm not sure I have much of an opinion here, but I almost always end up pulling in and I hope I can just drive though if possible on exit.

[The Walrus]

At an old job I had they got pissed off if you didn't back into the parking spaces which I found both weird and hilarious. Backing in sucks but it is nice to just peel right out of the spot later

[Lonk]

People who back into parking spaces.

I don't know why this bugs me, but it does.  Always seems like a lot more effort than pulling in forwards and backing out.

The fuck?

Backing into spaces is a lot easier (and safer, per NHTSA and others) than backing out of spaces.

Way to be timely.

"Easier" is in the eye of the beholder.  It's annoying as fuck for a number of reasons, most prominently of which is that, if I'm parked opposite someone who does it and I'm backing out, you can tell that I'm doing so because my backup lights will be on.  I have no way at all of telling that the backed-in guy opposite me is pulling out at the same time. Also, if I'm following someone who wants to back in, he has to go past the spot and then back up, which means I also have to back up.  Not really a good idea.

Or you can steal his spot like it happened to me last week  I do back into spots every now for no particular reason. Whether you are backing in or out they are both annoying. Best thing is when the spot in front of you is empty and you can just drive forward.

[Nick]

People who back into parking spaces.

I don't know why this bugs me, but it does.  Always seems like a lot more effort than pulling in forwards and backing out.

The fuck?

Backing into spaces is a lot easier (and safer, per NHTSA and others) than backing out of spaces.

Way to be timely.

"Easier" is in the eye of the beholder.  It's annoying as fuck for a number of reasons, most prominently of which is that, if I'm parked opposite someone who does it and I'm backing out, you can tell that I'm doing so because my backup lights will be on.  I have no way at all of telling that the backed-in guy opposite me is pulling out at the same time.  Also, if I'm following someone who wants to back in, he has to go past the spot and then back up, which means I also have to back up.  Not really a good idea.

It's the old, I haven't visited since before that post and didn't realize that was the end of page, not and of thread thing.

You have a pretty good way of telling that someone is pulling out from a spot, namely that their car is moving. If you're in that situation you should certainly have an awareness for that. As for having to pass a spot to back in, that's what indicators are for. I can't speak for others who back in, but if you're so close to me that in the time I swing out and throw in reverse, after approaching the spot with an indicator that you've had to put your own car in reverse you've fucked up, not me.

[Stadler]

Not for nothing, but the house and car thing is different in another way as well.   No one dies in a house if "Alexa" can't connect to wifi and fire up your vibrator.    I had my kid learn to drive on my 2006 BMW - whose "tech" is largely under the hood and in the seats - because fuck all if I want her stranded if the camera goes out.  You have a driver's license, then you ought to be able to control a 4,000 lb (1800 kg for Chad) car with your eyes and your mirrors.  You ought to be able to parallel park, and you ought to be able to back in/out of a parking space.   

I (really) learned to drive driving dump trucks around a construction site when I was 18; I can't tell you how many times I've had people comment to me about using my mirrors and stuff. I've even had one of my daughters friends say "what is he doing?" when I was using the mirrors to parallel park.