Your pet peeve, technical or otherwise.

[coppice]

hot glue guns?

my limited experience is not a happy one (or expensive) - luckily the last one I bought came with a spare nozzle

They all come to a sticky end,

[mendip_discovery]

Like/hate them.

They are handy for bodging stuff together but at the same time hate it as the glue isn't great, you end up with random strings all over the place and it just looks rubbish.

[tooki]

New peeve: The self-redundant phrase "software code". As in, "She wrote the software code to add the feature".

Disagree, at least in some contexts. It makes sense when there are different sets of code to distinguish amongst. For example, your bootloader vs. your “software”, or firmware vs. software, or OS vs application. There are usually more precise terms, but it does make some sense. The other thing is web code vs software code: many non-web programmers expressly reject web development as being “programming” and reject the result being “software”.

[pcprogrammer]

Well that is the question, when do you stop calling something programming. Web development comes in many forms, no pun intended, like from the very basic writing html markup to constructing what you want in some graphical web builder.

I myself have done the hands on development with both asp or php combined with basic script or javascript along with html and css, but never with those web builder packages. Never felt the need or urge to learn to do it with those.

The distinction between software and firmware to me is that the first is something that is more or less free from dedicated hardware and runs from media like floppies, harddisks, etc and firmware resides in memory like EPROM or FLASH and belongs to some dedicated hardware. But they are both code written by someone in some language. So when come other terms in play like operating system or application to separate it from the term software.

I know the distinction between the two terms of course, but again they are software written by someone is some language.

[CatalinaWOW]

Password managers help mitigate that but they also make me a little uneasy because if someone does manage to compromise my password manager (say they break in and steal my laptop) then they have access to EVERYTHING.

Yes this.

When you leave the house store the laptop in a powered down state and encrypt it. (This won't prevent them from storing a keystroke logger on your laptop on bootup or on your keyboards ribbon cable but it will make it difficult), they just then need to wait for you to type in your pw manager's master password and then send the results back to a server that they own however firewalling any outside connections on an app basis can mitigate against that somewhat, but thats what keyfiles are for. Store the keyfile on a usb thumb drive on your keys. You then need the master password and the keyfile.

If they've installed a keylogger on your laptop then its game over anyway, hardware based or software based.

That way the only way to get access to your password database is to have both the password and a copy of your usb thumb drive on your keys. So they would need to mug you for your keys or obtain a short period of time to access them while you are inebriated in a bar, etc. AND they would need to break into your house and take your laptop and copy its contents then return it within a period of time that you are away from home. The contents that they obtain will be encrypted at that point and they will also need the key for the whole harddrive encryption.

Biometrics can help somewhat also. A USB flash drive with biometrics (A reputable one, not one from aliexpress) can prevent your keyfiles from being stolen (eg in oppportunistic theft). If you want to go full paranoid you could use a toeprint instead of a fingerprint to unlock the usb flash drive. The usb flash drive should ONLY be used for storing your keyfiles.




https://www.kingston.com/en/solutions/data-security/ironkey

This or Veracrypt with a pin.

Something with a keyboard besides your laptop keyboard can also prove useful. But again if your main laptops keyboard is keylogged.... no point. Because once the usb flash drive is unlocked a compromised system will copy the contents of it and send it back to remote servers. It also means that you have to remember yet another pin to unlock the usb flash drive. It makes things very complicated when you have to enter in 3 passwords just to start your day.

That makes it then to make a sucessful attempt on your password database as difficult as obtaining the master password inside your head or inside of your safe, a copy of the contents on the usb flash drive on your keys, and a full image of your hard drive, and then a copy of your full hard drive encryption master password. Much more difficult than simply obtaining one password for your password database and a copy of your password database.

There is also the matter of backups. If you backup your password database any and all hard drives containing your old backups can and will be used as a place to obtain a copy of your keyfile and or password database.

I suggest storing a copy of your backups and password database in a safe, one that is bolted down to the ground. Keep the tumbler code in your head and the key on your keychain.

The safest place for any master password is inside your head or in a safe deposit box or inside a safe.

If they break into your house and hold you at gunpoint though while your laptop is powered up and unlocked, what are you gonna do? Die for some passwords? No.

All forms of security has its limitations.

All true, but it makes the other side of the problem obvious.  If the master password is in your head or otherwise absolutely tied to you, if you die or are incapacitated your family, dependents and heirs have no access.  How are they to pay your bills while you are in a coma, or settle your estate.  Many of us on this forum are of an age where the latter issue is very real. 

I have my own solution to this, but it isn't perfect and would be made less perfect by publishing it.  Everyone would be well advised to think about this problem.

[james_s]

All true, but it makes the other side of the problem obvious.  If the master password is in your head or otherwise absolutely tied to you, if you die or are incapacitated your family, dependents and heirs have no access.  How are they to pay your bills while you are in a coma, or settle your estate.  Many of us on this forum are of an age where the latter issue is very real. 

I have my own solution to this, but it isn't perfect and would be made less perfect by publishing it.  Everyone would be well advised to think about this problem.

I had this problem when my dad died. I had to break into all of his accounts the old fashioned way, thankfully I knew enough about him that I could answer the security questions to reset his email password, then once I had access to his email account it was a lot easier to crack everything else. It would have been far easier if he'd had a list of passwords stashed somewhere though.

[paulca]

They blocked VPNs too which really has ticked a lot of people off.

Those "VPNs" that people try and pass off proxies as?  But they provide such security an privacy how could anyone possibly identify you are using a VPN?  /sarcasm

What they really do is provide a nicely concentrated area of high "density" and several IPs from which you know you will get idiot traffic emerging in abundance.

[jonovid]

stay ahead of uncle sam u need something darker then the crowded VPN 's
every man and his dog is using  a-new silkroad or whatever at your own risk. 

[jbeng]

One of my pet peeves is when I see posts along the lines of:

"I'm a complete noob, but I've soldered before and I want to design [some extremely challenging project that would likely be difficult for someone with advanced degrees and decades of experience]"

That said, I have absolutely no problem with people who have ambition, goals and a desire to learn, but going from barely being able to crawl to warp speed in one jump is unrealistic at best.

[paulca]

Now I have my own low down sports car back and it's winter....

People with really wonky aligned headlights.  Spent 10 minutes in a 30mph zone tonight with a BMW X6 behind me and his lights were lighting up my entire cabin.  Couldn't look in any mirrors without being blinded.  Thankfully I left him behind when I got to the 60mph zone.

There is an "I'm alright jack" attitude which I have heard for people.  Saying things like "Point them down for the annual test, the point them back up again when you drive out."

At times I am completely blind, rabbit in the headlights.  I sit 45cm off the road.  My head is level with most SUV bonnets.  I can't even see over them at junctions and it often requires the car behind help with a little beep.

[IDEngineer]

Along those same lines: When you help someone for the first time, and they interpret this act of kindness as a permanent Customer Support Contract. I'm all for helping people, but I've been bled dry by a few over the years that want help over and over and over and over. I'm sure this sounds selfish but after a while it just grinds on your time and patience.

[IDEngineer]

Now I have my own low down sports car... I sit 45cm off the road.  My head is level with most SUV bonnets.  I can't even see over them at junctions and it often requires the car behind help with a little beep.

What are you driving? I'm driving a nice little number from your country, a 2020 Lotus Evora GT, and I can sympathize with everything you typed. Cars like this are nearly invisible to some other vehicles. Once the warranty expires I intend to install an ultra-loud horn front AND back... "The smaller the car, the louder the horn". Almost had a huge pickup back into my rear end in a parking lot, I was honking like a madman with no time to get out and wave him off, but the stock horn is kinda wimpy and pointed the wrong direction and I'm certain he never heard anything.

[SilverSolder]

Now I have my own low down sports car... I sit 45cm off the road.  My head is level with most SUV bonnets.  I can't even see over them at junctions and it often requires the car behind help with a little beep.

What are you driving? I'm driving a nice little number from your country, a 2020 Lotus Evora GT, and I can sympathize with everything you typed. Cars like this are nearly invisible to some other vehicles. Once the warranty expires I intend to install an ultra-loud horn front AND back... "The smaller the car, the louder the horn". Almost had a huge pickup back into my rear end in a parking lot, I was honking like a madman with no time to get out and wave him off, but the stock horn is kinda wimpy and pointed the wrong direction and I'm certain he never heard anything.

Modern headlamps are a lot brighter than the "old school" type, and seem to be more blinding as a result - even when well adjusted.

Add to list of pet peeves! 

[paulca]

What are you driving?

2017 GT86 Pro.

Just got it back after the neighbour across the street reversed into it, crushing in the rear drivers quarter panel.  Thankfully they were insured and admitted fault.  Repair is near perfect, rewelded to  manufacturer regulations of course.

[vk6zgo]

Now I have my own low down sports car back and it's winter....

People with really wonky aligned headlights.  Spent 10 minutes in a 30mph zone tonight with a BMW X6 behind me and his lights were lighting up my entire cabin.  Couldn't look in any mirrors without being blinded.  Thankfully I left him behind when I got to the 60mph zone.

There is an "I'm alright jack" attitude which I have heard for people.  Saying things like "Point them down for the annual test, the point them back up again when you drive out."

At times I am completely blind, rabbit in the headlights.  I sit 45cm off the road.  My head is level with most SUV bonnets.  I can't even see over them at junctions and it often requires the car behind help with a little beep.

Back in the early 1970s, the road rules in the UK had recently changed from "You can drive on parking lights only in built-up areas" to requiring dipped beams everywhere.
In true Brit fashion, it took quite a while for this to sink in, & many kept to the old ways.
The combination of Sodium streetlights, a dark coloured car on parkers only, & a pedestrian from another country was a perilous one.

The upshot of seldom using the headlights led to them being badly adjusted or completely unadjusted.
As an Australian, I was used to most headlights being relatively well adjusted (the problem in Oz is that many just won't dip!) & would cringe at the sight of cars in more rural areas with their "low" beams illuminating the treetops----fairly obviously drivers who rarely left lighted areas.

[vk6zgo]

One of my pet peeves is when I see posts along the lines of:

"I'm a complete noob, but I've soldered before and I want to design [some extremely challenging project that would likely be difficult for someone with advanced degrees and decades of experience]"

That said, I have absolutely no problem with people who have ambition, goals and a desire to learn, but going from barely being able to crawl to warp speed in one jump is unrealistic at best.

Now you've done it!
People will react as if you are the Grinch!
I posted something similar some years back & was blasted for "discouraging" noobs.

[james_s]

A Hakko 599B being $176 AUD

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004476504820.html

It says $59.90 for me, surely the AUD to USD exchange rate is not THAT bad?

Of course you can buy the real deal direct from Hakko for $9.67 so I'm not sure why anyone would use aliexpress for that.
https://hakkousa.com/599b-tip-cleaner.html

[paulca]

Modern headlamps are a lot brighter than the "old school" type, and seem to be more blinding as a result - even when well adjusted.

Yes.   My own headlights are xenon projector lamps.  On full high beam it's like a small sun.  However, as they are OEM discharge lamps, they are self levelling and have a sharp as a knife, tuned beam cut off.  It's actually rather annoying because on a country road the dip beams extend about 3 car lengths and then stop.  Like a line drawn across the road with a pencil it's light and then instantly it's pitch black, nothing.   You can barely see the leakage glow on road signs 100 yards away.

This means the only time I am blinding people is coming up over crests.

My high beam is engaged either by pulling or pushing the light stalk.  I tend to hold it back for "intermittent" when I need FULL beams.  So I can just let go if I come to a crest, a tight bend or a car comes the other way. 

It's some of that later bit people don't bother with.  Dropping the lights when coming round a tight bend is "polite" as nobody likes suddenly being blinded in a tight bend.

On being blinded.  Sometimes it works to look for the verge on the nearside.  Try and keep reference with the side of the road.  DO NOT LOOK AT THE LIGHT! 

[PlainName]

I blame the LED replacements for incandescents on Ebay/Amazon/etc. They are very good indeed, but inappropriate for headlamps that aren't designed for them and just dazzle oncoming drivers. Illegal in the UK to retrofit them (should be an MOT failure) but easily swapped out just for the test (like 'power' exhausts on bikes).

[vk6zgo]

Having to use an authentication code just to buy groceries online.

Great, isn't it! Coles send the dumb thing to your phone.

My Samsung is a pain in the backside to look at texts on, but luckily, I have Microsoft Phonelink which "sorta works", so I don't have to find where I've put the phone, as long as it is reasonably close to the laptop.

The funny thing is, that I can order, then go to Coles Online later & open the page without needing the code, so if I was the "boogey man" I guess I could change the order items & delivery address.

Once it is delivered, it seems that they go back to the silly code for next time.

[james_s]

I blame the LED replacements for incandescents on Ebay/Amazon/etc. They are very good indeed, but inappropriate for headlamps that aren't designed for them and just dazzle oncoming drivers. Illegal in the UK to retrofit them (should be an MOT failure) but easily swapped out just for the test (like 'power' exhausts on bikes).

They're illegal here too, the package will typically say "For off-road use only" but like you say they're easily swappable, and most states don't have any kind of vehicle inspection anyway.

[IDEngineer]

What?!? LED bulbs which are drop-in replacements for standard headlight bulbs are illegal here in the States? First I've ever heard that, and they're widely available from retail brick and mortar auto parts vendors everywhere.

[james_s]

What?!? LED bulbs which are drop-in replacements for standard headlight bulbs are illegal here in the States? First I've ever heard that, and they're widely available from retail brick and mortar auto parts vendors everywhere.

They are absolutely illegal, unless they are DOT certified. Look closely on the package, they will say something like "for off-road use only" in small print. Installing them in a headlamp certified for tungsten bulbs voids the DOT certification of the assembly.

[paulca]

The OEM lights are designed to create the correct beam shape (or not above a certain beam limit shape).  The OEM lights do not have the ability to raise or lower them.  They have to do that themselves.  Fancy Audi's do an animated thing when you power the car up, mine just monitors the rear axle and adjusts the headlights to load.  There is a minimal amount of adjustment in the headlight assembly.

Putting discharge lamps, xenon or led or whatever into a standard headlight reflector will produce far, far too much wide light compared to an OEM projector headlight.  So while the main beam pattern might look okay, the amount of light being leaked up and away will blind other drivers.

That is why they are illegal to be retro fitted unless it done in a certified way.

[IDEngineer]

LED's save fuel and reduce emissions compared to incandescents. It's a shame they don't make the LED packages to produce the same 3D profile of light output.

Guess I'll just continue reducing my environmental footprint by not using turn signals. Every little bit helps.