Things that annoy you...

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Yes GB. I've heard and read that so many times . . . Unfortunately that is the reason given almost every time. It is utter BS and hides the real reason -- they just like to make noise. On the H-D forums they brag about setting off car alarms by revving their engines in parking garages and along streets I have ridden motorcycles for 55 years, since I was 17 yrs old. I've owned over 60 bikes -- one time I had 10 bikes -- I know, I was crazy then. I mostly owned Japanese bikes, but also a few German, a few Italian, and a few American bikes -- each and every one with stock exhaust. I like quiet. Imagine if every one who rode a motorcycle (or even a very small car) used loud noise to announce their presence on the road -- what a shitty loud world that would be. Riding a bike just requires you to be careful and proactively watch others in traffic -- in other words, ride defensively. And no matter how careful you are, it is dangerous. I was never an ATGATT rider (all the gear, all the time) but I did always wear a full helmet, jeans, gloves, and a sturdy MC jacket -- no small feat living, here in the Sonoran Desert. I recently gave it up, realizing that I made it this far sometimes by sheer luck alone.

(BTW, I never wore the "land pirate" costume that most H-D riders wear. I even used to wear my Kawasaki MC jacket while riding my H-D. Needless to say I was shunned by the H-D loyalists. Oh well.)
Thank you for that post.

I was seeing a motorbike enthusiast for a bit (he had a collection of 50+ vintage motorbikes, and they were all something better than an H-D, according to him, at least), and he had told me something along those lines: that the noise was more about showing off. Which, to be fair, car enthusiasts rev the engine too.



In fairness I sometimes shout random rubbish when I'm walking - purely to warn sleepy-looking oncoming pedestrians of my presence of course, it's not like I'm completely bonkers or anything



Many years ago, I worked with an organization that had a motorcycle ride for charity, and I spoke to a lot of the riders afterwards about why some of them had very loud motorcycles.

They explained that, (at least for some of them), it was for safety reasons because some drivers don't notice motorcycles on the roads, so they feel invisible, and that's dangerous for them. They prefer the bike to be loud so that cars will hear them, and they won't get hit by other drivers who can't see them.



Have a family member with a Harley and it's loud but not near as loud as some and I give him crap about owning a POS all the time. These are some of my least favorite people on the road and there are a lot of people vying for that title. I've heard that reasoning for loud bikes also but I'm not buying it. The same folks who feel it's dangerous, are worried about safety are also riding without helmets 95% of the time. Is safety the reason they feel the need to gun it on a 25 mph street? Or is to let EVERYBODY in the neighborhood know they're here? So annoying.



Thank you for that post.

I was seeing a motorbike enthusiast for a bit (he had a collection of 50+ vintage motorbikes, and they were all something better than an H-D, according to him, at least), and he had told me something along those lines: that the noise was more about showing off. Which, to be fair, car enthusiasts rev the engine too.
Don't get me wrong. I think H-Ds are good motorcycles -- I've owned 6 of them over the years. Three Softails, two Sportsters, and a Buell (well, an H-D Sportster engine at least). I think they are beautiful bikes. It's just that I don't like the guys who ride them. But then again, I don't like motorcyclists in general. Maybe I just don't like people . . .

My biggest complaints about H-D owners:

- You have to wear the "land pirate" costume (NO HELMET ALLOWED!).
- You have to ride slow in a big herd (a rolling road block)
- You have to have loud pipes.
- You have to deride Japanese motorcycles using terms like "rice burner" or "Jap bike".
- You never ride too far -- mostly bar to bar.
- You must have the most forward controls so it looks like you're riding in your grandpa's living room lounge chair.

I'm not real keen on the sport bikers either. They're just friggin nuts.



Don't get me wrong. I think H-Ds are good motorcycles -- I've owned 6 of them over the years. Three Softails, two Sportsters, and a Buell (well, an H-D Sportster engine at least). I think they are beautiful bikes. It's just that I don't like the guys who ride them. But then again, I don't like motorcyclists in general. Maybe I just don't like people . . .

My biggest complaints about H-D owners:

- You have to wear the "land pirate" costume.
- You have to ride in a big herd.
- You have to have loud pipes.
- You have to deride Japanese motorcycles using terms like "rice burner" or "Jap bike".
Indeed. Nor was I necessarily getting at you not liking them. It was more that the man I was seeing wasn’t a fan. But, not being a motorbike enthusiast myself, I can’t remember which motorbikes he did like.



Indeed. Nor was I necessarily getting at you not liking them. It was more that the man I was seeing wasn’t a fan. But, not being a motorbike enthusiast myself, I can’t remember which motorbikes he did like.
I know you weren't. I have to admit that, of the 60+ bikes I've owned, none were collectors items. I just rode them. For a while. Till I got tired of it -- then I sold it and bought another one. I almost always bought used so I never really spent too much money overall.



I know you weren't. I have to admit that, of the 60+ bikes I've owned, none were collectors items. I just rode them. For a while. Till I got tired of it -- then I sold it and bought another one. I almost always bought used so I never really spent too much money overall.
There you go. Very different philosophy from that guy’s, but admittedly one closer to my heart.



There you go. Very different philosophy from that guy’s, but admittedly one closer to my heart.
Thanks. I do have a strange philosophy about vehicles though, be it motorcycles, cars, or trucks -- my current ride is a no-frills 2009 Ford F150 pickup: "They are just things. If I get tired of a thing, I'll sell it and get a new thing." A lot of my motorcyclist pals just shake their head when I say that -- they love their motorcycle and could never sell it. Meh!

To further bore people, later today I will post a few pics of my favorite motorcycles that I've owned. This will probably be most annoying to people, so it will be a good fit in this thread.

The last motorcycle I owned, which I sold last year, was a 2017 Kawasaki ZX-14R SE.



The sudden recent-ish popularity of girl names ending with “i”. I can understand “Naomi” as it’s always been like that, but I now work with a 23-year-old-ish Mari, there is also an Ami client side. What on Earth is up with that?
I don't know when this started, but it was something girls defiinitely did in the 80's, as well as the reverse of the one you mention, as well as doubling/and or swapping C's and K's. But few of them kept those versions into adulthood or officially adopted it. Maybe that's the bit which has changed?

Or maybe it's a version/extension of something like this?

https://www.thecut.com/2022/08/why-w...b-global-en-GB
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I don't know when this started, but it was something girls defiinitely did in the 80's, as well as the reverse of the one you mention, as well as doubling/and or swapping C's and K's. But few of them kept those versions into adulthood or officially adopted it. Maybe that's the bit which has changed?

Or maybe it's a version/extension of something like this?

https://www.thecut.com/2022/08/why-w...b-global-en-GB
What a hilarious article (though the headline made me flinch, not gonna lie). But on a serious note, yes, you’re right I think. Still, I really feel for those Amis and Maris.



...
I'm not real keen on the sport bikers either. They're just friggin nuts.
Yeah, the sports bikes and bikers are the ones that bug me. The riders all have a death wish, and seemingly aren't happy unless they're accelerating and winding the engine up as high and as fast as it will go. They must have a tremendous casualty rate.

The sports bikes are even louder than a stock M-C. They can be heard from a mile away. Very annoying.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Dirty computer key boards! Gosh my was gross! It was caked with dust, cat hair, gray stuff! and salsa too!

I just cleaned it today but it won't stay that way.

I don't know if they still make them, but I used to have a clear keyboard cover that was like a skin, that was made for my specific keyboard so it covered the keys perfectly. It was great because I could just take it off, wash it, dry it, and put it back on the keyboard.

After a few minutes, it was like having a brand new keyboard again, and I never had to worry about spills, crumbs, dust, or anything else getting into the keyboard.
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OPEN FLOOR.



I just clicked on a link to "33 life hacks" and was taken to a list.

Over 50% of these hacks were ads for devices & products with links to them (...many of them expensive). In other words, the list was a bunch of commercials disguising themselves as life hacks.

Now, if you have to go buy a new & expensive product designed for a specific purpose... THAT is not a "life hack". That defies the very definition of this relatively new term which usually means cheap or free ways to accomplish something, usually using items you already have but which may not be intended for that purpose, in a way that's quicker & easier than the traditional, standard or expensive way of doing it.

And the "hack" that caught my eye was using tin foil on a door knob to paint around it. This was ridiculous. Granted, it's difficult to put masking tape on the thin base (flash plate) of a doorknob, but that's the part your paint brush is most likely to hit - it would be more difficult to try to wrap that part in foil with a sealed edge that paint wouldn't go under.

The best method for painting around door knobs is to watch your bristles closely, angle your brush so it won't hit the knob, and go slowly so you don't get paint on the knob parts.



I know for sure that somewhere in my Victorian house is a small bag of Velcro which is useful to have. Is that bag where it’s been forever? No. Where else could it be? No idea.

The other day I came across the combination for our safe. We have it written down in different secret spots, but I was very surprised to find it in a place I never would have looked. I sometimes wonder about me.
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Queuing to use a website... Currently waiting to submit electric and gas readings and for the first time I'm in a queue that is going to take an hour...

Because of high volume apparently...



Queuing to use a website... Currently waiting to submit electric and gas readings and for the first time I'm in a queue that is going to take an hour...

Because of high volume apparently...
You guys submit your own readings? Don’t you have meters that send this info to the providers?