First world problems

[Tiffany]

Actually the game game out in 2008 too - must've been a high time for that.

That's pretty cool! Yeah, 2008 was a good year from what I can recall.

 

[Geffers]

I think this can be classified as a first world problem / pet peeve. The cheek of charging for an improvement brought by modern technology that actually saves the restaurant money in time and labour costs!

It reminds me of the sharp practice when buying games on Steam, where buying the physical copy off Amazon, ie a DVD in a plastic box, is cheaper than directly from Steam. It's not green and it's inconvenient. The biggest joke of all, is that the copy on the disc can never be played, since upon installation, it will immediately update to the latest version via download, without the option of playing the version on the disc, so all it's good for is the activation code and then the whole package can be thrown away. If this isn't a racket, I don't know what is and I'm surprised that it's allowed to continue tbh.

Fury as restaurant encourages diners to pay via app – then charges £2.99 extra

An Italian restaurant in east London is encouraging customers to pay via an app on their mobile phone – and charging them £2.99 to do so.

uk.style.yahoo.com

Oddly I heard similar mentioned by a youtuber having a general rant about a few things and he also mentioned a check out charge, I've never heard of such a thing. Guessing this must be highlighted somewhere on the menu.

I'm thinking that if you were unaware of this and insisted on paying cash to avoid the check out fee then they cannot refuse as cash is still legal tender.

Geffers

 

[Tiffany]

K, so charging people extra money to use the app to pay their bill is ridiculous, especially if there's another option to not pay the extra.

In the US, The Olive Garden and many other restaurant chains now have a mini kiosk thingy at the table to pay your bill. I think it's impersonal. You can also order more from it too, which is weird. Isn't that what your server is for? Too much automation blurs the line of the people experience going out for dinner to me. On the other hand, I don't like chatty servers either, just prefer the efficient servers, especially if they read my mind and bring something I need before I ask.

 

[Crims]

I disagree with all unnecessary charges post 2008. The recession was what put in black and white terms society could not afford to do a lot of stuff it could prior, so I'll happily avoid any app with the potential for these hikes. Usually it's food though it's more healthcare and intrusive these days, it's everything.

 

[Tiffany]

Couldn't agree more with you, @Crims with apps and their extra fees. Healthcare is totally out of control here in the states too.

Some entertainment, like Pay Per View sports events, we won't get anymore, just out of principle, because they are so over charged now.

 

[Geffers]

Couldn't agree more with you, @Crims with apps and their extra fees. Healthcare is totally out of control here in the states too.

Some entertainment, like Pay Per View sports events, we won't get anymore, just out of principle, because they are so over charged now.

Healthcare - when I visit US I find it incredible the amount of pharma ads on TV, I've seen the complete commercial break taken up with medicines. What I find amusing is, even if you are fit and healthy there is a PILL to keep you fit and healthy

Geffers

 

[Retro]

What I find amusing is, even if you are fit and healthy there is a PILL to keep you fit and healthy

omg what a racket! At least the solution is dead easy: just ignore them.

 

[Tiffany]

Big Phara is just maniacal here in the states. I'll add in addition to the ads for this and that medicine with all of the actors "happy dancing" because their injection for their malady or the pill for their condition makes them so happy, that there is a substantial amount of lawyer ads (slip and fall attorneys) too. I like Netflix because I don't have to see all of those commercials, but Netflix doesn't always have what I want to watch. Remember when cable didn't have commercials back in the 1970s?

 

[Retro]

Remember when cable didn't have commercials back in the 1970s?

Sounds like a dream. We had cable back in the mid 90s when I lived at home and that had ads just like now, so I've never experienced that bliss. My current Sky subscription feels more like ads with a bit of content lol. It really helps to record everything and skip the ads.

 

[Retro]

This reminds me, I must continue watching Manifest on Netflix, ad free. Gonna do my duty now.

 

[Tiffany]

Sounds like a dream. We had cable back in the mid 90s when I lived at home and that had ads just like now, so I've never experienced that bliss. My current Sky subscription feels more like ads with a bit of content lol. It really helps to record everything and skip the ads.

Yeah, dreamy not to get commercials! We do record a lot too for that reason, so we can skip commercials, however, we've noticed that our service has cleverly programmed the speed of "fast forwarding" through commercials so it's almost impossible to skip at least one commercial.

 

[Retro]

lol, they're sneaky that way. My Sky Q box only allows ad skip in 1 minute increments rather than a user defined one. You can press the skip button on the remote multiple times though.

 

[Tiffany]

lol, they're sneaky that way. My Sky Q box only allows ad skip in 1 minute increments rather than a user defined one. You can press the skip button on the remote multiple times though.

Ha, so now you've confirmed the pattern I've noticed in skipping commercials on my service. That is sneaky programming!!

 

[Tiffany]

This reminds me, I must continue watching Manifest on Netflix, ad free. Gonna do my duty now.

Is Manifest good? My dd and I are watching the Witcher on Netflix. We don't get too much time to watch it but we fit it in when we can.

 

[Retro]

Manifest is ok, but I'd prioritise other programs over it.

Weirdly, even though it's a Netflix production, only seasons 1,2 & 4 are available now. Daft, I know. Is it like that for you too? I've seen season 3, so this doesn't affect me.

 

[Geffers]

Is Manifest good? My dd and I are watching the Witcher on Netflix. We don't get too much time to watch it but we fit it in when we can.

If you maybe like British TV programs for a change there is Britbox and Acorn, they are subscription services but carry a lot of UK TV series from our BBC and ITV services, plus movies.

Don't think monthly cost too pricey. Pretty sure no adverts either.

Geffers

 

[Retro]

and Acorn

Ah, Acorn Computers, I remember them fondly with rose tinted glasses, tint set to max. I still have their best PC, the StrongARM Risc PC from 1996, I believe. They invented the ARM CPU which is now in billions of devices worldwide. Now there's a piece of history.

Acorn Computers - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Geffers]

Ah, Acorn Computers, I remember them fondly with rose tinted glasses, tint set to max. I still have their best PC, the StrongARM Risc PC from 1996, I believe. They invented the ARM CPU which is now in billions of devices worldwide. Now there's a piece of history.

Acorn Computers - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Don't think there is any connection between Acorn Computers and Acorn TV.

I also have fond memories of my A3000 and A3010, thems were the days. Used to program in Basic and Assembler.

Geffers

 

[Retro]

I know, it's just the name brought back memories. I loved the modular and structured design of an Acorn computer, especially. It was taken to a new level with the Risc PC.

 

[Tiffany]

If you maybe like British TV programs for a change there is Britbox and Acorn, they are subscription services but carry a lot of UK TV series from our BBC and ITV services, plus movies.

Don't think monthly cost too pricey. Pretty sure no adverts either.

Geffers

My family loves British TV programs, so much so, that years ago, we actually bought a few shows on DVD. I'll see if we can get Britbox. At some point we want to change our current service as we are paying over $200.00 a month for it and it's just not worth it when you can get other programming like Britbox, Netflix etc. and watch the programs you really want to watch without commercials.

My mom just switched her cable and has Britbox now. She loves British shows too and now she's getting into Shetland. She's enjoying Britbox and says it's tickety-boo.

 

[Retro]

And I love American TV programs! Seriously, they've just got the right atmosphere, production and I like the American locations.

Does your mom need to use a VPN to get around any geoblocks with Britbox? That would be necessary with the BBC iPlayer for example. @Geffers has experience of doing just that.

 

[Tiffany]

My mom doesn't use a VPN....she recently got the "firestick". She's really enjoying it compared to having regular cable. The provider she was using ended their TV cable program, but it turned out to be a good thing for her, because now she has so many programs that she loves. Britbox seems to be part of her "firestick" thing....I'll ask her next time I see her though, to make sure I get how's she's set up.

 

[Geffers]

My family loves British TV programs, so much so, that years ago, we actually bought a few shows on DVD. I'll see if we can get Britbox. At some point we want to change our current service as we are paying over $200.00 a month for it and it's just not worth it when you can get other programming like Britbox, Netflix etc. and watch the programs you really want to watch without commercials.

My mom just switched her cable and has Britbox now. She loves British shows too and now she's getting into Shetland. She's enjoying Britbox and says it's tickety-boo.

Shetland I used to really enjoy but the later series became quite miserable (in my opinion), all the actors were morose, never seeped to smile, only watched in the end for the scenery. The early series were good. Happy Valley with Sarah Lancashire is pretty good, as is Vera with Brenda Blethyn. Wow, $200 per month is a lot. There is a very watchable nice series on Britbox called The Detectorists, they are only half hour episodes, three series I think. Amusing, nothing nasty, just very watchable. Not about Detectives, it is about a group of metal detectorists.

Think you'd like BritBox

Geffers

 

[Tiffany]

Shetland I used to really enjoy but the later series became quite miserable (in my opinion), all the actors were morose, never seeped to smile, only watched in the end for the scenery. The early series were good. Happy Valley with Sarah Lancashire is pretty good, as is Vera with Brenda Blethyn. Wow, $200 per month is a lot. There is a very watchable nice series on Britbox called The Detectorists, they are only half hour episodes, three series I think. Amusing, nothing nasty, just very watchable. Not about Detectives, it is about a group of metal detectorists.

Think you'd like BritBox

Geffers

I'm not sure what episode of Shetland I watched with my mom. My opinion of it was the scenery was beautiful, but the investigation was going at a slower pace than what I usually prefer. I kept thinking "come on, move it, drive faster, something"...get the bad guy. I'll look up your suggestions and also pass them on to my mom...matter of fact, I'll email her right now, so I don't forget. I do like the fact that your recommended shows are amusing and not disgusting. Short episodes are nice too. I usually will post the videos I watch on FR, but lately, I'm too embarrassed, because the trailer looks good, and then when you get into the movie, all kinds of stuff was added that wasn't necessary, so I won't recommend a movie with super bad language or that other stuff.

I'm positive I'll like BritBox.

 

[Retro]

Tiffs, you might like Terry and June. A gentle sitcom where June had an incredibly posh accent as well as other characters, that was hilariously funny. In fact, the boxset is currently available on Sky, but of the 65 episodes made, there's only 60 available and none of the specials, so the other day I bought the DVD boxset from Amazon to get everything and it only cost me £14.99 with free shipping.

Note that some of the gags reflect attitudes of the time that unfortunately wouldn't be said in today's politically correct world, but are very funny and I think yourself and your mom will like this program.

Terry and June (TV Series 1979–1987) ⭐ 6.4 | Comedy

30m

www.imdb.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01JRY2B1K

Here's someone's blog post about the politically correct trigger warnings applied to this program and I agree with them.

Beware of Terry and June

Britbox has applied a “trigger warning” to the most inoffensive of sitcoms.

andrewdoyle.substack.com