Pet Peeves: Aka Things That Make You Go "Gah!"

[ennui]

16 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Either I just don't understand men, or I just don't get the modern dating rituals.

I would blame video games, porn, and cell phones. Social skills are no longer a given. And it started so well! 

Although, I suddenly thought of Ruth Buzzi and Arte Johnson on Laugh-In ... wasn't that the skit, she was sitting in the park and the dirty old man hits on her, and she smacks him with her purse?

[harrie]

4 hours ago, ennui said:

I would blame video games, porn, and cell phones. Social skills are no longer a given. And it started so well! 

Although, I suddenly thought of Ruth Buzzi and Arte Johnson on Laugh-In ... wasn't that the skit, she was sitting in the park and the dirty old man hits on her, and she smacks him with her purse?

Oh man, now I want a Walnetto.

[DeLurker]

I cut my hair a few weeks ago - a very short bob and the shortest hair I have ever had.  I have never had the back of my neck exposed before so I had no f'in idea how much mosquito bites there would be excruciating.

And I forgot about no-seeums.  Vicious bastards.

[bilgistic]

I blame the internet for the exchange I overheard a couple weeks ago as I was driving through my apartment complex on my way home. My car window was open.

A couple of girls, one white and one black, were walking together on my right. They looked to be about 10 years old. The white girl walked away from the black girl behind my car to the left side of the road. She then said to the black girl, "You're such a bitch!"

I was shocked, and I'm not often shocked. I almost stopped the car and got out to tell her that it's not OK to talk to other young women like that. I have never said that to another woman in my life.

I blame the internet.

Edited June 30, 2017 by bilgistic

[riley702]

Or rap music.

[AgentRXS]

Not so much a peeve, but more of a social behavior I don't understand.

My friend and I took airboat tour of the Everglades today. It costs $28 for a hour long ride, plus a after-show featuring gators. This guy and 2 girls were in front of us filming themselves walking on to the airboat, took multiple selfies before we got going, and according to my friend, stared at their phones the whole time. She never saw them looking up once.

What is the point of paying to sit and stare at your phone the whole time? How many photos does one need of themselves? I don't get it.

Peeve: I got a "free" (included in the price) photo of me with a baby gator taken. Of course, they caught me mid-expression so I can't even hang it up somewhere, unless I cut my face out of the picture. I was absent-mindingly biting my lip and was in mid-release when the photo was snapped. I look like a slacked-jawed yodel in the photo. UGH.

[Quof]

Quote

How many photos does one need of themselves? 

Aw, AgentRXS, your naivete is adorable.  Have you not heard the 20 Year Old's Facebook Mantra?  "If 20 people didn't like your post, it never really happened."  Attending an event without taking a selfie is like a tree falling in the forest. 

Edited June 30, 2017 by Quof

[auntlada]

I used to do all the photos and the Facebook page for a club I'm in. A new, younger member has taken over some of that, and I'm happy to let her do it because I do not always have the time between work and my child, who is getting older and involved in various activities.

But for our Facebook page, every time she takes a photo, she treats it like a selfie. She uses her phone, sticks her face in front of it and takes the photo of whatever we are doing. So the photo is her face pretty big and people behind her doing stuff. I don't understand the drive to be in every photo. What's wrong with taking photos of other people? Of course, I always tell people he reason I have a camera is so I don't have to be in the photos. That probably isn't generational, but I feel that the selfie/group photo craze is.

[Moose135]

8 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

I look like a slacked-jawed yodel in the photo.

Come on now, you can't tease us like that - you have to post it! :-)

[Petunia13]

9 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Peeve: I got a "free" (included in the price) photo of me with a baby gator taken. Of course, they caught me mid-expression so I can't even hang it up somewhere, unless I cut my face out of the picture. I was absent-mindingly biting my lip and was in mid-release when the photo was snapped. I look like a slacked-jawed yodel in the photo. UGH.

Isn't that annoying?! I hate when it's those types of photo ops and they only take 1 or 2 so it's hard to get a good shot expression wise.

This Christmas I took my dog for a studio session with Santa and they took a bunch with just them playing or cuddling, but the ones with me and them posed if they looked cute I would be making a strange face or my hair would be awkward. And the ones where I looked good, my dog wouldn't be smiling or tilting his head away from us or down. 

[Moose135]

14 minutes ago, Petunia13 said:

And the ones where I looked good, my dog wouldn't be smiling or tilting his head away from us or down. 

Your dog did that on purpose, you know, that little bastard! ;-)

[Qoass]

I'm a fossil because I never cease to be amazed when I see young women gather together to take a group selfie and every one of them has their own personal version of duck face that they can instantly snap into. 

ETA it does make it all the more puzzling that they need to take so many pictures since they look exactly the same in every shot.

Edited June 30, 2017 by Qoass

[AgentRXS]

Quote

Come on now, you can't tease us like that - you have to post it! :-)

Sorry Moosie, I just couldn't continue to allow such an atrocity to exist in the universe. I beheaded the photo last night. Besides, I don't have the money to fund the brain bleach you all would need after viewing that photo LOL.

Quote

This Christmas I took my dog for a studio session with Santa and they took a bunch with just them playing or cuddling, but the ones with me and them posed if they looked cute I would be making a strange face or my hair would be awkward. And the ones where I looked good, my dog wouldn't be smiling or tilting his head away from us or down. 

Ugh...photographing dogs can be the actual worst sometimes. Very few of them want to look into the camera, even if toys are used and noises are made. Add that on to the fact that half of human photos come out looking like total shit, and its a wonder that any human/dog photos come out looking good at all. I don't envy the pet photographers.

Edited June 30, 2017 by AgentRXS

[Sun-Bun]

5 minutes ago, Qoass said:

I'm a fossil because I never cease to be amazed when I see young women gather together to take a group selfie and every one of them has their own personal version of duck face that they can instantly snap into. 

ETA it does make it all the more puzzling that they need to take so many pictures since they look exactly the same in every shot.

I had an older friend in her late 50's who would insist on endless pics like those, and then she'd post *every single damned one* on her Facebook page and tag us all. I'd get so annoyed with her and ask why she couldn't just pick the best one and post it alone, and she'd argue, "They're all great pics, so why shouldn't I post them all?!" Uh, maybe because it's annoying as Hell to see someone constantly post 24+ pics of the same poses/people per outing on our Facebook feed??

Admittedly, Snapchat and Instagram/FB "stories" have become the biggest undoing of enjoying life's great moments phone-free. I too have fallen victim to the need to document video stuff for my "followers" all too often while out and about.

It's the people who can't relax and finally put their phones away that irk me. Take a pic or video for a few minutes---snap a selfie or take some shots, film a short video or two at that concert, but please just quickly post it and then put your phone away!! 

[Quof]

I'm planning my upcoming trip to Italy.   I was disappointed to learn that the Accademia in Florence, home to the statue of David, now allows photography (it didn't the last time I was there) AND selfie-sticks.  FFS, if there is anything that one should just simply enjoy with wide eyed wonder, it's David. 

[AgentRXS]

Quote

Admittedly, Snapchat and Instagram/FB "stories" have become the biggest undoing of enjoying life's great moments phone-free. I too have fallen victim to the need to document video stuff for my "followers" all too often while out and about.

I also record/take photos at outings to post on FB (moreso so it can come up in my memories later on) but I only try to document interesting stuff, and to enjoy the moment for the most part.  But I do limit myself and enjoy the moment. I just never try to insert myself into any pictures. A photograph is enough to show I was there---I don't need me included in all that.

[Popples]

11 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

My friend and I took airboat tour of the Everglades today. It costs $28 for a hour long ride, plus a after-show featuring gators. This guy and 2 girls were in front of us filming themselves walking on to the airboat, took multiple selfies before we got going, and according to my friend, stared at their phones the whole time. She never saw them looking up once.

What is the point of paying to sit and stare at your phone the whole time? How many photos does one need of themselves? I don't get it.

These are the same people who text during movies. Why would you waste money when you can sit and text just about anywhere else for free?

[NutMeg]

11 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Not so much a peeve, but more of a social behavior I don't understand.

My friend and I took airboat tour of the Everglades today. It costs $28 for a hour long ride, plus a after-show featuring gators. This guy and 2 girls were in front of us filming themselves walking on to the airboat, took multiple selfies before we got going, and according to my friend, stared at their phones the whole time. She never saw them looking up once.

What is the point of paying to sit and stare at your phone the whole time? How many photos does one need of themselves? I don't get it.

Peeve: I got a "free" (included in the price) photo of me with a baby gator taken. Of course, they caught me mid-expression so I can't even hang it up somewhere, unless I cut my face out of the picture. I was absent-mindingly biting my lip and was in mid-release when the photo was snapped. I look like a slacked-jawed yodel in the photo. UGH.

I've been in some amazing places where I saw people getting all smiley for the selfie-stick pic with an iconic or stunning background, then lose the smile and any interest for their surroundings the second the picture is done. I've seen couples vacationing together get in the pool, take a selfie where they're both cuddly/cuddly and smiling, then immediately get out of the pool and not interact for the next hour, each one looking on his or her smartphone but not at each other. It's like enjoying the trip, the vacation or each other is secondary to building a perfect online image. I feel quite sorry for them. 

[Quof]

I once walked behind a European family in a lovely outdoor market on Christmas day.  Dad was busy with his selfie stick recording himself, never looking up. The teen daughter said, in French "Papa, why can't you put that down and just live in the moment?"   I couldn't figure out quickly enough how to say "You go, girl" in French before they were out of my sight. 

[ZaldamoWilder]

1 hour ago, NutMeg said:

I've been in some amazing places where I saw people getting all smiley for the selfie-stick pic with an iconic or stunning background, then lose the smile and any interest for their surroundings the second the picture is done. I've seen couples vacationing together get in the pool, take a selfie where they're both cuddly/cuddly and smiling, then immediately get out of the pool and not interact for the next hour, each one looking on his or her smartphone but not at each other. It's like enjoying the trip, the vacation or each other is secondary to building a perfect online image. I feel quite sorry for them. 

Consider us relics from a time gone by.  We actually get our cash and clothes together and fly somewhere to see a thing in a place we've never been, to, you know, see it.    Most of my FB friends are friends in real life, all people I actually know.  They agree pretty unanimously that I suck at facebooking.   I say that must mean I'm effing fabulous at in real life'ing and take it as a compliment.    In the summer of 1991, I was standing between Nelson Mandela and Joe Frazier at the same fund raising event.   Not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed at not having a shred of evidence of it.  

oooh, meant to add - you know that guy in the news a couple of months back who sued his date for $14 and change because she texted the whole time they were at the movies?  tons of people thought he was zany and petty.    I didn't. 

[NutMeg]

@ZaldamoWilder, with great moments, I think it's sometimes a choice between feeling them or recording them as a way to remember them, whereas pictures have a way of making me remember the moment I took more acutely than what the feeling was, which makes sense when you take a picture the tech/photographer in you has to take over if you're half serious about the quality of your pictures. For me, and I'm sure it's not universal, feeling and living something powerful helps me remember it better. Then again, I love taking pictures, but not necessarily during these great moments (for instance, I love capturing some expressions on loved ones, or photograph places or things that really moved or amazed me, in a positive or negative way). I admit that I have often in the past used my 200mm zoom to capture awesome faces/expressions, both of random strangers and of people close to me that would have been much too self conscious if I had pointed the camera right under their nose.

Also, I've realised that taking pictures is a great way to be "busy" when alone/traveling alone and that when I take a lot of pictures while not alone is when I'm most disconnected from the person or people I'm with (except of course if I'm doing portraits, ideally candid ones).

Edited June 30, 2017 by NutMeg
horrible typo that I saw the second I posted - I probably missed others :(

[auntlada]

4 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Ugh...photographing dogs can be the actual worst sometimes. Very few of them want to look into the camera, even if toys are used and noises are made. Add that on to the fact that half of human photos come out looking like total shit, and its a wonder that any human/dog photos come out looking good at all. I don't envy the pet photographers.

Photoshop.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

 

Peeve:  Humorless people who spew endless criticism at tv shows, especially comedies, because they are unrealistic. 

Why would you watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine and get annoyed when the police work doesn't follow proper procedures? Silicon Valley and be angry because the tech situations are implausible? Grey's Anatomy and loose your mind because the doctor skipped an important step? 

 

Heh. There's a reason I spend more time in these here miscellaneous threads than I do in the actual TV ones. And I almost never bother with forums for drama shows that I actually like because, oh, ugh.

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, TattleTeeny said:

Heh. There's a reason I spend more time in these here miscellaneous threads than I do in the actual TV ones. And I almost never bother with forums for drama shows that I actually like because, oh, ugh.

I posted that Simpsons clip of Bart being a humorless dick directly below the offending comment that made me bring it up here. No comment. Just that clip. 

I figured my point was made and moved on. 

Edited July 1, 2017 by JTMacc99

[Katy M]

18 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

My friend and I took airboat tour of the Everglades today. It costs $28 for a hour long ride, plus a after-show featuring gators. This guy and 2 girls were in front of us filming themselves walking on to the airboat, took multiple selfies before we got going, and according to my friend, stared at their phones the whole time. She never saw them looking up once.

What is the point of paying to sit and stare at your phone the whole time? How many photos does one need of themselves? I don't get it.

Not trying to be snarky, but was your friend staring at these other people the whole time, or watching the gators at all

 

6 hours ago, ZaldamoWilder said:

oooh, meant to add - you know that guy in the news a couple of months back who sued his date for $14 and change because she texted the whole time they were at the movies?  tons of people thought he was zany and petty.    I didn't. 

I think he was petty because it's a waste of official court time.  So, not defending the behavior, but two wrongs don't make a right.

Just as an aside, am I officially the last person on earth, or at least the US, who does NOT have a Smartphone.  I'm feeling wrong somehow.

[auntlada]

I don't have one either. I might be interested if I found one that fit in my front pocket. Between the large phones and the tiny women's pants pockets, I don't see that happening.

[Bastet]

41 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Just as an aside, am I officially the last person on earth, or at least the US, who does NOT have a Smartphone.

No, I don't have one, either; I only use my cell phone once every couple of months or so, and have no need for one that does anything beyond make calls (or texts, but I text even less frequently than I call, and only ever in response to someone sending me one), so my flip phone suits me just fine.

[Moose135]

On 6/29/2017 at 5:45 AM, JTMacc99 said:

Why would you watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine and get annoyed when the police work doesn't follow proper procedures?

This reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend years ago.  It was the first or second of NYPD Blue and my friend was retired NYPD - he had spent years as a mechanic in their helicopter unit, but had spent time on the streets early in his tenure.  He was complaining about something he saw on the show, going on about how that wasn't anything like real life.  Finally I said "Nick, it's a television show.  An hour of cops writing reports and eating donuts doesn't make very interesting TV!"  I'm not sure he's ever really forgiven me for that. ;-)

 

9 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

I just never try to insert myself into any pictures. A photograph is enough to show I was there---I don't need me included in all that.

I don't usually get in photos myself either - I rarely use the camera on my phone, and don't have one of those sticks, but if I'm someplace cool and have the tripod on hand, I'm not above jumping in a photo now and then.

[TattleTeeny]

I think it's fun to notice the nitpicky stuff and talk about it, but if it gets me actually enraged episode after episode, I call it quits; there's funny hate-watching and there's the opposite. Like I love real forensic science and crime-scene investigations so, way back when, I thought I might like a dramatized version like CSI. Turns out, it was just too insanely farfetched to be fun for me. Instead of watching and then taking to the boards to school fans on why this or that just would not happen, I bailed...

to happily rewatch endless episodes of the now-outdated Forensic Files, haha!

[riley702]

10 hours ago, Quof said:

I once walked behind a European family in a lovely outdoor market on Christmas day.  Dad was busy with his selfie stick recording himself, never looking up. The teen daughter said, in French "Papa, why can't you put that down and just live in the moment?"   I couldn't figure out quickly enough how to say "You go, girl" in French before they were out of my sight. 

I'm by no means proficient, but maybe, "Bien joue, fille!", which means something like "Well-played, young lady!"

4 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Heh. There's a reason I spend more time in these here miscellaneous threads than I do in the actual TV ones. And I almost never bother with forums for drama shows that I actually like because, oh, ugh.

This x 1,000. If I'm at all serious about the show, anyway.

2 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

I think it's fun to notice the nitpicky stuff and talk about it, but if it gets me actually enraged episode after episode, I call it quits; there's funny hate-watching and there's the opposite. Like I love real forensic science and crime-scene investigations so, way back when, I thought I might like a dramatized version like CSI. Turns out, it was just too insanely farfetched to be fun for me. Instead of watching and then taking to the boards to school fans on why this or that just would not happen, I bailed...

to happily rewatch endless episodes of the now-outdated Forensic Files, haha!

I remember eons ago one night at the hospital, a show was on and showed someone literally pulling the plug on a ventilator. Zero alarms went off. The EKG immediately went flatline, which did cause alarms, so now the killer holds the door shut as people beyond shout portentously, "We have to get in there! We only have 5 minutes!" When they did get in, a flurry of activity was accompanied by, "Give an amp of epi! Give an amp of bicarb! Well, I guess we've done all that we could do. Call it." The nurse and I had to explain to family members why we were howling with laughter. More fun hospital bloopers include someone with an oozing bloody scrape with no bandaging, or a patient still dirty from their accident the next day. And then there are the ones with simple nasal oxygen, but there is a ventilator in the background with an antique bellows whooshing away, or someone with a breathing tube thru their vocal cords whispering something dramatic.  OK, I'll stop now, but some of these are so unrealistic, they're hilarious.

Edited July 1, 2017 by riley702

[TattleTeeny]

YES! Laughing at it is so different than literally spelling out what you wanted to see while being mad that a fictional show (made by other people with minds of their own) did not explicitly follow that map you've created in your private narrative! I'm sort of a hypocrite a little though because I have been known to yell and holler and be mad too. But there's a difference, I think, between, "I would have liked to see" and "They should have written it like this."

[Moose135]

59 minutes ago, riley702 said:

OK, I'll stop now, but some of these are so unrealistic, they're hilarious.

I have the same reaction watching many aviation-themed movies or television shows.  Don't get me started on the schlock that was "Air Force One"...

[Bastet]

I think most of us, when we know more about a subject than the average bear - and, apparently, the writers - have to decide whether to just roll with it because we like the characters and other things about the show, or spare our blood pressure and move on.  Or just treat it like a "spot the errors" game and sit back and laugh (and, yeah, sometimes grumble, "You get paid how much, and you can't do the most basic research on a fundamental aspect of your show?").

[MrSmith]

On 6/29/2017 at 11:53 PM, AgentRXS said:

Not so much a peeve, but more of a social behavior I don't understand.

My friend and I took airboat tour of the Everglades today. It costs $28 for a hour long ride, plus a after-show featuring gators. This guy and 2 girls were in front of us filming themselves walking on to the airboat, took multiple selfies before we got going, and according to my friend, stared at their phones the whole time. She never saw them looking up once.

What is the point of paying to sit and stare at your phone the whole time? How many photos does one need of themselves? I don't get it.

Peeve: I got a "free" (included in the price) photo of me with a baby gator taken. Of course, they caught me mid-expression so I can't even hang it up somewhere, unless I cut my face out of the picture. I was absent-mindingly biting my lip and was in mid-release when the photo was snapped. I look like a slacked-jawed yodel in the photo. UGH.

It's ok, @AgentRXS. You're not alone. Is it ok if I sit on the bench next to you? If were taking that tour, I wouldn't even have my phone with me. In part because I would be worried I would end up dropping it somewhere in the Everglades. The other part is because why do I need my phone with me on such an outing?

LOL. According to @Quof's sarcastic post, nothing in my life ever really happens because not only do 20 people not like it, I don't even post it to Facebook!

[MrSmith]

OK. My pet peeve for today is people calling photographs "selfies", even when it's not a photograph of themselves. A photograph is not a "selfie" if that photograph has other people in the photograph, even if that photograph also has you in it. It is only a "selfie" if you are the only one in the photograph and you took the photograph. Handing your camera/phone to someone else to take a picture of just you does not make that photograph a "selfie".

Related peeve: The word "selfie". Can we please kill this word with extreme prejudice, including ritual torture as retribution for all the pain it has caused us?

10 hours ago, Katy M said:

Just as an aside, am I officially the last person on earth, or at least the US, who does NOT have a Smartphone.  I'm feeling wrong somehow.

Probably. :D

If it weren't for the fact we got my mother-in-law a smartphone, then you'd be one of two people on the planet without one. Sorry to have inadvertently left you by yourself in this condition. LOL

[MrSmith]

On 6/29/2017 at 4:45 AM, JTMacc99 said:

Peeve:  Humorless people who spew endless criticism at tv shows, especially comedies, because they are unrealistic. 

I am not humorless. This kind of thing depends partly on my mood. Some days, I'm inclined to ignore such things. Other days, I find them funny. Still others, I am annoyed by it and it ruins my suspension of disbelief. Usually I get annoyed because it ruined my suspension of disbelief. Generally if whatever is being misrepresented is something I know the writers either should have known or could have easily looked up/asked someone about in order to get it right, then it'll ruin my suspension of disbelief. If it's something a little more arcane where you'd have to find someone a little more specialized to query, then I'll note to my wife that it's wrong and we just keep going (or we pause it so I can explain why it's wrong and then we resume our enjoyment of the show or movie). I would also like to note that we enjoy talking about these things and how they would have changed the situation if the situation were real. So, even the writers getting things wrong can provide us some entertainment after the show or movie. Finally, some of it (like what's shown in Marvel's Agents of SHIELD) is just so completely ridiculous that it forces me to turn it off because it's just not fun to watch.

[JTMacc99]

I mostly don't understand how people get so worked up about facts in a comedy. It's farce. I set my expectation levels to "the facts just exist to put the characters in a situation that creates comedy". 

I do the same thing with science fiction shows. In my head is this "If I'm going to believe that a guy's head can turn into a flaming skull, I'm willing to overlook all sorts of other short cuts the show makes to move the story along."

But that's just ME and how I consume entertainment. My annoyances with shows usually come from unrealistic character interactions, idiotic dialogue and/or boring story telling. Plot holes don't upset me. 

Edited July 1, 2017 by JTMacc99

[MrSmith]

@JTMacc99 Well, the stuff that usually bothers me is technical stuff. If I'm really enjoying the overall movie or tv show, like I did (and still do) with the first Ghost Rider, then I usually fail to even see the flaws. It has to be a really outstanding movie or tv show for me to continue to ignore these things as it gets older. For example, the Daredevil movie (the one with Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner). At the time, I was delighted just to have Daredevil in a movie, and I enjoyed it. Now? Forget it. I can't get through 15 minutes of that movie without really picking it apart. The Punisher movie (with Tom Jane)? I still enjoy that and will happily overlook its flaws.

Marvel's Agents of SHIELD bothered me because of the poorly written technobabble and the terrible acting in one of the first three episodes where the two tech people were supposed to be catching something they could only see with their glasses/goggles things on. That scene actually made me stop watching and remove it from my DVR.

Big Bang Theory? I enjoy that show and don't mind the ridiculousness of the things they do because it's hilarious (and largely on-point when it comes to people of that level of intelligence).

We used to watch The Hundred on CW. I had to stop because they kept getting technical details wrong and I couldn't maintain my suspension of disbelief. I stopped watching The Originals and The Vampire Diaries because the writers failed to follow the rules of their own universe. I don't care that the rules of their universe are different from the real world; I only care that - whatever their universe's rules are - they follow their own rules. The writers for those two shows could not follow their own rules and I left because the contradictions were too great. Now, if you look at Supernatural, I've been watching since season 1, episode 1 and they occasionally violate the rules of their own universe, too. However, their violations are generally minor and improve the story, and so I can overlook and accept them. The violations in Vampire Diaries and The Originals were quite egregious and only served to allow the writers to do something even more ridiculous than they had before.

Suspension of disbelief can only handle so much and writers need to carefully manage it. The easiest way to do that is just to follow your show's or movie's internal logic as closely as possible. After that, get the technical details as right as possible. The Big Bang Theory at least actually consults with a physicist in order to get its details correct. That means these other writers could do it, too; they just don't want to do it.

[Katy M]

36 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

I mostly don't understand how people get so worked up about facts in a comedy. It's farce. I set my expectation levels to "the facts just exist to put the characters in a situation that creates comedy". 

I do the same thing with science fiction shows. In my head is this "If I'm going to believe that a guy's head can turn into a flaming skull, I'm willing to overlook all sorts of other short cuts the show makes to move the story along."

But that's just ME and how I consume entertainment. My annoyances with shows usually come from unrealistic character interactions, idiotic dialogue and/or boring story telling. Plot holes don't upset me. 

Yes, I personally take canon and realism more seriously in a drama than I do a sitcom.  Like people who complain that Joey is too stupid in Friends.  He's supposed to be stupid, that's his character.

[JTMacc99]

Joey was great.

[Blergh]

Bottom line re contrived plot twists, situations,etc, regardless of the media or genre, they're only worth it if the payoff is clever and/or entertaining, IMO. Few things infuriate me more when a show, movie, book, etc. goes WAY out on a limb re preposterous contrivances only to have it all wind up on a lame note that ruins whatever positive aspects that I had originally liked.

[ABay]

Going back to smart phones for a moment, because that's my pet peeve for today, and the week, and possibly the month. I gave up my little Nokia phone with a sliding screen and full, if tiny, keyboard underneath and got a smart phone. It was becoming tiresome having to remind friends and family that I couldn't see their texted photos and emojis and group texts. So now I have an LG, because that's the default and damned if I'm going to spend more than I must on this devil's toy.

It's almost as big as my Kindle which is much easier to type on, and that's saying something because the Kindle is a bugger to type on, and yet I will not be able to carry my tablet on a plane while I can carry this on? That extra inch must really pack a lot of power. It certainly makes the screen, email, and everything I use a lot easier to navigate. The phone also wants my location, access to all of my data, and first dibs on my soul for every app and widget, of which there are many. There was one really useful feature, usage manager, and it disappeared the second day I had the phone.

I don't understand mobile data usage v. wifi data usage, and whether that kind of mobile data is the same thing as the mobile data thing in the settings. Or whether the phone is using wifi data when I'm home or at work and connected to the wifi or if it's still using my other data plan and why are so many things called data?! I used the AT&T help pages (which load and reload twice before actually showing anything) to learn what to shut off to save data. Now if I only knew what that meant.

The only positive thing so far is that I can text pictures of my cat to everyone I know. Woo.

[Katy M]

7 minutes ago, ABay said:

and yet I will not be able to carry my tablet on a plane

Why can't you take your tablet on  a plane?  You can take a laptop.

[ABay]

Laptops and tablets are banned as carry-ons for some international flights to the U.S. I might be able to take the Kindle with me when leaving the U.S. but not on the flight home. 

Edited July 1, 2017 by ABay

[Quof]

Not true.   The ban is for a small list of flights, from a small list of countries.   And there is talk of new security measures that would eliminate the "need" for the electronics ban.

Edited July 1, 2017 by Quof

[theredhead77]

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

I think most of us, when we know more about a subject than the average bear - and, apparently, the writers - have to decide whether to just roll with it because we like the characters and other things about the show, or spare our blood pressure and move on.  Or just treat it like a "spot the errors" game and sit back and laugh (and, yeah, sometimes grumble, "You get paid how much, and you can't do the most basic research on a fundamental aspect of your show?").

What I found most unbelievable about 24 (original flavor) was that Sprint had coverage everywhere in Los Angeles while way back then their coverage sucked and also that it only took 20 minutes to get from Burbank to the LA Harbor. Or 20 minutes to get anywhere in LA. That received so much snark from my circle.

[AgentRXS]

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Not trying to be snarky, but was your friend staring at these other people the whole time, or watching the gators at all

To be fair, she didn't really want to go, but went because its what I wanted to. And the airboat ride was somewhat disappointing that all we saw were buzzards, songbirds, and an iguana. We only saw gators inside, in the sanctuary.

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I mostly don't understand how people get so worked up about facts in a comedy. It's farce. I set my expectation levels to "the facts just exist to put the characters in a situation that creates comedy".

Heh. The Golden Girls writers would love you for that statement.

Quote

I think most of us, when we know more about a subject than the average bear - and, apparently, the writers - have to decide whether to just roll with it because we like the characters and other things about the show, or spare our blood pressure and move on. 

Yeah, this is me with any show set in Miami. But when they get facts wrong, or namedrop fictional landmarks, I just giggle.

I do appreciate Sophia Petrillo's constant name-dropping of Wolfie's  (an actual restaurant) during GG, though. My grandmother lived in Miami Beach during the shows original run, and my sister and I were about 7yrs and 5yrs old. Whenever my grandmother asked where we wanted to eat after a day at the beach, we would say "Wolfies" because we actually believed we would see Sophia or one of the other Girls there LOL. 

Sadly, Wolfies closed in 2008, but they had some damn good food while it lasted. So when I watch re-runs now and she mentions it, I just smile and remember the old Miami Beach of my childhood.

[MrSmith]

41 minutes ago, ABay said:

Going back to smart phones for a moment, because that's my pet peeve for today, and the week, and possibly the month. I gave up my little Nokia phone with a sliding screen and full, if tiny, keyboard underneath and got a smart phone. It was becoming tiresome having to remind friends and family that I couldn't see their texted photos and emojis and group texts. So now I have an LG, because that's the default and damned if I'm going to spend more than I must on this devil's toy.

It's almost as big as my Kindle which is much easier to type on, and that's saying something because the Kindle is a bugger to type on, and yet I will not be able to carry my tablet on a plane while I can carry this on? That extra inch must really pack a lot of power. It certainly makes the screen, email, and everything I use a lot easier to navigate. The phone also wants my location, access to all of my data, and first dibs on my soul for every app and widget, of which there are many. There was one really useful feature, usage manager, and it disappeared the second day I had the phone.

I don't understand mobile data usage v. wifi data usage, and whether that kind of mobile data is the same thing as the mobile data thing in the settings. Or whether the phone is using wifi data when I'm home or at work and connected to the wifi or if it's still using my other data plan and why are so many things called data?! I used the AT&T help pages (which load and reload twice before actually showing anything) to learn what to shut off to save data. Now if I only knew what that meant.

The only positive thing so far is that I can text pictures of my cat to everyone I know. Woo.

Wifi is not considered mobile data because it does not actually go across the mobile network, and that is the criteria for whether it dings your mobile data allocation. Just because you are still mobile while on Wifi doesn't matter. :)

It will only use wifi when you turn wifi on. You can leave wifi on all the time and then it will automatically connect to networks it knows. However, this will drain your battery faster when you're out and about; plus, it'll probably beg you to let it connect to every wifi network it sees. I would recommend against leaving it on. You can customize the notification-area menu by pulling it all the way open, then click the gear in the upper right (that's usually where it is). This will let you drag things around and order them. I put my wifi toggle (on/off) up there so I can access it by opening the notification-area menu normally (and not having to open it all the way). I also put my volume toggle (normal/vibrate/full mute are the options) up there, as well as my flashlight.

Your usage manager will be in your settings, probably under "Connections".

I'm not a fan of how much access these apps want, either. I suspect the permissions are so broadly grouped that they cannot ask with the specificity everyone would prefer. I wouldn't be surprised if that was intentional on Google's part.

I would recommend that you get Nova Launcher and Nova Launcher Prime. The first is a different desktop than the TouchWiz piece of shit that's included by default. Nova Launcher is free for basic, with some premium features that Prime unlocks. It's around $3 and is the best home page/desktop I've found for mobile. If you do get this, then any time Nova Launcher is a choice when you're asked to choose the default app, choose Nova Launcher.

[ennui]

I don't have a Smartphone. I strive to live off the grid, so my phone is usually off. I know someone who doesn't have a cell phone. 

Moose, that's an interesting statue of Einstein. Where is that?

[Katy M]

I don't usually let things of a geographic nature bother me when I read or watch something.  But, this one time I was reading this book (which I wasn't enjoying at all, so that may have made me more quickly annoyed).  It took place in New York City.  A cop had to extradite a prisoner from Brattleboro, Vermont.  Said cop was afraid to fly, but had to fly to accomplish this task.  This is about a 4 hour drive we are talking about (each way).  And the closest airport to Bratt is at least an hour and a half away.  The book was making it sound like the plane (a commercial airliner, of course) flew right into Brattleboro.  I don't think this author had ever been to southern Vermont.  Airports do not abound here.  For which I am very grateful.