Category: annoying

annoying, take action, Think, Uncategorized

Digging out after vacation is wrong

Posted on by mrdoornbos

“I just got back from vacation, I need a little time to dig out of the hole I’m in now” <– I really hate this phrase.

Is it really vacation if your return to work means twice as much work for the same amount of time you were gone?

A sound strategy would include proper delegation and trust in your fellow employees. Then lean on your mindfulness practice when you feel like everyone is pouncing on you the first morning. Be well rested and mentally prepared to just make some lists. Just write things down. That’s your job the first morning.

Then resisting the temptation to work twice the hours to “catch up”. Most of this work in the product development or sysadmin worlds is just a need for feedback and a request for your expertise. It’s a sign that your unique gifts are valuable. But remember when everyone is trowing stuff over the fence at you to put a note on it with your feedback and toss it right back.

annoying

Seriously CNN?

Posted on by mrdoornbos

The CNN Breaking news email just now starts with: “Wow! The U.S. economy suddenly looks a lot perkier in the third quarter”. Seriously CNN? Breaking news should not contain the following words or phrases: WOW, Awesome, Super Rad, party on, hipster, selfie, twerking, bofu, wicked, bust a moby, deck, life is like a box of chocolates, game over man, bust your conk, comes on like gangbusters, fraughty issue, yarddog, gnarly, like totally, no duh, take a chill pill, gag me with spoon, Psych!, grody to the max…

annoying, SciFi, Think

George continues to infuriate me

Posted on by mrdoornbos

I can’t watch the new and “improved” versions of the original 3 Star Wars movies without wanting to throw something.
Why George Lucas? why?

Did you just not get what made these movies great? What were you thinking when you decided to add crappy CGI all over the place?

Arg!

1
annoying, Think

I want to use G+ but

Posted on by mrdoornbos

I can’t. I need to use an external tool like Tweetdeck to keep my life sane and I need to write once and post multiple locations. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook make this easy, so my stuff gets posted there. Google+ makes this almost impossible so they don’t get my posts.
So stupid Google. I’m TRYING to love G+ and you’re in my way.

annoying, Think

The problem with Netflix streaming

Posted on by mrdoornbos

I’ve been a Netflix customer for 12 years, and I STILL have the DVD service in addition to the streaming.  Streaming is a great idea, but the movies people want to watch still aren’t available.
Netflix runs a top 100 list of their most popular titles.  On that list today, 5 of the movies are available to watch online.

FIVE

You don’t get to one until number 39

 

It’s not really the fault of Netflix.  The owners of the content want to keep making money from you by getting you to buy DVDs.

I still have the DVD service because the movies I want to watch, and from the top 100 list, the movies pretty much everyone else want to watch are only available on DVD.

1
annoying, Think

I’m not good enough is not good enough

Posted on by mrdoornbos

I’m hearing this stuff WAY too much lately:

  • I’m not smart enough for that
  • I’m not ready for that yet
  • I want to but this is outside of my area of my expertise
  • I want to, but I can’t because of my job
  • When I get this degree/certification then I’ll be ready for that dream (this one is my biggest pet peeve)

These phrases are tiring to me.

If they start coming out of your mouth, just stop.

  • You’re good enough. Really.
  • You’re more than smart enough (turn off the damn TV you’ll be 50% smarter in 10 mins)
  • Your job isn’t working, find another one.  Not some day. Today.
  • Your degree isn’t your ticket to success

The time to do that thing is now.

Get off of your ass and go do it.

4
annoying, Think, twitter

Why is Evernote asking to be paid bad?

Posted on by mrdoornbos

One of my most used programs is Evernote.  I use it all day, every day.  From my Mac, my Ubuntu boxes, my Blackberry and my iPod touch.  I’m a premium user which costs me $45/year.  A reasonable price to me.
Last night, they updated the Mac client to include a small ad box in the lower left hand corner that serves some ads (and a bunch of really awesome features).  It’s a small box and as a premium user I have a preferences option to disable it (which I did).  There has been a minor uproar this morning about privacy issues and some people using the words “Evernote is adware”.

As of right now I have no reason to believe that they are mining my notes information to serve me ads (a privacy issue which would be a serious problem considering what they do as a service).

It’s standard practice for web services to have a free add supported version and an ad-free paid for version.

I’m not sure I see what the fuss is all about.

They provide a great service and want to make some money.  What’s wrong with that?

8
annoying

So long Comcast, can’t say we’ll miss you

Posted on by mrdoornbos

We canceled the last of our Comcast services this afternoon at my home.  Our Verizon FIOS is so good I tell everyone about it, so we switched to their TV service as well.  Here’s the conversation as I cancelled the service:
Comcast Rep: Good afternoon, how can I help you today?

Me: I’d like to cancel my TV service.

Comcast Rep: Can I ask why?

Me: I’m switching to a competitor.

Comcast Rep: <hahahaha> So you can get less service for more money and a yearly contract?

(yes, she laughed out loud and notice I didn’t mention who I was switching to, but she knew didn’t she?)

Me: Actually, it’s 1/2 the cost, they have the same channel line up almost line for line with some additions my kids are interested in that you don’t offer.  Oh, and up to 3 DVR’s are free for 12 months.

Comcast Rep: Well what if I work something out so your service is cheaper?

Me: Maybe you should have done that BEFORE I had the other guy installed.

Comcast Rep: <clicks away at her keyboard> Well, I can get you Internet/Phone/TV for what you are paying now.

Me: That’s still more expensive than what I’ve got.

Comcast Rep: <hahaha>Well, that Verizon internet isn’t nearly as good as ours.

(yep, there’s that laugh again, and I still haven’t told her it’s FIOS TV)

Me: I’ve been a  customer with this competitor for 15 months, it’s so good I tell my friends about it.  Does laughing at people calling to cancel ever work?

Comcast Rep (ignoring my question): Well, I had FIOS at MY house and it wasn’t very good at all.

(I could have ripped into her for getting FIOS as an employee of Comcast, but clearly she was full of crap, so I didn’t go there)

Me: There’s nothing you can do at this point to keep me.  I’d rather listen to AM radio than keep paying Comcast after this call.

She then proceeded to cancel my account.

PATHETIC.