# A pit thread dedicated to gifts that don't work/unusuable at the moment **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 26, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621 "2004-12-26T00:29:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/21 "2004-12-26T17:54:37Z")
Is the toaster the one that makes toast with Kitty-chan’s face on it? Because I really, really want one. No, I’m not a nine year old girl. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/22 "2004-12-26T18:08:14Z")
> [@Mauvaise](#): > > I’ll pit for my best friend (who will be 35 in the upcoming year - this is an important fact in the rant) whose mother got her a _Hello Kitty_ Toaster. :smack: Pass that sucker my way! **Reeder** , why won’t your wife upgrade? ME seriously blows in comparison to XP, especially as there’s no longer any support for ME, from what I hear. ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/23 "2004-12-26T18:14:16Z")
My parents got my Gilmore Girls Season Two, but my mom accidentally sent Season 1. No biggie - I’ll exchange it at Target for the right season next week. I’m not feeling well enough to watch it right now anyway (which would explain why I’m being held hostage by my husband’s viewing choices - namely bad ESPN programming…). Everything else seems to be good. I do need to get some links removed from the watch my husband got me, but I’ll do that this week, too. E. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/24 "2004-12-26T18:25:35Z")
My German cast recording of _The Scarlet Pimpernel_ won’t play in my computer. I haven’t tried it in an actual CD player yet, but considering I only buy CDs so I can rip them to my computer/shiny new iPod, I’m a little upset. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/25 "2004-12-26T18:37:00Z")
Asked my partner for a small pair of sapphire studs for my ears…am getting a showerhead, that I have to take him to Walmart to pick out :rolleyes: My auntie sent me a cheque for 100 quid :eek: 🆒 But it’s dated 2 December, and I won’t arrive back to London until 3 March – I don’t think I’ll be able to cash it ☹ (yes, I could cash it at my local bank here in DE, but they have a hell of a conversion fee.) On the other hand, a friend gave me the score for Bach’s Unaccompanied Cello Suite No 1 in G Major, transcribed for guitar (you can hear Yo Yo Ma play it on the _Master and Commander_ soundtrack) and it’s right at my skill level. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/26 "2004-12-26T18:46:57Z")
> [@Ms Boods](#): > > Asked my partner for a small pair of sapphire studs for my ears…am getting a showerhead, that I have to take him to Walmart to pick out :rolleyes: Hey showerheads are the gift that keep on giving…if you take my meaning. 😉😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/27 "2004-12-26T19:19:53Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Hey showerheads are the gift that keep on giving…if you take my meaning. 😉😉 Meaning taken, but not in this case, alas… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/28 "2004-12-26T20:37:28Z")
A set of matching plasticized gingham apron and cooking mitt/potholders. With logos branded prominently on them. Something tells me that those were prizes that the giver got from her cooking contest hobby. ☹ I work a lot and go home pretty late, so my cooking tends to consist of warming up leftovers or making kitchen sink stirfry. (not IN the sink _shudder_ but as in the expression, ‘everything BUT’) Nowhere near the degree of messiness that would require an apron to handle at all – my kitchen-fu isn’t that great. At least they’re nowhere near the gifts given in the “Worst Christmas Gifts Ever” thread, thank Og. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/29 "2004-12-26T21:29:43Z")
> [@Ms Boods](#): > > My auntie sent me a cheque for 100 quid :eek: 🆒 > > But it’s dated 2 December, and I won’t arrive back to London until 3 March – I don’t think I’ll be able to cash it ☹ (yes, I could cash it at my local bank here in DE, but they have a hell of a conversion fee.) You’re in luck - seems you get at least [six months](http://www.iia.org.uk/knowledgecentre/q&a/post.cfm?id=467) to cash that cheque. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Carnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carnick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnick)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/30 "2004-12-26T21:59:13Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Oh, another thing: > > I asked for Gameboy DS for Christmas. The relative that drew my name (all the adults draw a name) wasn’t incredibly tech-savvy and got mixed up on the ‘DS’ part, and accidentally bought a Gameboy SP. Realizing her mistake, she returned it, but I guess she didn’t have time to get the DS, because she gave me money instead. > > It turns out I got just enough Christmas money to _buy_ a Gameboy DS, but herin lies the problem: I would be perfectly happy if I had gotten the DS as a gift, but with money, I’m tempted to use it towards more practical ends (credit card, car expenses, et cetera) so while it will be money well spent, it might not lead to a Gameboy DS ☹ > > Maybe I’ll buy one when the price goes down. It’s called Nintendo DS. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/31 "2004-12-27T00:58:43Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Is the toaster the one that makes toast with Kitty-chan’s face on it? Because I really, really want one. > > No, I’m not a nine year old girl. That’s the one. You people are all nuts! 😛 Maybe I should have her auction it on ebay - I’ll make sure to e-mail all of you that wanted one in this thread if she does ;). ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/32 "2004-12-27T01:59:39Z")
> [@Shrinking Violet](#): > > You’re in luck - seems you get at least [six months](http://www.iia.org.uk/knowledgecentre/q&a/post.cfm?id=467) to cash that cheque. 🙂 Brilliant!!! (I had thought it was only 90 days) – thanks awfully for looking into that! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/33 "2004-12-27T13:57:17Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > For Christmas I got Medal of Honor Pacific Assault, and World of Warcraft, 2 games I am really looking forward to playing. Unfortunately I can’t play either of them. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity to install, neither of the games are playable. Why? > > Medal of Honor requires a GeForce 3 or better card. I have a GeForce 2 Pro :mad: If you plan on playing the newest games coming out now and in the next year, you’re going to continue to be disappointed, unless you upgrade your gfx card, by at least a bit, to one that’s both DX9c-capable and supports vertex/pixel shading. You can buy a very decent upgrade for around a hundred bucks. > [@](#): > > World of Warcraft does not like my shitty AOL Broadband connection at the moment, and aside from serious futzing around with the router, its not looking like I am even going to be able to play the game at my house, I’ll have to play it at my friend’s apartment ☹ AOL Broadband? Good lord. In any case, have you tried contacting the tech support forum over at the WoW website? [url=http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/board.aspx?fn=wow-tech-support]Here’s[/url the link for you. As for my Xmas presents, while I didn’t get that much, I got books and bath stuff, both of which are things I love. 😃 And **Reeder** …for the Love of Og, _why_ does your wife not want to upgrade from the incredible piece of shit that is Win ME?? Why anyone would want to use that OS on a machine they want to game on is beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![Cerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/34 "2004-12-27T13:59:37Z")
Yay, crappy coding, go me. =p Here’s the link for the WoW support forums again, **Incubus**. > **[World of Warcraft](https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/?fn=wow-tech-support)** > > Join thousands of mighty heroes in Azeroth, a world of magic and limitless adventure. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/35 "2004-12-27T14:16:07Z")
1. 9’ tall unfinished bookcase. I get to sand, prep coat, sand, stain, sand, and varnish it. Oh, did I mention it’s 12 degrees outside and I can’t do this until spring? Meanwhile we’ve got an unfinished pine box standing on its end in our living room until spring. Yay. 2. Sweater vest from my parents. I don’t wear sweather vests. This is the fifth one they’ve given me. 3. A collection of Marx Brothers movies on DVD, which would be really cool if I had a DVD player. Thus endeth the list, in total, of what I got for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/36 "2004-12-27T15:04:51Z")
You can get a cheap DVD player for $40, these days. Not bad, really. Worth it, too. Once you watch a DVD, you’ll never want to go back to VHS. I got a toaster. Not a toaster oven. A toaster. I could use a toaster oven. It won’t even do bagels. I got a vaccum cleaner. No, I don’t get that one either. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/37 "2004-12-27T15:11:56Z")
Got a brand new computer. (Not as a direct gift, but by accumulating gift cards and cash presents.) Got _Sid Meier’s Pirates_. It does not work. On a new system that meets or beats all of the system requirements. I get to play for three minutes (at most), and then it dumps me to the desktop. And many of the rendered characters don’t have skins- they have shiny metallic surfaces with large holes in them. So, I got the system I’ve been waiting a year for plus a game I’ve been waiting a year for. And they don’t work together. And since it was Christmas weekend, there was no tech support. And worst of all, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that the solution to my problem is to shell out another 120 bucks to replace the generic 64 MB video card with a 128 MB video card. Feh. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/38 "2004-12-27T15:47:00Z")
Sounds like a video card driver issue, really. What’s the card? Got the latest driver? Try uninstalling the driver and rolling it back two versions if you do. If your card is made by ATI or Nividia, try getting the Omegaware drivers. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/39 "2004-12-27T15:59:40Z")
The card is the one that came with the machine: an Intel Express 3D Graphic card. I did download the latest drivers (current as of 11/04/04), but nothing changed. I also tried setting the resolution to all sorts of different types, just in case that was the problem, but nothing got better. I greatly appreciate the input. I’m looking up support for the card right now, hoping I can learn something about why I’ve got this problem. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621/40 "2004-12-27T16:13:38Z")
Crap. Now I think I know what the problem _might_ be- I have an Intel “Extreme” card, but I might have downloaded and installed the “Express” drivers. Maybe. Of course, I’m at work right now, so I can’t even check it and will just fret for the next six hours that it’s a simple problem that reading comprehension would have fixed. Blech. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pit-thread-dedicated-to-gifts-that-dont-work-unusuable-at-the-moment/281621.md?page=3)