Useless Conversation

[Ingmar]

Flooring it to get up to speed fucks your gas mileage up and ruins my mileage watching game!

[Paelos]

Toyota owners...I don't know what your problem is, but Get.  Out.  Of.  My.  Way.  Seriously, why so damn slow?

Hi! I drive the speed limit. Sorry it's hampering your ability to break the law. Have a nice day.

You don't drive in the left lane oblivious to reality there grandpa.

[Fraeg]

Toyota owners...I don't know what your problem is, but Get.  Out.  Of.  My.  Way.  Seriously, why so damn slow?

Hi! I drive the speed limit. Sorry it's hampering your ability to break the law. Have a nice day.

Toyota driver here.  I think this whole topic can be summed up by a brilliant George Carlin bit that went something like this:

"Ever notice when you are driving that anyone driving faster than you is a goddamn maniac, and anyone driving slower than you is a fucking idiot?"

Seriously though, if you are in the left hand lane and you have a line of cars behind you, get the fuck in the slow lane.  Oh and turnouts, if you have a string of 10+ cars behind you while driving up highway 1 in CA, when the sign says "slower traffic please use turnouts".... Use the fucking turnout. 

I can *get* people who just drive exactly the speed limit, if that your bag, fine.  Provided you don't drive in the left lane and/or use the turnouts.   What I can't *get* is the self made speed police who might cruise at say 5 miles over the speed limit with the attitude that "I am driving a reasonable amount over the speed limit, anyone who wants to go even a little bit faster than me is clearly a danger to themselves and must be cock blocked"... who the fuck are you to decide just how much illegal speeding is OK?  My friends wife does this, and at this point I simply don't drive anywhere with her at the wheel.

[ghost]

I would add to this that if you see me driving in the fast lane and there is a line of cars a mile long bumper to bumper in front of me please don't tailgate me an inch off my bumper.  You're not going anywhere soon. 

[Fraeg]

I would add to this that if you see me driving in the fast lane and there is a line of cars a mile long bumper to bumper in front of me please don't tailgate me an inch off my bumper.  You're not going anywhere soon. 

oh that is a good one to.  No, I can't dematerialize and re-appear ahead of that line of cars, I don't have a tardis, just a previa.

[Sand]

Toyota owners...I don't know what your problem is, but Get.  Out.  Of.  My.  Way.  Seriously, why so damn slow?

Hi! I drive the speed limit. Sorry it's hampering your ability to break the law. Have a nice day.

Toyota driver here.  I think this whole topic can be summed up by a brilliant George Carlin bit that went something like this:

"Ever notice when you are driving that anyone driving faster than you is a goddamn maniac, and anyone driving slower than you is a fucking idiot?"

Seriously though, if you are in the left hand lane and you have a line of cars behind you, get the fuck in the slow lane.  Oh and turnouts, if you have a string of 10+ cars behind you while driving up highway 1 in CA, when the sign says "slower traffic please use turnouts".... Use the fucking turnout. 

I can *get* people who just drive exactly the speed limit, if that your bag, fine.  Provided you don't drive in the left lane and/or use the turnouts.   What I can't *get* is the self made speed police who might cruise at say 5 miles over the speed limit with the attitude that "I am driving a reasonable amount over the speed limit, anyone who wants to go even a little bit faster than me is clearly a danger to themselves and must be cock blocked"... who the fuck are you to decide just how much illegal speeding is OK?  My friends wife does this, and at this point I simply don't drive anywhere with her at the wheel.

 

[Cheddar]

Seriously though, if you are in the left hand lane and you have a line of cars behind you, get the fuck in the slow lane.  Oh and turnouts, if you have a string of 10+ cars behind you while driving up highway 1 in CA, when the sign says "slower traffic please use turnouts".... Use the fucking turnout. 

I can *get* people who just drive exactly the speed limit, if that your bag, fine.  Provided you don't drive in the left lane and/or use the turnouts.   What I can't *get* is the self made speed police who might cruise at say 5 miles over the speed limit with the attitude that "I am driving a reasonable amount over the speed limit, anyone who wants to go even a little bit faster than me is clearly a danger to themselves and must be cock blocked"... who the fuck are you to decide just how much illegal speeding is OK?  My friends wife does this, and at this point I simply don't drive anywhere with her at the wheel.

I don't want a ticket along the gauntlet run?  I go between 7-10 MPH above the speed limit amongst 10 miles of my route (depending on line of cars behind me).  Going into the right lane means I have to deal with assholes like you not allowing me to merge back in  8 miles up the road.  Because your time is so precious.

Seriously, is that 2 minutes savings on your travel helping?  And yes, complete Toyota fan here.

[Paelos]

I don't care how fast or slow people are going in the left lane anymore. The only thing that bothers me now is people who just drive next to a car and don't pass or slow down. Seriously, who the fuck just sidles a car for 2 miles? How is that not at all just stupid and creepy on so many levels? There's nothing in front of you and you're going to just ride next to each other for minutes at a time? Plus it seems to happen more when it's dark. I assure you it never gets so dark that I don't notice some weirdo had been riding next to me for a mile for no reason. Do you not look over and think, wow that's odd? Maybe if it's a chick I might give you 30s or so to take a few quick glances to see if she might be hot. But a couple minutes? She better be fucking hot, chief, cause if she's not you're wasting about 10 people's time with your antics.

[Nebu]

You guys make me so glad that I live in a college town where I can ride my bike to work.   

[Furiously]

I like having a son that when I ask, do you want to walk to the store or drive picks walking.

[Sand]

I like having a son that when I ask, do you want to walk to the store or drive picks walking.

Thats cause he smoking a bowl while walking and doesnt want to get busted.

[Salamok]

My commute bitch. Driving at or below the speed limit in the left hand lane. Who then REFUSE to move to the right lane when its clear, forcing me to pass them on the right.
If I had a instantaneous vaporizing death ray attached to the front of my car I would use it on these people mercilessly.

Worse are the turds tailgating in the right lane and cockblocking all traffic trying to either merge on the freeway or switch lanes to get off the freeway.  80% of the people they are so friggen paranoid about letting in front of them are only going to be there for the moment it takes to move over to the next lane.

[Chimpy]

Fun fact: a vast preponderance of people drive like assholes and/or dipshits.

[ghost]

You guys make me so glad that I live in a college town where I can ride my bike to work.   

I live in Texas where they shoot you for walking.

[Sky]

Fun fact: a vast preponderance of people drive like assholes and/or dipshits.

And they get angry when you do not.

[Nebu]

I live in Texas where they shoot you for walking.

People still try to run me off the road while riding or running.  I'm not sure what all the aggression is about.  Every time I challenge them to get out of their car and discuss it, they keep right on going.   

[Merusk]

I live in Texas where they shoot you for walking.

People still try to run me off the road while riding or running.  I'm not sure what all the aggression is about.  Every time I challenge them to get out of their car and discuss it, they keep right on going.   

Doing either marks you as one of the three primary enemies of the great state of Texas.  The poor, the immigrant and the Liberal.

[Yegolev]

I see a lot of new domain names as they are set up for my previous company, and the one I found today is my new favorite: pantsorprizes.drpepper.co.uk

[ghost]

When my wife lived in Dallas for a couple of years near Whiterock Lake some jackass driver got roadrage and ran over a cyclist and killed him.  There are actually a ton of cyclists near where I live, but I'm a bit anxious about getting on the road with some of these weirdos.  I restrict my cycling to mountain biking almost exclusively.  Walking, however, is not an option where I live.  It's almost like they've deliberately set up the roads to discourage pedestrian behavior. 

[Nebu]

Walking, however, is not an option where I live.  It's almost like they've deliberately set up the roads to discourage pedestrian behavior. 

Funny thing about the south... most places consider bike lanes and sidewalks to be a waste of taxpayer money.  Then they wonder why obesity is so commonplace. 

[WayAbvPar]

Walking, however, is not an option where I live.  It's almost like they've deliberately set up the roads to discourage pedestrian behavior. 

Funny thing about the south... most places consider bike lanes and sidewalks to be a waste of taxpayer money.  Then they wonder why obesity is so commonplace. 

Even funnier thing about the south...a lot of people consider it to be a waste of taxpayer money.

[NowhereMan]

When I was in Georgia the only pavements I saw were in Atlanta and outside shopping centres. It confused me when I wanted to walk somewhere (and then was informed the nearest shop to get milk was about 6 miles away but that this was still in the same 'town' )

[bhodi]

Funny thing about the south... most places consider bike lanes and sidewalks to be a waste of taxpayer money.  Then they wonder why obesity is so commonplace. 

I know you're being snarky, but I was pretty sure there is growing evidence that obesity was caused from diet, specifically way too many carbohydrates including sugar, not lack of exercise?

[ghost]

Funny thing about the south... most places consider bike lanes and sidewalks to be a waste of taxpayer money.  Then they wonder why obesity is so commonplace. 

I know you're being snarky, but I was pretty sure there is growing evidence that obesity was caused from diet, specifically way too many carbohydrates including sugar, not lack of exercise?

I think it's still not decided and probably stems from a bit of both.  How much of each is still up for debate.  I personally tend to fall into the "too many carbohydrates, not lack of exercise" pool.  There's so much we don't understand about how this stuff works.  A good example of our lack of understanding is the much higher rate of cardiovascular problems in people that sit in front of monitors/televisions for more than 3-4 hours per day regardless of activity level.  There are factors besides activity that don't jive. 

[Paelos]

Obesity stems from being dumb, entitled, and lazy. Things we have in full force down here.

[Fraeg]

I don't want a ticket along the gauntlet run?  I go between 7-10 MPH above the speed limit amongst 10 miles of my route (depending on line of cars behind me).  Going into the right lane means I have to deal with assholes like you not allowing me to merge back in  8 miles up the road.  Because your time is so precious.

Seriously, is that 2 minutes savings on your travel helping?  And yes, complete Toyota fan here.

Ok, I am having a hard time following you here.  People not letting you get back into the left lane by ignoring your left hand turn signal are simply assholes, and I don't see where I fit into that.   My whole point on this subject is simply this:  if there are people who clearly want to go faster then you, get in the right hand lane and let them pass, then get back into the left once they pass.. rinse and repeat.  And the above applies to turnouts.   

[Sky]

Depends on the road, too. On a highway I do my best to stay right, I normally don't have to worry about passing people :) In the city, I stay left to allow people to turn out on the right lane, the left lane is the 'through' lane. In that case, you'll have to do your speeding by passing me on the right.

Another gripe I have, people who pass on the right (illegally, not passing in the right lane). Good way to kill someone so you can save a few seconds waiting for someone to make a left turn. Can't count the amount of times I come into an intersection to make a left with a car opposite waiting to make a left. At that point, we both have right-of-way to make our lefts. But you'll get people illegally passing on the right shoulder to get around him, good way to get t-boned. I've almost been hit many times that way, and often the other car doesn't even bother using his right-of-way during my turn...because people are illegally passing me on the right, too.

[Cyrrex]

Another gripe I have, people who pass on the right (illegally, not passing in the right lane).

In some parts of Europe, passing on the right even on the freeway/highway is illegal, and I'm a big fan of such laws.  It's sort of an unwritten etiquette in the US that nobody pays attention to, and it's hella dangerous.  When people have true lane discipline, when passing is only ever done on the left, the freeway is much safer...even at high speeds and when there are discrepancies in speed.  It's really quite remarkable.

[Merusk]

So I was listening to Talk of the Nation as I went shopping for more interview shirts and the following question doesn't have a big enough facepalm. They were discussing nuclear power in the us in the light of the problems in Japan and the caller said he was an engineer (and after this question I'm thinking Locomotive..)  and concerned about nuclear power.  Not because of the risk of a radiation event, but because "it's my understanding that they produce a lot of excess heat because they're so inefficient.  Why aren't we worried about this heat being released into the atmosphere if we're so concerned about global warming?!  That's a lot of heat nobody's talking about"

 

[Samwise]

In some parts of Europe, passing on the right even on the freeway/highway is illegal, and I'm a big fan of such laws.

So when somebody is doing 30MPH in the very left hand lane, the entire freeway legally has to slow to 30MPH?

[ghost]

In some parts of Europe, passing on the right even on the freeway/highway is illegal, and I'm a big fan of such laws.

So when somebody is doing 30MPH in the very left hand lane, the entire freeway legally has to slow to 30MPH?

This is grounds for being able to mount a cow catcher on your car. 

[Furiously]

I like having a son that when I ask, do you want to walk to the store or drive picks walking.

Thats cause he smoking a bowl while walking and doesnt want to get busted.

He knows better than to play with matches at four.

[Merusk]

So I need a little advice on how to tell someone, "Thanks, but no thanks," on a job offer.  Much as I was initially hyped to have the Chicago job lead, they sent me their offer today.  An 8% pay cut with a max bonus of 6% of total pay.  Add that on to moving to a city with a 10% higher cost of living, 23% more expensive housing, no relocation assistance and wanting me to start in 5 days it's a non-starter IMO.   Plus I've got another local interview, have begun doing some non-profit work to get networking and some temporary work is being fed to me here.

I've never had to actually turn down a job before.  No idea whatsoever how to do it or where to even begin crafting a response.  (I figure calling, then writing a follow-up is best.)

[Ingmar]

You may not necessarily want to give up on it entirely, if they want you enough they will sweeten the pot. Leave the door a crack open when you turn them down, I think, and make sure they know you like the job (if this is true) but the numbers aren't quite adding up.

[Paelos]

You may not necessarily want to give up on it entirely, if they want you enough they will sweeten the pot. Leave the door a crack open when you turn them down, I think, and make sure they know you like the job (if this is true) but the numbers aren't quite adding up.

Yep, this is your chance to actively negotiate an offer you would think fair.