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Trivial Things That Make You Surly


elfenix

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There is a trade-off to be considered. Zipper-merge is undoubtedly faster -- the science is pretty clear on that point. But it is also rude, and generates a lot of ill-will for a relatively minor gain in efficiency.

I tend to prefer erring on the side of manners in any situation that involves this kind of trade-off. Uncivil behavior can be entertaining on the internet, but the real-life consequences are a bit much. You have no idea what is going on in other people's lives, and to me it just makes good sense to leave them be as much as possible -- up to and including making me wait an additional minute or two for the line to finally leave the access road and join the freeway.

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3 minutes ago, Walden Ponderer said:

There is a trade-off to be considered. Zipper-merge is undoubtedly faster -- the science is pretty clear on that point. But it is also rude, and generates a lot of ill-will for a relatively minor gain in efficiency.

I tend to prefer erring on the side of manners in any situation that involves this kind of trade-off. Uncivil behavior can be entertaining on the internet, but the real-life consequences are a bit much. You have no idea what is going on in other people's lives, and to me it just makes good sense to leave them be as much as possible -- up to and including making me wait an additional minute or two for the line to finally leave the access road and join the freeway.

Say what ?  It's rude ?  If people zipper merge congestion decreases, and traffic flow increases. The rude behavior are people thinking by not letting you in they're going to get where they're going at least an hour quicker.

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Say what ?  It's rude ?  If people zipper merge congestion decreases, and traffic flow increases. The rude behavior are people thinking by not letting you in they're going to get where they're going at least an hour quicker.

It’s like some on here have not lived in Houston.

 

Zipper when merging traffic due to construction. Sure, we get it...play nice.

 

However, it’s another thing all together when hitting an exit ramp with traffic. Nice people finish last! There is always a Prius, or a blue hair, or a texter not paying attention....yup, open space!!!1!

 

If internet traffic zippered, we would get nowhere fast!

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11 hours ago, General Specific said:

It’s like some on here have not lived in Houston.

 

Zipper when merging traffic due to construction. Sure, we get it...play nice.

 

However, it’s another thing all together when hitting an exit ramp with traffic. Nice people finish last! There is always a Prius, or a blue hair, or a texter not paying attention....yup, open space!!!1!

 

If internet traffic zippered, we would get nowhere fast!

Or the entrance ramps on the Katy Freeway. You can calmly wait in the entrance line for 10 minutes, inching forward. Which I usually do.
Or, if you’re in a hurry, you can stay a lane outside, and spot that opening right before the ramp, which I understand that a friend does occasionally. There’s always that blue hair or Prius or texter that will create that opening right before the ramp. 

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17 hours ago, Walden Ponderer said:

But it is also rude, and generates a lot of ill-will for a relatively minor gain in efficiency.

it's only rude if don't know that you should zipper.

 

13 hours ago, General Specific said:

However, it’s another thing all together when hitting an exit ramp with traffic. Nice people finish last! There is always a Prius, or a blue hair, or a texter not paying attention....yup, open space!!!1!

that's not a zipper merge situation.  zipper is when a lane is disappearing into another.  an exit ramp isn't that. 

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that's not a zipper merge situation.  zipper is when a lane is disappearing into another.  an exit ramp isn't that. 

This. I’m pro zipper. Today coming into downtown Hou on I-10 traffic was slow but moving and some idiot in the far right lane thinks the entrance ramp on her right is actually a new lane that will be wide open and free of traffic. She gets into the entrance ramp and sees almost immediately that she has to merge right back into her previous lane. She just cut the line by 3 or 4 cars. I suppose it’s worth it for those kinds of people.
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Hotels that feel the need to have 25 brands under their Flag.  It's annoying not knowing what you're getting from city to city, brand to brand.  Before I get all excited for your upper-upscale lifestyle concept eco-friendly location-centric hotel...just make sure you're living up to just regular Hyatt standards.  Focus on the fundamentals before you get too cute with your mission statement at check-in.  

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41 minutes ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

I have a few things "saved for later" in my Amazon cart.  Whenever I view my car I get an "important message" that tells me of price changes on these items.  99% of the time the price has changed all of 4 cents. 

Are you familiar with the phrase, "Shit or get off the pot?"

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16 hours ago, Lobo said:

Hotels that feel the need to have 25 brands under their Flag.  It's annoying not knowing what you're getting from city to city, brand to brand.  Before I get all excited for your upper-upscale lifestyle concept eco-friendly location-centric hotel...just make sure you're living up to just regular Hyatt standards.  Focus on the fundamentals before you get too cute with your mission statement at check-in.  

And the clerk is often incredulous when you ask which umbrella they're under so that you can give them the correct rewards account number. 

But at least it often allows you an opportunity to openly mock the whole dumb "Bonvoy" thing. 

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"OMG (Lizzo / Rachel Maddow / some obese domesticated raccoon on the Internet that eats only Oreos / whatever) is MY SPIRIT ANIMAL!!!!!!!!"

Look bitch, if you want a spirit animal you've got to wander isolated desert canyons for 30 days and nights wearing nothing but a loincloth and subsisting only on rainwater, peyote buttons, and scorpions, or go into a dense jungle with nothing but a flint-bladed knife and come out dragging a dead full-grown jaguar. Or leopard. 

You don't get to sit there on your couch and claim some lame-ass celebrity is your spirit animal. It makes me mad just typing it.

You've got to earn that shit. 

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"OMG (Lizzo / Rachel Maddow / some obese domesticated raccoon on the Internet that eats only Oreos / whatever) is MY SPIRIT ANIMAL!!!!!!!!"
Look bitch, if you want a spirit animal you've got to wander isolated desert canyons for 30 days and nights wearing nothing but a loincloth and subsisting only on rainwater, peyote buttons, and scorpions, or go into a dense jungle with nothing but a flint-bladed knife and come out dragging a dead full-grown jaguar. Or leopard. 
You don't get to sit there on your couch and claim some lame-ass celebrity is your spirit animal. It makes me mad just typing it.
You've got to earn that shit. 

Assholes bitching about random and pointless shit on the internet is my spirit animal.
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surveys that ask me to ascribe human attributes to corporations.   ask me how my food was, how quickly my order was taken, if the blowjob in the restroom was to completion, fine, whatever.  ask me if the ginormous corporation cares about me as a customer?  fuck no. the corporation is just some bits on a computer in delaware or nevada.  it's not friendly, or caring, or fun, or youthful, or whatever bullshit some marketing asshole who paid way too much for his bullshit degree and charges way too much by the hour came up with in some flash of doublethink moronity in a business park in topeka. 

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2 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

You shop at Walmart. Don't tell us you care about the plight of the American worker or corporate greed. 

i used to go to walmart after 8 pm soccer games on sundays because it was the only place open.  after 10 pm they'd have one or two register open, despite the fact they'd get slammed with people filling their carts for the week b/c they all just got off work.  half the time i'd end up walking out with nothing b/c i didn't want to wait in line for 30 minutes.  self checkout improved that situation immensely.

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19 hours ago, elfenix said:

i used to go to walmart after 8 pm soccer games on sundays because it was the only place open.  after 10 pm they'd have one or two register open, despite the fact they'd get slammed with people filling their carts for the week b/c they all just got off work.  half the time i'd end up walking out with nothing b/c i didn't want to wait in line for 30 minutes.  self checkout improved that situation immensely.

 

This, and it's not like they got rid of all the cashiers to put in those self checkout stands.  I can't even tell there's a noticeable difference in the number.  It used to be "Damn!  There aren't enough cashiers working today for how busy it is."  Now it's "Damn! There aren't enough cashiers working today for how busy it is.  Oh well, I'll just check myself out and be out of here in 5 minutes."

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when people cite derivative, 2nd order metric as if its the primary reason to do something.

 

i read it most often in cars, "we replaced the steel exhaust with a lighter titanium one, shaving 15 pounds, to increase the power-to-weight ratio".

 

well, yes, but no.  you did that to save weight, which itself is already a good thing. 

 

a fat guy losing weight is good.  a fat guy losing weight isnt good because it decreased his BMI. 

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