The "Things that annoy me" thread

That’s if you don’t have a town/police department who want to live off of speeding fines. Quite a few towns here will have 4 laned roads (2 each way) with a median from 45 all the way down to 35mph.

There's two 'landlocked' towns completely surrounded by the city of Dallas that adopted a Euro-style 'universal' speed limit in their jurisdictions. Large multi-lane divided roads that are built for and posted for 45+mph outside their limits are posted for 35mph... and the town cops like sitting behind bushes for revenue generation speed enforcement. I got a ticket from them about a year ago because I forgot I was crossing into one (and not cruising through Dallas proper). I came across the border a bit hot on the 919 and didn't have my V1 fitted. Oh well.

To be strictly fair, those two towns are so rich and publicly law abiding that speeding tickets aren't a significant source of income for them. (The state constantly audits them due to our "no speed trap municipalities" law.) Apparently they really are doing this because 1. The cops literally have nothing better to do most of the time, and 2. So many older people screaming about the people rocketing down their roads "at speeds that must be triple the limit" - which people aren't doing - so they have the "safety mandate."
 
If i remember right, here in California, if it's unmarked, assume 55mph on --lane divided highways. I don't know if there's anything slower. i feel like I remember the same 55 in Wisconsin. Even on single-lane-in-each-direction, no divider, no turning lanes, etc. That was the road I grew up on. 55mph both ways, no divider/median, and 4"' past the white line on the side was gravel, and a drop down into a drainage ditch.

I feel like I remember "except 25 within city limits", but I don't know if that's a state-wide thing, or even what state it was...
 
One of the many issues with us driving culture. How can you not know the speed limit???
 
One of the many issues with us driving culture. How can you not know the speed limit???

Because it varies from state to state, most of us don't live in the same states we were born in/grew up in, and politicians keep changing them anyway. In the past five decades, the Federal highway speed limit has changed from "Whatever each state decides is reasonable and proper" to an idiotic mandated 55mph in 1974... (Internet regs require me to embed this now)


... to a grudgingly raised 65mph in 87-88 when they realized people weren't going 55, and then finally in 1995 back to "Whatever each state decides is reasonable and proper" when they realized that 65 wasn't working either and the NMSL had accomplished exactly zero of the goals it set out to do.

Then even within the state, or even in a city, they can change it. In the last decade alone, the Dallas North Tollway has changed its maximum system speed limits at least three times that I can remember - to 65, 70, 75. They're talking about changing it to 80 in some of the new rural extensions.

Texas doesn't have a "unless otherwise posted" speed limit for highways, as is the case for most states, especially Western ones; road users rely on posted signage. This is normally just fine, but then there's the case of State Highway 121 on the northern edge of the Dallas metroplex. It was recently rebuilt as a fully modern interstate-spec highway from a two-lane rural highway but the contractors forgot to post speed limit signs. It suddenly became the 121-bahn with no effective speed limit and no statistical change in accidents, but about a year later someone complained about the missing speed limit signs and ended the fun for everyone.

Even in states that have "XXmph unless otherwise posted" regulatory highway limits there can be loopholes (mostly created in the era of the stupid 55mph limit as end-runs) that render such limits useless. I checked California's basic speed law and their current "unless otherwise posted" is 65mph, with 70mph only if posted. Two lane undivided highways are 55mph under this reg... but then you find out about California's 85th percentile rule. Because of California Vehicle Code 21400 and the case law that has arisen since it was implemented, if the 85th percentile speed of people on the road is (say) 75mph as determined by regular survey but the speed limit is a posted or regulatorily determined 55mph, any ticket written for 'speeding' between 56mph and 75mph is thrown out upon presenting the ticket and the latest traffic survey to the judge - basically making the posted speed limit useless. Something I exploited ruthlessly when I lived in CA.

Cities in some states can impose their own additional limits, which can be hilariously disharmonious - see the example of the cities inside Dallas that I posted above; there's one point where the limit is a posted 50mph (as I recall), but if you cross an intersection (because the intersection is on the border) you are suddenly confronted without warning by a 35mph limit sign. I'm sure you can guess where the cops like to camp out. New York City has imposed a 25mph city limit, I'm sure prizrak can tell you how frustrating that is.

How are we supposed to know statutory default speed limits that may not even exist in a state? If they do exist, they may have giant loopholes you can drive a Death Star through, or be changed by locality. This is why American road users rely on posted signs - there simply is no consistent national framework of regulatory speed limits and it varies not only by state but by county and even city. The regulatory limit can actually be four different numbers at an intersection, one per side.
 
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It's actually pretty rare to not find a posted sign, and if you do, it's probably a short stretch of urban road and you're not going fast anyway.
 
All the people whining about the kids that won money playing in a video game tournament. This is not new, get over it. It is no.different than a game ball player making millions, get over it. Yes the world would be better off if all kids read more books, but it would also be better off if more adults did too.
 
All the people whining about the kids that won money playing in a video game tournament. This is not new, get over it. It is no.different than a game ball player making millions, get over it. Yes the world would be better off if all kids read more books, but it would also be better off if more adults did too.

Funny thing is that the digital age and videogaming has gotten people to read more books, not less. It's just that increasing percentages are eBooks, not physical. Something the old people whining about videogaming being a paying sport somehow not being a 'real' sport worthy of money unlike their own preferred adults-playing-childrens'-games 'real sport' either don't know or don't understand.

Exhibit A: Amazon.
 
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When a website has a "live chat" window, you don't find out that nobody is there to chat util you've had to enter your name and email.
 
Because it varies from state to state, most of us don't live in the same states we were born in/grew up in, and politicians keep changing them anyway. In the past five decades, the Federal highway speed limit has changed from "Whatever each state decides is reasonable and proper" to an idiotic mandated 55mph in 1974... (Internet regs require me to embed this now)


... to a grudgingly raised 65mph in 87-88 when they realized people weren't going 55, and then finally in 1995 back to "Whatever each state decides is reasonable and proper" when they realized that 65 wasn't working either and the NMSL had accomplished exactly zero of the goals it set out to do.

Then even within the state, or even in a city, they can change it. In the last decade alone, the Dallas North Tollway has changed its maximum system speed limits at least three times that I can remember - to 65, 70, 75. They're talking about changing it to 80 in some of the new rural extensions.

Texas doesn't have a "unless otherwise posted" speed limit for highways, as is the case for most states, especially Western ones; road users rely on posted signage. This is normally just fine, but then there's the case of State Highway 121 on the northern edge of the Dallas metroplex. It was recently rebuilt as a fully modern interstate-spec highway from a two-lane rural highway but the contractors forgot to post speed limit signs. It suddenly became the 121-bahn with no effective speed limit and no statistical change in accidents, but about a year later someone complained about the missing speed limit signs and ended the fun for everyone.

Even in states that have "XXmph unless otherwise posted" regulatory highway limits there can be loopholes (mostly created in the era of the stupid 55mph limit as end-runs) that render such limits useless. I checked California's basic speed law and their current "unless otherwise posted" is 65mph, with 70mph only if posted. Two lane undivided highways are 55mph under this reg... but then you find out about California's 85th percentile rule. Because of California Vehicle Code 21400 and the case law that has arisen since it was implemented, if the 85th percentile speed of people on the road is (say) 75mph as determined by regular survey but the speed limit is a posted or regulatorily determined 55mph, any ticket written for 'speeding' between 56mph and 75mph is thrown out upon presenting the ticket and the latest traffic survey to the judge - basically making the posted speed limit useless. Something I exploited ruthlessly when I lived in CA.

Cities in some states can impose their own additional limits, which can be hilariously disharmonious - see the example of the cities inside Dallas that I posted above; there's one point where the limit is a posted 50mph (as I recall), but if you cross an intersection (because the intersection is on the border) you are suddenly confronted without warning by a 35mph limit sign. I'm sure you can guess where the cops like to camp out. New York City has imposed a 25mph city limit, I'm sure prizrak can tell you how frustrating that is.

How are we supposed to know statutory default speed limits that may not even exist in a state? If they do exist, they may have giant loopholes you can drive a Death Star through, or be changed by locality. This is why American road users rely on posted signs - there simply is no consistent national framework of regulatory speed limits and it varies not only by state but by county and even city. The regulatory limit can actually be four different numbers at an intersection, one per side.
TL;DR: "We don't give a shit."

As I thought.
 
What?
 
My mother wished her best friend, "Happy birthday, (insert first name here)!", on facebook.

3 months ago, my aunt with the same first name died unexpectedly.

Several cousins and other extended family members replied to my mom's post, asking her to take it down and saying it was insensitive because to them, it looked like it was about my aunt because it only had the same first name in the post (even though that person was correctly tagged, if one were to follow the link)...even though it wasn't that aunt's birthday, anyway. "This is mean," one said.

But even more annoyingly, my dead aunt's two children both "liked" my mom's post. They both also know my mom's friend. It was extended family members with the outrage, and they really hurt my mom's feelings, making her think she did something wrong.
 
When a twice-divorced client schedules an appointment under one name, then a few weeks later schedules a follow up under a different name, causing me to think the file has been lost. So I start the session without being able to review my notes on the client, so they get pissed that I don't remember everything that happened in the first session - which was literally 90+ sessions ago in Therapist Time.

Pick one fucking name and stick to it - we can deal with your lack of personal identity in the session, but I have to know who the hell you are first.
 
My mother wished her best friend, "Happy birthday, (insert first name here)!", on facebook.

3 months ago, my aunt with the same first name died unexpectedly.

Several cousins and other extended family members replied to my mom's post, asking her to take it down and saying it was insensitive because to them, it looked like it was about my aunt because it only had the same first name in the post (even though that person was correctly tagged, if one were to follow the link)...even though it wasn't that aunt's birthday, anyway. "This is mean," one said.

But even more annoyingly, my dead aunt's two children both "liked" my mom's post. They both also know my mom's friend. It was extended family members with the outrage, and they really hurt my mom's feelings, making her think she did something wrong.
At some point we hit a level where people are so worried about looking like they care they have stopped taking two seconds to think about if they are in reality just making things worse.

Like people being upset over misreading it is valid but it's like... just say "can you put the last name/a picture in the post so people don't get confused and upset".

I really hate how people are encouraged to lash out emotionally in kneejerk fashion. So much internet drama could be avoided by simply having things clarified before making it into an attack ?
 
One of the many issues with us driving culture. How can you not know the speed limit???

Ever been to Holland? They hardly post the limit with signs, bit you can see it from the type of center markings. Fill line with a green stripe, ordotted line with a blue stripe, ... But I don't know the logic behind it! Thank God for coyote, or most of the time I would have no idea what the limit is
 
When I visited a client today, even though this is my 4th time there, I've meet this receptionist and re recognized me, I've already been photographed in a previous trip, I already had my ID out for him to check, and I was already on their list for an appointment for which I was 6 minutes early, it still took 13 minutes to get "checked in" and my contact said, "You're late."
 
I'm annoyed by (among other things) car drivers bei
Sometimes I think it should be mandatory for everyone to spend time in/on every kind of vehicle, just to get the different perspectives.

I call shotgun! No..."Real gun!"

M1A2_SEP_TUSK-II.png
 
I call shotgun! No..."Real gun!"

M1A2_SEP_TUSK-II.png

Piker.

369_large_image-sca1-1500.jpg


Gun seats for everyone!

More seriously, I more or less agree with DanRoM - I think that people who aren't disabled or otherwise unable to operate anything but a four wheeled vehicle should be forced to start out on motorized cycles and work their way up to automobiles with a bit of familiarization time in other classes of road vehicles, perhaps in good simulators.
 
More seriously, I more or less agree with DanRoM - I think that people who aren't disabled or otherwise unable to operate anything but a four wheeled vehicle should be forced to start out on a bicycle and work their way up to automobiles with a bit of familiarization time in other classes of road vehicles, perhaps in good simulators.

Ftfy...
 
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