As someone who works in the industry this is quite amusing to me, thanks for the anecdote.
Things you're shocked people don't know
- Thread starter Jadzia
- Start date
As someone who works in the industry this is quite amusing to me, thanks for the anecdote.
One thing that shocks me (keep in mind, this is a rather small portion of the population I'm complaining about, but still) is the amount of parents that try to "fix" their child's instruments when somehting goes wrong. Unless you're an expert in such matters, leave the poor thing alone! I've helped tune the younger violinists and violists at the district's Fiddle Fest (my last of which is in two days) for the past few years, and you wouldn't believe how many students had their bridge glued in place by parents who got tired of it falling out. 
If it didn't come like that...there's no reason to make it like that! My favorite was a parent who thought that they could replace a broken string with a guitar string...
Again, how to properly maintain an instrument isn't something I'd expect everyone to know...but I'd hope most would know when not to turn something into a D.I.Y. project.
If it didn't come like that...there's no reason to make it like that! My favorite was a parent who thought that they could replace a broken string with a guitar string...Again, how to properly maintain an instrument isn't something I'd expect everyone to know...but I'd hope most would know when not to turn something into a D.I.Y. project.
JOOC, what does a violin sound like when you replace a broken string with a guitar string?My favorite was a parent who thought that they could replace a broken string with a guitar string...
I was educated in the UK, and recently moved to the US. I have had several misconceptions about Americans corrected, and will probably continue to do so for some time, but the recent cold weather here in Texas has brought home the point that so many people do not how to drive in cold weather.
If you're skidding on ice (or oil for that matter), turn the wheels into the skid instead of trying to correct the car's trajectory. In Britain it is taught to all motorists, (and I know for a fact that anyone who owns a boat also knows this as regards a high wave) and it is far safer than trying to correct the car's trajectory. Hundreds of accidents in Texas and the East Coast could have been avoided if people followed that simple instruction, instead of getting all panicky and swerving all over the place.
If you're skidding on ice (or oil for that matter), turn the wheels into the skid instead of trying to correct the car's trajectory. In Britain it is taught to all motorists, (and I know for a fact that anyone who owns a boat also knows this as regards a high wave) and it is far safer than trying to correct the car's trajectory. Hundreds of accidents in Texas and the East Coast could have been avoided if people followed that simple instruction, instead of getting all panicky and swerving all over the place.
^It's hard to blame people in the southern part of the country for not knowing how to drive in snow. They never have to do it. Even if they're taught how to do it in school, it's impossible to really figure it out without real world practice. There are people who live in Texas that have probably never even seen snow before!
However, when Chicago drivers don't know how to drive in the snow, I get annoyed!
However, when Chicago drivers don't know how to drive in the snow, I get annoyed!
We were taught that in driver's education in high school growing up in Iowa. Steer into the skid. Steer into the skid. On really snowy days they used to let us drive over to the football stadium's parking lot and practice correcting skids.
And, it's common sense, really. The car will straighten out in the direction of the skid, and you regain control. Turn with the skid, and you'll spin the car around in a circle.
But, early in my marriage, living in the midwest, I got into an almost knock-down-drag-out fight with my southern-raised wife who INSISTED that a person should turn WITH the skid. I got so angry over her failure to see how seriously wrong she was that I asked her if she valued her life and dared her to try it her way (when she was alone in the car).
Obama is clearly a polygamist.
Depreciation.
The sheer number of idiots who try to sell overpriced items on Craigslist. Just because YOU paid $3000 for that tube TV 15 years ago means nothing. You're not going to get $2000 for something outdated that weighs 300 pounds when a brand new HDTV that's 100 times better costs less.
I saw some clown trying to sell his Xbox 360 HD-DVD addon for close to the price he bought it for even though you could find it brand new for about 80% off the original price. Someone called him out on it and he got really pissy, claiming that the price he paid is all that matters and not the price it is now.
The sheer number of idiots who try to sell overpriced items on Craigslist. Just because YOU paid $3000 for that tube TV 15 years ago means nothing. You're not going to get $2000 for something outdated that weighs 300 pounds when a brand new HDTV that's 100 times better costs less.
I saw some clown trying to sell his Xbox 360 HD-DVD addon for close to the price he bought it for even though you could find it brand new for about 80% off the original price. Someone called him out on it and he got really pissy, claiming that the price he paid is all that matters and not the price it is now.
Absolutely. Huge QFT. And that doesn't just apply to electronics or to craigslist but to a large percentage of all internet auctions and classifieds. People have no fucking idea what their used crap is actually worth.
There was a recent Ebay auction where someone was selling an original Nintendo and some games, where one of the games happened to be a rare collector's item (a combination of the box, game and instructions, to be more specific) and the auction sold for five figures. Well now many Nintendo lots are being listed for sale with an absurdly high price, because apparently if Stadium Events is worth $10,000, then Bad Street Brawler and Chubby Cherub must be at least $250 each!
Something like this happens in the automotive world every year, after the Barret-Jackson car auction. Here's how it plays out:
Barret-Jackson will preview vehicles to be auctioned that year. Photos and descriptions of the vehicles are made public, at which point a member of an auto forum will post it online (for me, it's the VW forum). At that point, the vehicle will be ripped to shreds from bumper to bumper and members griping about how a vehicle that is "restored" could be so incorrect. Later, this vehicle will sell for stupid money (Barret-Jackson buyers are people who have more money than brains), after which, every schmuck out there will drag some total turd out of the weeds and post it in the forum classifieds with a stupid price because, "One sold for $XX,XXX dollars at Barret-Jackson, so I know what it's worth."
A
Amaris
Guest
I can point this one toward myself. I didn't know salt substitutes aren't good for diabetics. I had bought some yesterday and used a little bit of it in some soup, and it turns out too much potassium chloride can cause problems with diabetics and their kidneys, so I threw away an entire container. Granted, they recommend diabetics who are on a restricted potassium diet not eat it, but I'm not willing to take any chances!
After a friend posted all over Facebook that someone owed her money for some bondage gear and a 'cock cage', I was stunned to find out so few people know what a cock cage was.
Erm, I don't. I also used to think "dogging" meant taking dogs for walkies, "rimming" was something to do with wheel balancing, and "blow job" was paint stripping using a blow torch. Never made much sense in context.
Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
I don't know either. Never even heard of it.
You may have a strange circle of friends.
Maybe a cock cage is something to out a galah into? No, maybe not, that would cocky cage.
My son said he thinks it is something you put roosters in.
I should've thought of this sooner, but from walking around the Mall area in Washington over the years, you'd be surprised how many people don't know the names of the memorials and are amazed that the Smithsonian is more than one building.
And don't bet on too many folks knowing that's a statue of U.S. Grant in front of the West Lawn of the Capitol.
My wife was once giving a tour of the Capitol to a VIP who asked her where the President slept. She told him at White House, of course. There was pause, then he asked her, "Then where are we?" Honest. He thought the Capitol was the White House. It happened.
And don't bet on too many folks knowing that's a statue of U.S. Grant in front of the West Lawn of the Capitol.
My wife was once giving a tour of the Capitol to a VIP who asked her where the President slept. She told him at White House, of course. There was pause, then he asked her, "Then where are we?" Honest. He thought the Capitol was the White House. It happened.
In this case, VIP = Very Ignorant Person.
I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad that I DO know what a cock cage is...though I do not have any personal experience with such a device.
