[Annoy] What's something small that really annoys you?

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Networkn
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#2501226 9-Jun-2020 09:55

Handsomedan:

Whats annoying me right now:

NZ goes back to "normal".

I stay where I am - working from home.

Sorry to hear that, it was a big part of getting some sense of normality back for me, though it still feels like I have a long way to go for some reason.

Doesn't feel like it will ever be "normal" again.

Fred99

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#2501232 9-Jun-2020 10:10

I'm a bit concerned about the great enthusiasm about "working from home". If you can do your job 100% from home - ie no need to meet with other people in person or do something hands on, then chances are that there's someone elsewhere in the world who'll be better qualified and can do your job for half the pay.
One of my friends just got laid off by IBM - where he'd worked from home for 10 years. He reported to someone based in India for the past 10 years. Probably not coincidentally he hadn't had a pay rise in 10 years. Prior to that his job required auditing users "on site" - now it's all done remotely.

surfisup1000

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#2501237 9-Jun-2020 10:23

Fred99:

One of my friends just got laid off by IBM - where he'd worked from home for 10 years. He reported to someone based in India for the past 10 years. Probably not coincidentally he hadn't had a pay rise in 10 years. Prior to that his job required auditing users "on site" - now it's all done remotely.

IBM can be pretty harsh to older employees.

Geektastic

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#2501260 9-Jun-2020 10:54

The minuscule number of cycle helmets available in New Zealand that comply with NTA 8776, the standard for speed pedelec bikes.

Rikkitic

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#2501281 9-Jun-2020 11:17

Fred99:

Rikkitic:

Institutional voicemail, especially as used by health service providers.

I'm pretty sure it's a result of (possibly over-enthusiastic) concern over privacy of health information. Made worse because I guess many people don't pick up landline calls and let them go to answer because of the stupid number of scam calls, and/or block incoming calls from unknown numbers on cellphones.

I don't care what it is a result of. I still remember a time when you could just directly ring the extension of whoever you were trying to reach. Institutional voicemail is absolute rubbish. It is a pyramid, so everything bottlenecks at the top and then drips down from menu to menu, each with waiting times and crap music. The sooner this is binned, the better. Bring back the human operators who can think outside the menu and create some jobs!

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

Fred99

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#2501288 9-Jun-2020 11:22

surfisup1000:

Fred99:

One of my friends just got laid off by IBM - where he'd worked from home for 10 years. He reported to someone based in India for the past 10 years. Probably not coincidentally he hadn't had a pay rise in 10 years. Prior to that his job required auditing users "on site" - now it's all done remotely.

IBM can be pretty harsh to older employees.

This was almost comedy. He was two years from retirement age, some human resources process required negotiation and documenting a 5 year professional development plan. Year 2 goals concluded with "retirement". Weekly teleconference meeting with a boss in India commencing with demands that years 3-5 of the PD plan hadn't been received - "everybody has to do it - it's not optional".
He's happy enough about it (redundancy). I think he knew what was coming.

Handsomedan

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#2501295 9-Jun-2020 11:31

Rikkitic:

Bring back the human operators who can think outside the menu and create some jobs!

Never going to happen - despite the altruistic intent, the fact remains that with increased staff comes increased cost.

Increased cost means budget deficits.

Budget Deficits mean redundancies.

Redundancies mean less people and more reliance on the automated processes like IVR.

And the circle is complete.

Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale

*Gladly accepting donations...

mudguard

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#2501304 9-Jun-2020 11:48

Geektastic:

The minuscule number of cycle helmets available in New Zealand that comply with NTA 8776, the standard for speed pedelec bikes.

None of my four mountain-bike helmets meet this. That includes two carbon fibre full face helmets and two open helmets.

How far from a motorbike standard is it?

Geektastic

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#2501462 9-Jun-2020 12:51

mudguard:

Geektastic:

The minuscule number of cycle helmets available in New Zealand that comply with NTA 8776, the standard for speed pedelec bikes.

None of my four mountain-bike helmets meet this. That includes two carbon fibre full face helmets and two open helmets.

How far from a motorbike standard is it?

I am unsure.

In much of Europe, an electric assist bike that can do more than 15mph is classed as a Speed Pedelec (the terminology varies a bit) which requires registration, number plates, insurance and tax (often zero rated). Examples would be the Specialized Vado 5.0 and similar, capable of electric assist up to 28mph.

The standard was developed because someone felt that the usual styrofoam helmet would not be tested enough to provide proper protection at the potential impact speed. There is a list of approved helmet here that you can look at - it is a short list and even shorter in NZ where many of the models listed are not available.

Here is some background blurb from the site linked to

A speed pedelec is a two-wheeled vehicle with auxiliary propulsion power, assisting the rider with pedalling up to a maximum of 45 km/h. According to the new EU directive (No 168/2013) on the approval and market surveillance of two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles, the S-EPAC is classified as a moped.

Protection
An NTA 8776 helmet is a helmet that complies with the requirements in the Dutch Technical Agreement (NTA) 8776. These requirements have been drafted by an international project group under the management of NEN. This helmet looks like a bicycle helmet, but protects against higher impact speeds and covers a larger part of the head.

Drafting NTA 8776
In drafting the NTA, the project group made use of existing knowledge on head protection (a whole range of existing helmet standards, literature) and the results of tests performed on high-end bicycle helmets. Then, using EN 1078 as the base, the project group redefined its requirements towards the limits of the current technical possibilities in head protection. Next to the increased safety level, other important considerations in defining the requirements were that the helmet should be suitable for use in physical effort and should not impede the hearing ability of the S-EPAC user.

mudguard

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#2501473 9-Jun-2020 13:07

I had a look before when trying to work out the standard. To be honest, it's an extremely niche product. My downhill helmet would see similar speeds briefly, and provides just enough ventilation, but I still normally yank it off at the bottom of the hill after a hard effort. I certainly cannot ride all day in it.

Motorcycle helmets are going to provide almost no real ventilation. I would think a mountain-bike helmet would almost be perfect. Road cyclists would see these kind of speeds, but they will have more vents than someone on an e-bike is going to need.

I think if I had an e-bike to commute across town I'd simply wear my downhill helmet all the time. Most of what we call All Mountain helmets have coverage extending down the back of the head, much more than road or XC helmets. My POC Tectal is like that.

Senecio

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#2501489 9-Jun-2020 13:40

Geektastic:

.....

The standard was developed because someone felt that the usual styrofoam helmet would not be tested enough to provide proper protection at the potential impact speed. There is a list of approved helmet here that you can look at - it is a short list and even shorter in NZ where many of the models listed are not available.

.....

I don't understand why a pedelec helmet needs to be specified for a higher impact speed than a regular cycle helmet. I routinely exceed 80km/h on my road bike when descending. Now I hate to think what coming off at that speed would be like but I doubt many commuters on E-bikes are going to get anywhere near that.

mrdrifter

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#2501501 9-Jun-2020 13:56

Senecio:

I don't understand why a pedelec helmet needs to be specified for a higher impact speed than a regular cycle helmet. I routinely exceed 80km/h on my road bike when descending. Now I hate to think what coming off at that speed would be like but I doubt many commuters on E-bikes are going to get anywhere near that.

I can confirm coming off at 50km/h and on to the road is bad enough. A few years back a car door was flung open on me and the left side of my bars just caught on the door. Broke my thumb when it caught on the bar as I went over the top, but my NZ standards approved helmet did save my head/face when that was the first part of me to hit the road, the sacrificial layer lost a good chunk and absorbed the impact surprisingly well.

Geektastic

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#2501516 9-Jun-2020 14:23

Senecio:

Geektastic:

.....

The standard was developed because someone felt that the usual styrofoam helmet would not be tested enough to provide proper protection at the potential impact speed. There is a list of approved helmet here that you can look at - it is a short list and even shorter in NZ where many of the models listed are not available.

.....

I don't understand why a pedelec helmet needs to be specified for a higher impact speed than a regular cycle helmet. I routinely exceed 80km/h on my road bike when descending. Now I hate to think what coming off at that speed would be like but I doubt many commuters on E-bikes are going to get anywhere near that.

I cannot help you understand that - I did not create the regulation, I merely found it.

I suppose one might question the sanity of doing 80kmh on a bicycle, but perhaps that is another whole discussion!

frankv

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#2501543 9-Jun-2020 14:38

Geektastic:

Senecio:

I routinely exceed 80km/h on my road bike when descending. Now I hate to think what coming off at that speed would be like but I doubt many commuters on E-bikes are going to get anywhere near that.

I suppose one might question the sanity of doing 80kmh on a bicycle, but perhaps that is another whole discussion!

Especially doing it in a $10 Warehouse helmet. And double especially when you hate to think what coming off at that speed would be like.

Wondering whether, on one of his previous outings, there has been a sub-optimal outcome in the cranial collision department.

Lostja

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#2501551 9-Jun-2020 14:53

mrdrifter:

Senecio:

I don't understand why a pedelec helmet needs to be specified for a higher impact speed than a regular cycle helmet. I routinely exceed 80km/h on my road bike when descending. Now I hate to think what coming off at that speed would be like but I doubt many commuters on E-bikes are going to get anywhere near that.

I can confirm coming off at 50km/h and on to the road is bad enough. A few years back a car door was flung open on me and the left side of my bars just caught on the door. Broke my thumb when it caught on the bar as I went over the top, but my NZ standards approved helmet did save my head/face when that was the first part of me to hit the road, the sacrificial layer lost a good chunk and absorbed the impact surprisingly well.

I can confirm that coming off at less than 50km/h and on the road is band enough. The helmet saved me from a lot worse so for higher speeds I would want a better helmet

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