Amusing Items

[Black Hole]

Around here, we have a couple of budget DIY/Homeware mini-chains called Buyology and What!, which are to DIY what Aldi and Lidl are to supermarkets. But it seems I've been missing out:

 

[Black Hole]

Homewear

Oops! Made my own faux pas there!

 

[gomezz]

Where else do you get your slippers and pyjamas from?

 

[Deleted member 473]

I can't bare to imagine.

 

[Black Hole]

Just completed an online survey connected to something I signed up to participate in. One section asked for "The first four letters of your Postcode".
As my postcode does contain four letter that's what I entered.
It may not have been what they wanted but it's what they asked for.

I couldn't decide what version of like to give that!

Along the same lines, I wanted to ask a question about a product using the contact form the firm's website directed me to for asking questions about the product...

The form had all the usual compulsory and optional input boxes (name, email...), and a large free-text box labelled (something like) "How did you hear about us?". "Strange," I thought, "where's the box for the actual question about the product? Maybe that's the next stage."

So I filled it in with how I heard about them (product purchase from Overclockers) and hit "next". Guess what: "Thank you for your enquiry, we aim to reply within 3 working days"!

 

[everthewatcher]

This survey made the common mistake of making an assumption right at the start that still allows subsequent questions to be answered but not in the way intended.

It came from UCL and was about dealing with food waste. They assumed that if you had a food waste container provided by your local authority you would put it out for collection. Here all food waste goes on the compost heaps so the container is used but never put out for collection. This possibility was clearly never considered.

The survey came as a result of my signing up some time back to something to do with home composting so they really had no excuse.

 

[Black Hole]

They assumed that if you had a food waste container provided by your local authority you would put it out for collection.

Here, we have the food waste containers for weekly collection and an indoor caddy with compostable liners to transfer to the collection container.

I create very little food waste, so I don't put out my container – I simply put my small weekly bag into the neighbours' containers! How would the survey have coped with that???

 

[EEPhil]

One section asked for "The first four letters of your Postcode".
As my postcode does contain four letters that's what I entered.

Aren’t most, but not all, postcodes 2 letters, 1 or 2 digits, space, digit, 2 letters? Bet you gave them the only letters. Do you think they wanted the first 4 characters?

I simply put my small weekly bag into the neighbours' containers!

I hope you asked first.

 

[Black Hole]

Answering for ETW:

Aren’t most, but not all, postcodes 2 letters, 1 or 2 digits, space, digit, 2 letters?

Most, not all (eg London)

Bet you gave them the only letters.

That's the nub of the joke – they only asked for letters. If they wanted something else they should have said so.

Do you think they wanted the first 4 characters?

Almost certainly. The <letter><letter><digit><space><digit> brings you down to quite a narrow neighbourhood without going down to street level.

 

[everthewatcher]

Answering for ETW:

Thank you.

 

[EEPhil]

Almost certainly. The <letter><letter><digit><space><digit> brings you down to quite a narrow neighbourhood without going down to street level.

Whereas the first four letters is almost useless. You can throw away the last two or three letters and you are left with a very general, and not immediately obvious, wide area. (Especially when nearby parts of Nottinghamshire have LE postcodes, parts of Derbyshire NG ones - etc.)
I wonder how many people filled out the survey with what they actually asked for rather than what we think they wanted.

 

[Black Hole]

I've learned not to second-guess. One can't be criticised for doing what has been asked, but doing something different on assuption and getting it wrong is worthy of criticism. If they ask for the wrong thing, there lies the blame.

 

[everthewatcher]

If they ask for the wrong thing, there lies the blame.

Exactly.

 

[gomezz]

Just a thought: Do people think the UK postcode format is better than the US all numeric zip code system? I do as a getting a number wrong or two numbers transposed in the latter don't give you a good clue as to what may have been meant.

As for the UCL survey their second rookie error was not validating the user input as it was entered. Presuming they meant the outer postcode then there are plenty of standard validation tools available to use in the online form.

 

[Black Hole]

Do people think the UK postcode format is better than the US all numeric zip code system?

Absolutely, but I think the USA (being so big, with so many towns of the same or close name) would have been one of the first to introduce a postcode system for disambiguation, and therefore made the mistakes for others to learn from.

 

[everthewatcher]

As for the UCL survey their second rookie error was not validating the user input as it was entered.

Agreed. I was surprised when it was accepted.

 

[Black Hole]

This isn't just amusing, this is f*****g hilarious: you've heard of the benefits gold plated de-oxygenated HDMI leads (costing megabucks) bring to the fidelity of reproduction from digital sources, but now you can improve on that again by fitting quantum fuses:

easily the best fuses they have heard, which echoed my sentiments. The words texture, sweetness, depth, definition, punch, low-end authority, and clarity were the words that resurfaced the most. I was somewhat relieved because I knew this amount of sonic improvement would be hard, if not impossible, to believe unless they heard it for themselves.

Quantum Science Audio series Fuses

The Best just got So Much Better! Tweaks are one of my favorite subjects of discussion. The reason is, they're more accessible to A/B in (and out) various systems. I've tried enough to value some over others. Newcomer Quantum Science Audio has introduced a new level of aftermarket tweaks that...

v2.stereotimes.com

 

[EEPhil]

...and people really believe that rubbish? Some people must have more money than sense. "Emperor" and "new clothes" comes to mind.

 

[Black Hole]

Why aren't these people conducting blind trials?* See whether "definition" and "low-end authority" survive not knowing whether the system is fitted with quantum fuses or plain domestic ones!

* I guess because they might come up with answers they don't like!

 

[Ezra Pound]

Some people must have more money than sense.

The guy in the review has spent $175000 (2012 prices) on pre-amp, amp and speakers, so the insanity kicked in long before he spent $2844 on a fuse, I guess he keeps well away from any form of blind testing, too embarrassing