(yoo'zer häs'tel) adj.
1 Having or showing ill will; unfriendly; antagonistic: said esp. of most computer programmes, hardware, etc.
2 Things so mean that they could not have been designed by accident
But then Fate (and Tim) stepped in to deal it a most cruel hand. In order to make the oven match the rest of his tastefully decorated black and chrome SiliconValley kitchen, Tim thought black spray-paint could cover up that unsightly wood-grain finish his trusty oven sported, saving him the cost of a new oven.
Well- he did a great job masking off the glass door and clock area so no stray paint would betray the fact that he was giving his microwave a makeover. Unfortunately- what he forgot to cover was the touch pad! All those carefully thought out buttons like 'popcorn' or 'beverage- 1/2 cup' as well as the numbers and the crucial 'start' button were now hidden behind a veil of black semi-gloss.
Have you ever done this: take out a whole bunch of CDs and then can't figure out where they belong? Not that I am against the clever art they are putting onto discs these days, but is it too much to ask them to add their group's name? I understand that putting the songs onto the disc is a bit of a waste, who can see them when they are inside the player, but after you get a couple of hundred CDs, they can't expect you to recognize every single one on sight.
With the breakup of AT&T, local phone companies now are trying to make as much money as they can with as many added services as they can think up. The only problem is that now you'll need a list of code numbers next to your phone to remember what to press to get which service.
OK- *70 everyone who has call-waiting & a computer knows about, but now we'll have to remember *69 (Call Return) and *66 (Repeat Dialing), just to name a few. Is the telephone becoming the last bastion of the command-line interface?
So you are playing this game and you get to a good point and you realize it's almost midnight- wouldn't it be nice to be able to save where you are and start playing another day? Wrong! You'll have to keep playing, this is a bus-ride that you can only get off at the end. Sorry- do I look like I have the whole day to play your game? Come on people, with the Atari 2600 I could understand it, but haven't we progressed just a bit since then?
the story probably sounds familiar to most people, Wal-Mart comes into a small town and announces it is going to build a nice new store for all your shopping needs. Well, here in Auburn, California that's exactly what happened, only they want to build it fairly close to downtown and on one of the smallest roads through town. To make a long story short: big town meetings ensue and majourity of the people think it is a bad idea. Does Wal-Mart change their proposed location? Nope. They still insist they would be an asset to the community, and their store wouldn't be all that big or cause that much additional traffic. Thousands of people turn out to tell them to stay away or find a new site, but they ignore them!
Am I missing something here? Most coffees are about 90% water, so basically a cup of these flavoured coffees is not unlike a hot sno-cone for adults. Now I am not one to turn my nose up at the power of caffeine, but why oh why do these new coffees have to cost upwards of a buck or more a cup?
Say your not lactose-intolerant, and you want to buy some milk at the local Safeway. Could be Lucky, but just for the sake of brevity, we'll use Safeway. You say, "I'm an average milk-drinker, I'll pick up a gallon of 2%, how much will this cost me?" Well, guess what? Unlike everything else in the store that is priced per item, with milk the 2nd gallon is cheaper than the first. Those OreoTM you're buying to go with the milk? Sign says 2 for $5. Well get just one bag and the price is $2.50. Not milk! Why?!
Now if companies for stuff as lame asPower Riders and that magic Sweepa broom-thing can come up with the money for a commercial, why do these candy makers shove their obvious European imports on our air-waves? Sorry, pal, but if any long-haired kid ever climbed into the back of somebody's car, I don't think a tube of Mentos is going to protect him from the angry driver's wrath! Do they think we won't notice there is a lack of conversation from the on-screen talent? That sassy music they have added behind the "action" only makes their sheer foreigness all the more obvious. At least the makers of Werthers Original (?) have mended their voice-over ways, and actually now have the kid and his grandfather speaking to each other.
Granted batteries are a boring product, and one that is difficult to build some loyalty to, so I can understand that their makers want to give them an identity so that we consumers will be more likely to pick up their brand the next time our Newtons and Walkman start to fade. But if I may quote Saturday Night Live, "Who are the ad wizards that came up with this one!" Other companies spots inspire and impress people enough to talk about them long after they disappear (Wendy's Where's the Beef and Budweiser's Yes I Am! guy). These battery ads seem only to instill fear and confusion. I know several people that will leap for the remote the instant one of these ads appears- this can hardly be the effect the Duracel makers want. Oh- and don't get me started about their internal inaccuracies (Why do battery people need to eat? Why would they have a pool?)
Does NBC think we can't remember if we have seen their shows already? Recently I have heard them claim the shows they had scheduled were not reruns, but were instead a classic episode, a bonus, or an encore! What happened to the days when networks were so embarrassed to have to put something on a second (or third!) time, they did it in the summer months when we were all supposed to be out barbecuing or whatever?
Admittedly it costs big money to make a Star Trek episode, but what's the deal with these people who get a string of orders and can only nod in compliance? Try that at your work when someone gives you a list of things to do and see what happens! My suggestion to the producers is to cut down on the donut budget, and use the money you save to pay some actors for speaking parts!
Everyone has seen this- a show ends and before the end credits get a chance to start, they whoosh over to the side or get smashed into a tiny box. Even "The Simpsons" has made fun of this. Maybe the networks feel everyone leaves the room when the credits start. But for those of us who are interested in them, it would be nice to be able to read them. At least CBS has the sense to reformat their credits so as to be legible in the margin they give them. Don't the creators of these shows have any clout with the networks? I pity the poor Key Grips and Best Boys who's names are now forever obscured .... Update: After I e-mailed FOX complaining of this practice, I got a very prompt reply and was told, "What you are talking about is something that shouldn't be happening. I will definitely pass this message on to our Network distribution team (they deal with our affiliates)." A couple of days later the "crush" (as they called it) disappeared!!
When creating a new TV show, the most important thing is to get people talking about it, right? Well– what better way to get people interested in a show than by getting peopleon the 'net involved? Free publicity sounds like a good plan, but not if you are a Fox lawyer! Check out the organized resistance at FIST.
Cherry red with a black top, and man can this car go! As Kevin Donovan used to say, "these VWs were meant to handle the Autobahn at top speeds and take the corners in the Black Forest." (And he was talking about his Dasher Diesel! My only complaint: The horn is on two tiny buttons to the left and right. Every time someone cuts me off I end up pressing down hard on the airbag. By the time I find the horn, it's too late ....
submitted by Doug B. of Sacramento CA
Car makers have standardized almost everything in your car: the shift pattern, even the icons that tell you which knob is for the defroster. But why do they keep putting controls in places that interfere with one another? Want to signal? Turn on your wiper instead! Do 747 pilots have this type of problems too- reach for the intercom & accidentally lower the landing gear?
Do these people have no sense of perception? Or are they just too lazy (or cheap) to peel off the sticker and try again? I confess- I am the owner of a sticker-free car myself and was raised in a sticker-free home, (Like father like son? Think about it, won't you?) so I can't begin to understand the appeal of putting a bumper sticker on in the first place, but if you're going to make that leap- wouldn't you want to put it on correctly? Do they think what it might be saying about themselves and their, "child on the honor roll?" Which makes me wonder: are the pictures on their walls hung at angle as well?
hello maureen