Pet Peeves!
 

I think some of us just need to vent - not at any particular person. Just vent. With that in mind...

What are some of your biggest pet peeves?

I'll tell you probably my biggest one - assholes in SUV's. Man. I tell you what - I see more assholes in SUV's than I do in any other type of vehicle. It's almost as if owning an SUV is a permit to drive like a DANGEROUS ASSHOLE. Here's a good little story -

Jenni's bringing me to work one morning in August, and we're getting real close... and we get cut off by a bitch on a cell phone in a green SUV. Man. Just pissed me right off. So I'm like "Fuck! Fucking bitch! Goddammit! Don't bother to fucking SIGNAL, just COME ON OVER!" I wouldn't have minded if they had just gotten in, but they SWERVED in and Jenni had to slow down drastically. So anyway, I'm freshly annoyed about this. We make a turn, and then another turn onto the road my office building is on. Lo and behold, a bitch on a cell phone in a green SUV pulls out of the Bank of America parking lot right in front of us at 35 miles per hour. Man! Jenni nails the brakes so we don't broadside this idiot. Two bitches on cell phones driving green SUV's within 3 minutes of each other! Goddamn.

But yeah. I really just strongly dislike anyone who does stupid things on the road. More people die from car accidents each year than do from most anything else. Yet so many people do the stupidest things on the road! To use a Cellar favorite phrase, the mind boggles!

Here's another one: Rosie O'Donnell. Now, full disclosure: I am a supporter of the Second Amendment. But hear me out. Rosie O'Donnell is a hypocrite. She has repeatedly pushed for gun control laws. She organized and lead the Million Mom March. Her bodyguard is licensed to carry a firearm, and does. Of course, you shouldn't be allowed to have a gun for self protection, but she should. Why? She is no better than me or you! She is no more important than any one else in this world! Oh, of course. Do as I say, not as I do.

Bill Clinton's stance on this also just really fucking bugged me. I didn't think Bill Clinton was an awful President. I thought he was of questionable character and probably not a particularly great role model for children, but I had no major gripe with him. But man. That guy would fight and fight and fight for anti-gun legislation. Well I don't see the Secret Service running around with butterknives to protect you, Mr. President! I don't care if you're the President of the United States - you are a human and an American citizen, and are no more important than any of us non-Presidents. Sure, guns are okay for you to use for protection - but don't even hear the argument that maybe they're good for our protection.

Here's another biggie: fake hackers. Holy shit. Man. Those people just bug the shit out of me! Here's a real conversation I had about 5 years ago on WBS (anyone remember that?).

some dumb guy: I am a hacker!

me: No. If you claim you're a hacker, you're automatically not one.

sdg: Yes I am! Fear me, bitch, or I will give you a virus.

me: Really? I have fear! Oh no.

sdg: Yeah, mother fucker. I am gonna take you down. I'm sending you a virus right now.

me: Ha. Okay. How you doing that, Mr. Hacker? I know for a fact that you don't have my email address, so you can't send me an infected file. Whatcha gonna do?

sdg: I'll infect the picture you're using beside your name and then you'll have it.

me: Riiiiiiiiight. You're a retard. Do you even know what part of a computer a virus generally infects? (This was back in the heyday of mbr viruses)

sdg: Ever hear of the motherboard?

I started laughing at this point.

me: Yeah, I have, and No, that's not the right answer, you fucking idiot. Get the fuck out of here.

That's a real conversation. April of '96. No joke. I got quite the reputation as "He who is called I am." Er, wait. No. I got quite the reputation as the person that scared all the wanna-be hackers out of the channel (alt.music.alternative) and stood up for the people that were generally scared by the stupid pseudo-threats. But they still remain a big pet peeve of mine today. I hate it when people pretend to be something they're not. But I really hate it when they pretend to be a hacker. Just really bugs me.

#1
Phone solicitation. Please, dear God, leave me alone. We now have a screen and caller ID. It was to the point of AK47 on a rooftop.Still some get through. I hate them with every shread of my being.

Thank you. I'm better now.

Heh. I love phone solicitors. They crack me up. The other night the phone rings - "UNAVAILABLE" the Caller ID display reads. I think to myself, "wahoo, probably someone trying to sell something."

I answer. "Hello?"

"Hi, yes, I'm Mark with MCI Worldcom and I think you'd be interested in our cellular telephone promotion we've got going right now. See, if you sign up for ...."

I let him talk, waiting until he's done.

"...so, what do you think? Should we go ahead and get you signed up for that?"

I say "Well dude, lemme tell you. I really can't talk at the moment. I had a glass of milk earlier without first taking my Lactaid and I'm suffering some frothy diarrhea, let me tell you. Maybe you could call back in an hour or two when I'm off the pot?"

He's like "Uh, yes sir. Thank you for your time" and hangs up.

Never called back. :)

The thrice-damned DMCA.

See, frothy or not, Doesnt phase 'em. I get the calls back. Evil. :eek:

do you cut/place teh bold tag dham =)

Salesman: Once this paytv guy refused to loeave, we tried to shut teh door on him so he wedged his foot in and forced it open. So i left and came back with a hockey stick and hit his shoe till he left (2 hits for refrence)

Re: Pet Peeves!
 

I suppose to that crew you can add most of the government of the state of New Jersey. Doesn anybody know if this McGreavy character has any chance of getting elected? Running TV ads stating that the cops think nobody but the cops should have guns. Funny thing about that .

Oh, let's do some links:
A Human Right
Pink Pistols
Gun Facts

Might solve that problem with the PayTV guy too. :-) We had the most *amazingly* agressive asshole from "Slomin's Shield" call us night-before-last. Started arguing with us *after* we did the obligatory we're-not-interested-please-put-us-on-your-do-not-call-list speech. It's time to go back to automation on that one; we have one of those little boxes where you press the button and hang up and the box keeps the guy on the line while it Mirandizes him. Lots of fun for $10

Well I hope you folks aren't giving your phone number out. EVER EVER EVER

If you're not unlisted in the phonebook, you're already in CD-ROMs and databases all over the place.

Which isn't licence to spam me by phone anymore than having an email address is to spam me online.

Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

--Philadelphia drivers: Notorious for jumping lights before they turn green. It's like Jesus Christ! Fucking control yourself, dickless! I so hope the red light cameras are approved in Pennsylvania...I will rub my hands with glee when I see stupid oxygen-wasting FUCKS see their car insurance rates shoot into the stratosphere. A yellow light means caution, slow down, not accelerate, DAMNIT!

--Washington, DC (particularly Beltway) drivers: Yeah, let's whiz around the curves near Silver Spring at, say, 90 miles an hour during a Monday night rush hour. Better yet, let's weave in and out of lanes like we're sewing a big ol' American flag. Oh, and let's not forget driving down Michigan Ave. NE, near Catholic U., at 60 miles an hour...in a 25 mph zone, again, weaving in and out of lanes. God, I fucking HATE Washington, DC.

--People who will not donate their organs, and have no religious reason for doing so: Hey, my gf desperately needs a new kidney. They're getting ready to put her on the UNOS(?) list. You can't take it with you!

--The newfound patriotism: Thank God I don't live with my parents anymore. My stepfather (a Vietnam vet) and I probably would have killed each other by now. You wanna fly an American flag? Great! Set it on fire? Okay. Wipe your ass with it? Why not? Just don't give me a hard time for not waving one.

Maggie, funny you brought up McGreevey...

First off, no one in New Jersey should be allowed to carry concealed weapons unless they're policemen. New Jerseyans have not proven themselves intelligent enough to be able to do this properly, much like my home state of Missouri (which voted against repealing the concealed weapons ban 2 years ago, thanks to the heavy "no" vote in St. Louis City and County).

That aside, the Dems should be able to take back Trenton with relative ease...McGreevey has a sizable lead. But what I find amusing are all the ads for Senate and Assembly candidates. So much for being nice to each other after 9/11. They are quite frankly both the most vicious and funniest political ads I have ever seen in my life.

My personal faves include:

--The attack ads against Steve Sweeney ("Dishonest? Or incompetent? You shouldn't have to wonder!")
--The attack ads against Sherri Jenkins (How she was sued by UPenn Hospital and the State of New Jersey...and how she supports Brett Schundler...an "extremist.")
--The assault against the Republicans being in Trenton for 8 years (higher property taxes, higher car insurance, toxic waste sites, etc.)

What, 5 more days?

Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

Democrats again. :-)

Is there something genetically superior about the NJ cops that makes them smarter than the other citizens? You're not going to make me laugh and tell me they're "better trained", are you?

As for the intelligence of the overall NJ population--well--they live in NJ, we need say no more; not only that, we've seen them drive. Sorry to hear about the Missourians...did they come down with the stupids, too?

We've had legal carry for citizens over here in PA for a number of years now with no obvious ill effect.

Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

Now to the other end of the state:

Pittsburgh drivers - Pittsburgh has the Gauntlet when it comes to bad drivers.

1) Too many elderly drivers. Big cars + big hair + big glasses = a reason for a maximum age limit for PA driver's licenses. Just today, (I was with AlphaGeek, matter of fact) we're driving along and this old lady in a big-ass Caddy screams out ahead of us so fast it's unreal. Then, to top it all off, she chops the acceleration down to 25 m.p.h. We are yelling our heads off at this lady, who probably can't see over the dash, much less the steering wheel. Ugh.

2) People who live in fear of the tunnels. You have not had frustration until you've been in the Fort Pitt, Liberty, or Squirrel Hill tunnels. It says to maintain speed, there is no such thing practiced. You're moving along at 55, get to the tunnels, BAM. Your speed drops like 20 m.p.h. I am convinced that everyone in Pittsburgh saw TESB one too many times, and are afraid of teeth coming together at the end of the tunnel.

3) Fear of the cops. One time, I'm driving with my brother out of the city when we get to, say, two miles before the Squirrel Hill tunnels and hit bumper-to-bumper gridlock. I take a half-hour nap, and we're still on the bad side of the tunnels. When we finally get out, the problem was someone from Allegheny County Five-Oh was parked right on the side of the road, and everybody was rubbernecking towards him, watching like they expect him to look up from his Primanti's sandwich long enough to hit the siren and bust them for something. If he would, it would be because they're going TOO SLOW. This has to be the most brilliant cop I've ever seen because if he did, he knew it'd make things worse.

4) No turn signals. These people drive all over the place, with no notification whatsoever. "Oh, gee, this lane bore me. I'm'a go right 'n 'at. Yunz behin' me won' care, 'cuz I'm'a bona-fide YUNZER! Boy, gimmee a bottla Arn."

The last thing I need in life is to pull a fucking Vulcan Mind Meld with the asshole in front of me while I have to deal with the old lady in the big Cadillac in fear of the cop she passed two miles back behind the road that can't understand that THE TUNNEL IS FUCKING SAFE!

SHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*breathing heavily, anger safely vented

~Mike

Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

Laugh as you wish, but sure I will. Why not? (Other than the fuckups of the State Police with racial profiling.) These are the people we entrust and pay to protect us. Not to mention, it's not like you can't own a gun already.

Quote:

As for the intelligence of the overall NJ population--well--they live in NJ, we need say no more; not only that, we've seen them drive. Sorry to hear about the Missourians...did they come down with the stupids, too?

I wouldn't trust anyone in Missouri with a gun any further than I can throw them.

Quote:

We've had legal carry for citizens over here in PA for a number of years now with no obvious ill effect.

I don't buy that argument though. Will Rogers said it best..."If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Allowing concealed weapons would most likely not reduce crime in New Jersey. Not to mention, New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country...lack of space can breed contempt. They're better off letting the weapons issue go.

Re: Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

No, you just have to leave it at home.

Firearms quals for police are a joke, in most jurisdictions. There *are* some cops who train carefully...but so do many private gun owners. I shoot my carry sidearm once a month--*much* more than most cops.
In addition to being an unsupported assertion, that's simply not true. The available statistics tell an exactly opposite story.

Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

Hmm. Put among my peeves people who think this.

A yellow light is a warning that the light is about to turn red. That's all. Nothing more. It doesn't mean slow down. Slowing down without intending to stop is one of the worst things you can do when faced with a yellow light.

As for cameras... well, I was hit in Philadelphia a couple of months ago. Deliberately. Twice. I ran through two red lights to get away from the nutcase (Fortunately for both of us, I was not carrying, or I would have confronted her instead) Just what I would have needed on top of a damaged car is a couple of tickets and higher insurance rates (insurance which won't pay for my damage, of course).

I ain't dead yet... and I'd prefer not to be more valuable to a hospital dead than alive.

My knee-jerk thought on that: you can vote for his opponent, who is both. (I know nothing about his opponent, or him for that matter)

Re: Re: Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

Sure there are. I've seen them. And there are stats that would refute what you are saying. I've read some of the statistics, on both sides. It's a matter of who you choose to believe, really. I am keenly aware of how people like to take stats and shift them to fit their own viewpoint.

Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

The first part is not completely true.

From the Drivers Manual of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:

"A steady yellow light tells you that a red light will soon appear. If you are driving toward an intersection and a yellow light appears, slow down and prepare to stop. If you are within the intersection or cannot stop safely before entering the intersection, continue through carefully."

This also seems consistent with my recollections of drivers manuals in Missouri, Illinois, and Maryland. I understand what you are saying russotto. What I am referring to are morons who have what seems to be plenty of time to stop, yet they gun the accelerator and fly through the light.

Quote:

As for cameras... well, I was hit in Philadelphia a couple of months ago. Deliberately. Twice. I ran through two red lights to get away from the nutcase (Fortunately for both of us, I was not carrying, or I would have confronted her instead) Just what I would have needed on top of a damaged car is a couple of tickets and higher insurance rates (insurance which won't pay for my damage, of course).

Realistically though, how many times has this happened to you? Did you call the police? I would wager that you if you had to plead your case in a camera situation, you'd probably win.

As a side note, the Commonwealth should seriously consider adding front license plates to cars. If you have someone causing you trouble from behind, at least you could possibly get a tag number.

Quote:

I ain't dead yet... and I'd prefer not to be more valuable to a hospital dead than alive.

Unless you have a DNR order, or someone invokes power-of-attorney privileges you've given to them, the hospital is going to do whatever they can to save you before harvesting your organs.

Now see..., I am on the record, on my drivers license, as a donor- but I think it just may be the associations with the term harvesting that give us all a bit of pucker-butt. :eek:

Let just say that when you really can no longer have any use for this equiptment, it can miraculously be given to another so that they have a chance to stay on this earth a bit longer with their loved ones. recycling :)

Re: Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

The driver's manual, though, is not authoritative, and the law says nothing about slowing down.

I've been hit deliberately only in that one incident. I did not call the police. Deal with the police voluntarily? No, thank you. Given that I didn't call the police, I figure my story in court would be met with "I don't believe you, guilty". Or, as has been reported in Maryland, even before I tell my story -- the judge started the court session by announcing that anyone who had a red light ticket with a picture showing their car over the line was guilty.

I wouldn't put mine on anyway, so I have to oppose that idea...


You can believe that if you like, but I figure doctors are human like the rest, and if doing a little less effort to save someone they have little sympathy for in order to harvest organs can save someone they have more sympathy for, they might just do it.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

On the contrary, I'd say it's rather authoritative. You have to pass an exam based upon information in the drivers manual if you want a drivers license in the Commonwealth. Driving is a privilege, not a right.

Quote:

I've been hit deliberately only in that one incident. I did not call the police. Deal with the police voluntarily? No, thank you. Given that I didn't call the police, I figure my story in court would be met with "I don't believe you, guilty". Or, as has been reported in Maryland, even before I tell my story -- the judge started the court session by announcing that anyone who had a red light ticket with a picture showing their car over the line was guilty...I wouldn't put mine on anyway, so I have to oppose that idea...

So, let's say the gal that hit you was from PA. And let's say she had a front plate on her car. You'd rather her get away with damaging your car, rather than report her for what she did?

Red light cameras are not foolproof, nor controversy proof. The benefits of them though would far outweigh the consequences.

Quote:

You can believe that if you like, but I figure doctors are human like the rest, and if doing a little less effort to save someone they have little sympathy for in order to harvest organs can save someone they have more sympathy for, they might just do it.

Sure...it can happen. And I could be struck by lightning tomorrow, and my car could blow up too.

If we do not fight the fears and misconceptions of organ donation, innocent people are going to die. Innocent people will always die, but it's worth it to try and save as many as possible.

The Organ Donation Site, from the Dept. of Health and Human Services

Oh sure. This was the very reason I used to be against it. In fact, I didn't sign for organ donation until I was almost 22 (over 5 years after I got my license).

But the way I figure it, I am going to die one of these days. When I die, I want to be cremated. If I can give new life to someone who needs it, and my kidney or liver or tissue can give that life, then by all means, take it.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

I have a PA state license and I've never read the driver's manual nor taken the test. In any case, only the actual law is authoritative, not the driver's manual.


I don't think reporting her would change anything; she'd still get away with it. All that would happen is I'd spend time talking to the police, something I'd rather not do. Maybe she would too (probably the cops wouldn't even bother) but all she'd have to do is deny it and she'd be fine. (no damage to her pickup truck, naturally)

Red light cameras not only aren't foolproof, they have high potential for and a history of abuse. And since there's no defense to a red light camera ticket, _all_ errors (honest or otherwise) are charged to the victim.

Yeah, but who is the more innocent, the nice young girl with kidney disease through no fault of her own, or the degenerate (and yes, hospital personnel DO use that term to refer to patients) in the trauma ward who wrecked his car while speeding through a red light? You think no one would be tempted not to let one die to save the other?

re: doctors letting one die to save the other

doctors are strong moral characters, man. they don't just pick some homeless guy drunk crack smoker that's on the streets because they broke outta jail and got nowhere to go and say "hey, wanna be a doctor?" doctors take an oath that basically says "i will cause no harm." if it can be shown that they didn't try, with everything they had, to save a life, then they're in big shit. it's not just a job. yes, doctors are human, but they don't routinely just let people die. they try their best to save anyone that comes through the doors.

the fact of the matter is, if you don't want someone taking your organs, just say "i don't want 'em cutting up my body and taking my shit after i'm dead." it's *your* body - no one can tell you what you can and can't do with it. but an excuse of "i don't want to be more valuable dead than alive to a hospital" doesn't really fly. you're automatically more valuable alive because you're more likely to pay your bill that way! give doctors some credit.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

Did you move here from out of state (as I did)? I didn't take any test either, which quite frankly concerns me.

Quote:

Red light cameras not only aren't foolproof, they have high potential for and a history of abuse. And since there's no defense to a red light camera ticket, _all_ errors (honest or otherwise) are charged to the victim.

That's not true. Depending on the nature of the situation, red light tickets CAN be argued successfully. The Washington Post ran a story on DC's traffic cameras a little over a year ago. They noted a) the fact that DC police WERE pulling a stunt on drivers along N. Capitol St., just outside Union Station (where they had the timing on this "useless" light off, causing people to "run" the light and get a ticket), and b) that many people have successfully argued their way out of tickets, in one way or another.

Quote:

Yeah, but who is the more innocent, the nice young girl with kidney disease through no fault of her own, or the degenerate (and yes, hospital personnel DO use that term to refer to patients) in the trauma ward who wrecked his car while speeding through a red light? You think no one would be tempted not to let one die to save the other?

Come on Russotto, be realistic here. The situation you bring up is RARE, certainly not the norm. Think of the Hippocratic Oath.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

Yeah, I came from Maryland. Plunked down my money and my old driver's license, took an eye test, and walked out with a PA state license.

where in maryland? i used to live there. then i got smart and moved. :)

Lived in Frederick, worked in Gaithersburg (IBM Federal Systems, later Loral Federal Systems, later Lockheed Martin, probably now an extension of the Lake Forest Mall or something). Doing the 270 thing every morning.... *shudder*

ah. yes. then you would be mighty aware of what we have affectionately (not) dubbed "The Fredneck." hehe.

i lived in mount airy. more specifically, taylorsville. but yeah. my mom's in frederick, in a nursing home. the 270 thing does suck - it's only decent at 6 in the morning (and hardly then) or 9 at night. at no time in between would i want to be driving on it.

hehe. frederick. there's something about it that i just don't like. but i don't dislike it as much as i dislike cumberland. there's *really* something about cumberland that makes me want to get the fuck out of there. frederick would be okay if one had an apartment on market street or something. hehe.

ibm, as in, in the big buildings right off 270? right by NIST and stuff?

I drove through Frederick three times...once in transit from St. Louis to Baltimore, another time for shits and grins, and once en route to my former employer's warehouse in Chambersburg, PA. That was enough. :) Seriously though, there is some gorgeous scenery along 270, north of Germantown.

I considered calling it "Fredneck", but wasn't sure if anyone would get the reference. The term probably no longer applies -- too many yuppie types from Montgomery County moving up the I-270 corridor and displacing the rednecks. (I prefer the rednecks, mostly). Though I imagine that they're still around mostly on the far side of the city.

There's several IBM buildings which fit that description, but yes. Between 270 and 355 just north of Montgomery Village Avenue. Large but low (2 story) buildings. If the site is still operating, it's Lockheed-Martin now.

There's a Lockheed site there, I believe. I 've been up there so often that I don't really pay attention to it anymore. The one that always pops out at me though is Mellon Bank - don't know why, but it does. Anyway, yeah. There's still some IBM there, and Lockheed Martin right near by.

The Fredneck, of course, being one that lives in or around Frederick and is a Redneck. Man. Frederick itself isn't so bad, but it's too far away from work. If it were a 20 minute drive and had widespread fast DSL or Cable, Jenni and I would probably get an apartment there. But, it's a 40 minute drive, and they don't have DSL in the area I was looking at. Plus, Fairfax is too great to pass up. The Sprint PCS coverage here just rocks, and I get full reception in my downstairs bedroom - wahoo! (My dad's girlfriend hogs the phone too much for me to not have my own line, so I got a mobile phone).

Maryland does have some beautiful scenery. I was just never in a place where I was able to get around - stuck in the house all the time. So then I got a job and found someone to give me a ride there (who happened to be Jenni, who then turned out to be you-know-who). But that still sucked. Fairfax is cool because it's still a little city, but it's near everything. So I have a back yard and shit, but Outback is less than a mile away. It's beautiful :)

All this talk of driving has reminded me of one of my pet peeves.













Pathology couriers. For some reason they think that a relationship to the "medical profession" allows them the same rights of way and ability to ignore the speed limit as an ambulance.













Despite the fact that there are no flashing lights and their cargo is limited to urine samples and biopsies.













My first post. Nifty :)

So I felt bad at first digging up this thread and then I realized it really does a good job showing how much dave has mellowed over the years. Damn that 1st post was hilarious.

Anyways, now that summer has come here, suddenly I keep seeing idiots walking around with sunglasses on INSIDE. I usually am able to handle it but today it just ticked me off for some reason, I think it's becuase our Union isn't the brightest place in the world, and wouldn't the fact that you're wearing sunglasses, and trying to read what is on a computer screen pretty much hurt your eyes as much as not wearing sunglasses. Maybe I'm just a little high strung today.

Hmmm. I wear sunglasses inside all the time.

Mirrorshades.

It makes my coworkers nervous.

:cool:

Brief Aside ...

when did :vomit: and :turd: get added to the smilies list? Most excellent!!!

http://www.prodraw.net/cartoon/animal/animal_023.gif :turd:
This is our cow. Her name is 'Peeve'. We keep her as a pet.

Be careful what you wish for 'cause you'll be paying too. No?
Crossing a typical two way street is about 80 feet. Two 12 ft travel lanes, two 10 ft parking lanes and two 6 ft sidewalks add up to 56 ft. The sensors a placed 6 to 8 ft back from the stop line so add 12 ft plus the length of the car at 15 ft.
You get nailed if your BACK bumper does not clear the SECOND sensor before the yellow ends.
Now if your front bumper is right at the first sensor when the light turns yellow (no chance to stop) you have to maintain an avg of 18.4 mph to make a 3 second yellow. 3 seconds is the PA state minimum. 14 mph for a 4 second yellow.
That sound easy enough but the speed goes up as the yellow changes when you haven't reached the sensor yet, but still too close to stop. Think you can mantain a 15 to 20 mph avg through every intersection? Then you've never driven in city traffic that crawls.
Get the judge to throw it out. Dream on. After taking a day off work, going to court, paying to park and spending at least half a day waiting, the judge says "Off with his head". You see PA state law says it's illegal to ENTER an intersection that the way is not clear. So everyone waits for the way to clear? GRIDLOCK. Nobody gets anywhere.
The cameras are about revenue not safety. YOUR revenue.
Oh yes, and if you do try to stop at the last second you'll get rear ended.

Re: Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

Well, Syc, I wouldn't buy that argument either, because in every single solitary state in the Union that liberalized CCW, crime went down and it's stayed down, regardless of population density or indeed of any known sociological factor. Their crime rates went down absolutely without exception. That's a very encouraging likelihood of success. The way to bet is that liberalizing CCW in NJ will indeed cause its crime to plunge. It's a total win-win situation: fewer crimes will allow more quality police work getting them solved, less dollars lost in property stolen and productive lives truncated. Thirty-two states in the Union live in this blissful condition, and only cranks and ignoramuses prevent New Jersey from an arguably deserved self-improvement.

Valuable insight into why antigun thinking is the devil's workshop may be found here:

http://www.jpfo.org

Right on! In England they went all the way and banned guns entirely. The crime rate has rocketed so badly the police won't even respond to non life threatening calls. "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns" is much more than a catchy slogan. It's the truth.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

Urbane, that post of mine is 18 months old. My stance on the issue has changed dramatically...no ignoramus here. :)

The Light cameras
 

Just get yourself one of those lisence plate covers that can only be read from streight on. I don't think they've been outlawed yet in the DC metro area.
I've been lucky enough to have never gotten one of those tickets, but i've heard that with those cameras you are Guilty untill proven innocent. and thats just not the postion i want to be put in, even if you can argue a way out of it.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

So, Syc, just let me know when you want to go out to play :shotgun: ... (Lady Syc is of course welcome).

Re: Lots o' things that piss sycamore off...
 

Heh.. I remember once when my parents were visiting us, and we were driving somewhere, and my mom asked, "Why do they have that sign that says 'Wait For Green'? Aren't you supposed to know that you don't go till the light turns green?" I had to disillusion her a bit concerning the driving around here.

With regard to driving manuals and the law, I grew up in NC, and the manual said (~15 years ago at least) something to the effect that "this manual is intended to represent the motor vehicle code of the state of NC in an easy-to-understand manner for those attempting to obtain drivers licenses, but it is not an actual statement of North Carolina law."

It's not just here. I've driven to every state except Hawaii (couldn't find high enough floatation tires) and every Canadian Province.
I've found it universal that most people don't watch the light. When the oncoming traffic starts to move so do they, assuming they're first in line. And if they're aren't first, when the car in front of them moves so do they.
This works out OK for the most part. But, if the oncoming traffic gets the green first so they can turn, it doen't work. Hense the signs "wait for green"
NOTICE TO IDIOTS! Wait for green does NOT mean no right turn on red.

We have a special variety of the SUV driver out here in LA, mainly in Orange County (which is considered an annex of the great city herself).

It's the 30-something soccer mom with fakies and streaked hair jawwing on her cell-phone with the carpool kids in the back seat, yelling along to the Justin Timberlake blarring on the stereo.

Left turns from the right hand lane on red. Triple lane changes with no looking. 50 MPH in a school zone at 3:15, trying to make it to Ballet on time. I have seen these drivers do it all, and it is terrifying.

Driving Skills
 

If you want to be a better driver, take a motorcycle safety and riding skills course. What they teach you there about situational awareness and vehicle control can be applied directly to your automobile driving skills.

As a motorcyclist you learn to predict behavior and look ahead into the future about 10 seconds. You become far more observant and you learn to "know" when things are going to happen.

And as a former B-52 pilot friend of mine once told me, motorcycle riding is the closest thing to military flying. So that means it's challenging, exciting and fun, right?

I think drivers should think about their car the same way as a gun. Without the proper precautions it's just as deadly. People bitch about people owning guns and then get into their car and fly through intersections talking on their cell phones. If everyone who drove respected their car as much as the average gun owner respects their gun the roads would be much safer.

Oh and the motorcycle safety course sounds like a good idea too Arz.

Actually PA has some excellent written teaching material and tests that do go into situational awarness extensively. I found them to be very well done. Unfortunately it's only provided to people that have won the right by accumulating enough points. ;)