# Things which should be simple, but which are not **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 23, 2019, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401 "2019-05-23T12:00:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/101 "2019-05-29T22:27:05Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Thanks, but … > > I already have a couple of those. _Very_ useful. (I remember as a kid one of my grandfather’s had one in his shop and I was amazed by it. Ah, life back when.) > > But I need something that can take up nearly zero space in a small drawer, lying up against the side. And being clear would be a big plus. And metric, too. [https://www.amazon.com/Tim-Holtz-Idea-ology-Plastic-TH92481/dp/B00167YOHQ/ref=sr\_1\_15?crid=D8SMK91RRKPV&keywords=clear+ruler+12+inch&qid=1559168710&s=gateway&sprefix=clear+ruler%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-15](https://www.amazon.com/Tim-Holtz-Idea-ology-Plastic-TH92481/dp/B00167YOHQ/ref=sr_1_15?crid=D8SMK91RRKPV&keywords=clear+ruler+12+inch&qid=1559168710&s=gateway&sprefix=clear+ruler%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-15) ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/102 "2019-05-29T22:32:59Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Well, none of that is in any danger of happening because the on/off button DOESN"T FUCKING WORK! That was the point of my rant, that the power buttons are fake suggestions and not an actual switch. > > See subject of the thread. It does work, but it’s hard because it’s supposed to be the “last ditch nothing on my computer is working, so shut it down to see if that fixes things” option. Computers are no longer hardware. They’re software with just enough hardware to let the user interface with the software. There is a shut down function available on your computer. How you invoke it depends on what kind of operating system you have. Use it to start the shutdown and walk away. When you come back ten minutes later your computer will have turned itself off. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/103 "2019-05-30T00:23:19Z")
> [@pabstist](#): > > I like to compare things to driving a car. I get in my car, turn the key, put it in drive, and go. I get home, park the car, and walk away. > > Compare this to my desktop computer. I turn on the power strip Ok, at least some of this is self-inflicted. You don’t have to turn the power strip on and off. Like, if you kept your car keys in a locked safe in your basement, you could start the first list “I walk down the basement steps, I enter the combination, I open the safe, I get the keys, I walk back up the steps, I walk to the garage…” But none of those are fundamental things about driving a car. They’re all choices you have made to make things take longer. ---
**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/104 "2019-05-30T01:29:13Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Income taxes in most developed countries is a matter of getting a statement that says “You owe this much tax. Here is how we figured it out. Pay this much, or do a bunch of paperwork explaining why your answer is better.” And people generally skip the hassle because the government already has the data. > > America, like those other countries, has your income data. And they are going to crunch that data to come up with a figure you owe. But… they aren’t going to tell you. First you have to spend hours upon hours inputting your own hoarded scraps of data into TurboTax, then submit it by April 15th, and around August they may tell you that you got the wrong answer and you need to do it again until you get the right answer. > > Fucking lunacy, ridiculous waste, and the tax prep industry is 100% to blame. As you mention, the IRS has detailed, electronic records of all your earnings. You forget one 1099-INT\* and get that letter. Why can’t I get a copy of the info the IRS has on me? \*Yes, I do get most electronically these days. Not all, however, and I’ve been painfully reminded that my record retention methods are shit. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/105 "2019-05-30T16:55:06Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > [https://www.amazon.com/Tim-Holtz-Idea-ology-Plastic-TH92481/dp/B00167YOHQ/ref=sr\_1\_15?crid=D8SMK91RRKPV&keywords=clear+ruler+12+inch&qid=1559168710&s=gateway&sprefix=clear+ruler%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-15](https://www.amazon.com/Tim-Holtz-Idea-ology-Plastic-TH92481/dp/B00167YOHQ/ref=sr_1_15?crid=D8SMK91RRKPV&keywords=clear+ruler+12+inch&qid=1559168710&s=gateway&sprefix=clear+ruler%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-15) $8.95 for a ruler. So far the best I’ve seen in about $6. For something that should be a buck. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/106 "2019-05-30T18:06:21Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Applying for a job. > > Took my kid to the local grocery store because there was a sign saying, “Hiring Now! Ask for Jonathan”. > > So we track down Jonathan, and he tells us to go to ‘the website’ and fill out an application. :rolleyes: Okay. > > _What fucking website?_ This is a Smith’s, which is owned by Kroger. You go to Kroger, and there is nowhere to be found that lists anything about an application. We finally found some kind of third-party portal bullshit and struggled through the most counter-intuitive interface imaginable. > > Not a single fucking job listing showing for the local location. So, what the fuck, Jonathan? Are you hiring or not? Waste of fucking time. We were standing in the goddamn store he wants a job in, why not … > > Oh, nevermind. :mad: Yes. I’ve helped recent immigrants to the U.S. apply for entry level jobs, and it’s really frustrating. I think the process is made deliberately difficult to weed out people who can’t struggle through this kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/107 "2019-05-31T21:23:12Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Getting children to do anything. Go to bed. Get dressed. Do homework. > > It really shouldn’t be that hard, and you can buy a thousand books which guaranty that if you follow their advice it will all be smooth sailing, but it ain’t. “…Fine! Do as you please! [Try out your oppositional-defiance with that one!]” 😃 –G! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/108 "2019-06-07T19:42:49Z")
I realized the other day, just what the fuck is the deal with 3-way lights? I have a regular bulb in a socket set up for a 3-way, and of course it take two clicks between on and off. Who the hell thought that up? They put the small filament on the outer ring and the large filament on the center post. Why? They just as easily could have done the setup the opposite way and normal bulbs would just click on and off with each single turn, but no, they had to punish us for putting a single filament bulb into a 3-way socket. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2019, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/109 "2019-06-08T17:30:22Z")
Speaking of fussy and persnickety lights, can we please have an LED flashlight that ( push the button ) turns on, and ( push the button ) turns off? I have fits of mild anger every time I have to push the the on/off button 3 times to turn it off as it cycles through: on bright, on dim, strobe, then back to off. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/110 "2019-06-09T18:26:15Z")
Shopping during regular store hours. We keep a strict schedule on Friday, closing two hours before sundown. No exceptions ever. Friday was one of those days. I get a call from a very angry person at closing time, when we are ringing up the final customers after closing the aisles: Customer: I’m outside your store and the guy won’t let me in. Me: That’s because the store is closed. Customer: No you’re not. I see people in there. And I need things or a wedding tomorrow. Me: The store is closed. Customer: Can I talk to the manager. The manager has pretty much the same conversation with the customer. By the time she hangs up the phone, everyone is checked out and it’s time to go home. I call it the “yeah, but” syndrome. “Yeah, but…the rules don’t apply to MMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEE.” ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2019, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/111 "2019-06-09T19:14:34Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Shopping during regular store hours. > > We keep a strict schedule on Friday, closing two hours before sundown. No exceptions ever. > > Friday was one of those days. I get a call from a very angry person at closing time, when we are ringing up the final customers after closing the aisles: > > Customer: I’m outside your store and the guy won’t let me in. > Me: That’s because the store is closed. > Customer: No you’re not. I see people in there. And I need things or a wedding tomorrow. > Me: The store is closed. > Customer: Can I talk to the manager. > > The manager has pretty much the same conversation with the customer. By the time she hangs up the phone, everyone is checked out and it’s time to go home. > > I call it the “yeah, but” syndrome. “Yeah, but…the rules don’t apply to MMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEE.” I used to get that when managing retail. Standing by the door to let the last customers out making sure no more came in. We’d even try to be accommodating when they’d plead “Pleeeeease! I just need one thing!” and we’d reply “Okay, tell me what you need, I’ll have somebody grab it and bring to the registers for you.” 90% of the time they didn’t count on you calling their bluff and they’d look like a deer caught in the headlights stammering “uh,um,uh, just forget it.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2019, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401/112 "2019-06-09T19:25:51Z")
“I just need one thing.” “Okay, tell me what it is and I’ll bring it to the register.” “Well, I also wanted to look at some other things.” “Then I can’t let you into the store.” “That’s lousy customer service.” One customer spent 5 minutes trying to convince me that she had to come into the store to get things for her Saturday wedding, despite the fact that all the registers had been counted out and there was no way I could even ring her up. She finally said “Well, just figure out how much it is and I’ll pay cash, and you can ring it up on Monday.” Me: And lose my job! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-should-be-simple-but-which-are-not/834401.md?page=5)