Cool story, bro.

[gut]

My computer came with a crank and siphon hose.

On the topic of non-intuitive software, oh how I miss
the simplicity I once had with my Opera web browser.
A one click icon on my menu bar allowed me to toggle
all scripting languages on and off. Now it has been
corrupted to the point of unusability, and I'm stuck with
internet exploder.

If you disable active x, you get a vertical-space-killer
bar that tells you that you have it disabled EVERY time
any page includes active x:

"This page wants to access an active x control, do you want to allow this?" Y/n
"This page wants to access an active x control, do you want to allow this?" Y/n
"This page wants to access an active x control, do you want to allow this?" Y/n
"This page wants to access an active x control, do you want to allow this?" Y/n

Alternatively, enabling it gives very unwanted results.
So one can't always allow it, can't stand the prompting,
and can't disable it, because it's hidden in... is annoymaze
a word? tools/internet options/security/... and there are a
half dozen things to be toggled. Always room for an
extra search tool bar though, and exploder comes with
what, 6 by default now? Still haven't found a way to get
rid of that last nagging one, but at least the rest are dead.

[Al-Khwarizmi]

On the topic of non-intuitive software, oh how I miss
the simplicity I once had with my Opera web browser.
A one click icon on my menu bar allowed me to toggle
all scripting languages on and off. Now it has been
corrupted to the point of unusability, and I'm stuck with
internet exploder.

I'm also a long-time Opera user, and I hate Opera 10.5x. I'm sticking with 10.10 at the moment. You can still downgrade to 10.10, and it works fine: http://www.opera.com/browser/downloa...=10.10&local=y

Also in 10.5x you can show the menu bars by pressing Alt or by clicking the O button, then choosing "Show menu bar" (the latter will enable them permanently). I think the options to remove most of the scripting languages are still there, although they removed the "Enable/disable Java" one. But at least the ones for sound, javascript, etc. are still there if you re-enable the menu.

Anyway, even with menu bar, they have copied chrome too much, there are things I don't like, like not being able to close the active tab with a common button that is always in the same place, so I'll use 10.10 until I can, hoping for a better version...

[fazisi]

Try using Google Chrome.

As for the offtopic of manual transmissions though, you need an intelligent teacher who understands that you aren't born with this knowledge. You should spend time just sitting in the driveway, with your foot on the clutch and the brake with the car turned off, finding all the gears without having to look at the shifter.

Once you are familiar with all the gears, you then spend a few minutes learning where the clutch point is on your clutch so you don't stall out. Once you are familiar with this going forward, repeat the process in reverse.

Never start out on an occupied road, let alone a multi-lane street with busy traffic.

Also, on the topic of going from stationary to moving while on a hill with someone parked right up your ass, I had to do this in a old VW van with a diesel engine. The guy behind me obviously didn't understand the numerous difficulties of this but I gunned the bastard and was able to get off the line without putting my back end over his hood.

[gut]

Didn't say I couldn't drive one : )

I have driven them, sometimes for months at a time. Red-light-hills,
parking on hills, even push starting them from hills : )

I just said I hate it.

While I'm at it, another thing I hate regarding transmisions (or kind of),
is 10 speed bikes. It seems you can't even buy a true 10 speed these
days. They are all 19 or 57 speeds that never seem to work properly.
You move the shifter 1 milimeter and you go from 6th to 9th gear, 1
more milimeter takes you from 9th-with-grinding to 10th-with-constant-
shifting-back-to-9th-with-grinding. As for gears 1-5 and 15-19, they
have never been used by myself, nor anyone with whom I have ever chatted.
One has to wonder if the thing might not have been as irritating had they
not attempted to impliment 10 gears that are worthless, and had instead
concentrated on making the 10 useful gears actually function.

[nathrakh]

edit. spammy

[gut]

AT&T gave me an April fools yesterday, so had to spend hours
on the phone, arguing with them. Turns out the nice $24.99
per month 'deal' they offered was make believe. Also, the
$100.00 wireless modem rebate was to be paid in leprechaun
gold. What I was actually billed for the last two months was
$37 per month, not $25, and they gave me an explaination of
'the rebate is in the mail'. Yes. Right. They explained to me that
there was NO way they could have offered me both the $100
rebate AND the $25 per month deal, and that I must have
been mistaken/retarded. So what really gets me?

http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=1...7-7955A188D667

Look for DSL pro, and see what you think. Maybe there is
some loophole in there I just can't see, but as things are,
I call AT&T a bunch of swindlers. I asked numerous
questions before signing, and was absolutely sure of what
I was being told. Very irritating, as I know nobody is
going to sue over, what, $13 per month, but they make
$$$ because of the number of customers they cheat. For
shame AT&T.

Yes, I read the 'view terms' section, and was sure I abided
by all of the 'qualifiers'. A small bit of the 'terms' has
changed since I signed up a couple months ago, with the
addition of 'you have to sign up with accounts manager
(whatever that is) to qualify for the modem rebate'. What
really irritates me is that the service is actually worth $37
per month, so I can't even feel justified in yelling at anyone.

GRRRR.

[Al-Khwarizmi]

Wow. The bikes I have used had 1, 3, or 6 gears. And in the 6 gears one I only used like 4 of them anyway.

[Sadface]

Actually, gut, depending on how you or your lawyer presents the
case and how AT&T defends itself in court, you -may- be able to
get the judge to assign punitive damages so that AT&T will get
the hint to stop doing that...

Note that I am not actually a lawyer or even a law student, so I
could be wrong.

Also, I have already had a reason to NERDRAGE this morning. Sitting
here in the cafe enjoying my eggs and potatoes and orange juice...
and there are two girls behind me spouting off every female stereotype
and saying you can't be a good woman unless you conform to every
single one. They are also chastising their friend on facebook for being
bisexual, calling her a dirty god-hating attention whore.

Listening to them is like having someone drag nails across the blackboard
of my mind.

"Oh my god he's so unattractive"
"Oh my god look who he's friends with"
"Oh my god she's bi"
"Oh my god she's a dirty god-hating attention whore that fucking bitch"
"Oh my god look she likes hannah montanna"
"Oh my god I like that show"
"Oh my god it's like the best show ever"

At the exact same time there is a group of people talking practically
in internet abbreviations and memes. It's highly annoying.

"Oh, F m L!"
"Did someone steal your bucket?"
"No my G F just texted me a pic of F F 13 that bitch"
"Here, you can has cheezburger to make it better."
"R o f l, thanks."

These people are all at least 18 years old.

I hate some of the people that inhabit the part of the US I
live in...

My mind. It's dead...

[nathrakh]

edit. spammy

[_Ln_]

These people are all at least 18 years old.

I hate some of the people that inhabit the part of the US I
live in...

My mind. It's dead...

Damn, I can almost feel your pain