Give us the cheat codes to your industry/place of work!
I’m a truck driver.
You are far safer behind me than in front of me. It can take me over two US football fields (200 yards or roughly 180 meters) to come to a full stop and it takes more distance if my trailer is empty. The average car can stop in half that distance. Most cars turn into tin cans when hit by a rig at 25 mph.
If you see a number of trucks all moving into the same lane, might consider getting in the same lane, behind us. Odds are pretty good we either saw something in the lane ahead or we heard about something over the CB.
I can see you playing on your phone while driving. Cops in some states have been known to hitch rides with truck drivers in order to catch distracted drivers.
Learn zipper merging!
it takes more distance if my trailer is empty
This seems counterintuitive. I would love to hear why.
Most of a tractor-trailer's stopping power is split between the trailer brakes and the tractor's drive tandems. If there is not enough weight on those axles, the tires can't grip the pavement properly. If I apply too much power to the brakes the wheels can start bouncing or just lock up and start skidding if the ABS system is acting up.
Most tractor-trailers you see on the road in the US are designed to weigh 60,000 to 80,000 lbs (~ 27,000 - 36,000 kg). For comparison, a Honda Civic weighs roughly 3,000 lbs (1360 kg). Every system on the truck is designed around moving that amount of mass safely. With an empty dry van trailer your looking at closer to 30,000 lbs (~ 13,000 kg). Makes a difference in performance. Ride is rougher, takes longer to stop.
Thank you. That's fascinating.
Sounds like you’re talking about icy or wet roads. I’ve never had a trailer do that on dry pavement and I can definitely stop faster emptying than full.
I really wish that were entirely the case. The distances I quoted came from safety trainings I’ve had to take over the years. Given my personal experiences during that time, I think they were from before ABS was mandated. And I had a lot of ABS failures when I was OTR and few close calls as a result of those failures. That’s one of the reasons I chose to switch to running a yard truck 5 years ago. Far less stress.
When ABS failed on dry pavement and I needed to stop in a hurry, the affected tandem would tend to lock up and bounce along the ground. Nerve racking and scary when there’s traffic in front of you, but not near as bad as on wet or icy roads. The sheer terror of feeling one of my axles start sliding under me.
If I had one word of advice for drivers new to the industry, it would be to drive as if none of the safety systems on the truck and trailer exist because in my experience they will fail exactly when you need them.
I would imagine it has to do with traction and ability to apply braking forces without skidding the wheels.
Even in a pickup truck, it's easy to skid the rear wheels (antilock brakes aside) with the bed empty because the brakes can easily overcome the traction of the tires. This is why pickups have height sensing proportioning valves.
Additional hot take, merge near the end of the merge lane rather than slowly try to force yourself into traffic further back. Keep it moving and respect the zipper merge at the end.
And when you get to the end, start looking for the opening and merge, don't slow down or gun it and try to get ahead of five more cars.
🙏
Yeah it looks just like that but with cars
😂😂😂😂😂
I have driven many thousands of miles and my favorite place on the road is 100 yards behind a big rig that's heading my way. i can zone out and safely follow and people rarely want the spot between you and the truck for long so you can just go hours keeping that square centered.
It's even better at night when the trucks lights give you a nice preview of exactly how curvy the road is.
Eventually big guy takes an exit and i always send a grateful salute cuz following a big rig 100 yards back is better than cruise control imo.
Plus your probably save on gas too.
It takes more distance to stop with an empty trailer? I would have thought the opposite. How come?
IT - if you have an issue with an application, give us step by step instructions on how we can repeat your issue like we are five years old. We'll get it fixed more quickly that way.
I have great service with IT people because I do this by default. I'll have already tried some steps myself, so I'll give them info about what exactly works, doesn't work, and things that I can or can't do that might be related to the main issue.
They really appreciate the detail.
I feel bad that my old job's IT department would never trust me when I listed this amount of detail, so I stopped putting in the extra effort.
My ticket:
I am not able to login using the standard portal. The error I recieve is X. I have already tried rebooting. I have confirmed that everything was fully plugged in and that I am on the correct network. I also already went through the normal recovery process which did not work. Here is the result, [X].
The first response from IT:
Why don't you try rebooting and then let me know if it's working. If not, go through the normal recovery process.
Like, I get it, you're being thorough and don't want to just blindly trust the user, but I'm only talking to you because I already tried your quick fixes. Please understand.
Reasoning: For everyone one You, we have a 1000 not-You. But the other 1000 say almost the same as you.
Once you experience that you become jaded and assume they are either lying or tell or miss some details. But we know our usuals and if we notice the name we might assume you know x and y more than the usual.
Please dont stop putting in the last mile :)
Yeah, I get that. I think it's partially to do with how rarely I'll have an actual issue. Also with their turnover rate, I rarely interact with the same tech twice.
I still do all the legwork to figure out if it's something I can fix myself and always put specifics (Repro steps, Error Codes, etc.), but pulled back on listing every other step I've already tried.
As an IT director, I encourage my techs first action to be to connect to the clients machine and ask them to "show me what's happening." Then they aren't to interrupt the user until they complete their explanation except to ask for clarification.
You can see all the steps leading up to the error, the users workflow, typically the desired end result, and the error message.
You also are building rapport with the user making them feel listened to. Far too often I see techs assume something else is the issue, "fix" that, call it done and the user gets frustrated.
Even if you can't fix it, like so many user issues, at the very least the support experience is a positive one for the end users. Sometimes it's just that a specific preference isn't in an applications options or they need to change a step in their workflow. But at least the end users was listened to and their experience and frustration was validated.
If you have metrics or surveys, it's always interesting to hear a user write in that the issue was not resolved, but they were extremely satisfied.
I'm doing that and generally the next step after that is : "OK, can you do it again and this time DO NOT CLOSE THE ERROR POPUP so we can get information on what is happening"
Also a restart really does fix a big chunk of problems. An app not working right? Force quit & reopen the app. Problem solved. Phone or computer bugging out? Reboot. Problem solved.
Software Engineer:
Make a junk email for junk signups and accounts, if you can. Don't accept the cookies. If the product you're using is free, the information you enter is what's being sold to someone else.
Ctrl+Shift+T reopens the tab you just accidentally closed.
If the product you're using is free, the information you enter is what's being sold to someone else.
Even paid services can and usually will sell your information, so just assume that everything that you enter is considered public information from that moment on
Looking at you, Adobe
I just started using Proton mail's aliases for that and love it. If I see a bunch of spam coming to one particular alias, I'll just delete it and make a new one. So far, it's been great
That’s how I started as well, I’m at 418 aliases now. 99.9% of my online account use an alias with my custom domain.
Adding onto this, either have a temp mail addon, or have one such site bookmarked on your browser.
Isnt the reopen tab CTRL SHIFT T?
My god, I hadn't even noticed that autocorrected to "Tab". Fixed it, thanks for the call out.
I work in the magical world of ISPs. If you’re having an internet issue, reboot your router and/or modem before calling in. It may not seem like much to you, but many background processes happen when you do so. This can be useful to troubleshoot where the issue lies. There’s a reason why techs will make you do so when calling in. And yes, they can tell on their end if and when you do so. So don’t bullshit them by saying you already did it if you didn’t.
Yeah, but we all know that no matter how many times that I have already done, tech support won't talk to me until we do it again together
If I had a nickel for every time a full power cycle fixed it all, I’d be rich. However, if you did power cycle before and call in again, often it’s an issue that needs deeper investigation. In that case, the tech can likely watch the process of your equipment coming online in realtime to see where the issue is happening. Network entry, authentication, package application, DHCP, it can often be monitored as it’s happening. A reboot while on the phone starts the process right from the beginning so it can be monitored to determine what happens immediately and what happens after it sits for a while.
IT guy here, it is fairly common to make a change in the system(tm), and need to reboot the device for the change to take effect.
Concerts, the rooms are always tuned visually and sonically for about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way back on the floor. If you care about audio or visuals this is where you go. If you can’t afford the floor, anywhere in the center will still be a good experience, avoid the sides unless you don’t care about visuals or audio. We literally call those the bone seats, because they have no substance to them.
If they've got a control booth in the middle of the venue, that's usually where I want to hang out. Best audio/visuals right where the guy engineering it is listening to it
Nursing/Psychiatry: here's what to pack for your friend in the psych hospital!
stretchy pants, no drawstring or that can have the drawstring removed and don't need a belt
a sweater without a hood or zipper
socks
slide on shoes (no laces)
a puzzle book with more than one type of puzzle
a book in a genre they like
a coloring book
a notebook to write in
crayons
a stress ball
one of those silicone bubble popper toys
snacks/food that are still sealed or that have one of those doordasher stickers fast food places use sometimes.
DON'T bring:
anything with long strings or cords
anything sharp or pointy or made of glass or ceramic
plastic bags
bedding/pillows
anything valuable or sentimental other than maybe a smartphone, and ID
Tertiary education: university professor.
LPT: Talk to your professor and ask questions!!
I have so many students that don't perform well because they didn't understand some material. I'm seriously getting paid to help you understand it, but I can't present it in a way that works perfectly for every student since they all have their own learning styles. I also wont know if they aren't getting it of no one speaks out.
I want:
to help
everyone to learn the material
to talk about science because I'm a super nerd
what is and isn't working for you in class
students to show up to office hours
I don't:
expect anyone to already know something they haven't learned about
care if you ask me a million questions
want you to perform poorly
want you do go to the field unprepared
like it when students treat me like they are bothering me
grade papers that are ridiculously wrong because students didn't try to ask me for help
The vast majority of university professors are obsessed with what they teach, so much so, that they made a career out of talking about it. Asking then about it would make their day. If you go up to one that seems like they're being bothered, then that's the exception. Don't let that one stop you from engaging with all of the others.
Note: This is true for almost all courses. However, there are some courses in certain universities that are considered "weed out classes". These classes, typically taken in the first 2 years, are informally designed to have lower performing students fail before they advance too far into the major and find out later that they don't have what it takes to be successful in the field. The professors of those classes are more commonly not helpful at all. Don't give me shit about it because I didn't design this system nor do I teach those classes.
I was going to say I had the polar opposite experience until your last paragraph.
Lecturers were very rarely excited about the material they taught, left as soon as they could and were far more concerned with their research than helping students.
That was EE so probably a mix of weed-out and the fact that they were all socially awkward mega nerds.
Tertiary education: IT (software developer)
Same theme for my LPT, different area. Are you having a problem? Housing? Tuition? Health issue? Ask about it! Likely you're one of many and we (support staff) have systems in place to point you in the right direction. If you're the first to run into a problem, we need to know so we can fix it. Don't worry about bothering us, that's what we're there for. Many students wait until they have no other choice but to get in contact when it would have been easier for everyone if they had brought it up sooner. I totally understand the impulse, I've been that kid.
I completely agree.
Back when I was taking GEs I had an ancient history class that I just couldn't get. One visit to the professors office hours and he basically guaranteed me a decent passing grade as long as I did the final essay.
His job was to teach and help students pass. He knew his subject wasn't everyone's passion and was super chill about it.
One caveat of this, is in my experience it was younger TAs running 100 level classes that were the strictest. They for whatever reason didn't have the experience or self-awareness to know that their teaching method didn't align with every student.
You also have the viewpoint that some freshmen level classes were designed to specifically weed people out. If you aren't able to have a way to pass those classes, then it was thought that teaching you further would be a waste.
Which is such a poor attitude. Just because someone is bad in one subject doesn't apply to every subject. English, math, and history were all GEs. What use does having an English major be weeded out by their ability to do stats or calculus?
Or a psych major because they have no particular interest in pre-silk road civilizations?
Just because someone is bad in one subject doesn't apply to every subject.
No, but the freshman year is supposed to lay the groundwork for later classes and teach soft skills for use later.
What use does having an English major be weeded out by their ability to do stats or calculus?
I've found it rare that universities require English majors to take advanced math. However, even within that, calculus is just a different way of preparing logic proofs and statistics is commonly used and misused in developing arguments.
Also, a four year degree isn't meant to be a technical degree, but to help create a more well rounded leader. That means having more knowledge than just the subject. This is the reason why engineers have to take humanities classes.
Thank you for putting all of this so succintly. I’m not into teaching, but I’ve done a few workshops and I always struggle to express the attitude you described to get the pupils engaged.
I had this same attitude when I was a student. Even though my professors were older and more knowledgable, I always tried to approach them as peers and it worked out great. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but because I talked, I could use my strengths better because I was more aware of the expectations and requirements than a portion of other students.
Corporate IT: I see nearly everything you do on your computer. I can see exactly how long what application is open. If I ask you to restart your computer, you don't, and you somehow get me in front of it, restarting it better not fix it or your next ticket is gonna be low priority no matter what. If you want in with IT, always open a ticket and include as much info as you can clearly convey. Snacks and bribes won't always work with those of us who are very antisocial.
Snacks and bribes won't always work with those of us who are very antisocial.
Always ask the person you are trying to bribe what they like to be bribed with.
I've dealt with my share of PC issues and apart from digging in and writing scripts, I'm an advanced end user. One time le tired IT guy needed to remote in for some issue I didn't have appropriate access to deal with. He seemed rather startled when I opened notepad and said "Hi!"
I also swear I began to get more difficult to recognize fake phishing attempts shortly after.
Dave, if you're reading this you never caught me with one! Gotta try harder!
Can you hijack the camera and see us too?
Yes, of course. Though your camera light would alert you of the usage, unless of course, your IT guy ordered a camera that can deactivate the light via software (or simply opened the camera and yanked the light)
No and if I found a way I would file a report against any other IT agent who did. That's invasion of privacy IMO. Microsoft can tho, remember the Kinect?
If you want to build the best building you gotta know every detail about how it’s made, which you can only get close to by hiring competent consultants (i.e.: architects, engineers, etc) Because if you’re not specific about what you want, you can bet your ass you’re getting the cheapest version.
The first rule of comstruction: attention to detail. Got it!
I work in information security.
Don't use biometrics to secure your devices. Biometrics are a convenience feature to make it easier to access your device. Biometrics are NOT security. You can be compelled to unlock your device by having it pointed at your face or your finger forced onto the reader. Don't do it.
Use 2FA/MFA everywhere you can. If it's an option, turn it on.
Use a password manager that generates strong passwords and use a different password for every service you use.
Update, update, update. Allow your devices, OSes, and software/applications to update automatically.
Talk to your parents about safe surfing. Tell them that their bank won't send them an email or text asking them to send personal information. Set a password with your family to identify them if they are in trouble and need help. Tell parents and grandparent not to send you bail money to get you out of jail in Morocco.
Teach your kids that everything they post on the internet is public and permanent. Teach them that if they do something that they think will get them in trouble and someone is blackmailing them that it's better to tell you and ask for help than to give in to the blackmailers.
Regarding biometrics, I’ve felt that one advantage is that if I’m in a public space, I don’t have to worry about someone watching me enter my password over my shoulder. If I got into a situation where someone is physically overpowering me to get my finger onto my device against my will, I’m probably going to give them whatever password they want so I don’t get a beat down.
That's a threat and risk assessment. You've decided you're willing to accept the risk of anyone being able to unlock your phone. For me, I'm not really worried about someone in the street strong arming me. I'm more worried about a state actor, border guard, police officer, etc demanding that I unlock my phone. They can physically compel you to unlock your phone by pointing it at your face or putting your finger on the pad but they cannot compel you to give them your password.
I’m probably preaching to the choir, but for those who don’t know, at least on an iPhone and I’m sure android has something similar, if you foresee the situation coming you can just hold the sleep/wake button for a few seconds (even while your phone is in your pocket) and it will require the passcode and not allow biometrics.
Edit: my memory, it’s the sleep/wake button and volume down. Similar to android as per the below.
For android it's power+volume up to bring up the power options menu (shutdown, restart, etc) and there is a "lock down" option that disables biometric unlock.
Wish I could do it with one hand, but good to know it's there.
I definitely see your perspective, but mostly wanted to make sure I wasn’t overlooking some obvious downside in my risk assessment.
I figure my chances are low that I will get into the situation where an authority demands access to my phone but I also don’t have the opportunity to lock out biometrics. Like if I get pulled over I just hold power and volume up buttons for three seconds and biometrics is off. That said, it certainly doesn’t eliminate my risk completely, and I wouldn’t consider anyone crazy for just opting out completely.
The other problem with biometrics is you can't change them. With the OPM breach a few years ago they lost 5.6 million finger prints. Those finger prints are now useless since they are in the wild and can't be changed. Not a problem for your average phone user but in my world that's a really big deal. In my world biometrics are a convenience and convenience is bad for security.
As long as you've considered and accepted the risks you're good.
Time to start using the middle finger, until the next data breach. Then the ring finger.
Can I use my dick head?
"You want me to unlock my phone? I used the head of my erect penis. I'm not going to get it up myself. Knock yourself the fuck out."
Allowing apps to update automatically often means that advertising and feature removal or nerfing, etc., can happen. Checking manually has saved me a lot of grief.
That's my expert opinion. Take it or leave it. It's your device.
In this day and age where updating an app means losing half the functionality, no thanks. Would love a way around that though!
You're exposing yourself to unpatched vulnerabilities for convenience instead of updating or deleting the app. If you lose half the functionality because of an update it's time to find a new app in my books.
If only that were an option...
You've done a threat and risk assessment and decided that the inconvenience of uninstalling or disabling the app is with accepting the risk of your device being competing and your data stolen or ransomed, your banking or other credentials being stolen, your friends, family, and other contacts being targeted, and your employer being put at risk if you use your device for work. That's an acceptable way of handling the situation. You can always accept the risk.
I've heard this sentiment for almost 20 years. "The app works fine, why update, it only breaks things."
Then they blame me when it starts being incompatible with the current OS or some other application. Even if the only fix is to update they still resist or refuse outright.
I finally let my phone do some app updates the other week, my banking app now displays full screen ads for their credit cards, conveniently right as you go to click the transfer button.
I don't update shit anymore. I update my OS and apps on my desktop, but my phone is now being actively neglected in regards to app updates.
Every single app update breaks something, removes a feature, or brings ads into the picture.
A verbal secret passphrase to identify yourself to your family would be pretty smart.
Yup. Also having an agreement that an X from any family member means they are uncomfortable or in trouble and you should call them in one minute, tell them that there is an emergency, and you need to pick them up right now. Get them safe and don't ask questions unless they want to talk.
I'm a philosopher, nothing matters, so stop worrying about it and live your life the way you want to live it.
The real question is, do you have Nietzsche's mustache too?
You put the peeps in the chili pot and make it taste...bad.
The beautiful thing about life having no sense is that you are free to give it the one you want.
HVAC:
Don’t shut your air vents to give you better heating or cooling in certain rooms/floors. You’re adding pressure to your system and reducing its life. If it’s AC then you’re turning it into a freezer. That’s why doing so freezes the coil, not enough air flow to move the cold air out and keep it from freezing. For heat it literally can overheat the control board frying it since the blower also helps cool the electronics. If you have hot and/or cold rooms (this is normal per floors) ask about adding dampers. Most of the time it’s not possible without major drywall rework and it isn’t cheap. Your builder sucks (basically). A lot of companies won’t quote the work because it can’t be guaranteed. You’re essentially stuck with the crappy design the builder got approved. One potential is minisplits. Again, not cheap per room and not pretty but they will fix your issue.
I looked up dampers, and I'm confused about how they are functionally different than closing/opening the vent? I'm sure I'm not understanding though. Is it just about the location?
They don't operate differently. Also he is assuming your ducts are designed and balanced properly to begin with. Most in residential homes aren't.
While shutting off a lot of vents can cause problems. Shutting off an unused room isn't going to hurt anything. Or partially closing a vent because a room gets too warm/cold. Because like I said they do fuck to balance systems in residential homes.
Proper dampers redirect airflow, not eliminate it. Again, see, your house builder sucks.
Rethinking so many life choices.
HVAC: mini splits
black mold forms and causes breathing problems. Clean aircons (air conditioner) every 6 months - 1 year.
If water is dripping from the outside unit, your aircon is lacking gas. Making it into a giant fan.
A mini-split is chosen to meet the needs for one room. Some folks, and can't be convinced otherwise, think an aircon can cover the entire universe. And to prove it, they leave all the doors open.
This is proof we live in the matrix. It's completely unsolvable issue without self closing doors
If water is dripping from the outside unit, your aircon is lacking gas. Making it into a giant fan.
Water dripping means the cold side coil is cold enough to condense water out of the air. In what way does that suggest it is not working?
Some, especially newer units are designed to evaporate most of the condensate (water). That being said many will still drip water depending on the humidity (high) outside and also inside. And it be perfectly normal.
Are you in the industry, 'cause that doesn't ring true to me. Why would you spend the energy to evaporate water when it's so cheap and easy to dump the water on the petunia patch?
Refrigerators collect waste water in a tray on the assumption that the indoor climate will be dry enough for the water to ambient evaporate
Air con is incredibly popular in the tropics where it's dropping 100% RH to 30% and making a lot of water
Yes 15 years, because it saves energy by making the system more efficient.
Window units design the fan to throw the water onto the condenser this evaporates the water AND cools the freon in the condenser coil. Commercial stand up refrigerators often run the condenser line through the condensate pan for the same reason.
They don't "spend" energy doing it, they save it.
Split units and traditional A/C will just drain or pump the water somewhere.
Thanks, that is pretty neat
Also, don't use evaporated water for your flowers; there are no minerals in pure water and for them it's like eating wallpaper paste
So tap water is also bad? That has no minerals to speak of, at least where I live
Tap water is fine, it definitely has plenty of minerals and elements in it for your plants.
Evaporated water is pure H2O like distilled water. Same with water from your tumble dryer if you have a condenser type. Not good for plants
My mother's garden was watered with rain water. We don't have acid rain so there's nearly nothing in that and that garden is quite productive. Plants get all the nutrients they need from well fertilized dirt
Holy shit do you know fuck all about watering plants
End of convo mate
Normally the cold is carried by the gas to your room. The less gas you have, the less efficient this transfer is, and the colder your outside unit will be.
When the cold side is for inside air, I think you'll find that the water it condenses from the inside air is piped outside
Thanks. I was thinking of shutting the vents of one room in the house that is empty and unused, but I figured just keeping the door closed would probably be better, right?
I agree that shutting 1 vent isn’t going to kill your system. However, that one room isn’t insulated on interior walls. Best to leave it alone for overall comfort. You aren’t saving $ closing the vent. The system is going to run until the thermostat is satisfied no matter what.
Also, best thing for the entire building is to run the fan constantly (I forgot to mention this in the original). Balances the building much better than just the entire system kicking on and off every 15 min or so.
Shut it off, it won't hurt anything. It's only an issue if you're shutting off a lot of vents. Now how much good it'll do energy saving wise, depends on where the room is in the house and how old your house is. Newer houses with better insulation will see much less improvement.
Won't it potentially cause humidity issues? The room does not get direct sunlight (faces south). It's a new house with pretty good insulation (as far as I've experienced so far).
Without being there, I couldn't say for sure., but I doubt it Personally, I would just use common sense. Shut it off and and just check the room a couple times over the next week or two.
Brother, Pharmacist:
Just because we called doesn’t mean your prescription is ready. Listen to the message
Just because your doctor said they sent in your prescription… it means nothing. He or she probably asked an assistant to send it or put it in their inbox.
Like 1 in 3 people drove here without a drivers license.
Lmao, is the bottom one because you ask to see some ID?
Correct! It’s a disturbingly large proportion. Some medications absolutely require one, and people who just drove up will tell you they didn’t bring any form of ID whatsoever.
In my state you aren’t required to have your license with you while driving. You just have to provide it within 24 hours of getting pulled over, etc.
What the fuck is this world sometimes
I'm the UK England and Wales you can't be required to carry ID at all.
If the police ask you for them, you have 7 days to present them at a police station.
(Edit: really not sure it extends to Scotland where such laws often vary, and pretty sure it doesn't apply to NI, where they vary even more, especially on driving/licensing, so UK was inaccurate)
That's kind of ironic for a nation that's leaned into eyes everywhere pretty hard.
Really.
AFAIK the ID law is a consequence of a centuries-old right that you cannot be required to identify yourself if you're doing nothing wrong, and then even if you did do something wrong, you still can't be required to have brought ID with you since it's likely you didn't set out knowing you'd be doing that today.
But the surveillance/camera thing is recent, when rights of ordinary people apparently are less fashionable.
Yeah, not surprised.
Technically they can't demand ID here either, unless you're operating a motor vehicle which requires a licence. It's different on paper because theoretically driving is a choice (and actually was decades ago), but guess which kind of vehicle our entire country is built around?
Huh, I didn't know that. I used to give my da shit because he never carried his license. Though we're in NI and police checkpoints are a thing here.
You know I said UK but this is exactly the sort of law that tends to be different in NI.
I read that in Alabama (or maybe Mississippi, I can’t recall) you can drink alcohol while driving. You just can’t be above the blood alcohol concentration limit.
Louisiana had famously (or infamously) lax liquor laws for decades, so maybe that‘s what you’re thinking of. Shit like drive-thru daiquiri stores, where as long as they don’t put the straw in the cup it’s not considered an “open” container. So they can just hand you a cup full of liquor, and the straw separately.
It’s also a large part of why New Orleans developed a reputation as a party town; Louisiana kept their drinking age at 18 while every other state was at 21, so all the college freshmen/sophomores would go to Louisiana during spring break because they could drink.
TIL. Thanks.
In Canada, the drinking age is 19 everywhere except Quebec where it’s 18, so in Ottawa 18 year olds just go across the river to buy liquor.
And I thought Fat Tuesdays was weird as a visitor...
Louisiana, I believe.
Ok random question: the Walgreens near me almost never asks for my ID when I pickup my Adderall, is it really not required for that? I thought it was a hard rule to check ID for any controlled substances
I'm a waitress. It never hurts to say it's your birthday or better yet, anniversary. Birthdays get free dessert most places but anniversaries get free bubbles. It costs me nothing to give it to you.
Just make sure to tip on the pre-discount amount and it's all good.
Even if my wife and I get our meal fully comped because the kitchen messed up or it took a long time (has happened a few times, college town. We never complain or get upset, the managers just come over and apologize then comp it), we qt least tip as if it wasn't comped, if we liked our server and/or the food a lot (both, most of the time) then we tip the full amount of the comped meal. Without fail the servers have been surprised that we tip at all when that happens
You can freeze chips/crisps indefinitely. I used to work for Frito Lay. Just thaw them when you get close to snack time. Of course I never do this because I just eat the chips I have at home.
They don't get soggy?
I only interned there, but the handful of times I thawed the chips, there were no issues.
I mean, if they’re bagged in a low humidity environment and the bag stays sealed, there should be very little chance of them getting soggy. Because in order for them to get soggy, the bag would need humidity.
My instant thought was that that's amazing, my next thought was along the lines of how badly that would murder freezer space unless you open the bag. Can I open the bag?
Never tried, but I think it would work. Oxygen is the enemy, but the reason is because oxidation leads to other byproducts that lead to a stale flavor. I believe the cold temperature slows all that down.
I suppose if I really wanted I could buy a tank of nitrogen, too.
Software development here. Never, ever, connect your appliances to the internet, and check whether appliances you buy have an offline mode as some are now aggressively forcing users to connect in order to use them.
What’s your reasoning for this?
Anything better than using a vlan to separate these types of devices from the rest of the network?
They are programmed as cheaply as possible and manufactures don’t care once you buy a product so it’s just a matter of time before it becomes part of someone’s botnet, using your power and internet to harass some server somewhere.
As the other reply mentions, aside from these devices representing a security vulnerability, there have been numerous cases where the devices themselves got hijacked. In some cases they can even get bricked via updates. There's also a privacy concern with these companies collecting data on how you use the device.
Does this also apply when not using the official app? I recently bought a Phillips bulb (not Hue) and set up Home Assistant for it, along with the Matter bridge. This turned out to also connect it to the Wi-Fi, but I never installed a manufacturer app.
Would blocking internet access via parental controls on the router be enough to mitigate such threats, or is its mere presence in an internet-connected network dangerous?
The itself app isn't typically the issue. It's the remote server that the appliance and the app connect to that's the problem. What happens is that the appliance uses your wifi to talk to the company server, and that server pushes updates to it, does tracking, and so on. As long as the appliance can't connect to the internet there's no danger from it. Typically, the best approach is to avoid configuring the connection in the first place.
Self-storage.
Try not to start rental during the summer/spring, prices are way higher than winters.
If you're storing short term with items that are easily bought new, I would suggest just getting rid of them and buying new. I see a ton of people who store thinking they'll be out in 3 months and end up staying a year and spending way more than the items were ever worth. This is especially true for home renovations, those take up at least 50% more time than you think they will.
If you smell something funky throughout a large part of the floor, don't store on that floor. It's most likely caused by mouse issues.
Try to store in an elevator access unit instead of ground level. They're usually more secure, tend to not have mouse issues, and end up cleaner because they're lower traffic.
I hate that just throwing out all your shit is more cost effective
... Also would be pretty true for long moves.
Possible partial solution: Just minimize the shit you own.
You have to have a lot of money to live a minimalist lifestyle.
The dirty secret that nobody wants to talk about. Sometimes, stuff equals capability. This is especially true with tools, renovation supplies, and hobby supplies. That old drain snake in the garage? $350 plumber call. Rarely used winter gear in a closet? No $$$ rental on the occasional ski vacation. Sewing machine and supplies? Now you can alter or repair your clothes.
It can also be resiliency. All those extra Christmas candles? Great for a power outage during hurricane season. Buying, preserving, and storing summer produce can save money later in the year. A deep pantry can be a critical safety net for some people with job insecurity.
Of course, there’s still a lot of crap we can get rid of, like old hand-me-downs and things we’ll never use.
It’s really a balancing act between the cost of maintaining capability and the cost of paying for outside services. For me, I basically add an entire room to my house for $150 a month, and still get to keep the ability to do the things I love and have some resiliency in my life.
Maybe if you aim for the absolute bottom, but...I inherited my grandmother's house and belongings when she passed away. I own at least 90 towels, 20 sets of bedsheets, 6 sets of dishes including the sacrosanct "We don't even serve meals to god himself on those plates" "good china"...There's a lot of shit you can do without, or without as many of.
She might have come from an era when people were turning flour bags into dresses. At that time, you kept every scrap of decent fabric you had.
The word "decent" is doing a lot of work there. As for all the dishes, if your old ones are good enough to keep, why buy new?
Can't give specifics, but regarding enforcement work: We know who's breaking the rules, but we let them get away to prevent exposing our methods.
Mall cops recording video in the washrooms. I knew it.
Can't imagine this is relevant to a lot of folks here, but corporate event audio visual:
Don't use the audio visual company that's "in house" at a hotel. They're paying nearly 50% commission for the privilege of being there and getting business shunted to them, so only half of what you pay is going to goods or services.
That said, make sure your hotel contract leaves you free to bring in an outside vendor without having to pay too many fees. Cross out any lines related to things like "load in/out liaison," paying for polytak floor covering, or paying some percentage of your outside AV bill to the in house company. It might help to include a proactive clause like "client will not be charged any fees for bringing in our own audio visual partner". Include a line that you won't be required to pay surcharges like "event technical support" which is just a "we're charging you a fee" fee.
You will still have to pay the in-house AV vendor for any power, internet and rigging. For internet, confirm what your rate will be before signing the contract. We see a lot of cases where they'll say "the meeting room wifi is discounted (free) if you use us for AV too, but if you don't it's $20k" (actual number, and could be even higher) Once you sign without negotiating they've got you over a barrel.
If you already have a contract you may be able to mitigate these issues by leaning on your hotel salesperson. Trying to negotiate with the in house AV rep will usually be ineffective (sometimes they're cool). The hotel is the in-house AV vendor's number one customer, so if the hotel says they need to do something, they'll do it. Usually leaning on your hotel salesperson after signing a contract only works if you have some leverage like potential for future business.
And to add to that an outside vendor will almost always provide a better result because they actually have to work for their jobs, rather than their jobs being given to them. They also have to work in more venues so they are more flexible and able to customize your AV to meet your specific needs. Many of these in house crews have only a couple setups that they will do for a room and if your setup doesn’t fit that preset, tough.
The only downside is, because their shop is not on site, last minute add ons are difficult if not impossible to do. So make sure you account for everything that is happening and communicate it with your AV company so they can spares for any last minute add ons you may want.
Good points! I know my last couple jobs have had "partner" companies that were similar to us in each major metropolitan area. So if we had a pop up request beyond the backup gear we packed, we could still get it from a warehouse less than an hour away. (And there's always the wholesale rental houses like Rentex)
Yeah, the main company for most hotels literally got the exclusive contract by bribing the hell out of all of the hotel owners/executives. And they were so notoriously shitty that they bought a smaller company a few years ago, just so they could change their name to the smaller company’s name and attempt to sidestep lots of the bad reputation.
HVAC, most maintenance check ups are scams. Very little in residential air conditioner/heat pumps needs any up keep. All the motors are sealed and you're better off not putting gauges on a system unless there's an actual issue.
Change the air filter every three months, and in the spring shut off the outside unit, and hose off the coil fins of any debris trying not to spray anything electrical looking. Wait a couple hours and turn it back on. YouTube probably has videos.
I would add water softeners to this. Just installed one for a mate and bloody hell they're so low maintenance. Step one, add salt. That's it.
I know of three other people that are locked in to maintenance contracts for the next three years
Can I pester you with a question? Feel free to tell me to get bent because I know your time is worth money and this is just the internet. We have a new Trane system that was flawless when it was first put in, but over the past five months the blower has started making louder and louder vibration noises. Almost like it's slightly off balance. If it was an older system I wouldn't think twice, but it was dead quiet at first, just the sound of moving air pretty much.
Part of me wants to open up the cabinet and just see if there's some sort of vibration pad that's gotten loose, but I also don't want to to void a warranty, or something. It seems so trivial a thing. We live in the boonies and a service call is pretty onerous for a tech. I thought maybe there could be balancing weights, like a car wheel or a lawnmower blade, but your comment about motors being sealed is making me think twice.
Opening up the panel to the blower area won't void the warranty. ( not that I would tell anyone you opened it, because disreputable companies will make a stink even though its legal.)
It's possible a mounting bolt came loose (simple fix). There isn't anything to balance on any of the blowers I've ever worked on. So that leaves a bearing going bad in the motor. Or the set-up being out of balance and it destroyed the bearing. Either way, you should put in a call to a company that is authorized to do warranty work on Trane. If your not sure call their 1-800 number and ask them to recommend someone in your area.
Now, if they recommend only replacing the motor I would ABSOLUTELY make them show you the blower running after they replace the motor. So you can see for yourself that the blower isn't out of balance. I've known way to many lazy mechanics that would just replace the motor, because replacing the whole cage is a royal PITA.
Thank you. It's a new construction and the builder seems to generally pick really good subs, and I'm pretty sure whoever installed it did the entire house, so they should be familiar with it. I'll give them a call.
ITT: shit tons of IT people. does anyone on lemmy not work in IT? yikes
The big populating event was Reddit shutting down API service (about a year ago, happy first cake day to me). Most people don't know what that is. A lot of people don't get what federation is, either.
I fully hope and expect that normies will appear as it grows, but for now it's people nerdy enough to know why we should care.
IT folks are exactly the people who will be early adoptors of technology. If lemmy can start growing to something approaching an early majority, then we'll see a big shift in the demographic of the user base. Unfortunately, that's a huge gap in expansion.
Well, I’m just an anti-capitalist non-tech person. I barely know anything about what most people seem to consider basic tech knowledge. Fuck that weird pedo ceo of Reddit, fuck that company, fuck corporate greed in general. I’m just here to avoid being forced to take ankther company’s vampiric bullshit.
Fair enough, glad you're here!
I'm currently in the medical field but "IT" is one of my nicknames 💀 every new place I work I try to hide it but I just impulsively fix shit and then end up being expected to fix shit
Geologist checking in.
Although, I don't know what LTP means in this context. In my world, it's "Long Term Planning".
Life Pro Tip.
I'm in IT also.
I'm one of the few that don't work in tech but it's arguably the hobby I spend the most time (and money) with so I'm not sure if I really count. I work in emergency management & specialized response services.
Fancy way to say you’re on a peak truck!
Set lighting technician here
Brewer
I'm not saying I'm in IT, but I'm tired and read the question and thought, "Why are they asking about printers?"
Theatre tech. Show up on time. Sometimes shows don't take late comers even with a bought ticket. And it's bothering everyone else, artists included.
If the venue has a bar, stay for a drink. Like everyone else, artists (and techs) love to have a drink after a hard day at the office.
Report dev/data analysis/data engineering: if you think data or a report is wrong tell us exactly what information is wrong, exactly what report/code you ran, exactly what filters you selected, and exactly what you are using to compare that information. Second thing: no we can't just ”make the data different", we pull the data in the database. If it is "wrong" it is upstream of us, we need to find the root issue.
From when I worked in IT:
-In your ticket, do not give a vague description and a time you want the problem fixed and then expect anything to get fixed. Often times we very much need to work with you directly to understand your problem thoroughly to investigate and fix it thoroughly.
-If you have some weird problem, it might be just as weird to us when we first look at it. We are not omniscient. What we are good at is researching possible fixes, applying them, and measuring the effect they have in actually solving your problem.
-If we didn't install it, don't expect we know anything about it. You might really like to install and use Fusion 360 over AutoCAD or something, but that doesn't mean I know where Fusion 360 is storing its configurations, or that I have a phone number to call to get support from that company as a vendor, or that I have ever troubleshot this application.
-If you're really nice to us, we might be able to offer you suggestions for problems on personal computers, but sorry, we cant usually touch it, especially if we are outsourced IT. The moment we touch your personal computer it opens us to a shitload of liabilities and it could lose me my job.
-We understand very much that typically the only time you're talking to us is when you're mad because some shit is preventing you from working, but we don't want that either so don't be mad at us about it, we would prefer you never had to put in a ticket for anything except configuration change requests.
-Pay attention to our recommendations. If we say you have to have your laptop on at a certain time of day weekly for updates, we aren't just asking for our benefit, we're asking this because if you ignore it, eventually when you power on your laptop, windows is going to force all those updates to push at once and suddenly you'll be without your computer when you're supposed to be doing an important presentation because its going to take 4 hours for a years worth of updates to apply. We have little control over this.
I work at a gas station—take note of your damn pump number.
Like everyone else, I get distracted and forget to do this. Then I look out at my car while standing at the register. Naturally, the numbers are not visible from this location...
Indeed.
Can you just check on the camera. Yeah, the blue car. No not that one, the other one.
"It's the one at the end."
Turns out it's Pump #2, not Pump #1...
I do concrete work. Every video you see of someone or something walking into super wet concrete it really doesn't matter. That's a 5 minute fix. Cars going into it though you have to figure out how to get the car out.
I'm really surprised by that. The last guy I worked with made such a big deal about putting up temporary guards. I think he just wanted to get in another hour or so of work.
Normally when you finish placing the concrete you always have extra in the truck. So we pour out a pile or fill up the wheel barrow with extra. So say a dog walks in it and the concrete is still really wet. You just grab some of the extra concrete with a shovel, toss it out into the holes, and run the bull float over it again. Concrete guys are really good at tossing something from a shovel and hitting their target haha.
Barricades are nice to just stop people from doing it in the first place but unless you're doing some solid barricades you always have someone who ignores them.
When the concrete is pretty hard but still wet enough to leave tracks is when it's more difficult to fix.
Tech. Everyone felt overwhelmed when they started, like they'd never be able to catch up, like they were in over their head. It's not just you. We all went through it.
Does it generally get better by the second decade? Lol only kind of half joking
Tax Accountant in U.S.
You don’t need a CPA (and I say this AS a CPA). Don’t get me wrong, if a CPA’s primary experience is in tax, they will do just fine. But you don’t NEED one. Even if your tax situation is complex. An Enrolled Agent (or EA) goes through a rigorous testing process and is run by the IRS. A CPA also goes through a rigorous testing process but it’s 4 parts and only one is tax. An EA exam is 3 parts and it’s ALL tax. So if your tax situation IS complex I recommend one or the other…but an EA is highly qualified and often times less expensive.
All that said… neither is necessary but make sure your tax preparer is at least certified and either is required to take annual continuing education or does so regardless. Tax laws change all the time. EAs and CPAs have CPE requirements…so if ur preparer isn’t one of those, make sure they’re still learning the new stuff. All a person needs to file another persons tax return is a number called a PTIN and literally anyone can pay a fee and get one.
And if you can handle filing yourself (which the vast majority can easily do, and I would rather they do so because why throw your money away if you don’t have to) the IRS is expanding their guided free file program for 2024 to the whole United States (it was in limited testing for 2023) and many states are expected to sign on so you can get fed and state taxes filed for free. IRS.gov has more info on all that.
...what's a CPA?
Certified public accountant
Tech, specifically AI automation. My LPT is that most services are just using GPT4 in some capacity. Automated workflows are not plug and play, credentials expire, variables change, limits are exceeded, etc. Rather than pay a random company to build and maintain something for you, you can save a shit ton by just hiring someone in-house who knows Zapier or Make and having them build the workflow you need.
So I typed out a long reply with helpful tips and everything but Lemmy broke and I couldn't send that, and I really can't be arsed again, this is already too much effort.
Massage/Wellness: your posture sucks and your back hurts all the time because you have a flabby gut and no ass. Get to exercising.
IT: Rebooting a device is sometimes the only legit troubleshoot step.
But we decide when this is truly the last trump card.
Actually, just please try rebooting before you call me, though.
Or "power cycling" as we say, because we enjoy complicating simple things
Did you remember to clear your cookies and cache?
IT
Scripting menial tasks isn't that hard. You can learn basic shit pretty easy. It's a nice little dopamine hit when you get even something small that works. Make your computer work for you, not against you.
Also, Excel. If you have to use Excel at all in your job, learn the basics of formulas, formatting, and tables. It will take you maybe a day, and your excel shit will look 100x nicer, and work 100x better than whatever the fuck you are doing now.
I found out last year there's an entire Microsoft Excel World Championship and my mind was blown.
Make the big decisions first and focus on pain points/fatal flaws with stakeholders and subject matter experts. I've seen cases where projects go through several redesigns because the PM focused on easy design tasks first, then it turned out a later design task caused the early design tasks to need to be redone.
Ask people why certain decisions are being made. Keep these discussions one on one. You can often tell by the quality of the answer how good the reasoning is.
I'm in the museum sector.
Never pick something up to move it until you've seen the place where you're moving the thing and it's clear of junk.
It's safer to make two trips instead of one. It's safer to make three trips instead of two.
The best thing you can do for something old that looks like it's slowly falling apart is usually to leave it alone.
A lot of people who come into the museum do that, do they?
It's okay to not start in your ideal job on day one and to take sideways shifts to get closer to it. I went from phone monkey in a call centre, to a letter monkey, to a software tester, to a software business analyst (all at the same company), to a software product owner, to a software product manager. I gravitated back towards my stronger IT oriented passions over time.
King of England. Please don't visit the Palace, there's literally nothing to see.
If you're going to see the show and spot me in a side booth, please don't heckle. Yes she knows. Yes of course she knows. Yes he's a prick. Yes your money is being wasted on us, but we're all you've got in terms of benevolent rich people so live with it.
pirate: My dreams concern ccy off ramps. Remote work is our future.
At all costs, never ever answer any kyc/aml questions:
What's your name?
How old are you?
What country are you from?
Where do you live?
Can i have your phone number?
The truth is vastly overrated concept.
openssl rand -hex 20 <-- memorize this. Adjusting integer affects output length. Try it now. Now try is 20 times in a row. This is your name and password generator. My name is a71fe7b7ec46e0ae0a191004509af262cb2bbe99
Outing your identity has HUGE financial and legal repercussions. Not outting your own identity saves on: stress, time, filling out forms, and you can keep your income and house (a motel is insurance). There will be fees to be paid to ccy off ramps, but they are nothing in comparison.
If anyone insists, insist they give you their credit card. Then keep it. This is an important life lesson. Anyone can be de-systemed. And as soon as you internalize that ... the better. If you are not de-systemed, consider yourself de-systemed. Plan accordingly. I know folks who are de-systemed.
Make a telegram group for onboarding. Create invite links as needed. Then no need to exchange phone numbers. I'm ok with Russia viewing my communications. In fact, that's hilarious. Could use e2e encryption. Boris is busy anyway.
If you talk about coding always, you'll become immune to censorship. Normies brains cannot withstand such punishment. They'll find someone else to censor.
What? I can read the words but it's not making much sense to me.
. If you are not de-systemed, consider yourself de-systemed. Plan accordingly. I know folks who are de-systemed.
I mean, what's not to understand?
This entire thing reads like a Trump speech
Are you having a fucking stroke mate?
CCY = Currency
KYC = Know Your Customer
AML = Anti-Money Laundering
I’m a truck driver.
This seems counterintuitive. I would love to hear why.
Most of a tractor-trailer's stopping power is split between the trailer brakes and the tractor's drive tandems. If there is not enough weight on those axles, the tires can't grip the pavement properly. If I apply too much power to the brakes the wheels can start bouncing or just lock up and start skidding if the ABS system is acting up.
Most tractor-trailers you see on the road in the US are designed to weigh 60,000 to 80,000 lbs (~ 27,000 - 36,000 kg). For comparison, a Honda Civic weighs roughly 3,000 lbs (1360 kg). Every system on the truck is designed around moving that amount of mass safely. With an empty dry van trailer your looking at closer to 30,000 lbs (~ 13,000 kg). Makes a difference in performance. Ride is rougher, takes longer to stop.
Thank you. That's fascinating.
Sounds like you’re talking about icy or wet roads. I’ve never had a trailer do that on dry pavement and I can definitely stop faster emptying than full.
I really wish that were entirely the case. The distances I quoted came from safety trainings I’ve had to take over the years. Given my personal experiences during that time, I think they were from before ABS was mandated. And I had a lot of ABS failures when I was OTR and few close calls as a result of those failures. That’s one of the reasons I chose to switch to running a yard truck 5 years ago. Far less stress.
When ABS failed on dry pavement and I needed to stop in a hurry, the affected tandem would tend to lock up and bounce along the ground. Nerve racking and scary when there’s traffic in front of you, but not near as bad as on wet or icy roads. The sheer terror of feeling one of my axles start sliding under me.
If I had one word of advice for drivers new to the industry, it would be to drive as if none of the safety systems on the truck and trailer exist because in my experience they will fail exactly when you need them.
But when they do work they are f-ing magical.
I would imagine it has to do with traction and ability to apply braking forces without skidding the wheels.
Even in a pickup truck, it's easy to skid the rear wheels (antilock brakes aside) with the bed empty because the brakes can easily overcome the traction of the tires. This is why pickups have height sensing proportioning valves.
That makes sense.
ZIPPER MERGE, PEOPLE!!
Additional hot take, merge near the end of the merge lane rather than slowly try to force yourself into traffic further back. Keep it moving and respect the zipper merge at the end.
And when you get to the end, start looking for the opening and merge, don't slow down or gun it and try to get ahead of five more cars.
🙏
Yeah it looks just like that but with cars
😂😂😂😂😂
I have driven many thousands of miles and my favorite place on the road is 100 yards behind a big rig that's heading my way. i can zone out and safely follow and people rarely want the spot between you and the truck for long so you can just go hours keeping that square centered.
It's even better at night when the trucks lights give you a nice preview of exactly how curvy the road is.
Eventually big guy takes an exit and i always send a grateful salute cuz following a big rig 100 yards back is better than cruise control imo.
Plus your probably save on gas too.
It takes more distance to stop with an empty trailer? I would have thought the opposite. How come?
NM, saw your reply below. Thanks.
IT - if you have an issue with an application, give us step by step instructions on how we can repeat your issue like we are five years old. We'll get it fixed more quickly that way.
I have great service with IT people because I do this by default. I'll have already tried some steps myself, so I'll give them info about what exactly works, doesn't work, and things that I can or can't do that might be related to the main issue.
They really appreciate the detail.
I feel bad that my old job's IT department would never trust me when I listed this amount of detail, so I stopped putting in the extra effort.
My ticket: I am not able to login using the standard portal. The error I recieve is X. I have already tried rebooting. I have confirmed that everything was fully plugged in and that I am on the correct network. I also already went through the normal recovery process which did not work. Here is the result, [X].
The first response from IT: Why don't you try rebooting and then let me know if it's working. If not, go through the normal recovery process.
Like, I get it, you're being thorough and don't want to just blindly trust the user, but I'm only talking to you because I already tried your quick fixes. Please understand.
Reasoning: For everyone one You, we have a 1000 not-You. But the other 1000 say almost the same as you.
Once you experience that you become jaded and assume they are either lying or tell or miss some details. But we know our usuals and if we notice the name we might assume you know x and y more than the usual.
Please dont stop putting in the last mile :)
Yeah, I get that. I think it's partially to do with how rarely I'll have an actual issue. Also with their turnover rate, I rarely interact with the same tech twice.
I still do all the legwork to figure out if it's something I can fix myself and always put specifics (Repro steps, Error Codes, etc.), but pulled back on listing every other step I've already tried.
As an IT director, I encourage my techs first action to be to connect to the clients machine and ask them to "show me what's happening." Then they aren't to interrupt the user until they complete their explanation except to ask for clarification.
You can see all the steps leading up to the error, the users workflow, typically the desired end result, and the error message.
You also are building rapport with the user making them feel listened to. Far too often I see techs assume something else is the issue, "fix" that, call it done and the user gets frustrated.
Even if you can't fix it, like so many user issues, at the very least the support experience is a positive one for the end users. Sometimes it's just that a specific preference isn't in an applications options or they need to change a step in their workflow. But at least the end users was listened to and their experience and frustration was validated.
If you have metrics or surveys, it's always interesting to hear a user write in that the issue was not resolved, but they were extremely satisfied.
I'm doing that and generally the next step after that is : "OK, can you do it again and this time DO NOT CLOSE THE ERROR POPUP so we can get information on what is happening"
Also a restart really does fix a big chunk of problems. An app not working right? Force quit & reopen the app. Problem solved. Phone or computer bugging out? Reboot. Problem solved.
Software Engineer:
Make a junk email for junk signups and accounts, if you can. Don't accept the cookies. If the product you're using is free, the information you enter is what's being sold to someone else.
Ctrl+Shift+T reopens the tab you just accidentally closed.
Even paid services can and usually will sell your information, so just assume that everything that you enter is considered public information from that moment on
Looking at you, Adobe
I just started using Proton mail's aliases for that and love it. If I see a bunch of spam coming to one particular alias, I'll just delete it and make a new one. So far, it's been great
That’s how I started as well, I’m at 418 aliases now. 99.9% of my online account use an alias with my custom domain.
Adding onto this, either have a temp mail addon, or have one such site bookmarked on your browser.
Isnt the reopen tab CTRL SHIFT T?
My god, I hadn't even noticed that autocorrected to "Tab". Fixed it, thanks for the call out.
I work in the magical world of ISPs. If you’re having an internet issue, reboot your router and/or modem before calling in. It may not seem like much to you, but many background processes happen when you do so. This can be useful to troubleshoot where the issue lies. There’s a reason why techs will make you do so when calling in. And yes, they can tell on their end if and when you do so. So don’t bullshit them by saying you already did it if you didn’t.
Yeah, but we all know that no matter how many times that I have already done, tech support won't talk to me until we do it again together
If I had a nickel for every time a full power cycle fixed it all, I’d be rich. However, if you did power cycle before and call in again, often it’s an issue that needs deeper investigation. In that case, the tech can likely watch the process of your equipment coming online in realtime to see where the issue is happening. Network entry, authentication, package application, DHCP, it can often be monitored as it’s happening. A reboot while on the phone starts the process right from the beginning so it can be monitored to determine what happens immediately and what happens after it sits for a while.
IT guy here, it is fairly common to make a change in the system(tm), and need to reboot the device for the change to take effect.
I feel like some people "lie" about rebooting their modem simply because they don't know how to reboot it
Fortunately there are no commands to enter or buttons to click. They’re designed to handle losing power.
Concerts, the rooms are always tuned visually and sonically for about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way back on the floor. If you care about audio or visuals this is where you go. If you can’t afford the floor, anywhere in the center will still be a good experience, avoid the sides unless you don’t care about visuals or audio. We literally call those the bone seats, because they have no substance to them.
If they've got a control booth in the middle of the venue, that's usually where I want to hang out. Best audio/visuals right where the guy engineering it is listening to it
Nursing/Psychiatry: here's what to pack for your friend in the psych hospital!
DON'T bring:
Tertiary education: university professor.
LPT: Talk to your professor and ask questions!!
I have so many students that don't perform well because they didn't understand some material. I'm seriously getting paid to help you understand it, but I can't present it in a way that works perfectly for every student since they all have their own learning styles. I also wont know if they aren't getting it of no one speaks out.
I want:
I don't:
The vast majority of university professors are obsessed with what they teach, so much so, that they made a career out of talking about it. Asking then about it would make their day. If you go up to one that seems like they're being bothered, then that's the exception. Don't let that one stop you from engaging with all of the others.
Note: This is true for almost all courses. However, there are some courses in certain universities that are considered "weed out classes". These classes, typically taken in the first 2 years, are informally designed to have lower performing students fail before they advance too far into the major and find out later that they don't have what it takes to be successful in the field. The professors of those classes are more commonly not helpful at all. Don't give me shit about it because I didn't design this system nor do I teach those classes.
I was going to say I had the polar opposite experience until your last paragraph.
Lecturers were very rarely excited about the material they taught, left as soon as they could and were far more concerned with their research than helping students.
That was EE so probably a mix of weed-out and the fact that they were all socially awkward mega nerds.
Tertiary education: IT (software developer)
Same theme for my LPT, different area. Are you having a problem? Housing? Tuition? Health issue? Ask about it! Likely you're one of many and we (support staff) have systems in place to point you in the right direction. If you're the first to run into a problem, we need to know so we can fix it. Don't worry about bothering us, that's what we're there for. Many students wait until they have no other choice but to get in contact when it would have been easier for everyone if they had brought it up sooner. I totally understand the impulse, I've been that kid.
I completely agree.
Back when I was taking GEs I had an ancient history class that I just couldn't get. One visit to the professors office hours and he basically guaranteed me a decent passing grade as long as I did the final essay.
His job was to teach and help students pass. He knew his subject wasn't everyone's passion and was super chill about it.
One caveat of this, is in my experience it was younger TAs running 100 level classes that were the strictest. They for whatever reason didn't have the experience or self-awareness to know that their teaching method didn't align with every student.
You also have the viewpoint that some freshmen level classes were designed to specifically weed people out. If you aren't able to have a way to pass those classes, then it was thought that teaching you further would be a waste.
Which is such a poor attitude. Just because someone is bad in one subject doesn't apply to every subject. English, math, and history were all GEs. What use does having an English major be weeded out by their ability to do stats or calculus?
Or a psych major because they have no particular interest in pre-silk road civilizations?
No, but the freshman year is supposed to lay the groundwork for later classes and teach soft skills for use later.
I've found it rare that universities require English majors to take advanced math. However, even within that, calculus is just a different way of preparing logic proofs and statistics is commonly used and misused in developing arguments.
Also, a four year degree isn't meant to be a technical degree, but to help create a more well rounded leader. That means having more knowledge than just the subject. This is the reason why engineers have to take humanities classes.
Thank you for putting all of this so succintly. I’m not into teaching, but I’ve done a few workshops and I always struggle to express the attitude you described to get the pupils engaged.
I had this same attitude when I was a student. Even though my professors were older and more knowledgable, I always tried to approach them as peers and it worked out great. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but because I talked, I could use my strengths better because I was more aware of the expectations and requirements than a portion of other students.
Corporate IT: I see nearly everything you do on your computer. I can see exactly how long what application is open. If I ask you to restart your computer, you don't, and you somehow get me in front of it, restarting it better not fix it or your next ticket is gonna be low priority no matter what. If you want in with IT, always open a ticket and include as much info as you can clearly convey. Snacks and bribes won't always work with those of us who are very antisocial.
Always ask the person you are trying to bribe what they like to be bribed with.
I've dealt with my share of PC issues and apart from digging in and writing scripts, I'm an advanced end user. One time le tired IT guy needed to remote in for some issue I didn't have appropriate access to deal with. He seemed rather startled when I opened notepad and said "Hi!"
I also swear I began to get more difficult to recognize fake phishing attempts shortly after.
Dave, if you're reading this you never caught me with one! Gotta try harder!
Can you hijack the camera and see us too?
Yes, of course. Though your camera light would alert you of the usage, unless of course, your IT guy ordered a camera that can deactivate the light via software (or simply opened the camera and yanked the light)
No and if I found a way I would file a report against any other IT agent who did. That's invasion of privacy IMO. Microsoft can tho, remember the Kinect?
Comstruction:
If you want to build the best building you gotta know every detail about how it’s made, which you can only get close to by hiring competent consultants (i.e.: architects, engineers, etc) Because if you’re not specific about what you want, you can bet your ass you’re getting the cheapest version.
The first rule of comstruction: attention to detail. Got it!
I work in information security.
Don't use biometrics to secure your devices. Biometrics are a convenience feature to make it easier to access your device. Biometrics are NOT security. You can be compelled to unlock your device by having it pointed at your face or your finger forced onto the reader. Don't do it.
Use 2FA/MFA everywhere you can. If it's an option, turn it on.
Use a password manager that generates strong passwords and use a different password for every service you use.
Update, update, update. Allow your devices, OSes, and software/applications to update automatically.
Talk to your parents about safe surfing. Tell them that their bank won't send them an email or text asking them to send personal information. Set a password with your family to identify them if they are in trouble and need help. Tell parents and grandparent not to send you bail money to get you out of jail in Morocco.
Teach your kids that everything they post on the internet is public and permanent. Teach them that if they do something that they think will get them in trouble and someone is blackmailing them that it's better to tell you and ask for help than to give in to the blackmailers.
Regarding biometrics, I’ve felt that one advantage is that if I’m in a public space, I don’t have to worry about someone watching me enter my password over my shoulder. If I got into a situation where someone is physically overpowering me to get my finger onto my device against my will, I’m probably going to give them whatever password they want so I don’t get a beat down.
That's a threat and risk assessment. You've decided you're willing to accept the risk of anyone being able to unlock your phone. For me, I'm not really worried about someone in the street strong arming me. I'm more worried about a state actor, border guard, police officer, etc demanding that I unlock my phone. They can physically compel you to unlock your phone by pointing it at your face or putting your finger on the pad but they cannot compel you to give them your password.
I’m probably preaching to the choir, but for those who don’t know, at least on an iPhone and I’m sure android has something similar, if you foresee the situation coming you can just hold the sleep/wake button for a few seconds (even while your phone is in your pocket) and it will require the passcode and not allow biometrics.
Edit: my memory, it’s the sleep/wake button and volume down. Similar to android as per the below.
For android it's power+volume up to bring up the power options menu (shutdown, restart, etc) and there is a "lock down" option that disables biometric unlock.
Wish I could do it with one hand, but good to know it's there.
I definitely see your perspective, but mostly wanted to make sure I wasn’t overlooking some obvious downside in my risk assessment.
I figure my chances are low that I will get into the situation where an authority demands access to my phone but I also don’t have the opportunity to lock out biometrics. Like if I get pulled over I just hold power and volume up buttons for three seconds and biometrics is off. That said, it certainly doesn’t eliminate my risk completely, and I wouldn’t consider anyone crazy for just opting out completely.
The other problem with biometrics is you can't change them. With the OPM breach a few years ago they lost 5.6 million finger prints. Those finger prints are now useless since they are in the wild and can't be changed. Not a problem for your average phone user but in my world that's a really big deal. In my world biometrics are a convenience and convenience is bad for security.
As long as you've considered and accepted the risks you're good.
Time to start using the middle finger, until the next data breach. Then the ring finger.
Can I use my dick head?
"You want me to unlock my phone? I used the head of my erect penis. I'm not going to get it up myself. Knock yourself the fuck out."
Allowing apps to update automatically often means that advertising and feature removal or nerfing, etc., can happen. Checking manually has saved me a lot of grief.
That's my expert opinion. Take it or leave it. It's your device.
In this day and age where updating an app means losing half the functionality, no thanks. Would love a way around that though!
You're exposing yourself to unpatched vulnerabilities for convenience instead of updating or deleting the app. If you lose half the functionality because of an update it's time to find a new app in my books.
If only that were an option...
You've done a threat and risk assessment and decided that the inconvenience of uninstalling or disabling the app is with accepting the risk of your device being competing and your data stolen or ransomed, your banking or other credentials being stolen, your friends, family, and other contacts being targeted, and your employer being put at risk if you use your device for work. That's an acceptable way of handling the situation. You can always accept the risk.
I've heard this sentiment for almost 20 years. "The app works fine, why update, it only breaks things."
Then they blame me when it starts being incompatible with the current OS or some other application. Even if the only fix is to update they still resist or refuse outright.
I finally let my phone do some app updates the other week, my banking app now displays full screen ads for their credit cards, conveniently right as you go to click the transfer button.
I don't update shit anymore. I update my OS and apps on my desktop, but my phone is now being actively neglected in regards to app updates. Every single app update breaks something, removes a feature, or brings ads into the picture.
A verbal secret passphrase to identify yourself to your family would be pretty smart.
Yup. Also having an agreement that an X from any family member means they are uncomfortable or in trouble and you should call them in one minute, tell them that there is an emergency, and you need to pick them up right now. Get them safe and don't ask questions unless they want to talk.
I'm a philosopher, nothing matters, so stop worrying about it and live your life the way you want to live it.
The real question is, do you have Nietzsche's mustache too?
You put the peeps in the chili pot and make it taste...bad.
The beautiful thing about life having no sense is that you are free to give it the one you want.
HVAC: Don’t shut your air vents to give you better heating or cooling in certain rooms/floors. You’re adding pressure to your system and reducing its life. If it’s AC then you’re turning it into a freezer. That’s why doing so freezes the coil, not enough air flow to move the cold air out and keep it from freezing. For heat it literally can overheat the control board frying it since the blower also helps cool the electronics. If you have hot and/or cold rooms (this is normal per floors) ask about adding dampers. Most of the time it’s not possible without major drywall rework and it isn’t cheap. Your builder sucks (basically). A lot of companies won’t quote the work because it can’t be guaranteed. You’re essentially stuck with the crappy design the builder got approved. One potential is minisplits. Again, not cheap per room and not pretty but they will fix your issue.
I looked up dampers, and I'm confused about how they are functionally different than closing/opening the vent? I'm sure I'm not understanding though. Is it just about the location?
They don't operate differently. Also he is assuming your ducts are designed and balanced properly to begin with. Most in residential homes aren't.
While shutting off a lot of vents can cause problems. Shutting off an unused room isn't going to hurt anything. Or partially closing a vent because a room gets too warm/cold. Because like I said they do fuck to balance systems in residential homes.
Proper dampers redirect airflow, not eliminate it. Again, see, your house builder sucks.
Rethinking so many life choices.
HVAC: mini splits
black mold forms and causes breathing problems. Clean aircons (air conditioner) every 6 months - 1 year.
If water is dripping from the outside unit, your aircon is lacking gas. Making it into a giant fan.
A mini-split is chosen to meet the needs for one room. Some folks, and can't be convinced otherwise, think an aircon can cover the entire universe. And to prove it, they leave all the doors open.
This is proof we live in the matrix. It's completely unsolvable issue without self closing doors
Water dripping means the cold side coil is cold enough to condense water out of the air. In what way does that suggest it is not working?
Some, especially newer units are designed to evaporate most of the condensate (water). That being said many will still drip water depending on the humidity (high) outside and also inside. And it be perfectly normal.
Are you in the industry, 'cause that doesn't ring true to me. Why would you spend the energy to evaporate water when it's so cheap and easy to dump the water on the petunia patch?
Refrigerators collect waste water in a tray on the assumption that the indoor climate will be dry enough for the water to ambient evaporate
Air con is incredibly popular in the tropics where it's dropping 100% RH to 30% and making a lot of water
Yes 15 years, because it saves energy by making the system more efficient.
Window units design the fan to throw the water onto the condenser this evaporates the water AND cools the freon in the condenser coil. Commercial stand up refrigerators often run the condenser line through the condensate pan for the same reason.
They don't "spend" energy doing it, they save it.
Split units and traditional A/C will just drain or pump the water somewhere.
Thanks, that is pretty neat
Also, don't use evaporated water for your flowers; there are no minerals in pure water and for them it's like eating wallpaper paste
So tap water is also bad? That has no minerals to speak of, at least where I live
Tap water is fine, it definitely has plenty of minerals and elements in it for your plants.
Evaporated water is pure H2O like distilled water. Same with water from your tumble dryer if you have a condenser type. Not good for plants
My mother's garden was watered with rain water. We don't have acid rain so there's nearly nothing in that and that garden is quite productive. Plants get all the nutrients they need from well fertilized dirt
Holy shit do you know fuck all about watering plants
End of convo mate
Normally the cold is carried by the gas to your room. The less gas you have, the less efficient this transfer is, and the colder your outside unit will be.
When the cold side is for inside air, I think you'll find that the water it condenses from the inside air is piped outside
Thanks. I was thinking of shutting the vents of one room in the house that is empty and unused, but I figured just keeping the door closed would probably be better, right?
I agree that shutting 1 vent isn’t going to kill your system. However, that one room isn’t insulated on interior walls. Best to leave it alone for overall comfort. You aren’t saving $ closing the vent. The system is going to run until the thermostat is satisfied no matter what.
Also, best thing for the entire building is to run the fan constantly (I forgot to mention this in the original). Balances the building much better than just the entire system kicking on and off every 15 min or so.
Shut it off, it won't hurt anything. It's only an issue if you're shutting off a lot of vents. Now how much good it'll do energy saving wise, depends on where the room is in the house and how old your house is. Newer houses with better insulation will see much less improvement.
Won't it potentially cause humidity issues? The room does not get direct sunlight (faces south). It's a new house with pretty good insulation (as far as I've experienced so far).
Without being there, I couldn't say for sure., but I doubt it Personally, I would just use common sense. Shut it off and and just check the room a couple times over the next week or two.
Brother, Pharmacist:
Just because we called doesn’t mean your prescription is ready. Listen to the message
Just because your doctor said they sent in your prescription… it means nothing. He or she probably asked an assistant to send it or put it in their inbox.
Like 1 in 3 people drove here without a drivers license.
Lmao, is the bottom one because you ask to see some ID?
Correct! It’s a disturbingly large proportion. Some medications absolutely require one, and people who just drove up will tell you they didn’t bring any form of ID whatsoever.
In my state you aren’t required to have your license with you while driving. You just have to provide it within 24 hours of getting pulled over, etc.
What the fuck is this world sometimes
I'm the
UKEngland and Wales you can't be required to carry ID at all.If the police ask you for them, you have 7 days to present them at a police station.
(Edit: really not sure it extends to Scotland where such laws often vary, and pretty sure it doesn't apply to NI, where they vary even more, especially on driving/licensing, so UK was inaccurate)
That's kind of ironic for a nation that's leaned into eyes everywhere pretty hard.
Really.
AFAIK the ID law is a consequence of a centuries-old right that you cannot be required to identify yourself if you're doing nothing wrong, and then even if you did do something wrong, you still can't be required to have brought ID with you since it's likely you didn't set out knowing you'd be doing that today.
But the surveillance/camera thing is recent, when rights of ordinary people apparently are less fashionable.
Yeah, not surprised.
Technically they can't demand ID here either, unless you're operating a motor vehicle which requires a licence. It's different on paper because theoretically driving is a choice (and actually was decades ago), but guess which kind of vehicle our entire country is built around?
Huh, I didn't know that. I used to give my da shit because he never carried his license. Though we're in NI and police checkpoints are a thing here.
You know I said UK but this is exactly the sort of law that tends to be different in NI.
I read that in Alabama (or maybe Mississippi, I can’t recall) you can drink alcohol while driving. You just can’t be above the blood alcohol concentration limit.
Louisiana had famously (or infamously) lax liquor laws for decades, so maybe that‘s what you’re thinking of. Shit like drive-thru daiquiri stores, where as long as they don’t put the straw in the cup it’s not considered an “open” container. So they can just hand you a cup full of liquor, and the straw separately.
It’s also a large part of why New Orleans developed a reputation as a party town; Louisiana kept their drinking age at 18 while every other state was at 21, so all the college freshmen/sophomores would go to Louisiana during spring break because they could drink.
TIL. Thanks.
In Canada, the drinking age is 19 everywhere except Quebec where it’s 18, so in Ottawa 18 year olds just go across the river to buy liquor.
And I thought Fat Tuesdays was weird as a visitor...
Louisiana, I believe.
Ok random question: the Walgreens near me almost never asks for my ID when I pickup my Adderall, is it really not required for that? I thought it was a hard rule to check ID for any controlled substances
I'm a waitress. It never hurts to say it's your birthday or better yet, anniversary. Birthdays get free dessert most places but anniversaries get free bubbles. It costs me nothing to give it to you.
Just make sure to tip on the pre-discount amount and it's all good.
Even if my wife and I get our meal fully comped because the kitchen messed up or it took a long time (has happened a few times, college town. We never complain or get upset, the managers just come over and apologize then comp it), we qt least tip as if it wasn't comped, if we liked our server and/or the food a lot (both, most of the time) then we tip the full amount of the comped meal. Without fail the servers have been surprised that we tip at all when that happens
You can freeze chips/crisps indefinitely. I used to work for Frito Lay. Just thaw them when you get close to snack time. Of course I never do this because I just eat the chips I have at home.
They don't get soggy?
I only interned there, but the handful of times I thawed the chips, there were no issues.
I mean, if they’re bagged in a low humidity environment and the bag stays sealed, there should be very little chance of them getting soggy. Because in order for them to get soggy, the bag would need humidity.
My instant thought was that that's amazing, my next thought was along the lines of how badly that would murder freezer space unless you open the bag. Can I open the bag?
Never tried, but I think it would work. Oxygen is the enemy, but the reason is because oxidation leads to other byproducts that lead to a stale flavor. I believe the cold temperature slows all that down.
I suppose if I really wanted I could buy a tank of nitrogen, too.
Software development here. Never, ever, connect your appliances to the internet, and check whether appliances you buy have an offline mode as some are now aggressively forcing users to connect in order to use them.
What’s your reasoning for this?
Anything better than using a vlan to separate these types of devices from the rest of the network?
They are programmed as cheaply as possible and manufactures don’t care once you buy a product so it’s just a matter of time before it becomes part of someone’s botnet, using your power and internet to harass some server somewhere.
As the other reply mentions, aside from these devices representing a security vulnerability, there have been numerous cases where the devices themselves got hijacked. In some cases they can even get bricked via updates. There's also a privacy concern with these companies collecting data on how you use the device.
Does this also apply when not using the official app? I recently bought a Phillips bulb (not Hue) and set up Home Assistant for it, along with the Matter bridge. This turned out to also connect it to the Wi-Fi, but I never installed a manufacturer app.
Would blocking internet access via parental controls on the router be enough to mitigate such threats, or is its mere presence in an internet-connected network dangerous?
The itself app isn't typically the issue. It's the remote server that the appliance and the app connect to that's the problem. What happens is that the appliance uses your wifi to talk to the company server, and that server pushes updates to it, does tracking, and so on. As long as the appliance can't connect to the internet there's no danger from it. Typically, the best approach is to avoid configuring the connection in the first place.
Self-storage. Try not to start rental during the summer/spring, prices are way higher than winters. If you're storing short term with items that are easily bought new, I would suggest just getting rid of them and buying new. I see a ton of people who store thinking they'll be out in 3 months and end up staying a year and spending way more than the items were ever worth. This is especially true for home renovations, those take up at least 50% more time than you think they will. If you smell something funky throughout a large part of the floor, don't store on that floor. It's most likely caused by mouse issues. Try to store in an elevator access unit instead of ground level. They're usually more secure, tend to not have mouse issues, and end up cleaner because they're lower traffic.
I hate that just throwing out all your shit is more cost effective
... Also would be pretty true for long moves.
Possible partial solution: Just minimize the shit you own.
You have to have a lot of money to live a minimalist lifestyle.
The dirty secret that nobody wants to talk about. Sometimes, stuff equals capability. This is especially true with tools, renovation supplies, and hobby supplies. That old drain snake in the garage? $350 plumber call. Rarely used winter gear in a closet? No $$$ rental on the occasional ski vacation. Sewing machine and supplies? Now you can alter or repair your clothes.
It can also be resiliency. All those extra Christmas candles? Great for a power outage during hurricane season. Buying, preserving, and storing summer produce can save money later in the year. A deep pantry can be a critical safety net for some people with job insecurity.
Of course, there’s still a lot of crap we can get rid of, like old hand-me-downs and things we’ll never use.
It’s really a balancing act between the cost of maintaining capability and the cost of paying for outside services. For me, I basically add an entire room to my house for $150 a month, and still get to keep the ability to do the things I love and have some resiliency in my life.
Maybe if you aim for the absolute bottom, but...I inherited my grandmother's house and belongings when she passed away. I own at least 90 towels, 20 sets of bedsheets, 6 sets of dishes including the sacrosanct "We don't even serve meals to god himself on those plates" "good china"...There's a lot of shit you can do without, or without as many of.
She might have come from an era when people were turning flour bags into dresses. At that time, you kept every scrap of decent fabric you had.
The word "decent" is doing a lot of work there. As for all the dishes, if your old ones are good enough to keep, why buy new?
Can't give specifics, but regarding enforcement work: We know who's breaking the rules, but we let them get away to prevent exposing our methods.
Mall cops recording video in the washrooms. I knew it.
Can't imagine this is relevant to a lot of folks here, but corporate event audio visual:
Don't use the audio visual company that's "in house" at a hotel. They're paying nearly 50% commission for the privilege of being there and getting business shunted to them, so only half of what you pay is going to goods or services.
That said, make sure your hotel contract leaves you free to bring in an outside vendor without having to pay too many fees. Cross out any lines related to things like "load in/out liaison," paying for polytak floor covering, or paying some percentage of your outside AV bill to the in house company. It might help to include a proactive clause like "client will not be charged any fees for bringing in our own audio visual partner". Include a line that you won't be required to pay surcharges like "event technical support" which is just a "we're charging you a fee" fee.
You will still have to pay the in-house AV vendor for any power, internet and rigging. For internet, confirm what your rate will be before signing the contract. We see a lot of cases where they'll say "the meeting room wifi is discounted (free) if you use us for AV too, but if you don't it's $20k" (actual number, and could be even higher) Once you sign without negotiating they've got you over a barrel.
If you already have a contract you may be able to mitigate these issues by leaning on your hotel salesperson. Trying to negotiate with the in house AV rep will usually be ineffective (sometimes they're cool). The hotel is the in-house AV vendor's number one customer, so if the hotel says they need to do something, they'll do it. Usually leaning on your hotel salesperson after signing a contract only works if you have some leverage like potential for future business.
And to add to that an outside vendor will almost always provide a better result because they actually have to work for their jobs, rather than their jobs being given to them. They also have to work in more venues so they are more flexible and able to customize your AV to meet your specific needs. Many of these in house crews have only a couple setups that they will do for a room and if your setup doesn’t fit that preset, tough.
The only downside is, because their shop is not on site, last minute add ons are difficult if not impossible to do. So make sure you account for everything that is happening and communicate it with your AV company so they can spares for any last minute add ons you may want.
Good points! I know my last couple jobs have had "partner" companies that were similar to us in each major metropolitan area. So if we had a pop up request beyond the backup gear we packed, we could still get it from a warehouse less than an hour away. (And there's always the wholesale rental houses like Rentex)
Yeah, the main company for most hotels literally got the exclusive contract by bribing the hell out of all of the hotel owners/executives. And they were so notoriously shitty that they bought a smaller company a few years ago, just so they could change their name to the smaller company’s name and attempt to sidestep lots of the bad reputation.
HVAC, most maintenance check ups are scams. Very little in residential air conditioner/heat pumps needs any up keep. All the motors are sealed and you're better off not putting gauges on a system unless there's an actual issue.
Change the air filter every three months, and in the spring shut off the outside unit, and hose off the coil fins of any debris trying not to spray anything electrical looking. Wait a couple hours and turn it back on. YouTube probably has videos.
I would add water softeners to this. Just installed one for a mate and bloody hell they're so low maintenance. Step one, add salt. That's it.
I know of three other people that are locked in to maintenance contracts for the next three years
Can I pester you with a question? Feel free to tell me to get bent because I know your time is worth money and this is just the internet. We have a new Trane system that was flawless when it was first put in, but over the past five months the blower has started making louder and louder vibration noises. Almost like it's slightly off balance. If it was an older system I wouldn't think twice, but it was dead quiet at first, just the sound of moving air pretty much.
Part of me wants to open up the cabinet and just see if there's some sort of vibration pad that's gotten loose, but I also don't want to to void a warranty, or something. It seems so trivial a thing. We live in the boonies and a service call is pretty onerous for a tech. I thought maybe there could be balancing weights, like a car wheel or a lawnmower blade, but your comment about motors being sealed is making me think twice.
Opening up the panel to the blower area won't void the warranty. ( not that I would tell anyone you opened it, because disreputable companies will make a stink even though its legal.)
It's possible a mounting bolt came loose (simple fix). There isn't anything to balance on any of the blowers I've ever worked on. So that leaves a bearing going bad in the motor. Or the set-up being out of balance and it destroyed the bearing. Either way, you should put in a call to a company that is authorized to do warranty work on Trane. If your not sure call their 1-800 number and ask them to recommend someone in your area.
Now, if they recommend only replacing the motor I would ABSOLUTELY make them show you the blower running after they replace the motor. So you can see for yourself that the blower isn't out of balance. I've known way to many lazy mechanics that would just replace the motor, because replacing the whole cage is a royal PITA.
Thank you. It's a new construction and the builder seems to generally pick really good subs, and I'm pretty sure whoever installed it did the entire house, so they should be familiar with it. I'll give them a call.
ITT: shit tons of IT people. does anyone on lemmy not work in IT? yikes
The big populating event was Reddit shutting down API service (about a year ago, happy first cake day to me). Most people don't know what that is. A lot of people don't get what federation is, either.
I fully hope and expect that normies will appear as it grows, but for now it's people nerdy enough to know why we should care.
IT folks are exactly the people who will be early adoptors of technology. If lemmy can start growing to something approaching an early majority, then we'll see a big shift in the demographic of the user base. Unfortunately, that's a huge gap in expansion.
Well, I’m just an anti-capitalist non-tech person. I barely know anything about what most people seem to consider basic tech knowledge. Fuck that weird pedo ceo of Reddit, fuck that company, fuck corporate greed in general. I’m just here to avoid being forced to take ankther company’s vampiric bullshit.
Fair enough, glad you're here!
I'm currently in the medical field but "IT" is one of my nicknames 💀 every new place I work I try to hide it but I just impulsively fix shit and then end up being expected to fix shit
Geologist checking in.
Although, I don't know what LTP means in this context. In my world, it's "Long Term Planning".
Life Pro Tip.
I'm in IT also.
I'm one of the few that don't work in tech but it's arguably the hobby I spend the most time (and money) with so I'm not sure if I really count. I work in emergency management & specialized response services.
Fancy way to say you’re on a peak truck!
Set lighting technician here
Brewer
I'm not saying I'm in IT, but I'm tired and read the question and thought, "Why are they asking about printers?"
Theatre tech. Show up on time. Sometimes shows don't take late comers even with a bought ticket. And it's bothering everyone else, artists included.
If the venue has a bar, stay for a drink. Like everyone else, artists (and techs) love to have a drink after a hard day at the office.
Report dev/data analysis/data engineering: if you think data or a report is wrong tell us exactly what information is wrong, exactly what report/code you ran, exactly what filters you selected, and exactly what you are using to compare that information. Second thing: no we can't just ”make the data different", we pull the data in the database. If it is "wrong" it is upstream of us, we need to find the root issue.
From when I worked in IT:
-In your ticket, do not give a vague description and a time you want the problem fixed and then expect anything to get fixed. Often times we very much need to work with you directly to understand your problem thoroughly to investigate and fix it thoroughly.
-If you have some weird problem, it might be just as weird to us when we first look at it. We are not omniscient. What we are good at is researching possible fixes, applying them, and measuring the effect they have in actually solving your problem.
-If we didn't install it, don't expect we know anything about it. You might really like to install and use Fusion 360 over AutoCAD or something, but that doesn't mean I know where Fusion 360 is storing its configurations, or that I have a phone number to call to get support from that company as a vendor, or that I have ever troubleshot this application.
-If you're really nice to us, we might be able to offer you suggestions for problems on personal computers, but sorry, we cant usually touch it, especially if we are outsourced IT. The moment we touch your personal computer it opens us to a shitload of liabilities and it could lose me my job.
-We understand very much that typically the only time you're talking to us is when you're mad because some shit is preventing you from working, but we don't want that either so don't be mad at us about it, we would prefer you never had to put in a ticket for anything except configuration change requests.
-Pay attention to our recommendations. If we say you have to have your laptop on at a certain time of day weekly for updates, we aren't just asking for our benefit, we're asking this because if you ignore it, eventually when you power on your laptop, windows is going to force all those updates to push at once and suddenly you'll be without your computer when you're supposed to be doing an important presentation because its going to take 4 hours for a years worth of updates to apply. We have little control over this.
I work at a gas station—take note of your damn pump number.
Like everyone else, I get distracted and forget to do this. Then I look out at my car while standing at the register. Naturally, the numbers are not visible from this location...
Indeed.
Can you just check on the camera. Yeah, the blue car. No not that one, the other one.
"It's the one at the end."
Turns out it's Pump #2, not Pump #1...
I do concrete work. Every video you see of someone or something walking into super wet concrete it really doesn't matter. That's a 5 minute fix. Cars going into it though you have to figure out how to get the car out.
I'm really surprised by that. The last guy I worked with made such a big deal about putting up temporary guards. I think he just wanted to get in another hour or so of work.
Normally when you finish placing the concrete you always have extra in the truck. So we pour out a pile or fill up the wheel barrow with extra. So say a dog walks in it and the concrete is still really wet. You just grab some of the extra concrete with a shovel, toss it out into the holes, and run the bull float over it again. Concrete guys are really good at tossing something from a shovel and hitting their target haha.
Barricades are nice to just stop people from doing it in the first place but unless you're doing some solid barricades you always have someone who ignores them.
When the concrete is pretty hard but still wet enough to leave tracks is when it's more difficult to fix.
Tech. Everyone felt overwhelmed when they started, like they'd never be able to catch up, like they were in over their head. It's not just you. We all went through it.
Does it generally get better by the second decade? Lol only kind of half joking
Tax Accountant in U.S.
You don’t need a CPA (and I say this AS a CPA). Don’t get me wrong, if a CPA’s primary experience is in tax, they will do just fine. But you don’t NEED one. Even if your tax situation is complex. An Enrolled Agent (or EA) goes through a rigorous testing process and is run by the IRS. A CPA also goes through a rigorous testing process but it’s 4 parts and only one is tax. An EA exam is 3 parts and it’s ALL tax. So if your tax situation IS complex I recommend one or the other…but an EA is highly qualified and often times less expensive.
All that said… neither is necessary but make sure your tax preparer is at least certified and either is required to take annual continuing education or does so regardless. Tax laws change all the time. EAs and CPAs have CPE requirements…so if ur preparer isn’t one of those, make sure they’re still learning the new stuff. All a person needs to file another persons tax return is a number called a PTIN and literally anyone can pay a fee and get one.
And if you can handle filing yourself (which the vast majority can easily do, and I would rather they do so because why throw your money away if you don’t have to) the IRS is expanding their guided free file program for 2024 to the whole United States (it was in limited testing for 2023) and many states are expected to sign on so you can get fed and state taxes filed for free. IRS.gov has more info on all that.
...what's a CPA?
Certified public accountant
Tech, specifically AI automation. My LPT is that most services are just using GPT4 in some capacity. Automated workflows are not plug and play, credentials expire, variables change, limits are exceeded, etc. Rather than pay a random company to build and maintain something for you, you can save a shit ton by just hiring someone in-house who knows Zapier or Make and having them build the workflow you need.
So I typed out a long reply with helpful tips and everything but Lemmy broke and I couldn't send that, and I really can't be arsed again, this is already too much effort.
Massage/Wellness: your posture sucks and your back hurts all the time because you have a flabby gut and no ass. Get to exercising.
IT: Rebooting a device is sometimes the only legit troubleshoot step.
But we decide when this is truly the last trump card.
Actually, just please try rebooting before you call me, though.
Or "power cycling" as we say, because we enjoy complicating simple things
Did you remember to clear your cookies and cache?
IT
Scripting menial tasks isn't that hard. You can learn basic shit pretty easy. It's a nice little dopamine hit when you get even something small that works. Make your computer work for you, not against you.
Also, Excel. If you have to use Excel at all in your job, learn the basics of formulas, formatting, and tables. It will take you maybe a day, and your excel shit will look 100x nicer, and work 100x better than whatever the fuck you are doing now.
I found out last year there's an entire Microsoft Excel World Championship and my mind was blown.
https://youtu.be/QwNoFOUiSiE
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://piped.video/QwNoFOUiSiE
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
I have to do project management in my industry.
Make the big decisions first and focus on pain points/fatal flaws with stakeholders and subject matter experts. I've seen cases where projects go through several redesigns because the PM focused on easy design tasks first, then it turned out a later design task caused the early design tasks to need to be redone.
Ask people why certain decisions are being made. Keep these discussions one on one. You can often tell by the quality of the answer how good the reasoning is.
I'm in the museum sector.
Never pick something up to move it until you've seen the place where you're moving the thing and it's clear of junk.
It's safer to make two trips instead of one. It's safer to make three trips instead of two.
The best thing you can do for something old that looks like it's slowly falling apart is usually to leave it alone.
A lot of people who come into the museum do that, do they?
It's okay to not start in your ideal job on day one and to take sideways shifts to get closer to it. I went from phone monkey in a call centre, to a letter monkey, to a software tester, to a software business analyst (all at the same company), to a software product owner, to a software product manager. I gravitated back towards my stronger IT oriented passions over time.
King of England. Please don't visit the Palace, there's literally nothing to see.
If you're going to see the show and spot me in a side booth, please don't heckle. Yes she knows. Yes of course she knows. Yes he's a prick. Yes your money is being wasted on us, but we're all you've got in terms of benevolent rich people so live with it.
pirate: My dreams concern ccy off ramps. Remote work is our future.
At all costs, never ever answer any kyc/aml questions:
The truth is vastly overrated concept.
openssl rand -hex 20<-- memorize this. Adjusting integer affects output length. Try it now. Now try is 20 times in a row. This is your name and password generator. My name is a71fe7b7ec46e0ae0a191004509af262cb2bbe99Outing your identity has HUGE financial and legal repercussions. Not outting your own identity saves on: stress, time, filling out forms, and you can keep your income and house (a motel is insurance). There will be fees to be paid to ccy off ramps, but they are nothing in comparison.
If anyone insists, insist they give you their credit card. Then keep it. This is an important life lesson. Anyone can be de-systemed. And as soon as you internalize that ... the better. If you are not de-systemed, consider yourself de-systemed. Plan accordingly. I know folks who are de-systemed.
Make a telegram group for onboarding. Create invite links as needed. Then no need to exchange phone numbers. I'm ok with Russia viewing my communications. In fact, that's hilarious. Could use e2e encryption. Boris is busy anyway.
If you talk about coding always, you'll become immune to censorship. Normies brains cannot withstand such punishment. They'll find someone else to censor.
What? I can read the words but it's not making much sense to me.
I mean, what's not to understand?
This entire thing reads like a Trump speech
Are you having a fucking stroke mate?
CCY = Currency KYC = Know Your Customer AML = Anti-Money Laundering
lol telegram