16
votes
What's a "sore thumb" for you?
You know: something that sticks out to you in a bad, unignorable way -- like a "sore thumb" -- every time you see/hear it.
Maybe its apostrophe misuse, maybe it's using cliches like they're going out of style, maybe it's b a d k e r n i n g, or a lack of parallelism perhaps bothers you.
Whatever it is (and it doesn't have to be writing related), let us know. Also, most importantly, why do you think it has such a profound effect on you?
Images (or videos) that have been squished/stretched into a different aspect ratio. I'll never understand how people can have a TV in the wrong aspect ratio with a 4:3 show stretched into widescreen and not care, it bothers me so much. Same thing with websites that have squished a photo to fit into a certain space instead of cropping it.
Now that Youtube supports dynamic aspect ratios, it's a lot more apparent when videos have had black bars added.
I prefer the use of the typographically correct
U+2014 EM DASHto indicate an aside—rather than twoU+2010 HYPHEN's :). I also prefer my em-dashes "closed", that is, there is no space between the two adjacent words and the em-dash. This is consistent with the Chicago Manual of Style, but not with the AP Handbook.These are minor pet peeves, not things I genuinely get upset about, by the way. I also admit to massively overusing this character. Often commas or other types of grammatical delineation are just as acceptable and far less pretentious.
I feel very attacked right now! Also I left all that deliberate bait and you instead critiqued the one thing I was actually using earnestly! How DARE you!
Only kidding. :)
Believe it or not, I actually prefer that myself too, I just don't have an easy way to type an em-dash on my phone. I also think the double hyphen looks weird without spaces--like this--so I always add them in. If I'm writing in a word processor, however, it's a closed em-dash every time!
For you, I have created an autoreplace for
--with—. I am notorious for over-using--. I'm not sure I will ever break the habit of the space, but I'll give it a swing. :)There are tools on the market that let you type "--" and get a letter-dash of your choice in-text. No need to switch off a habit should the effort prove too burdensome.
There are also alternative keyboard layouts that give you the power to type advanced symbols with a wider keystroke (e.g. I can type "—" via
[AltGr]+[-], or "–" via[AltGr]+[Shift]+[-]). My getting-used-to took much less than the anxiety of the switch predicted.Well, using the auto-replace with macos/ios isn't too bad. Pretty much transparent on my end. Good to know about
-–—, though. Outside of formal writing, I've never really used an em-dash. New plan: I'll use autocorrect as a backup, but I'll switch over to using the shortcut for—. It's a fairly natural key combo. :)For me it's the sound of fluorescent lights that I hate. Most of them produce an incessant buzzing that is incredibly annoying, but similar to yourself almost every time I have mentioned it nobody else hears it. :(
Also terrible: florescent fixtures with a mix of both cool and warm temperature bulbs
I absolutely despise fluorescent lighting, especially in restaurants. It's depressing and unwelcoming.
Hey this was going to be mine! Flatscreen tvs have largely eliminated the problem, but I used to be able to tell if your tv was on when I walked into your house. Same with the receiver part of a stereo system.
For any Muse fans out there, the track "Take a Bow" off of Black Holes and Revelations has the CRT whine throughout. I used to get that "hmm, there must be a TV on" sensation when listening to it. Whether or not it's there intentionally or as an oversight is left as an exercise for the listener.
I tried to relive it again, for the first time in a while, using a couple of streaming links, but it wasn't clear if I couldn't hear it due to changes in my hearing or the audio compression used. So, I dusted off my FLAC rip and busted out my very nice IEMs and can officially report that I'm no longer able to hear it at all, despite knowing it's there. The thirteen (!!!) years since its release have given my ears ample time to age and apparently lose some higher frequencies. If you can hear it, let me know, because I certainly can't anymore!
Do you think it may have been the particular instance of the song's rendering to audio? I've heard two different versions of this song so far, and I think I know what to look for, and I haven't found any CRT noises.
It's a nice track, though. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed the track!
I don't know enough about audio recording/mastering to know whether it was intentional or not, but I'd wager it probably wasn't. My guess is that whoever did the mastering simply, like me, couldn't hear it and didn't realize it was there.
Wow, I never knew that! Now that you mention it, I think I can hear it faintly in the intro, but I am not 100% sure. Also nice to see Muse fans here, saw them this year live and they put on the greatest show.
Pieces of the puzzle.
I've never had a persistent noise in my years: it grows stronger if I'm near something that make noise others can rarely hear, and it grows weaker the further away I am from the item. The latter means it's exceptionally quiet during night and far from civilization.
One of ADHD's main characteristics is inability to focus, and I know I'm undisciplined sometimes, but it's never been detrimental to my ability to stay on target. Hyperactivity? Maybe, mildly. Doesn't fit the experience.
ASD is not out of the question for me, but then, I would have no landmarks to know the difference.
High SPS fits significantly better because it ticks the most boxes. I may be erring in the side of simple solutions here, and my SPS may be a part of something else – but I wouldn't know, 'cause the diagnosis isn't there.
We're on the same boat, except I'm enjoying the ride... most of the time.
I think I have high sensory processing sensitivity. I hear more than others, see deeper than others, and otherwise process the information slower but deeper. Makes me suck at quick-witted verbal combat, but I get to enjoy things with overwhelming joy from time to time. Helps me appreciate music that much more, to a point where I have mental orgasms from listening a particular track at the right time.
This also means loud noises and "noisy" visuals cause me distress. I can't look at certain visual patterns 'cause they overload me, like my brain "overthinks" itself while processing. If a date dresses in a dress of such a pattern, I can barely look her in the eyes 'cause then I see the dress, and the pattern reaction ensues.
But it is a fun experience I would keep against any offers of quiet or serenity.
EDIT: a word.
When people post pictures of a screen instead of taking and sharing a screenshot.
I saw this multiplied to the worst extent where someone recorded a screen-recording (with a second device) and posted it as a video.
It's always horrible quality, and the thing you saw definitely has a native share option if you saw it on the internet. Take the extra 3 seconds and send me the link.
My biggest "sore thumb" are people full of "sore thumbs", that think other people's language, opinions, and even tastes should conform to their personal sensibilities.
Just an example: I hate mango, even the smell makes me sick, but if someone eats it in front of me I either restrain myself or quietly leave the room.
Nearly inaudible (human) noises.
As someone with ADHD they're incredibly distracting but of course l can't realistically expect the cause of the effect to conform to my disability; things like people sneezing or dropping stuff on the floor a few rooms away is much more distracting than someone in the same room doing that, for some odd reason. Constant or semi-constant noise like the fridge humming or cars passing on the nearby highway don't matter, that's background noise.
You might suggest wearing earplugs but those sounds are often high frequency which means it'll pass right through the earplugs. It's always audible no matter how much you try to block it.
I'll play a little devil's advocate here:
Do you "get" lowriders? How about rat rods? Hot rods? Classic muscle cars? Radwood? Raised trucks/SUVs/Wranglers? Donks/boxes/bubbles? Collector cars?
Slammed trucks are the same as all of the above. They are a genre of automotive enthusiasm that is centered around an aesthetic and form of expression. They are an art form and just like any art form there are masters of their craft seemingly born specifically to create this art, merchants that do it for a living, amateurs that enjoy the hobby, and audiences that just like to watch. I don't think either of us would deny the craftsmanship and artistry in seamlessly chopping, channeling, sectioning, and shaving a lead sled Mercury. Nor should we admonish those without the skills to create masterpieces, but can only paint by numbers if that's what they enjoy doing. Sure most people are followers, not leaders. They don't have the imagination, skills, resources, or time to create something new so they pick and choose bits and pieces of things they like or find trendy and use them. It is simply automotive fashion.
Sure, these changes effectively make the truck less capable than it was from the factory, but so does just about every modification that can be made to any vehicle. If you give your car more power it'll wear out more quickly and burn more fuel. If you lift your truck for better off road capabilities you've ruined the stock suspension geometry for every other task. If you put stiffer suspension on your sports car you've ruined its carefully engineered behavior and given it more NVH. If you add sound deadening, seat heaters, and other entertainment peripherals to your vehicle you've lowered its performance.
What's the, non-investment, non-historical, point of collector cars? Outside keeping the vehicle to make money off it later, I despise these people, or if it is historically significant, what is the point of having a vehicle that is rolled onto a trailer, taken to a concourse, shined and shown, and then returned to it's, typically heated, garage other than the appreciation of its aesthetic?
All of the genres listed at the onset of this comment effectively ruin the vehicles involved when they are taken to that group's ideal, and so "getting" them is the same as "getting" slammed trucks; it's the aesthetic of the subculture.
[Deviating from the Devil's advocacy here]
Why do you understand lowering small trucks? They're already lower than a full size truck, so what is the point of lowering it more? If anything a modern full size truck needs to be lowered more than any small truck as they are nearly useless at this point. I find it absolutely laughable that modern trucks have grown so monstrously in both size and stock height that they can be equipped with ladders and steps from the factory. There's not a single new full size truck that I've seen that you can reach into the bed from the side to get anything out.
I too despise modern trucks due to the sheer monstrosities they've become and their constant march toward luxury barge status that are seemingly bought solely by apartment dwelling cubicle bound sales guys that have never done a day of manual labor in their lives in an effort to exude a ruggedness that their pre-distressed jeans never possessed. And I will happily join you in the rally cry of fuck the chicken tax and bringing our small trucks back.
Trucks however have a purpose even if it is lost/never utilized on most that purchase them. SUVs do not. I have an utter undying hatred for SUVs (their smaller "crossovers" included). They have no purpose and are worse in every aspect imaginable than another class of vehicle.
In professional terms: bad UX.
In layman's terms: bad experience with an instrument of any sort because of the way it was designed.
In simplified terms: things that don't work as I expect them to.
Cheap things are usually the perpetrators, but not always: some of the cheaper things in my inventory behave better than their expensive counterparts.
I used to have a wireless mouse that, while decent in operations, would sometimes have me press the left button. It wasn't that I have a secret pointer-finger tick where I randomly tap it, and it's not as if the mouse compelled me to. My fingertip would rest just off the edge of the button that wasn't framed in the rest of the structure. I guess this meant my finger would randomly be compelled to press the button. Most of the cases were annoying but inconsequential, but when you lose the dragged text in the middle of the document, or when you lose a skirmish with an opponent in fast-paced video game, things got frustrating quickly.
Interestingly enough, I can't recall many cases where that happened recently. My laptop keeps glitching, but it's more of a truth of life at this stage, what with the things it went through for the last three years. My new mouse is excellent in all sorts of ways. Some of the software I use glitches, but it's mostly because of the RAM constraints: only one app is certain to glitch because of its incomplete codebase, and even then, it's an app good enough for me to ignore the occasional issue.
Inconsistent / Terrible UI
One program that is an internal tool at the company I work at is the one that haunts / fills me with blind fury. It represents whether a sensor is toggled on, i.e. seeing an object, or toggled off, not seeing an object. Some sadistic fuck made part of the UI be "[On/off indicator] Object NOT in location". Every time I see it I want to smash something becuase it is so unecessary. The interface has other sensors that are designed in the sane way, "[on/off] Object is at location". Also the program hasn't been upgrade in 20 years, but everyone in my department uses at least once a day.
Getting into photography has basically ruined me. Things that most people don't care about, but that completely dominate any picture for me:
Pictures that are even the tiniest bit crooked.
Pictures that are even the tiniest bit out of focus.
Pictures of people that are centered on their faces, and thus are 50% ceiling.
Fluorescent lights, and nearly all LED lights. They have absolutely wretched spectral consistency.
People watching Instagram stories in public with high volume. Talking on the phone or using Facetime doesn't bother me, but there is something about recorded social media "stories" that irritates me more than just about anything else you could do with your cellphone in public. Even more so than a child watching an obnoxious children's movie or someone listening to music I don't like. It's twice as bad if the person in the recorded video is speaking through a voice-altering filter.
Conversation fillers. "Understand",Know what I mean", "and,like","You know", etc.. I get an urge to slap people over this.
Listen, I'm with you on this one, but, like... do find a grip on it. Some of the smarter people I know speak either like they're from da gentrified hood or the Deep South. Don't let something as stupid as speech patterns mar your perception of an otherwise excellent companion.
Some kind of dark wash jeans (especially if they're kinda baggy) + dress shirt + dress shoes (bonus points if they're squared toed) is a big "OOF", from me. Pièce de résistance is a blazer/sport coat.
Which, I've noticed...seems to be the standard tech keynote address uniform.
Render incomplete. Please supply visual aid.
This guy pretty much ticks all the marks.
sorry for clownin you, guy that makes more money than I ever will.
Yeah, he's gonna cry himself to sleep on a pillow made of bills he liked the smell of. :P
It could look good with a slightly-different choice of attire: make it feel like your muscles aren't sogging off your bones, for one. It's the "I don't really care how I look" look.
I mean, if the guy was wearing slacks it'd be fine (but probably still ill-fitting). Just, the jeans make it look like a half-assed attempt to dress up, but not in an endearing way. It even looks bad on stylish dudes wearing well-fitted clothing, in my opinion.
But, yeah, most guys who attempt that style look super frumpy, which sticks out like a SORE THUMB.
I rocked 'em black fuckin' jeans, and you can't tell me otherwise.
An unbuttoned button-down collar.
When I was going through a phase of learning how to dress better I ingested a lot of those sort of does-and-donts. When you get fastidious about dressing there's dozens of little rules and details to get right, and they do produce a better dresser, but none of them irk me like an unbuttoned button-down collar. It's either someone being completely oblivious to the buttons being there or obviously lazy about things.
As someone who keeps the button-down collar unbuttoned, I do it because it make the collar lay further from my neck instead of propping upright and rubbing my neck constantly.
Didn't realise this was a thing. Does the cotton irritate you? I'll keep this issue in mind in future, but I know my brother doesn't have this problem 😄
In this same vein, when someone hasn't cut the stitches from the vent of a new suit jacket.
I loathe this. First, humor is about timing so if you're trying to be funny every other sentence you've already fucked up. Second, if you don't know how to speak without using only sentences you've heard others repeat a lot I have a very low opinion of your intelligence. Thirdly, it always feels like someone is really, really desperate for attention and validation. Ugh.