# MAY we have a new Mini-Rant thread? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 2, 2021, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217 "2021-05-02T07:28:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/241 "2021-05-22T21:49:42Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > I’m thinking I might have to waste money on a new laptop just because I can’t stop using the left shift key. Goddamnit. Wait a few days-it may just dry out thoroughly and fix itself. Or take it to a repair place, they have lots of magic ways to dry tech out. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/242 "2021-05-22T21:52:16Z")
Absolutely give it a few days, but it may not be a ‘wet’ problem, it may be a ‘crud left after evaporation’ problem. But even then, a repair shop may be able to get at the underside of the key(s) and blow some air on it or something and possibly fix it inexpensively. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/243 "2021-05-22T23:01:34Z")
My sympathies. Nothing irks me more than keyboard problems. I survived the great MacBook Butterfly Keyboard Failure of 2018. * * * I wish people would stop asking me what they should get **Sr. Weasel** for Father’s Day/His Birthday/Christmas. Yes, I get that he’s difficult to shop for, but given that fact, I keep all my best ideas for myself. I can’t help you. Go use your fucking imagination. As a sub-rant, stop asking _me_ what I want for a gift. It feels like someone just dumping all the mental labor required for gift - giving right in my lap. It’s not a gift to have to figure out what the fuck you should give me. I don’t need anything anyways. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/244 "2021-05-22T23:12:32Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > > [@JaneDoe42](#): > > > > I’m thinking I might have to waste money on a new laptop just because I can’t stop using the left shift key. Goddamnit. > > Wait a few days-it may just dry out thoroughly and fix itself. Or take it to a repair place, they have lots of magic ways to dry tech out. I agree. A friend spilled some liquid on their laptop (can’t remember if it was wine or coffee) and some of the keys starting creating random inputs like the ones @JaneDoe42 mentions. Next day, it was fine. No, “friend” is not a euphemism for “me” – I’ve never spilled anything on a laptop, but I don’t use mine all that often – but I admit to spilling wine on a cheap Microsoft-brand desktop keyboard. It still worked but some keys were sticky for a while, and then that wore off, and it was fine, too. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/245 "2021-05-22T23:51:51Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > I’m thinking I might have to waste money on a new laptop just because I can’t stop using the left shift key. Laptop keyboards are often simple to replace. You just order a replacement keyboard online (doesn’t have to be OEM) and swap it out. YouTube will have videos of which screws to unscrew. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/246 "2021-05-23T00:44:02Z")
True that! ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/247 "2021-05-23T01:13:05Z")
Did I happen to mention that coffee to me means a large mug of cream, coffee syrup and enough coffee to change the color}{? ? - List item Hubs has recovered enough to demand to be allowed to fix it for me. I really don’t use this one much anyhow, so probably won’t waste money that I could be spending on better things. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/248 "2021-05-23T01:56:36Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@JaneDoe42](#): > > > > I’m thinking I might have to waste money on a new laptop just because I can’t stop using the left shift key. > > Laptop keyboards are often simple to replace. You just order a replacement keyboard online (doesn’t have to be OEM) and swap it out. YouTube will have videos of which screws to unscrew. There are also USB keyboards that you can just plug into a port. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/249 "2021-05-23T02:42:28Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > stop asking _me_ what I want for a gift DH and I arrived at an agreement long time ago: we agree on price range and recipient chooses his/her own gift. Since it comes out of the same checking account anyway, this works for us. Not helpful for outside-household situations, though. I’m still trying to figure out why MIL got me a subscription to Martha Stewart Living last Christmas. I’m not a home-and-garden magazine kind of girl anyway, and find Ms. Stewart extremely arrogant, condescending, and obnoxious. You would think my tastes might have at least somewhat registered on MIL at some point since 1994. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/250 "2021-05-23T02:54:57Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > DH and I arrived at an agreement long time ago: we agree on price range and recipient chooses his/her own gift. Since it comes out of the same checking account anyway, this works for us. It varies for us. Sometimes we outdo ourselves with surprises (he once got me editing services for my novel, I had a custom X-men playmat + engraved card box made for his Marvel Legendary game) but lately I just feel like we already have everything and all I need as a gift for any occasion is a nice steak. Birthday? Steak. Mother’s Day? Steak. Anniversary? Steak. It’s all I require anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/251 "2021-05-23T02:56:26Z")
I tend to want more protein, especially meat and cheese, if stressed or not feeling good. I’ve never really understood that about myself. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/252 "2021-05-23T02:58:38Z")
I get weird and dizzy sometimes and the only thing that makes me feel better is a burger. I suspect it’s mild anemia. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/253 "2021-05-23T03:32:13Z")
My daughter just presented me with a brand new 30-ish inch iMac for my birthday (her boss had been told that she needed a PC-based platform for best results when setting up a network, so rather than send back three iMacs — that nobody ever used because they all brought in their laptops — for a refund, she just gave them to her staff, and ordered Dells). I ASKED for pajamas. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/254 "2021-05-23T03:43:37Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I ASKED for pajamas. Send me the iMac, I’ll send TWO pajamas. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/255 "2021-05-23T06:07:12Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > Did I happen to mention that coffee to me means a large mug of cream, coffee syrup and enough coffee to change the color}{? This reminds me of something that happened to me about 20 years ago, when I was still relatively new into my IT career. I was asked to clean out a keyboard for an employee at the company I worked at. We mostly used Mac computers and just about everyone was on some variation of iMac (it was 20 years ago) and this was an external keyboard. I was told that it was beef stew. My reply was this… I _could_ clean the keyboard. I could pop off every key, diligently scrubbing them. I could try my very best to get into every nook and cranny with a rag, rubbing alcohol, and who knows what else to clean it up. It may function again after that. After the hour or more it might take to try to get the job done. But even after all of that work, odds are I won’t be able to get every single bit of it. And a week from now, a month from now, after those bits of beef stew I didn’t quite get have had time to decompose… How pleasant would that keyboard be? Alternatively, rather than paying my salary for all that time and effort in a futile attempt to somehow make that keyboard fit for a human being to continue to use again, you can pay the $20 it costs to get a brand new keyboard? They found that they could justify the $20 for a new keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/256 "2021-05-23T08:37:50Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Try being in Canada. The IRS requires me to have a five-digit ZIP code. Try being in Switzerland. Hint: Typically 00000 can be used for foreign addresses, when there is a **zip** code check for a credit card. Also. Zip code is only valid for the U.S. Everyone else calls it a postal code. > [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I just wish the UPS guy would ring the doorbell. I got an email telling me that UPS delivered my package to the rear door. Our building doesn’t have a rear door. We got a letter from the government telling us we got another stimulant payment. So finally we got one deposited directly. For the first two we got checks, which had to be sent back to the U.S. Of course now I have to go login and see if if the direct deposit did arrive as foretold by the letter. As mail from the U.S. can take 1 week - 2 monhs (beginning of the pandemic) to arrive, an email would have been easier. And maybe it would have arrived at the same time. I guess I could add notifications to the bank account. Grumble, grumble. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2021, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/257 "2021-05-23T21:11:35Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > But even after all of that work, odds are I won’t be able to get every single bit of it. And a week from now, a month from now, after those bits of beef stew I didn’t quite get have had time to decompose… How pleasant would that keyboard be? This is pretty much why my mind went straight to replacement. Had hubs spilled his coffee on it, there wouldn’t have been nearly as much issue because he drinks coffee instead of melted candy bars like me! ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2021, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/258 "2021-05-24T00:01:34Z")
“We are experiencing an extremely high call volume…” No, no you are not! You are experiencing an inadequate staffing issue! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2021, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/259 "2021-05-24T01:49:14Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > “We are experiencing an extremely high call volume…” It gets a little weak when that is more or less the standard message you get all the time from many different services. And of course, “your call is important to us”. So important, in fact, that your call may be dropped, or you may remain on hold listening to Muzak (or chamber music, depending on the effect they want to achieve) for an hour or more. I just put them on the speakerphone beside my computer and carry on with whatever I’ve been doing. The other one is “please listen carefully as our menu options have changed”. No, they haven’t. Fuck off. As for why this has become an almost routine announcement, it seems to be apparently due to the companies having so little regard for their customers’ time or intelligence that they want to force them to listen to their IVR options, even if they haven’t changed in fifteen years. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2021, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217/260 "2021-05-24T02:57:11Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I just put them on the speakerphone beside my computer and carry on with whatever I’ve been doing. That’s what I always do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-we-have-a-new-mini-rant-thread/941217.md?page=14)