The pet peeve thread

[smr-nj]

35 minutes ago, oblong said:

I leaned ChatGPT in terms of knowledge and facts is current as of 2021?

a few months ago I was researching some things and using Wikipedia. Simple factual things from 50-60 years ago, regarding aerospace crews,( astronauts and X-15 fights, etc)  decided to try ChatGPT and the answers were straight up wrong. (An example is I knew 1 of the 3 answers so that was my clue).  I corrected it and it apologized. So the next time some geek wants to know this they will hopefully be given correct info. 

Well, that’s not good.  😕

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, oblong said:

I leaned ChatGPT in terms of knowledge and facts is current as of 2021?

a few months ago I was researching some things and using Wikipedia. Simple factual things from 50-60 years ago, regarding aerospace crews,( astronauts and X-15 fights, etc)  decided to try ChatGPT and the answers were straight up wrong. (An example is I knew 1 of the 3 answers so that was my clue).  I corrected it and it apologized. So the next time some geek wants to know this they will hopefully be given correct info. 

maybe, maybe not. You really have no idea how much the AI will weight your correction compared to the thousands/millions of other inputs that go into its probability matrix. After all, you can't just program the AI to accept any and all corrections because it doesn't know if people might be mis-correcting it maliciously.

And it's certainly not hard to imagine malicious actors, or even just market competitors, letting loose armies of bots with the express purpose of undermining the reliability of a targeted AI service. It we can think it up, you can believe someone is trying it as we speak....

Edited November 4, 2023 by gehringer_2

[LaceyLou]

People who, after being asked multiple times if they want to see a show, then ask in a hurt voice after the rest of us make plans:

"Why didn't you ask me?"

Sigh....

[smr-nj]

6 hours ago, LaceyLou said:

People who, after being asked multiple times if they want to see a show, then ask in a hurt voice after the rest of us make plans:

"Why didn't you ask me?"

Sigh....

Yep… that’s pretty aggravating 

[chasfh]

When people, meaning professional writers, use “rip off” in the wrong way. A football writer for the Chicago Tribune this morning wrote, “Justin Herbert and his offense were waiting for one more opportunity [to get the football back and score again] after ripping off five consecutive touchdown drives”.

Someone doesn’t “rip off” five consecutive touchdown drives. Someone reels off five consecutive touchdown drives. What someone rips off is a palate of footballs from the back room of a Sports Authority. 

[Motor City Sonics]

19 hours ago, chasfh said:

When people, meaning professional writers, use “rip off” in the wrong way. A football writer for the Chicago Tribune this morning wrote, “Justin Herbert and his offense were waiting for one more opportunity [to get the football back and score again] after ripping off five consecutive touchdown drives”.

Someone doesn’t “rip off” five consecutive touchdown drives. Someone reels off five consecutive touchdown drives. What someone rips off is a palate of footballs from the back room of a Sports Authority. 

yeah, but, you now,  sports writers.   

[oblong]

My wife went to Toronto with a friend who was going for a work conference so... hey, free trip to Toronto.  I had to drop her off at the friend's house in LaSalle, which is just about 5 miles from the Bridge.  I made the trip there and back twice, on Thursday to drop her off and yesterday to pick her up.

So yes, my peeve here is the border agents.  I know they are doing their job but it's on myself.  No matter what I pick the line with the agent who has to ask everything.  It's just my luck I guess.  yesterday going in I started to time him.  3-4 minutes per car.  The lane next to us was getting 2-3 cars in during our 1 car.   I idled for 45 minutes while waiting so that probably cut into the gas savings I got from the duty free pump.

And the US agents are still assholes.  

[Biff Mayhem]

36 minutes ago, oblong said:

So yes, my peeve here is the border agents. 

Definitely. Worse than mall security.

More than once after a 15 hour flight from Hong Kong with two toddlers in tow, they have detained my wife and did a thorough search of all the bags. It was infuriating. 

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, Motor City Sonics said:

yeah, but, you now,  sports writers.   

Yes, I now. 😉

[Edman85]

Those signs on the highway that tell you there is a gas station at an exit and then you exit the freeway to find it is two miles away.

[chasfh]

23 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

Those signs on the highway that tell you there is a gas station at an exit and then you exit the freeway to find it is two miles away.

That happened to me once at an exit that did not have an immediate on-ramp back to the freeway. Argh!

[Biff Mayhem]

1 hour ago, Edman85 said:

Those signs on the highway that tell you there is a gas station at an exit and then you exit the freeway to find it is two miles away.

Legit.

[oblong]

2 hours ago, Edman85 said:

Those signs on the highway that tell you there is a gas station at an exit and then you exit the freeway to find it is two miles away.

Coming back from Cooperstown we were on the toll roads in NY, they have the plazas.  I had about 70 miles left after the last plaza on the turnpike before getting into PA.  Passed by the exit we stayed the night in but decided to carry on. Then it's desolate.  Finally with under 20 left there's an exit.  Only gas station within miles.  Erie area was too far away. They charged like it too.

 

[Biff Mayhem]

28 minutes ago, oblong said:

Coming back from Cooperstown we were on the toll roads in NY, they have the plazas.  I had about 70 miles left after the last plaza on the turnpike before getting into PA.  Passed by the exit we stayed the night in but decided to carry on. Then it's desolate.  Finally with under 20 left there's an exit.  Only gas station within miles.  Erie area was too far away. They charged like it too.

 

It's like driving in the UP, no matter the level of gas in my tank, I always fill up in St. Ignace before heading north. We had a real scare driving up 75 and my system was telling me we had 2 miles left until empty and no signs of any gas stations. Thankfully there was finally a gas station in Kinross. I was sweating.

[chasfh]

18 hours ago, oblong said:

Coming back from Cooperstown we were on the toll roads in NY, they have the plazas.  I had about 70 miles left after the last plaza on the turnpike before getting into PA.  Passed by the exit we stayed the night in but decided to carry on. Then it's desolate.  Finally with under 20 left there's an exit.  Only gas station within miles.  Erie area was too far away. They charged like it too.

 

Oh my god, I still have nightmares from 2018 from when I was stuck on the PA Turnpike after making the first stop on it to get some McDonald’s, the only restaurant there, and which was closed for renovations. I thought it would be like Michigan—there’s another exit in a couple or three miles. Nope.I was on that damn thing for almost 100 miles before the next exit came up. I was practically starving and my kidneys were swimming so much it was literally painful. I don’t know how I made it from the car to the can without leaking! 💀

[oblong]

I thought the OH turnpike and the NY toll roads were well maintained.  In NY they are building new plazas and do a good job telling you how far away the next one was and what they had.  I'm a stopper. I don't like to drive more than an hour without it.  I like toll roads and turnpikes because traffic is lighter and they have those.  I can get out, use the rest room, fill up my water, get a snack or coffee if needed and get just enough of a stretch by that walk to and from. It only takes a few minutes and since they are right there you don't lose much time.  

[CMRivdogs]

I hate the PA Turnpike with a passion, having spent many years dealing with that dang Breezewood exit. It has gotten better in the last few years, but still I could have retired a few years earlier if I saved the tolls.

There was one interesting experience thru Upstate NY. Driving back to Chicago from a visit to Cooperstown several years ago along Rt 17, my son and encountered a massive rainstorm outside Corning. I think we found the last motel room nearby since the highway was going to be closed for several hours.

Up the next morning, cruising along, and while passing a vehicle on a hill we encountered a County Mountie at its crest...near Hornel. Definitely a speed trap. I got the ticket, mailed them a check when we got home, in a Christmas card. 

[CMRivdogs]

I've reached the age where I can only take so much of the turnpikes, they're great if you need to be somewhere quickly. After years of dealing with the paid highways in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, there are times where you just need to slow down and enjoy the back roads for a while.

[chasfh]

13 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

I've reached the age where I can only take so much of the turnpikes, they're great if you need to be somewhere quickly. After years of dealing with the paid highways in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, there are times where you just need to slow down and enjoy the back roads for a while.

Here's a back road you can enjoy: the Blue Ridge Parkway. My wife and I drove it a few weeks ago, luckily just as the leaves were at peak, and it was spectacular. But just as spectacular was driving from Mount Airy, NC to Lexington, KY and letting the car take you on literally the most direct route. Talk about a back road trip! You will see some hundreds of miles of winding roads through the mountains and wave at a lot of locals in front of their houses along the way. Can't recommend it highly enough!

[CMRivdogs]

1 minute ago, chasfh said:

Here's a back road you can enjoy: the Blue Ridge Parkway. My wife and I drove it a few weeks ago, luckily just as the leaves were at peak, and it was spectacular. But just as spectacular was driving from Mount Airy, NC to Lexington, KY and letting the car take you on literally the most direct route. Talk about a back road trip! You will see some hundreds of miles of winding roads through the mountains and wave at a lot of locals in front of their houses along the way. Can't recommend it highly enough!

I know the Parkway quite well. Grew up near Roanoke, Va and driving it was part of my Spring ritual for many years. The Skyline Drive (paid) and Parkway are great leisure trips.
 

One of my new favorites is coming off I68 inCumberland, Maryland and heading thru Paw Paw, WV into Winchester, Va. The real hassle is trying to avoid Fredericksburg and I 95 once I get back into the corridor toward Richmond and points east. 

[oblong]

14 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Here's a back road you can enjoy: the Blue Ridge Parkway. My wife and I drove it a few weeks ago, luckily just as the leaves were at peak, and it was spectacular. But just as spectacular was driving from Mount Airy, NC to Lexington, KY and letting the car take you on literally the most direct route. Talk about a back road trip! You will see some hundreds of miles of winding roads through the mountains and wave at a lot of locals in front of their houses along the way. Can't recommend it highly enough!

When I would visit our family in TN, we got off 75 in Kentucky just past Lexington and took the "back roads" to head southwest.  They've become less Back Roadish over the years but there's one stretch I really like.  I enjoy seeing how the local people live.  Old barns surrounded by grown up brush.  You pass the local HS and can see the pride they have.  Some parts of Kentucky are a potential retirement destination for me.  

[LaceyLou]

7 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

I've reached the age where I can only take so much of the turnpikes, they're great if you need to be somewhere quickly. After years of dealing with the paid highways in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, there are times where you just need to slow down and enjoy the back roads for a while.

I'd recommend Rte 7 in VT, and Rte 2 in Western MA. Just be warned that there are hairpin turns in Western MA-unlike my part of the state, which is pretty flat.

[LaceyLou]

My pet peeve: pockets, or rather the lack of them. I wish it was possible to search for a winter coat based on how many pockets it has.

[Edman85]

The exit in question the other day was Exit 267 on I-75 in Marietta, GA.

One where I got burned by the gas lie last year was the first exit on 77 in West Virginia north of the VA border.

[Biff Mayhem]

On 11/25/2023 at 10:16 AM, LaceyLou said:

My pet peeve: pockets, or rather the lack of them. I wish it was possible to search for a winter coat based on how many pockets it has.

The females in my house say the same thing about pantalones since my pants have an adequate amount of pockets and bonus pockets when I wear the cargo version.