Random thing you loathe right now.

r013nt0 wrote:

I was already irritated with people saying proof instead of evidence, and now the internet has decided to use the word receipt constantly.

The internet was a mistake.

Did it "loose" your respect?

(One of my pet peeves. )

The way Apple Family, Apple Pay, and Apple Cash all fail to work together.

My 10yo got some birthday money, so we thought we'd put it in Apple Cash for him to spend. But no, Apple Cash isn't spendable on the app store or for in-app purchases. Also, if you're in an Apple Family program, you can only use the *one* payment method set up by the family organizer, even if you have your own payment methods (at least for app-store stuff; Apple Pay might be different). So for my wife to use her own CC to buy stuff she had to leave the family plan; if she was still in the plan it would only draw from the $1 in apple cash I had been experimenting with, or my own CC.

With the benefit of hindsight, probably the biggest killer feature of the Xbox One/PS4 generation of consoles was the introduction of handheld-style game suspension. Not being able to sleep and resume games is the biggest barrier for me to playing games on older platforms, on PC, or on streaming platforms. It feels so frustratingly archaic to have to re-launch and re-load games every time I want to play them.

I ran into this just last night. There's a great new article at Kotaku about the history of the Japanese developer Monolith Soft, and it made me want to revisit Xenoblade Chronicles X on the Wii U. But without a sleep mode... I just can't do it.

The super-fast load times of the Series X / PS5 make this slightly less painful (when it doesn't work), but overall I tend to agree with you. It's a killer feature.

SSDs go a long way to solving that, for PC. We're talking <30s between sitting down and playing the game, in the majority of cases.

Switch still feels like it has interminable load times, though. Sure, you can turn the machine back on and instantly resume, but that's only good as long as you're not switching games.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

With the benefit of hindsight, probably the biggest killer feature of the Xbox One/PS4 generation of consoles was the introduction of handheld-style game suspension.

This is also why the DS and 3DS were easily the best consoles of their respective generations.

Yeah that was my favorite thing going from PS3 to PS4.

Switch depends on the developer. Saw video comparisons just this week actually. Persona 5 Scramble loads on PS4 in 6 seconds, but takes 24 seconds on Switch. Yet Catherine Full Body (using the P5 engine) takes 9 seconds on PS4 and only 6 seconds on Switch. Nocturne HD is 25 on PS4 and 35 on Switch.

I think the point was that P5R could still be released on Switch. But secondary point is Koei Tecmo sucks at some things.

I agreed to go to my in-laws today and it’s hell.

Now if we could just get the devs/publishers cut down on the amount of crap they show you before you can even get to the main menu. AS:V has like two disclaimers, an epilepsy warning, Ubisoft logo, Anvil animation, and an auto-save warning all before you get to the title screen. It takes more time to sit through all of that than it does for the game to actually load.

Xfinity wrote:

You’ve reached your Internet data plan threshold

You’ve used all of the 1.2 TB (1229 GB) of data included in your plan for November 2020.

First time that's happened.

Two teenage boys started fulltime distance learning this month. Plus they've been upgrading their PCs. Full reinstalls of lots of software, especially Steam games.

I may have installed a game or two in there, too. Oh, and all the GWJ reading.

Comcast is still doing that crap?

They've been tightening their grip recently.

https://arstechnica.com/information-...

After I got hit with $60 in overages, I just sucked it up and paid Comcast for an unlimited plan. I've blown past the data cap every month this year, but it really shot up after the summer ended.

2 weeks after moving into our new place, we get an electricity bill for $300. Look at the average estimate for 2 people (12.59), vs the 73.62 they have us averaged at. $20 a day. We don't have air conditioning, we use skylights, and are mindful of our usage. Our last bills at our previous rental were no more than $300 over 3 MONTHS.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/ailGsWw.png)

We believe the meters are crossed with the convenience store beneath us, but the landlord will not help get us access to them to check. Also, because the store beneath us somehow shares a unit number, we are unable to get internet connected and it's up to the landlord to sort out the address change/remap, which he shows no signs of wanting to do.

I've told him I need an internet connection for my work and study (I'll be teaching online classes next year while doing my PhD) but I'm getting no help at all.

We like the new place a lot, and we're happy to finally have somewhere to live by ourselves, but this is ridiculous and I'm under so much stress right now.

Edit: Because I'm in full complain-mode, I want to add that we are paying more than double our previous rental to live here. It's out of necessity, having to suddenly get out of a hostile renting situation 2 months ago, so we are dealing with double rent, stupidly high electricity and still no internet (I'm hotspotting my phone). We are literally only just getting by at this point, and I just want to crawl into a hole and hide away from this mess.

I didn't put a cap and scarf on my daughters (3Y & 5Y old) before walking them to school this morning, and about halfway along realized I really should have. They didn't complain on the route, but I got a text message from our youngest' teacher that she was crying because of how cold she was. I drove to school and dropped off caps and scarfs for both.

I feel SO bad right now, but they should get home any minute now so I can give them a big hug and apologize profusely for being such a horrible dad

A_Unicycle wrote:

2 weeks after moving into our new place, we get an electricity bill for $300. Look at the average estimate for 2 people (12.59), vs the 73.62 they have us averaged at. $20 a day. We don't have air conditioning, we use skylights, and are mindful of our usage. Our last bills at our previous rental were no more than $300 over 3 MONTHS.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/ailGsWw.png)

We believe the meters are crossed with the convenience store beneath us, but the landlord will not help get us access to them to check. Also, because the store beneath us somehow shares a unit number, we are unable to get internet connected and it's up to the landlord to sort out the address change/remap, which he shows no signs of wanting to do.

I've told him I need an internet connection for my work and study (I'll be teaching online classes next year while doing my PhD) but I'm getting no help at all.

We like the new place a lot, and we're happy to finally have somewhere to live by ourselves, but this is ridiculous and I'm under so much stress right now.

Edit: Because I'm in full complain-mode, I want to add that we are paying more than double our previous rental to live here. It's out of necessity, having to suddenly get out of a hostile renting situation 2 months ago, so we are dealing with double rent, stupidly high electricity and still no internet (I'm hotspotting my phone). We are literally only just getting by at this point, and I just want to crawl into a hole and hide away from this mess.

I can almost guarantee that your getting your neighbors bill. Many moons ago I had a neighbor who was getting my bill and me his. He was a flight attendant and only home a few days per month. We tried to get it straightened out, but to no avail. I just ended up giving him $200 cash during months where we ran the AC.

I wonder who gets their power cut off if you stop paying?

Yeah, I'd be interested to know too.

We were finally able to unlock the meters and confirmed that our meter number was entirely different to what was listed on our bill. We let them know asap, but we were told we'd have to wait 3 business days.

Well, the bill is due today and still no contact. I still don't know why we are being billed after 2 weeks and not quarterly. At this point, we've e-mailed and confirmed everything we can so I just have to wait and see.

I'll see if the shop beneath us loses power? What a mess.

Planning a move. Cause of that Comcast offers me the new person rates for internet again. They were charging me 3x as much a new person. I could get the fastest internet they have and still save money currently. So annoying.

master0 wrote:

Planning a move. Cause of that Comcast offers me the new person rates for internet again. They were charging me 3x as much a new person. I could get the fastest internet they have and still save money currently. So annoying.

Yea before we moved our Cox account was in my wife's name and now it is in my name and we got 3x the bandwidth for $5 more per month. I don't know about Comcast but with Cox you can usually call them up and they will give you a deal again after your price jumps back up.

Wife and I were just discussing jumping back and forth between AT&T and Cox because AT&T sent us a really good offer for 1 year of their gigabit fiber service.

Yeah spectrum suddenly went up $10 this spring, after 4 years. The first year had a $10 discount. Then suddenly in like March there was another discount listed on the bill that never had been before, as they took it away. I really wanted to call and threaten to cancel but there's actually no other internet here. The faster AT&T doesn't reach my address, it stops about 1/3 of a mile down the street.

You basically have to call once a year and threaten to cancel your service. They'll usually then try and get you to stay by giving you the latest and greatest deal. It's absurd and grotesque.

Another moving issue. Was looking to donate a bunch of furniture. Unfortunately I would need help for the larger objects. Some places do pickup but only curbside. Basically going to have to toss a decent bed, futon and table to the junk pile. At least the small stuff I can give away normally.

master0 wrote:

Another moving issue. Was looking to donate a bunch of furniture. Unfortunately I would need help for the larger objects. Some places do pickup but only curbside. Basically going to have to toss a decent bed, futon and table to the junk pile. At least the small stuff I can give away normally.

If you're in an urban place and willing to have folk in your house to help you get the thing out and into a truck bed, post them for free on Craigslist - I've gotten rid of an entire sectional couch that way. Someone with a truck wants a free couch.

At least, that worked in pre-plague times. Might not get as much takeup these days...

THIS!! /\ /\

I’ve done the Craig’s List curb alert for many different pieces of furniture. Just specify first come, first served, and don’t disturb the residents under ANY circumstances.

I’ve also put the furniture next to a communal dumpster and dropped a map pin on it. Craig’s List has a feature where you can drop a pin on a map to specify the exact location of the item.

Every time I’ve done this the furniture disappeared within three hours.

Jonman wrote:
master0 wrote:

Another moving issue. Was looking to donate a bunch of furniture. Unfortunately I would need help for the larger objects. Some places do pickup but only curbside. Basically going to have to toss a decent bed, futon and table to the junk pile. At least the small stuff I can give away normally.

If you're in an urban place and willing to have folk in your house to help you get the thing out and into a truck bed, post them for free on Craigslist - I've gotten rid of an entire sectional couch that way. Someone with a truck wants a free couch.

At least, that worked in pre-plague times. Might not get as much takeup these days...

Yeah I might try that. Donate all the small stuff and see if I can give away the big stuff. Only issue is I have to drive back to be there for them to pick up the stuff. So I'd basically be at their mercy for them to actually show up.

master0 wrote:

Yeah I might try that. Donate all the small stuff and see if I can give away the big stuff. Only issue is I have to drive back to be there for them to pick up the stuff. So I'd basically be at their mercy for them to actually show up.

Well in that case, DON'T DO THIS.

Especially for free stuff, CL folk are flakey as they come.

Jonman wrote:
master0 wrote:

Yeah I might try that. Donate all the small stuff and see if I can give away the big stuff. Only issue is I have to drive back to be there for them to pick up the stuff. So I'd basically be at their mercy for them to actually show up.

Well in that case, DON'T DO THIS.

Especially for free stuff, CL folk are flakey as they come.

If you have a Facebook group for "Free stuff", I have found people on there infinitely more reliable than Craigslist.

master0 wrote:

Another moving issue. Was looking to donate a bunch of furniture. Unfortunately I would need help for the larger objects. Some places do pickup but only curbside. Basically going to have to toss a decent bed, futon and table to the junk pile. At least the small stuff I can give away normally.

I had to do this once and I hated it. My parents used to be snowbirds but health issues had them stuck in Florida so they sold their place in NY. I drove out there and had three days to clean it all out. I didn't have time for anything not guaranteed to be done in time, so most of it went to the junk haulers except for three carloads I was able to take to Goodwill myself. The junk guy gave me a number for a local church that would have given it to refugees but I wasn't able to connect with them.

Locally I'd have tried Freecycle, but with the time crunch and being out of town during the pandemic I pretty much had no good options.

Modern windows PC troubles

In the past couple of years I've had a number of mysterious issues crippling or periodically popping up on my PCs and it seems no amount of troubleshooting permanently fixes them. I couldnt sleep so I went to play some Crusader Kings 3 and my PC just boots up to a black screen. Windows auto-installed an update last night.

This same thing happened last week, I 'fixed' it by reinstalling Windows. Even a restore point rollback isnt fixing it.

Last year my previous PC started blue screening during intense games, the year before it would occasionally just not start. I'd hit the power button, some fans would turn on, it would CLICK, then retry, repeat a few times, then start normally like nothing ever happened. It always reliably came back and continued doing this after I changed out the power supply, motherboard, and power strip. F'ing mysterious. It stopped after we moved.

Anyway this is not a tech support post. When I was a kid (late 80s) we had all kinds of computer issues getting certain games running but we'd poke and prod, change some memory options, try disabling some of the few functions, create a boot disk, eventually get things working.

Now it just seems like there's never a solve, never a root cause, just 'i dunno, swap this thing out. did it stop? great, shut up and play some more CK3'