I've tried a self-checkout exactly once. It kept telling me to put my items in a bag (or something along those lines). Repeatedly. Over and over, no matter if I did what it was asking. At first I was mumbling to myself. Then basically talking back to it. Finally I just yelled back at it, "IT IS IN THE F'N BAG" and just left everything and left, while everybody was staring at idiot guy getting angry at a computer voice.

That was it. My one and only experience with self checkout. I have zero doubt that the issue was 100% me, and not with it being broken or on a loop or anything.

I used to make a point of going to a teller at a bank as well vs using an atm, but now the account that I have has charges against it if simple transactions are done at a teller instead of using the atm.

Yes. Please, please, please, yes. Then Canaderp will follow, and it will be bliss.

The fact that it's legal for individuals of influence and corporations to donate to candidates and parties (yeah I understand the non-direct payment legalities of corporations and unions, but those seem to be easily skirted when looking at financing), makes for a system that obviously doesn't meet the needs of the people, but the corporations. It's legal bribery, and greed wins. That and a two party system (Ross Perot was the only serious independent in my memory... really, Ross Perot?). Kodos and Kang knew the game.

Unfortunately it's a system that leads to being completely dominated by corporate welfare. Lobbying should be illegal. It should be criminal. So should SuperPACs (and that's not just a US issue).

Never mind the fact that an election takes 2 years, that there are ways to blacklist groups of potential voters to skew votes, or that politicians can change election boundaries in ridiculous manners that benefit their party. To name a few.

https://mic.com/articles/118598/7-facts-from-the-around-the-world-show-how-absurd-america-s-elections-really-are

United Corporations of America! (and the people)

Geesh, this is the second day in a row where I've posted general negativity towards the US. Apologies Americans, I swear I have no hate towards you in general. Just some policies.

Wow, those are some weird quoted arguments. That really don't stand true since other countries (hello from Canuckistan!) managed the switch from imperial to metric. It's most definitely not like a new language... that's just idiotic.

The thing is, most US trades people (unless residential construction) are already fluent in metric and sae, and I'm guessing use metric for the majority of their work. How many vehicles, which are sent the world over, would use imperial size fasteners? I'd guess that mechanics are only breaking out the sae for older vehicles.

The fact that it was introduced in the US, but done so poorly from an education level upwards.... and then just given up on is crazy. USA, Liberia, and Myanmar (Burma). And Myanmar, they've only not officially switched to metric. Fluids are mostly sold in litres. New speed limit signs have been posted in km/h for almost a decade.. etc, etc. Government publications contain a lot of metric.

Since Canaderp is officially metric, but obviously our largest trading partner is the US, plus the fact that we simply have residual imperial practices floating about similar to the UK, we can basically switch from one to the other without issue. And agreed that one isn't better than the other, though metric is obviously very much simpler in regards to math since it's base 10... it just would be nice and easy to have a universal standard. That would be like being unilingual.

The really annoying thing is that most of the world seems to kind of know approximate values to convert metric to imperial, so when we're talking to Americans (and Liberians I guess) they'll understand the reference. Meters to feet, celcius to farenheit.. etc. Can do quick approximately accurate conversions on the fly. I have never mentioned celcius in conversation with an american however and had them understand. Not even have the slightest idea of the general conversion, as if I had stated a temp in kelvins. Watch some YouTube channels that are non-american and comments will be "what's that in normal temperature?".

Apologies. That was not meant to be a bashing of Americans (and I've really stereotyped here, where obviously there are many Americans who are fluent in metric). Your governments for the past 50+ years are to blame. The world is getting smaller, and borders mean less and less (well, not the southern US one apparently) as we deal with, trade, watch, and interact with people the world over on a daily basis. That's a statement that has become more true every decade for many, many moons, far before the internet. The rest of the world speaks English (I mean this as: English is generally accepted as the standard international language), so you're set on that front in the global communications line in not having to learn, but please, get your shit together and at least learn the basics of metric! It's aboot time.

Angry responses start..... now:

Log Driver's Waltz

This is something that was on TVO (TV Ontario) regularly between cartoons for... well, decades I think. Surprised Mike Myers didn't try and plagiarize this at some point (so, so, so much of what he's done is directly lifted from stuff that was on TVO).

This sign is brilliant. The thing is, I've seen the image in the news over the past few weeks. I've skimmed over, read the headlines and the sign itself, skipped the articles. Only after reading this article did I put the wordplay together. Seems to be much subtler in its wordplay than others, such as the F'Coffee shop in Toronto.

Bah, take your shoes off at the door! The hell is the matter with you? Thinking you can track outside dirt all through my house. Take one step in with any outdoor footwear on and I'll make sure to tell you to take them off. Want to wear shoes inside? Bring a completely different pair that are spotless on the bottom, or slippers. Whatever. I walk around inside my house in my sock feet, or bare feet in the summer. The floors are clean.

pfbtbtbt... shoes in the house.

On a serious note, Ontarian here, and I don't know a single household, be it friends of family, that allow shoes in the house. Parties/lots of people over, included. Maybe a persons rustic cottage, from like the entry door and in the kitchen, would be an allowable place... but definitely not in a house.

I legit think it's weird that shoes in the house is even a thing besides those times when you're in a rush, already in the car, then remember about that 'schizzle' on the counter that you were supposed to bring with you. Run in, grab it, run out.. shoes be damned... can wash the floor later.

I was living in Venezuela in 1997-1998, right in the midst of when Chavez came into power. Caracas back then was an absolutely horrible, incredibly dangerous city. I can't even imagine what it's like now. I've been lucky enough to travel quite extensively and Caracas is legitimately the only city where I felt spooked just being out and about in it.

The Guardian article makes it sound like it was a lovely haven before Chavez got it. It stopped being one many, many, many years prior. Chavez turned the entire country into a disaster, let alone having Caracas decline even further.

All pretty gross and unfortunate. Venezuela has tonnes of beautiful places to see and the people are great.

hahahaha... this sign is hilarious! thanks.

There seems to have been plans for standing airline 'seats' for quite awhile. I'm most definitely in the vast, vast minority here, but I would welcome these. After about an hour and a half into a flight, my knees get so damn sore that I can hardly stand it. I just feel so squished-in in economy seating and there's no room to stretch out your legs or even move them around a bit to find a more comfortable position. And I'm short and scrawny at 5'8", 140lbs. And I'm also fit. Once my knees get sore, all I want to do is stand up. I don't care if it's a 12+ hour flight. I'd rather be in those standing seats than a cramped sitting position.

I've been there and went without reason and zero planning. I was in Ushuaia and, back then at least (15 years ago), the adventure travel expedition ships that weren't booked to capacity would sell spaces for basically cost. I looked into it out of curiosity and the next day was onboard a ship, heading across the Drake Passage to spend 10 days on and around the Antarctic Peninsula. Was absolutely incredible.

In the past I always used to just say "getting interviewed is one of my weaknesses, since I tend to get a bit nervous in them". Really, I don't get nervous in them, but for some reason this answer always seems to make the interview go really well from that point forward.