Author Topic: Stuff We Feel Like Bitching About (Read 24436 times)

40hz · « **Reply #25 on:** June 09, 2014, 07:12 PM »

I'm on the verge...
-wraith808 (June 09, 2014, 07:00 PM)

Of switching hosts?

A wise decision. I would.

wraith808 · « **Reply #26 on:** June 09, 2014, 07:29 PM »

I'm on the verge...
-wraith808 (June 09, 2014, 07:00 PM)

Of switching hosts?

A wise decision. I would.
-40hz (June 09, 2014, 07:12 PM)

Unfortunately, it's not my site. *sigh*

I even offered to host them for free on my server if they'd just move... but when dealing with people that don't know about technology, they hate change, understandably.

"So here is us. On the raggedy edge."

40hz · « **Reply #27 on:** June 09, 2014, 07:54 PM »

I'm on the verge...
-wraith808 (June 09, 2014, 07:00 PM)

Of switching hosts?

A wise decision. I would.
-40hz (June 09, 2014, 07:12 PM)

Unfortunately, it's not my site. *sigh*

I even offered to host them for free on my server if they'd just move... but when dealing with people that don't know about technology, they hate change, understandably.

"So here is us. On the raggedy edge."
-wraith808 (June 09, 2014, 07:29 PM)

Our world and welcome to it, huh?

Yeah...sounds about right.

Just be sure to wear your BOFH sigil, discreetly pinned inside your street clothes. (It adds 10 extra hit points!)

Renegade · « **Reply #28 on:** June 09, 2014, 09:40 PM »

@Ren - I still don't see what subjecting somebody (who often lacks any real authority) to a barrage of obscenity and spleen is going to accomplish. Maybe it's cathartic for some people to vent. But I usually find I feel far worse, after having lost my temper, than I did before. So I guess this is one of those YMMV things.
-40hz (June 09, 2014, 04:15 PM)

You won't get any argument from me about that!

My most common tactic is to play pathetic and desperate. This usually gets me very good results and gets problems solved. Being polite combined with being desperate makes the person on the other end feel sorry for you, and you can play off that to get what you want.

I'm not trying to say outrage is never justified or needed. But to adopt it as a default policy or 'game plan' strikes me as being counterproductive in the long run. Shock only works once or twice on most people. Then the psychological calluses start to form. After that, a caller's aggressive or abusive behavior rolls off the back like a cold drop of rain - an unpleasant sensation perhaps, but little else.
-40hz (June 09, 2014, 04:15 PM)

And sometimes things are just so hosed that you might as well boil the baby and the bath water, then crucify the baby upside down, and start flinging feces at it all like a howler monkey.

Counterproductive? It all depends on what your goals are.

When there's no hope of resolving a situation, why not go nuclear? At least you'll make the life of the person on the other end a living hell, which will encourage them to quit their job. This in turn means higher turn-over for the job position and higher costs for the company/organisation/government. At some point they *may* actually see that there is a problem and fix it.

But there's no point in being nice or polite when you know that the situation won't get fixed. Going nuclear is sometimes a rational decision, even if it is the worst one.

Renegade · « **Reply #29 on:** June 09, 2014, 09:42 PM »

(see attachment in previous post)
Just be sure to wear your BOFH sigil, discreetly pinned inside your street clothes. (It adds 10 extra hit points!)
-40hz (June 09, 2014, 07:54 PM)

It also gives you superpowers to electrocute people! Don't forget that!

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #30 on:** June 10, 2014, 08:54 PM »

A new angle:

What is with all these new sliding javascript teasers!?

I don't do NoScript; too many programs need scripts. But lots of the "news" sites are now sliding huge banners across my screen!

The sticky point is AdBlock doesn't capture them. So the best I can do is super-quick hit my JS disabler ad-on and reload. But then half the page doesn't load. Yuk.

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #31 on:** June 10, 2014, 10:00 PM »

What is with all these new sliding javascript teasers!?
-TaoPhoenix (June 10, 2014, 08:54 PM)

Some jackass learns a new trick, and next thing you know every idiot on the block wants the latest greatest dancing monkey too.

I don't do a lot of blocking either in the interest of trying to play fair. But some of the stuff as you say is just pushing the limits of reason. Mouse over the wrong spot and either a video starts screaming at you, or the whole page disappears as it is shoved down by a banner that flew out of nowhere.

I was on the phone with a client when I managed it inadvertently touch off one of these things and it starts playing the Orbits gum commercial (yeah the one that sounds like a freakin porno) in a window I wasn't even viewing. I'm on speakerphone and the PC speaker is sitting right behind the phone ... So there is no deniability to be had. And I can't find the %&^$# thing to kill it. Fortunately the client had a sense of humor.

So I'm currently debating on changing my fairness policy.

40hz · « **Reply #32 on:** June 16, 2014, 09:15 AM »

^I've pretty much given up granting the benefit of doubt to websites any more. My script and ad blockers are switched on and remain on. Later, if I decide I like the site and I am being treated with a modicum respect by it, I will then (and only then) disable blocking on it. There was a time when I would only block as needed. Now I do the opposite - block by default and unblock only where justified. Sad really. But I have limited patience with most of the nonsense up on the web.

So it goes. $:-\$

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #33 on:** June 16, 2014, 02:58 PM »

So I'm currently debating on changing my fairness policy.
-Stoic Joker (June 10, 2014, 10:00 PM)

Google mostly got ads right with little text thingies.

For anyone wanting to be "fair", that's about the best compromise.

But two new categories are making me grumpy.

Besides those "sliders", some sites have a "share" button that when you mouse-over it, drops this huge sized list of the big five-ish media sites. Facebook, Twitter, and whatever. And it seems really hard to get rid of, more than 1 click elsewhere, more like six.

The other is a live continuing script where it spends all day hitting "ping.chartbeat.com" and whatever that other one is, measuring parts of how long you are on the page. Yep, a page view is not enough, now it wants a durational timer!

An honorable mention is that some admittedly NSFW sites have a script that spawns new windows that the pop-up blocker doesn't see.

So in a sense readers are losing the inflation race. "An article is always an article", but it's like the site landlords are raising the rent or whatever on what ads they want to hold the writer hostage with.

40hz · « **Reply #34 on:** June 16, 2014, 05:33 PM »

So in a sense readers are losing the inflation race. "An article is always an article", but it's like the site landlords are raising the rent or whatever on what ads they want to hold the writer hostage with.

-TaoPhoenix (June 16, 2014, 02:58 PM)

There are some forms of respect that can be taught. For everything else, there's DDoS.

Renegade · « **Reply #35 on:** June 16, 2014, 08:12 PM »

^I've pretty much given up granting the benefit of doubt to websites any more. My script and ad blockers are switched on and remain on. Later, if I decide I like the site and I am being treated with a modicum respect by it, I will then (and only then) disable blocking on it. There was a time when I would only block as needed. Now I do the opposite - block by default and unblock only where justified. Sad really. But I have limited patience with most of the nonsense up on the web.

So it goes. $:-\$
-40hz (June 16, 2014, 09:15 AM)

You and StoicJoker are far more tolerant than I am. My default for a while now has been to block everything.

I even block on sites that I really and truly appreciate - they use Google services. Sorry, but that doesn't fly. I am not interested in being tracked and I do believe that the tracking companies, e.g. Google, are acting in good faith with their EULAs.

Trying to filter in the good stuff is simply too much of a burden now. I can't be bothered anymore.

For years and years I didn't filter anything out. I didn't use ad blockers or anything. I figured I'd play fair, etc. etc.

However...

I was on the phone with a client when I managed it inadvertently touch off one of these things and it starts playing the Orbits gum commercial (yeah the one that sounds like a freakin porno) in a window I wasn't even viewing. I'm on speakerphone and the PC speaker is sitting right behind the phone ... So there is no deniability to be had. And I can't find the %&^$# thing to kill it. Fortunately the client had a sense of humor.
-Stoic Joker (June 10, 2014, 10:00 PM)

Same basic deal - one too many sites blaring deafening audio unexpectedly.

My sense of humour there turned into something along the lines of throwing out the bath water then crucifying the baby upside down in a flaming acid bath while chanting dark verses to raise Great Old Ones and laughing maniacally. Because blaring audio at 2 AM when everyone else is asleep is about as funny.

I may stop blocking at some point in the future. And I will likely now (in light of the above posts) unblock a few more things for a few more sites... but not much.

wraith808 · « **Reply #36 on:** June 16, 2014, 09:27 PM »

The only ones I tend not to block now are the ones that use that Project Wonderful. And I'm on the verge of blocking even them. With Patreon up and running, I've been able to contribute to the sites that use that without accepting ads. I'd rather give them a couple bucks a month and get rid of all ads.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #37 on:** June 17, 2014, 12:45 AM »

You and StoicJoker are far more tolerant than I am. My default for a while now has been to block everything.
-Renegade (June 16, 2014, 08:12 PM)

This was one of my original points Renny. I have AdBlock on permanently, but these random things show up anyway. I have a "JS-Nuke" button on my browser that I can toggle, but then part of the time the page doesn't even load because some dev decided to make the content script driven.

I was saying I don't bother with things like NoScript and specific site prefs because I will only view something like the Kansas Star three times based on a Slashdot article. I have no energy to try to make a custom profile out of that. And even if I wanted to, I don't know how to allow the script that loads the page, but disallow the timed one that slides over and screams HEY RENNY! YOU'RE MY HERO! YOU'RE A MINOR DEITY! NOW READ THIS NEW ARTICLE YOU DIDN'T KNOW WE HAD!!

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #38 on:** June 17, 2014, 12:50 AM »

I just hit another one.

http://bleacherrepor...his-first-title-1999

It's ping.chartbeat.net and edge.simplereach.com

And here is your example of a Slider.

JS Slider.png

40hz · « **Reply #39 on:** June 17, 2014, 07:16 AM »

I'd rather give them a couple bucks a month and get rid of all ads.
-wraith808 (June 16, 2014, 09:27 PM)

Amen!

wraith808 · « **Reply #40 on:** June 17, 2014, 09:51 AM »

I'd rather give them a couple bucks a month and get rid of all ads.
-wraith808 (June 16, 2014, 09:27 PM)

Amen!
-40hz (June 17, 2014, 07:16 AM)

I'm surprised that hasn't come of age before now. And I wonder how long before a big player steps in.

For those who haven't seen them:

Patreon
Flattr

I'm sure there are others out there... but really, there's no excuse to depend on ads anymore IMO.

Shades · « **Reply #41 on:** June 17, 2014, 07:33 PM »

Nobody using Ghostery for blocking ads? Although the source of this browser plug-in (all the main ones, except IE) might be considered questionable, I am using it to my satisfaction. it's the only blocker in my browser (FF) and even on the more...adult sites, it blocks beyond belief.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #42 on:** June 17, 2014, 08:20 PM »

Nobody using Ghostery for blocking ads? Although the source of this browser plug-in (all the main ones, except IE) might be considered questionable, I am using it to my satisfaction. it's the only blocker in my browser (FF) and even on the more...adult sites, it blocks beyond belief.
-Shades (June 17, 2014, 07:33 PM)

Wow. I've known about Ghostery for years. I have it, but I must have turned it off in some kind of test and forgot. I knew it blocked a lot of the "trackers", but most of them I wasn't that concerned about, but it seems to help with some of the sliders too. And it also looks like it greatly slows down the "pings".

Without getting all exhaustive, nice tip!

Now what then springs to mind is why does this have to be Ghostery, and AdBlock doesn't do that?

Also, a subset of the bitch-rant is that a lot of these things aren't in fact ads, they're native site content that just seems to want to slide stuff everywhere, like Sharing or Menus. So each of these sites wants to run like twelve scripts, of which seven are vital where the content doesn't even load without them, and the other five are the ones I hate. I don't have the energy to wade through that each time for forty sites, so I just hack my way around it all.

40hz · « **Reply #43 on:** June 17, 2014, 09:09 PM »

Nobody using Ghostery for blocking ads? Although the source of this browser plug-in (all the main ones, except IE) might be considered questionable, I am using it to my satisfaction. it's the only blocker in my browser (FF) and even on the more...adult sites, it blocks beyond belief.
-Shades (June 17, 2014, 07:33 PM)

I'm using it. f0dder gave me the heads up on this puppy quite a while ago and I've been using it ever since. It's one of several blockers I employ regularly.

Renegade · « **Reply #44 on:** June 17, 2014, 09:40 PM »

My blockers:

The first one is Ghostery.

The second is Adblock Plus.

Both of those I got from recommendations here at DC. (I forget who exactly.)

The third is DarkWallet. Included just because.