What annoys you the most ?

[Reclaimedwg]

Nothing more annoying than getting an eyelash in your eyes except for today after I got out of the shower, there were 3 eyelashes in my eye.

[VintageFan89]

Originally Posted by wildtig2013

Almost every day including a Saturday and a Sunday for 2 weeks now, I get a call between 5 pm to 7 pm from a phone # that has the same area code as my phone # and the same first 2 numbers of the exchange number as the one in my phone #.

I know these asshole robocallers and telemarketers have technology that can make any number show up on your caller ID, including your own phone # which they have done so many times before, in the hope that someone sees their own phone # or a phone # similar to their own on the caller ID, they will answer without thinking.

I don't answer any phone calls that do not show up on my caller ID as a name or business that's already saved in my contact list.

If they have something really important and legitimate to talk to me about, they will either leave a voice mail and call back or not leave a voice mail but call back again and next time, leave a voice mail.

The # is a different # each time and I have blocked it each time after first doing a GOOGLE search or BING search on it to see if anyone has received a call from the same # and then reported it online on many available websites to identify it as a telemarketer or as a legitimate business.

I had about 3 months with my new cell phone before the scammers began to call me. Most of the phone numbers started with crazy area codes that I knew did not exist. I even began receiving calls from 4 digit phone numbers! Some days the calls were coming at a rate of every 5 to 10 minutes.


I called my cell phone provider to be told that there was nothing they could do to stop the calls. I began blocking the calls and also changed my answer set up from flip open (yes, I have a flip phone) to "accept" by pushing the "OK" button.


Now when an unknown number calls (recently calls from my own area code) I push the "end" button and it goes right to voice mail. If no voice mail is left, I know it is another scam call. This seems to help but not stop the random calls. Some days are worse than others.


I don't understand why the cell phone manufacturers can't come up with an effective solution to this problem...come on, cell phones can now do almost everything! Perhaps there just isn't a monetary incentive?

[SanteeFats]

Originally Posted by VintageFan89

I had about 3 months with my new cell phone before the scammers began to call me. Most of the phone numbers started with crazy area codes that I knew did not exist. I even began receiving calls from 4 digit phone numbers! Some days the calls were coming at a rate of every 5 to 10 minutes.


I called my cell phone provider to be told that there was nothing they could do to stop the calls. I began blocking the calls and also changed my answer set up from flip open (yes, I have a flip phone) to "accept" by pushing the "OK" button.


Now when an unknown number calls (recently calls from my own area code) I push the "end" button and it goes right to voice mail. If no voice mail is left, I know it is another scam call. This seems to help but not stop the random calls. Some days are worse than others.


I don't understand why the cell phone manufacturers can't come up with an effective solution to this problem...come on, cell phones can now do almost everything! Perhaps there just isn't a monetary incentive?

I find that answering the calls can be amusing. I just ask the person if their mother swallowed. For some reason they hang up and seldom call back

[Arturo2nd]

Originally Posted by CARLTON BROWN

That aside, the privatisation of general government services is not the answer as many Americans will tell you and things going badly is not what you'd expect at this level in a country like the US, but they do seem to have passed the idea across to us.

Ah, the miracles of privatization. Say we have a government agency providing a marginal level of service and efficiency amid financial waste and bureaucratic obstinacy. Suppose we "privatize" that agency. Thus we add the necessity of generating profits to a stupidly run, inefficient organization. Normally what happens is private sector managers are brought in who are every bit as stupid as the civil servants being replaced, but who lack the modicum of idealism and public service that motivates public employees. These new managers are unfamiliar with the culture of the organization and focus on driving down costs. Driving down costs means trying to get by with fewer, cheaper, and lower quality supplies and trying to force staff to work harder by employing fewer people. Is it any wonder that we wind up with an organization staffed by bitter and stressed employees that performs more poorly than its lousy public sector ancestor?

Brief rant on "charter schools," just how, pray tell, does adding managers committed to lining their own pockets improve the performance of a struggling school? You are adding petty tyrants at a cost of 25% to the school's budget, thus diverting resources from classrooms. And this is intended to improve classroom performance? Bullshit! It is intended to make money for the charter school managers.

Many moons ago while working in a corporation the thought came to me that we had too many managers and entirely too few leaders.

[Reclaimedwg]

Originally Posted by SanteeFats

I find that answering the calls can be amusing. I just ask the person if their mother swallowed. For some reason they hang up and seldom call back

I don't answer.

If it's a robocall and not a live person, by answering you are telling it that your # is a valid # with a live person answering it and not a fax machine or something.

Same with SPAM in your mail box.

Just by opening them, even without clicking any links in it or download any attachments in it, it tells the spammer your email address is being viewed and your SPAM will increase, from the same company, under dozen and dozen of different email addresses.

Even blocking the part in their email address after @ doesn't stop it.

The SPAM nowadays have trackers and spyware and adware and other things embedded not only in the text of the email itself, even in the pictures.

So by opening just one, you are set up to receive more.

[rupertramjet]

Originally Posted by Grouchy

Thankfully, still a requirement in the fire service thanks (in part) to the refusal by the Fire Brigades Union to accept "graduate entry".

I rose to senior rank but started at the bottom as a "smoke eater". The early experiences I had and the stuff I learned on the fireground set me in good stead for later when I held rank and had the responsibility of directing crews in dangerous situations. I had some empathy with those firefighters.
.

Despite not serving in the ranks, I started as a cadet and joined my first Battalion as a second lieutenant, I had to do exactly what my men did, and was told by my first OC to listen and learn from my very experienced senior NCO's. Those that failed to head such advice usually had very short Army careers, and are the ones who can often be heard saying 'Well actually it is Major!' at social functions!

But the saddest thing to me, is the idea that senior Police ranks can be filled by people without the front line experience of an old fashioned copper, the old system was that they joined as a constable, did two years probation, then became sergeants, and later inspectors, having passed the various promotion exams on the way, I understand now that they are being recruited at higher ranks from the start? Yep that will work! Paramedics could join the service as Ambulance Technicians, and work through the system and train as Paramedics, they now are required to be graduates, a friend of mine in Manchester has been a Paramedic for years, and is now having to do a degree part time, to safeguard his job, experience against a bit of paper? If I am dying I know who I would prefer, he also told me that they call the Graduates 'Casualty fans' ( a UK TV show), and most last a very short while in the front line.

But the sickest tale for me, is that during the Fire Brigade (always Brigade to me!) strike, a Labour government tried to order the Army to cross picket lines and seize equipment, an order refused by the Army commander, for the simple reason that a) the soldiers did not have a clue about how to use the equipment, and b) the thought of firefighters and soldiers fighting in the streets disgusted him, and would too the public.

The Labour minister who gave the order, was a former Trade Union firebrand, who had been notorious for starting lightning strikes, and was known for his ability to hit people, for some reason he decided not to take on this particular officer, not sure what put him off, could have been the Red Beret of the Paratrooper, or it might have been the red dagger of the Commando!

[cuzzyman927]

(Pertaining to the US)

When trying to take a left out of my driveway or some street and some kind hearted motorist will stop and let me out, but not one prick head on the opposite side of the street will stop to let me proceed.
Meanwhile the kind motorist is now also stuck there and cannot proceed with other vehicles having to stop behind him, but do you think the assholes on the other side of the street give a shit!
No wonder kind motorists who will stop and allow you to "sneak out" are far and few in between.

[trailmaster]

Originally Posted by cuzzyman927

(Pertaining to the US)

When trying to take a left out of my driveway or some street and some kind hearted motorist will stop and let me out, but not one prick head on the opposite side of the street will stop to let me proceed.
Meanwhile the kind motorist is now also stuck there and cannot proceed with other vehicles having to stop behind him, but do you think the assholes on the other side of the street give a shit!
No wonder kind motorists who will stop and allow you to "sneak out" are far and few in between.

It's not just the U.S. When we were young everyone seemed to be nice everywhere. Now it seems that everyone is not only getting meaner everywhere, but dumber everywhere too. Our technology is getting more advanced, but we are de-evolving socially!

[Grouchy]

Originally Posted by trailmaster

It's not just the U.S. When we were young everyone seemed to be nice everywhere. Now it seems that everyone is not only getting meaner everywhere, but dumber everywhere too. Our technology is getting more advanced, but we are de-evolving socially!

And not just socially...

As technology takes over tasks that were performed by humans, those humans are becoming de-skilled.

Take for an example the newer generation of cars.. Most now have a button to press when you need to parallel park the car against the kerb. The computer takes over and does it for you... The problem I see with this is that we are going to see a generation grow up that cannot park a vehicle if they need to.

The UK driving test was recently changed to exclude basic manoevers such as reversing around a corner.. A basic skill that takes practice. Why it is suddenly a redundant action beats me. There is no wonder that the accident rate amongst new drivers is so high - they are not being taught the basic skills of handling a vehicle.

[Estreeter]

What annoys me the most ?

Shithead young adults who are less than half your age and think they know more about life than their elders could have belted a few last night and would have if I didn't know their parents

20 years old - alcohol - male testosterone - I can handle that but throw in - social media generation values and my patience wears real thin