September 2008

So after all my ranting about bad drivers, I’ve decided to do something about it, to “put my money where my mouth is”… to “walk the walk”…

I’m applying to become a Neighbourhood Pace Car.  Now, from what I understand, there is no real application process, you basically just sign a pledge from and mail it into the Ecology Action Centre and they send you a couple of bumper stickers to place on your car’s bumper (or rear window, etc) (I’ve posted the pictures of the logos to the right).

The pledge is basically just a statement that you will:

• drive the speed limit
• obey pedestrian crossings
• be courteous to other drivers
• pay attention to the road (not your passengers, devices, etc)
• display the pace car logos on your car.

Simple enough eh? Well, if you are interested in stifling the bad driving epidemic, here’s a link to the pledge form.  Fill it out and pass it in at one of the participating locations listed on this page.

I’ll walk the pledge from down to the Purdy’s Wharf location today…

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So, more than a year after the US’s National Do Not Call Registry was put in effect, Canada finally “catches up”.

As of September 30th, 2008, Canadians can register their information with the Government’s DNC Registry, effectively blocking telemarketers from calling you… or so they would have you believe, you see there are some exceptions…

• Telemarketers have 31 days to remove you from their call lists.  You know, because they have to mail your number via China, Russia, Mars before they can manually type it into their list.  Its not like they use computers you know!  Note that since you can’t actually sign up until the 30th of September, and then they don’t actually have to start following the law from that date, and they have 31 days from when they receive the list to implement it, the Government has essentially given them a 31 day grace period…  Nice going.
• There are companies and organizations which are exempt from the list, and can call at will until you ask them otherwise… these companies are:
• Any Charity
• Newspapers looking for subscriptions
• Political Parties, their candidates
• Any company you have had a commercial relationship with in the pas 18 months (such as a carpet cleaning company, etc)
• Market Research Groups conduction research, polls or surveys (since they don’t actually sell you anything, obviously their call at 9pm or during supper isn’t a hassle).

Nice huh?  That covers about 90% of all the telemarketing calls I get.  What the fuck is the use of the Registry???  Michael Geist’s iOptOut.ca is much more useful, or at least I believe I’ve noticed a substantial decrease in the number of telemarketing calls I’ve received since signing up.

Now, even the exempt companies MUST allow you to add your name to their own internal DNC list.  They must also “identify who they are and, upon request, provide you with a fax or telephone number where you can speak to someone about the telemarketing call”.

I’ve sent out an invite to some of my friends and family to remind them to sign up for the national registry, if only to cut out some of the telemarketing calls.  Also, the more people who use the system and find it flawed (why can’t i just check off a “No Charities” option??) and complain, the better.

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Ok, this rant is actually carried over from my friend Kelley’s blog.  She mentioned that people in Houston seem to have forgotten how 4-way stops work since there is no power in many areas still.  (Side note:  I’m glad she is ok, and that she doesn’t seem to have suffered too badly from the storm…).

So I started ranting on her blog about how other drivers are really pissing me off.

First some back story…

When Isobel was born, well, actually a few months before, we decided that we really should break down and get a car.  I’d been putting it off forever.  I’m a public transit kind of guy.  I can’t stand stop & go traffic, and can’t abide paying so much for gas, when there is a perfectly usable (albeit, late & slow) bus to take.  Sure the transit system could REALLY use improvement, but that is another rant.

Now however, we were having a daughter, and with all the travelling we’d be doing with her, and her entourage (diaper bags, strollers, toys, etc) taking the bus or cabs would really, really suck ass.

So I found a guy who was recommended by a friend who helps first time car buyers find what they need.  I know nothing about cars (except push peddle, make go).  So he really helped us find a car…  Nice little 2003 Nissan Sentra.  Not awesome, but it gets the job done.

So, since then I’ve had to deal with driving around almost every weekend, especially since we are/were looking at getting a house (we are delaying a year to build up a larger down payment).  Now, Nova Scotia isn’t historically known for asshole drivers.  In fact, generally, our drivers a pretty good.  But as the saying goes, it only takes one fuck-nut to ruin it for everyone, and there seem to be more and more fuck-nuts every day.

Tail Gaiters…

I can’t even count the number of times in the last 6 months that I have been tailgated while driving the speed limit, not 5 km/h below it, but at it or even slightly above it.  These dicks seem to think I’m going too slow for them, forget the big fucking sign in my back window saying “Baby on Board”, forget the empty lane beside me, no, they need to tailgate my ass to show their displeasure of me DRIVING THE FUCKING SPEED LIMIT!

I swear, sometimes I wish Isobel and Rhonda weren’t in the car so I could tap the break and laugh as they cry about having to pay for not only the repairs to their $60k+ SUV, but also to my POS Nissan Sentra.  Insurance companies and the law don’t take kindly to tailgaters, a good driver should always put enough distance between themselves and the car ahead to be able to stop in time.  Increase that distance in poor weather, and at higher speeds. 

When these dicks actually do pass me they like to honk their horn, scowl or give me the finger.  FUCK YOU.  I can guarantee that will happen on the Circumferential Highway in Dartmouth, it is like it is the HRM’s Autobahn, everyone who seems to be one it (well, a good 75%) seem to have no idea that it is 80km/h.

On Blinkers & Lane Changing…

It really isn’t hard, no really, if you are changing lanes or turning a corner, use you fucking blinker.  Not just as you do it either, give the person behind you warning that you are about to cut them off, cause god (or the flying spaghetti monster) knows you can’t actually be bothered to check  to see if someone is there or not…  And just because it is obvious that you are taking a turn (you are in the turning lane) doesn’t mean you don’t have to signal.  The people across from you can’t see the fucking turning lane arrows!

Speeding…

Yes, I know, you are very busy, your time is precious, your poor baby $100k SUV doesn’t like being in the rain, but there are other people on the road, and no matter how much you wish we weren’t, you still can’t go any faster than the person ahead of you (re: tailgaters"), no really, it actually IS impossible.  Oh, and swerving in and out of traffic is a sure way to fuck your SUV up, and kill a few kids while your at it.

If you do need to speed, at least have respect for the other drivers on the road, sure, go fast, kill yourself if that’s what you really want, but do so in a way that you don’t kill me or my family.  If there are 3 lanes, then speed in the one furthest from the rest of the drivers on the road.

Better yet, save yourself some money and slow the fuck down!!!  The difference between 90km/h and 120km/h (or 20km/hr slower that you usual speed) is something like a savings of 30% fuel. So instead of costing $350 to go 500kms, it’ll only cost that tank of yours (tank as in the beast of an SUV) $245.

Miscellaneous…

Other notes… Look before you change lanes, to be sure that there isn’t actually somewhere there… not in your blind spot even, but right beside you, in plain sight, honking at you, Jerk. 

Get off the fucking cell phone!  There is a law now that forbids you from using it whilst driving!  Its not a suggestion, and holding your hand over it so no one notices, or leaning your head against the window next to your seat belt is FUCKING OBVIOUS!  GROW THE FUCK UP!  There are countless studies showing that cell phone usage causes the accident rate to go up substantially!  FYI: A recent study showed texting while driving was more dangerous than driving while under the influence of Pot.

Ok.. I’m done for now.. Thin I’ll submit this to The Coast to see if they’ll print it…  They print expletives all the times, So hopefully this isn’t too crude for them.

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I’ve noticed this a number of times, the ads to the right of my Gmail account can some time seem a little out of place.  Usually its something that is just a bit of a stretch for the content on the page (Google Analyses the emails you are looking at to show you ads that are relevant to it).

Today however, I received a reply from a guy who is showing an apartment we want to look at (well, a house for rent, actually).  The ads on the right are mostly spot on, ads for housing, renting, pets (I mentioned our cat in the email).  But one sticks out like a sore thumb:  “One Night Fling?”

Now, I expect Google also does some analysis for overall content you  view, read, etc, so sometimes ads are brought in that relate to your overall email/browsing experience.  However, I don’t visit dating sites, and haven’t visited them since I met Rhonda (5 years ago).  Once and a while I’ll play on OK Cupid, because I am a sucker for quizzes and MeMes… and its neat to see how you are ranked against others (ie: more political, less sexual, more nerdy, etc…).

This Ad however, is particularly aimed at luring singles (or the unfaithful)… Where did it come from, is it just a mistake?   IS there something in the bodies of the 4 emails (two from me, one from my girlfriend & one from the guy) that would lead Google to put this Ad there?

Well, I’m just passing it off as a goof, and an amusing one at that.

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