RANT!!

Stinkie · 1 Sept 2011, 19:55

This makes me angry. I will eternally blame the Bush administration for creating a moral void that made atrocities like these possible. And no, I am not an 'anti-American'. I simply object to that particular and volatile combination of imperialism, cynicism, and aggression brought to the world stage by Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld et al.

I sincerely hope the next US president won't be a Tea Party-backed neocon hawk. Although the momentum Bush and his cronies profited from has, I think, passed.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/31/2384542/wikileaks-iraqi-children-in-us.html

solo · 15 Sept 2011, 14:09

An Anti-Rant...

I contacted my local representative who is the Republican Sam Johnson regarding an issue I'm irate about. I tried to make sure my letter was respectful as I wanted him to actually read and not just discard it.

To my delight he actually read it, and gave me an answer, here I was thinking these guys don't listen.

Sure his answer is very partisan and in line with the popular Tea party ideology, but nevertheless he took the time to explain his stance to a democrat that in no way can help or hurt his cause.

Kudo's to you sir.

EscapeArtist · 17 Sept 2011, 00:27

/off rant for a sec -

Potentially useful information about contacting your Senator or Congress person / voicing your opinion through official channels:

Do not contact any representative other than your own
Do not send a "chain" or "form" email
Always include a visible return address

If you write a rep of whom you are not a constituent, the message is discarded. He/She does not represent you. Chain and form emails are not read. They are discarded. Failure to include a return address means that the message will be discarded. Usually these are nasty letters or from a non-constituent.

The office interns read the mail, notes are taken and the information is forwarded to the representative - so be assured, the material is read and does reach them if the above guidelines are met.

The nuttiest and funniest letters are posted on the intern's break room fridge for the enjoyment of all.

*Source: My wife was a Senate intern.

/back to rant

boofredlay · 30 Sept 2011, 20:25

So I have started playing my trumpet again. I have 4 nice horns but have always wanted to get another pro Bb and possibly a C trumpet. I pretty much know if I do it will be a Yamaha Xeno. 3 of my 4 horns are Yamaha's and they just feel right. However, there is another brand I have always admired from a distance, mainly due to the beauty of the finish. The ZeuS horns look great and I am told play beautifully (as they should, they are made by Kanstul). This is the one I was considering.

I digress...

Zachary Music is were the Zeus horns are exclusively sold and they are located in Canada just across the river from Detroit. I sent them an email asking:
Is there is a retail site in the US where I can try one of your horns or should I make a road trip to Canada?
That was all I put in my email. No more, no less.

Now, I have heard that the owner of the company that sells them is eccentric and can be a bit of a jerk but I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. The email reply I got went pretty much like this:

@unknownuser said:

You want to try a ZeuS? I hate that. If you just want to try one you are obviously skeptical and should not buy one of my horns. Therefore I won't sell you one and don't want your money.
Yes I can be a dick because I am able to detect idiots pretty quick and it took only 5 min. to figure you out. ZeuS trumpets are not for Idiots and you are an idiot.
Go spend your money on another brand and they might actually pretend to be nice to you.

Needless to say I am not considering a ZeuS trumpet anymore.

Rich O Brien · 30 Sept 2011, 20:30

He must be fun at parties. Think I'll email him about trying out his big flutes

solo · 30 Sept 2011, 20:42

Wanna share his email so we can all send a request for zeus trombone

boofredlay · 30 Sept 2011, 20:45

Band Instruments

Flutes, Clarinets, Saxophones, Trumpets, Trombones

(www.zacharymusic.com)

solo · 30 Sept 2011, 20:56

Gaieus · 30 Sept 2011, 20:57

RANT:

It's Friday night and I am sitting here at the computer, testing all sorts of software and writing up bug reports and feature requests (even worse; making lists and articles for Rich) instead of going out with the buddies for a couple of drinks into my corner bar (you know the place, Rich, already).

Rich O Brien · 30 Sept 2011, 20:59

That felt good

Gaieus · 30 Sept 2011, 21:18

david_h · 30 Sept 2011, 23:18

that brings up a question I have always had. . .when one gets a bug splat or the "your windows program is not responding" thingy on the screen and you have to shut down the whatever program. . .it always asks. .

"Send Bug Report"--where the heck does that go? to Whom and does anybody give a *** when he/she/it gets it?

In my opinion it's like that button you push while waiting to cross the street. It doesn't DO anything, but it makes you feel like you've done something. . . That you have some kind of control. Its a cyber-placebo.

I know this because__I've never once gotten a note back from anybody saying. . ."thank you for taking the time to submit your bug report. We are sure sorry for your (data) loss. We promise. . ..W**E PROMISE!**to get right on this case and get it cleared up so it never ever happens again. . ."

Yeah. . .i'd like to see that. I know cuz I have sent probably 567,914 of these things and not once have I gotten any kind of a thank you note.

Gaieus · 30 Sept 2011, 23:25

It does get sent here and indeed they collect the bugsplats (I have often communicated about my BS's when talking about my bug reports). They just cannot contact everyone as there would be more developers needed than there are users...

david_h · 30 Sept 2011, 23:43

I'm not saying you have to contact everyone. . .

just me.

Gaieus · 1 Oct 2011, 01:08

Well, I can contact you but you won't be any happier regarding BugSplats. Or do you want to talk about them?

solo · 1 Oct 2011, 02:17

Eric,I got a reply....

@unknownuser said:

Zachary Music zacharymusic01@gmail.com Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 4:08 PM

Don’t bother, they are crap. Not good enough for you.

boofredlay · 1 Oct 2011, 02:24

Stinkie · 6 Oct 2011, 07:37

Real estate agents ...

"Dear mr. Real Estate Agent,

I just saw the ad for the 3-storey house you're selling. Looks very nice. Could you please tell how much it costs, how big it is and what its adress is?

Thank you,

Me"

"Dear prospective customer,

Thank you for your email. Please allow me to simply ignore your questions. If you have any more, don't hesitate to contact us. In the meantime, we'll add you to our mailing list. We'll send you countless emails you didn't ask for. Don't bother looking for an 'unsubscribe' link. There isn't one.

Have a nice day,

Mr. Real Estate Agent"

boofredlay · 6 Oct 2011, 21:28

When you do your research, find the website in which you want to order product, see that what you want is "in stock" and you place your order. THEN you get an email saying that one of the items you ordered is out of stock and that you must 1) Wait for all the items to be in stock before shipping or 2) Request your in stock items to be shipped then when the out of stock item is in pay extra shipping.

Thankfully after I explained that it was their error (like they needed to be told) they agreed to ship my partial order now and I not pay extra shipping when the other item comes in. We'll see if my bank statement reflects that promise.

Stinkie · 7 Oct 2011, 07:23

Or ... you don't get an email. Nor a call. I ordered a PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II some time ago. After a week, it still hadn't arrived. So I call the shop. They tell me it's going to take about a month for my printer to be delivered. Which they knew at the time I placed my order. I don't mind waiting - but I do most certainly appreciate being kept in the loop.