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I mark undergraduate lab reports, and this bothers me too. Especially as it is an engineering course, we should use the appropriate SI units. Made worse by the fact I always warn them I will check this and take marks off for any unit that is not the appropriate one for that time. Yes, I agree. Grinds my gears.


I also find it bothersome people still using the imperial system. A pint is fine as it is kind of special (perhaps just because I like a drink). But converting to pounds, inches etc annoys me. And the blank look you get for having your height in metres, rather than feet. I don't mind it from really old people, or even just people old enough to have learned before metric came in, but it does bother me.

Well, this I find confusing: at the petrol station they sell gas in litres. The car computer though still counts it in mpg. I can honestly never remember using gallons in UK, never ever.

Even worse, what about people mixing imperial and metric units to create some ridiculous hybrid? I work in the automotive industry where the standard unit of measure for the quantity of platinum on an exhaust catalyst is grams per cubic foot, and our friends across the Atlantic like to measure emissions in grams per horsepower hour. Makes my stomach turn.

People not being able to convert metric to imperial is a gripe of mine. Most of the aircraft I work on are American, and so use imperial units on all the drawings etc. However, in Europe, if we need stock of electrical cable, we must call it up in metres. This causes chaos because a lot of people here can't convert to Imperial. Or even worse, don't realise that the measurements quoted in the aircraft manual are Imperial, so instead of calling 3 feet of cable, they call 3 metres up [at a cost to the company]. This happens because our stock ordering system is frankly rubbish and just lets you type numbers in, and doesn't add units to what your typing in, so no-one notices that they have called up the wrong amount. For mechanical parts, it's not such a issue because they will be parts manufactured to Boeing/Lockhead/etc standards for that aircraft type and so will be the correct size, and all you need to do is say I need x amount of that part.

We need to covert America to metric, and my job just got easier But that ain't happening...

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The two most powerful warriors are patience and time…so remember: great achievements take time, there is no overnight success.

Sounds like my old job. Lots of the things are built to metric standards but to appease law or because of supplies some stuff was imperial. you'd be building a back end, measuring it out for the lights warning boards etc in metric and have to remember the box along the bottom was 4 inches when you were laying it all out to make sure the height of the ground was right. .

Or some knob jockey fitted a part that took imperial fittings onto a trailer that was all metric or vice versa You would get 6 new clevis pins from the stores heat and bash out the seized ones. 5 new ones would fit and the 6th one you hadn't a hope. Or someone would put the smaller pin into the larger hole giving a lot of unwanted slop .

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

Work colleagues who ask you to help them out, and when you go out of your way to do so, don't respond to your emails regarding the situation they asked for help with, so instead of it being a favour, you have to chase them up. Doubly so more senior members of staff that you can't give a bollocking to.

Also work colleagues that complain about the system of running certain things, so when you change the system to a more organised way, just ignore the new system and still complain about things. And then complain about being reminded about the system in place that would make their life much easier if they bothered to follow its protocol, when they are only being reminded because they aren't doing their job properly

School budgets and how they are handled.

Women who act weird towards you suddenly and drastically, and when you ask them what is wrong reply with 'nothing'. Also women who take the question 'what's wrong?' as the beginning of a particularly boring and convoluted game of 'guess why I'm pissed off with you'.

Fancy dress parties, and the extra effort they take to prepare for. Especially themed fancy dress.

It gets expensive when NASA get their imperial - metric conversions wrong:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter

This infuriates me. People who park like this:




The worst thing is, some of the people I've described this problem to don't see the issue unless I take the effort to explain it to them. Just to be on the safe side, I'll explain here, too:

This is a bay for residents that has enough space for four cars to park in. However, it seems that there are always cars parked like in the photos. These car owners, rather than park up against the end of the bay, choose to leave a space between their car and the end of the bay that is too small for another car to fit in. Consequently, this leaves another space further along the bay which is also too small for a car to fit in. So, a bay that should hold four cars now holds three cars and two small areas of nothing.

The result? fieldstvl usually has a much further walk home than he should because these morons don't understand basic car parking etiquette. And, no, I've never ever ever at any point of the day ever seen a motorbike parked in those little mini-spaces!

Moving into new apartment, having everything bar a sofa, internet and TV... going to buy a sofa and seeing "available for immediate delivery", ordering it, and then being told it'll take 4-5 weeks. The definition of immediate must have changed...

Then ordering Sky and T'interwebz so I can watch F1 and sit on the forums eating ice cream and laughing at funny grammatically incorrect cats... only to be told Sky will be installed this weekend, but internet won't be installed until March 20th! WHAAAAT!!

Bloomin' annoying.

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"You are the universe expressing itself as a Human for a little while..."

Owning a red Micra! That's the crime I see there!

Took a month and a half to install BT at my place, as fibre optics need a "special Engineer"... I felt naked for that month and a half!

Luckily I was near a BT openzone wifi spot, so they gave me a password and I could use that. So maybe it is worth asking them if they do the same (does Sky do mobile wifi spots?)

You wouldn't happen to work at Stansted Airport would you? This is pretty much what I deal with there day in, day out...

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The two most powerful warriors are patience and time…so remember: great achievements take time, there is no overnight success.

...or a blue 106.

I'll go 1 step further and say people who don't have a driveway or garage and have the wrong type of car for their house!

To explain, I used to live on an old Victorian terrace street close to the city center, there was residents only parking on the street so about 2.5m would be a fair space to take up. There was 1 house who had 2 cars, an aygo and a polo, but always parked them well and didn't take up much space. But then there was another house with a grand voyager AND a bloody Nissan Navarro! It was just 2 people as well, no kids or grand kids, I mean really? Who needs those 2 cars living in a small city center house?! And of course being city center permit street, if I couldn't get parked, it was over a km to the nearest place to park for free even though I'd already paid the council a lot of money for the privilage of parking on my street!

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There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

Job worths!

Getting your teenage kid to carry a case of beer to the checkout as you thought a basket would do (well it was on offer )

Getting delayed saying hello to someone and arriving at the checkout just as operator was finishing the sentence, "I can't sell you that, your obviously underage". Poor lad was embarrassed trying to explain I was his dad as I informed the sweet lady that it would be a long time before he could afford beer on the pocket money I gave him due to poor exam results.

I was then FIRMLY told that I could not buy any alcohol at all from the shop, including the red wine in my basket, as I was obviously 'doing a favor' for the local teenagers. Now I have no problems with misunderstandings but her attitude was a red rag to me Cue escalating discussion, many bemused customers in the queue behind me, and a demanding of the managers presence. Manager and security duly arrived and after letting the operator give her side of the affair, with a thick layer of attitude again, I simply showed her my driving licence and my lad showed her his bus pass, completely ignoring the manager..... Silence.

Names and addresses weirdly matched, who'd have thought. I didn't accept the apologies, refused to be served by the operator and refused to move my shopping to another till, but I did take the free cash vouchers offered Whether the manager took on-board my calm comments about customer care, who knows.

Nothing like a good argument when you know you are in the right and can prove it

Victory. Good work my man!

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"You are the universe expressing itself as a Human for a little while..."

Nah, 106 was cool when it came out.

His parking skills are not impressive though!

I know a few who work on the tills in ASDA and it's not really their fault. They are just mushrooms who take the fall if it goes wrong. If someone looks at the transactions and corresponding video they are out of a job.

In our local they aren't supposed to serve friends or family. As you know small places like this means a lot of the customers are friends and family. Things like the healthy start vouchers. If they put through vouchers over the value of accepted items they get pulled on it, even if it is pence apparently. Apparently it's also real bad for them if they don't follow the supposed rules and get caught. I don't think you would want to be responsible for someone losing their job. would you ?

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

If they lost their job because of their own fault, not because of someone else's, then what does it have to do with us? If that lady in Jezick's story was fired because of that, it would be her fault for not getting her facts straight, not Jezick's fault for... what really?

Because the bosses review the videos and the transactions, every till has a camera on it and they are monitored. If they see an operator breaking protocol. I.e. Selling the beer with the minor there in those circumstances they get pulled up on it. If they just went ahead and took the story without questioning it they can get in the shit.

It's not always them being awkward for awkwards sake it's them protecting their jobs. Because if they break the rules set down and don't question the transaction they are the ones that get the fall out from it. Jez has walked on he has his beer but the til operator might be asked questions they cannot answer later.

The wifes aunt is a supervisor in our local ASDA and she's told us some of the shit they can get into in these circumstances if they put the transaction through.

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

It's one thing to do your job properly and another to be overzealous and ending up being an idiot. If she could see the guy and his dad and still didn't believe them but made a fuss instead, then it's no-one else's fault if she got in trouble with her boss.

Because the guy that reviews the video can't see the reason. Thats the problem. They are held to what's on the tape and the transaction history. They can't tell the two are related.

If they get pulled up on it they have nothing to back them up with the story so they get in the shit for it. So they are forced to be over zealous.

It's buy not being over zealous they get into the bother.

It's a situation thats partly brought on by the bosses and partly by the laws over here and I agree it's fecking daft.


But put it this way would you risk losing your job by serving someone who might be buying booze for a minor? Or would you say your job is more important than their booze?

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

Ok, we're getting somewhere now! I am not disagreeing with them being good at their job. Even overzealous if you want. But if she took it further, even after the explanation, then she was pushing it. That's all I am saying. There was a perfectly good explanation for what happened, but she chose not to listen to it but to insult the customer by suggesting that he was buying alcohol for minors, having an attitude as well. I wouldn't feel sorry if she got into trouble for that.

Anyway, we're getting off topic now.


I'll say another annoyance. Waiting for the new car launch that really looks like the old one, no radical new changes (by first looks)!

But if the operator asked the customer to prove that they were related to the minor at the time - rather than cause a fuss and get management involved, then the bosses would see that happening on the video and know that the operator made thorough checks before processing the purchase.

Yes they might be protecting their jobs, but to be rude and aggressive with a customer rather than make further enquiries is not customer service...

Yes it's a rock and a hard place ain't it. But what would the management see on the video? someone showing a credit card sized bus pass. They can't go all CSI and look at the reflections to see what it says

Nah from talking to ones I know it's mental the crap they have to take from above.


Over here we get a thing called "Healthy start vouchers" Basically for ones on benefits with young kids or pregnant and they can be redeemed for fruit, veg, milk and them sort of things. Each voucher is worth £3.20. If someone gets £9 of eligible produce in a long with the rest of their groceries and the customer gives over 3 vouchers (£9.60) They run the risk of being pulled for letting the customer buy non eligible produce with the vouchers. Used to be you just gave them over a handful of vouchers, if you had a load of fruit and veg they took them as long you weren't obviously taking the piss. Now the ones at the till go through the receipt adding up the price of the eligible stuff. Apparently now it gets flagged up on the system. So now we know the ones were getting into trouble for it we try and separate the stuff into two loads so one lot is only the eligible stuff.

I would have thought the same though before I knew ones that worked in the supermarkets.

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

Regarding the above ASDA booze story, they once wouldn't let me buy with my driver's license, but let my friend, who was in the same queue, same operator, eoughyl same selection of booze buy with his provisional. Apparently, they wouldn't take full license, but provisional was fine. Despite being authorised by the exact same governmental organisation. I found it very odd. Admittedly, my brother worked in that ASDA at the time, and they did all get told by management they were to follow that path, but I don't know why. It got repealled very soon after anyway.

Then again, the amount of stupidity and jobs-worthness supermarkets go to, it's strange we don't hear more silly stories (see link)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/mers ... 003325.stm

a year ago my wife got made redundant from her job. Simple redundancy as the position no longer existed. Long story short she elected to take a lower paid job (and some redundancy money) with the same department.

Now the job has been readvertised as they decided they need the role anyway and despite my wife being ther only person in the company to have ever held the job (for two years while doing a great job of it) she has been told there was a better candidate.

Presumably someone did such a storming job in interview that they decided to discount her experience in the job.

All she had to do was ask for proof and lose the attitude. I'd even been ok with her bumping the decision to the floor runner or whoever. It's all about customer service and generally the local ASDA is very good.

You're in Ni. Ever met a store monkey without attitude?

Nah, after hearing some of the crap some have been pulled up for from ones that work in the place, I give them the benefit of the doubt. I know I couldn't stick it without getting grouchy.

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

Another classic in ASDA is
"Do you want any carrier bags?"
"Yes please"

Two bags are duly handed over as I watch the wife unload the FULL trolley

And it's at that moment when you say 'actually, we do want help with our packing!'

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There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

Sorry to hear your wife has been made redundant. Redundancy is never a nice experience. Considering her job was re-advertised, all I can think is that some "consultant" told the company that they could save money by re-advertising the job & employing someone that would be cheaper without taking into account how much experience counts. Happens all the time, unfortunately

I haven't read all of this thread so I don't know if this has been mentioned before but.... one of the things that really annoys me are 3-4 friends/work mates out together walking down the footpath & they take up all the space. I am the sort of person that knows where I am going & likes to get there as fast as possible. Then you come up behind these people, walking really slowly & taking up all the footpath, & you just can't get past them unless you insist, say excuse me, & barge straight thru the middle of them. I'm always polite but even then, some people look at you as if you have done something really wrong, excuse me!!!!

happened to my dad. He'd been working for General Accident for 30 years, they got bought by Norwich Union and 2 years later he was made redundant for a younger model! He said they had readvertised the same job, which was a lot of accountancy for big companies, for over £10k less than he was on. Although I'm sure he got a big redundancy payout and I heard him say the other day that he has a £30k pension, so I guess that's why he retired early and can't be that fussed!

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There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

No you don't, ever! Every time I've done that they overfill the bags (to save giving out more bags), with no regards to weight/size distribution. To the point that the bags will tear, but not before you are on the parking lot or on some staircase/road/the most inconvenient place possible!

Primark and those paper bags is worse.

Like who da feck thought paper bags in our weather was a good idea.

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

At least a few t-shirts are not as heavy. It's when the super markets try to cram a few 2-litre bottles of milk in the same bag, along with cans and the rest, making the bag so heavy that it is sure that it will tear

It could be worse, you could live in Wales and have to pay for the bags that rip after they've packed them for you!!

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"You are the universe expressing itself as a Human for a little while..."

Hahaha