Education | Piss and Moan

Dealership sittin

When you are buying a car, assuming it isn’t a private sale, do you consider the service department? I have purchased a couple cars in the last five years and one thing I have become aware of, that I should have thought about when I bought them, is the service department.

Sure, buying a car is “fun” as you shop for the look, style, options, etc. that you want. You get to decide on the color and all that jazz. They promise oil changes for life and tire warranties and other “incentives” to get you to buy the car. But what they don’t sell you on is their service department.

After sitting in two different service departments and going through the trouble of trying to schedule said service, I am going to offer some tips you may want to consider when buying a car from a dealership.

Check the hours that the service department actually works. If they don’t work or have weekend appointments, you are in big trouble! Why? Because that means they only work during the hours you likely work, meaning you are going to likely have to take time off to make service appointments happen (whether it is just for dropping the car off or to pick it up afterwards). The other thing about only weekdays is that there are a limited number of service appointments. As such, you will be competing against other people to try to schedule for those appointments. Sure, you would have to do that on a Saturday too but if you have a little forethought in your scheduling you can easily get it done.
Is it easy to schedule an appointment? Do they have an ample number of service advisors or are you going to sit on hold on the phone for seemingly endless hours? Can you schedule online or on an app? Again, it is important to know because it takes your time and it is valuable.
Do they have a shuttle service? Better yet, do they have a considerable number of service loaners? Shuttles are great, but relying on someone else transporting you is a pain in the rear. Loaners are better because then you can go about your day as usual and not have to worry about trying to schedule things around the service appointment.
Department amenities. If you have to sit and wait at the dealership, what amenities do they have? Does it look and feel comfortable or does it look like someone threw some furniture together? Does it have good wi-fi? Do they have complimentary food and basic drinks (coffee, soda, water)? All of these aren’t really that big of a deal, but if you have to spend time there you should be able to do so without feeling like there isn’t a way for you to relax a little.

I am currently sitting in a service waiting room for a 60K mile service. It’s a longer service, so I had to take the day off to make this appointment happen. It took three phone calls to finally connect with someone to schedule it. There is a popcorn machine that isn’t on and hasn’t been run. There are two vending machines, both with sighs that say they are out of order. There is coffee, but it’s terrible. The chairs and couches are showing signs of being worn out. There is wi-fi, so I can type this blog entry.

All this to say, don’t just get caught up in the shiny new car. Ask questions. Check out the service area because it should be part of your buying decision.

Anything else you would add from your buying and ownership experience?

Make work

Posted on March 28 by backuphill

My job as a software analyst sometimes can be a real pain. Software is designed to do certain things and do them well. But, there are times where a client will want the software to do something it wasn’t designed to do.

I have a school district that is trying to do parent-teacher conferences next month. The software has the ability to create time slots and then allow the parents to schedule their conferences with the teacher. But, the software has some limitiations and the way one of the schools has done conferences in the past doesn’t fit the way the software is designed (yet). This was a huge issue for them last fall, as they were unwilling to rethink the way they do the conferences when they were told it wouldn’t work the way they would like them to (after many hours of investigation and problem-solving).

So, now it is spring and they are still insistent on doing it the same way as always, even though it didn’t work for them in the fall and it nothing in the software has changed to allow for the way they would like to do it. There is one caviate to that statement though. There are some rather inconvenient and labor intensive work-arounds that can be done to make the software kind of work for what they want. In essence, someone at the district figured out a way to trick the software and kinda sorta make it work for their needs.

Here’s where my problem comes in…in doing their work around, it doesn’t work well and there are issues with how the software functions. It doesn’t know you are doing a work-around, it just functions as it should. So, issues arise that are a direct result of the work-around. The district then calls me (after telling them, again, that it won’t work) to try to solve their work-around problems. I wasn’t fully involved in their work-around setup. I haven’t tested their work-around since it was advised they not use it. But, they want me to solve the issues when it doesn’t work like they would like it to.

I am being asked to “make it work” for something that isn’t supposed to work that way in the first place.

I am not sure how many times I can tell them it isn’t advisable and won’t work like you really want it to. If they are patient, and adjust the way they do conferences in the interim, it might actually work like they want in the future as we have been told it is being worked on (we are Tier 1 support so we have no control).

Anyway, that is my rant today. I don’t want to even try with this people.

Ballot harvesting

Posted on February 14 by backuphill

There appears to be a new tactic in the voting arena and the underlying motive would seem to be ballot harvesting.

I gotta say this is a bit disturbing as this would essentially require someone to register to vote. Now, I am all for voting and have never missed a vote that I can remember. However, voting is a right guaranteed to every American citizen not a requirement of every American citizen. Making it a requirement, in my estimation, practically compels someone to “speak”, which would be a Constitutional violation as there are protections against such a thing.

If you haven’t yet read the article but had to guess which party is sponsoring such a preposterous proposal, which do you suppose it would be? If you guessed Democrats, you’d be correct.

If you have have been paying attention, you might recall that Democrats/liberals have suddenly gotten real good at and have promoted endlessly the ability to “harvest ballots.” Now, in my state, they aim to make it easier to ballot harvest by requiring all eligible people to register to vote, have a ballot mailed to all those people, and then collect them from anyone who has completed their civic duty (or possible even the ones who haven’t). At the very least, it would provide a list of people who haven’t yet submitted a completed ballot and allow for them to pursue said ballot by visiting the home of the recipient.

“Hi, I’m Joe Blow from the Democratic party. Records show you haven’t yet submitted the voting ballot sent to you a week ago. I was here to see if you have completed it and if I could offer to deliver it for you….oh, you haven’t yet filled it it? OK, well, I am willing to wait if you’d like to do it now and then I could take it when you’re done…oh, you don’t know much about what is on the ballot? I could certainly offer some advice, if you’d like…”

Pressure.

I am sure you can probably imagine the numerous scenarios for which something like the above would take place. The problem with the who process is that it opens the potential for election security problems and that, despite what some will argue is not happening, is of serious concern and should be prevented.

Conspiracy theorist? Maybe.

Cautionary tale? Perhaps.

Completely pessimistic and skepitcal of motivations? Winner, winner chicken dinner!

Requiring someone to register is just bad. It isn’t how the democratic process works and shouldn’t even be considered.

What do you think? Am I off base on this?

The Power of Stupidity

Posted on February 8 by backuphill

I came across an article title the other day that almost screamed for me to read the article. I couldn’t avoid it. I looked at it. Ignored it. Went back to it. Ignored it some more, and then finally caved and read it. This article, “Bonhoeffer’s “theory of stupidity”: We have more to fear from stupid people than evil ones” ended up making some great points, but it also confirmed what I have been thinking for a long while. I tried to avoid the confirmation bias, but the author is of like mind I guess.

Like I said, I didn’t want to read it. I already know the power of stupidity. I was a high school history teacher so I saw, heard, and witnessed it on a daily basis. But, for the most part, those days were silly and harmless and easily laughed off as adolescence doing and saying adolescent things.

The problem is now I am not in a classroom and in the “real” world of people, where the adults are supposed to be rational, logical, and somewhat levelheaded. Instead, what I see is a place that is really scary because the number of stupid people has grown exponentially over the last decade or so. Those students that were stupid in my classroom have gown up and they haven’t grown out of their stupidity.

Now they tout their stupidity like it’s a badge of honor. Now they are adults, spouting stupidity like a fountain in Vegas and haranging people who don’t fall in line with their stupidity because they are now self-appointed culture and social justice warriors. Their numbers grow and grow and grow because now they can use their social media channels the “cancel” those whom they can’t have an actual, rational discussion with.

One or two stupid persons is easy enough to deal with, but when they become a mob not so much. One or two stupid persons are easy enough to avoid but when they are members of your family it becomes a challenge to tolerate spending time with them. As a whole, it is getting harder and harder to exist in a society where stupidity now seems to rule the day. You can’t avoid them at home, at work, in your social circles, in your government, in your medical institutions, in your educational endeavors…the list just gets bigger and bigger.

I tried to influence those I taught so many years ago. I now fear (and see) that my efforts failed.

So, how do we get our society back? How do we recue the nation from the stupid people who now exist in every facet of our daily lives and, unfortunately, even control it?

Share your thoughts. Share an experience with a stupid person that left you shaking your head. Share an experience with a stupid person that left you in dispare for the future. Share a thought on what can or should be done to fix this menace to society/humankind.

I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Gas lit

Posted on October 17 by backuphill

High gas prices and getting higher. OPEC+ announced earlier this month that they are going to cut production. It’s hard to know exactly who to blame. Some say it is the result of inflation. Some say it is the result of government policy. Some say it is the result of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Some say it is just the oil companies jacking prices for profit. It obviously isn’t as simple as one of these things and trying to make it solely about one of them is foolish.

However, here in the the US, it has a lot to do with the fact that our government (the Biden administration) has chosen to take a route with energy policy that does’t keep access to oil easy or convenient. As such, the supply is always short in the US when we could actually be nearly oil independent. The administration refuses to allow more refineries, more drilling, and no new pipelines.

The Democrats believe higher energy prices will force Americans to finally get behind “clean” energy of wind and solar, the faster the better in their view. But they also see the peril in allowing prices to get too high, especially when it comes time to vote. Biden has been trying to keep prices low (very unsuccessfully) over the last couple months because of the looming mid-term elections. With an upcoming election and prices rising rapidly, the Biden administration is trying to put pressure on Saudi Arabia because the cost of fuel (well, the cost of everything really) will be weighing on the minds of Americans when they fill in their ballot. When Americans feel pain at the pump and in their wallet they tend to vote away from policies that made it them feel it.

As an example, I have three receipts less than a month apart. In that time span, the gas price as my local Costco (nearly always the cheapest price) has gone up $1.10/gal. That’s a lot of pain at the pump in less than a month. The worst part is that fuel prices are typically going down this time of year (after Labor Day) since the “driving season” is over and consumption/demand is lower.

Obviously, this is weighing on my mind. I make a pretty good income, but I am feeling the pinch. I can imagine how others who were already on tight budgets are feeling now. It’s a struggle and really hard choices are having to be made. I am sure the last thing they are thinking about is clean energy and long term policy. They (we) all want some relief.

Manipulating voters before an election is nothing new. Both parties do it. It’s irritating as hell that most people don’t see right through it. But, put a little money in the pockets of voters shortly before an election and they tend to forget the pain they felt for a short time while they vote. We’ve seen this fairly often too – and in a not so transparent move, California (the largest state, dominated by Democrats) is giving money back to voters just in time for elections. It apparently goes by many different names – “Middle Class Tax Refund”, “Inflation Relief Check”, “Gas Tax Refund” – but the goal is all the same, make sure voters try to forget their pain at the pump and other places for a short time. Also, just in time (not a coincident or a surprise), the president releases more oil from the strategic stock pile. Didn’t see that one coming…*sarcasm*

Anyone else tired of the garbage going on in DC, or their own state? Anyone else tired of the rich and elite manipulating the government for themselves?

The OPEC+ decision to cut oil production will make prices spike in the short term. How that ends up translating to prices at the pump remains to be seen, obviuosly. However, can we be confident that the OPEC+ members will actually abide by the agreement? Not really. Traditionally, they decide on a production cut and then one or more members decide that the price spike is too good to lower production so they keep producing at the current level to maximise profits during the price increase. Members always accuse other members of violating their agreement and everyone ends up producing just as much or more than previous levels to make up for lost ground in the market.

Ultimately, their announcement is market manipulation and likely won’t really happen. But, it also might be American election manipulation too. To say that oil producing countries are “pleased” with American Democrats and their progressive push towards climate alarmism would be more than a mis-statement. Another political party would be friendlier, in their opinion. This may be their actual goal, but time will tell.

Selling point

Posted on September 1 by backuphill

So, here’s another question for you. I don’t expect that you are going to answer it but I have to voice it – partially because it’s a frustrations of mine but also because sometimes (well, most of the time) I think people are just stupid. The question: Why do people post that the “tabs are up to date” when selling a vehicle?

Do they think this is a selling point that needs to be advertised? Because if they really thought about it (and here’s where the dumb part comes in), it isn’t.

The tabs on a license plate indicate that the vehicle has been registered and is therefore legal to be on the roadways. In most cases, it is registered to the owner of the vehicle. So, to some degree is also signifies who is financially responsible for the vehicle (yes, insurance also does that too but there is a difference).

Here’s two reasons saying the tabs are up to date is dumb and really incomprehensible as to why someone thinks this is a selling point.

The person buying said vehicle will have to transfer ownership into their name (usually within 14 days) and in doing so will also have to register it themselves, meaning it doesn’t matter how much “life” is left in the current tabs. They will have to buy new tabs to license the vehicle in their name. Once registered, they will get new tabs (and in some cases even new license plates). There is extra money coming out of the purchaser’s pocket no matter what, so this doesn’t save anything for them.
The person selling the vehicle wants the purchaser to transfer ownership of the vehicle so that they aren’t held responsible for financial damages\issues when the vehicle is used improperly. Whether it is ticketed for some reason, or abandoned, or used to commit a crime, the former owner doesn’t want it staying in their name.

I am sure there are more reasons why this particular statement makes for a poor selling point, but that is all I can think of right now.

What do you think? Am I way off on this or do you agree? Does it really make a difference in a decision to purchase a vehicle?

Votes purchased

Posted on August 25 by backuphill

Well, looks like we have a pretty good idea of about how much a vote costs these days – about $10K.

In a very thinly veiled attempt to buy votes for the Novermber election, the Biden administration just put the burden of ill-advised student loans on taxpayers instead of the people who actually were supposed to be the guarantors of the loan.

You don’t have to be a financial guru to know that someone (well, most all taxpayers) are getting the shaft, yet again, from bad politics in the name of winning favor with a generation of people who know little about commitment and consequences.

This is a play for the Progressives in the Democratic party that keep yelling that there is a class war going on and that the poor of the country are losing it. Obviously this isn’t true, but it fits with the Progressive message about destroying Capitalism and a market economy and instead favor a socialist agenda which would eventually lead to a socialist (eh, communist) government. This, of course, fits into the message that all these ill-advised, college loan accepting, 20 and 30 somethings who were indoctrinated into leftist thinking by the colleges they attended. The colleges that likely pressured them in the first place to take the loans to get or continue an education.

It’s a perfect coup for the left.

Combine the $10k ($20k in some cases) forgiveness with the argument that abortions should be free and available at all moments, on a whim, and you can see where the messaging for the November elections are going. “Look, we are fighting for your abortions and forgave a portion of your college loans. Your vote should obviously be cast for us…”

Election tampering? It very well might be.

Cruise control

Posted on August 16 by backuphill

Do you use cruise control in your vehicle when you are on a long drive? Do you like to set it and forget it…until some jackwagon decides that pacing you in your blind spot is a good idea and then you have to cancel your cruise by stepping on your brake?

You know it is inevitable, right? Is that Murphy’s Law or is that bad karma or is it just a coincidence?

I took a road trip this last weekend (12 hours total driving time) and I noticed that just about every time I set the cruise control (about 7-8 mph over the speed limit, mind you) that within about 10 minutes I would have to step on the brake and cancel it.

I was driving across the state, on the east side, where there are long stretches of nothing. It’s just highway – long, flat, some rolly hills, but mostly uninteresting. You would think it would be a great place to just set the cruise control and just drive.

Nope.

Seemingly without fail, about the time I would need to pass someone on the left there would be a car pacing me, in my blind spot, and not allowing me to change lanes.

It’s almost as if they were doing it on purpose. Miles and miles and miles of unobstructed driving until that moment.

And instead of recognizing what is about to happen in front of or next to them and speeding up just a little so as to not have to slow down themselves, they just keep their own pace and make me break mine. Jackwagon.

Do people realize you can step on the gas while cruise control is on and speed up and it DOES NOT cancel your cruis control or change your speed? No need to reset it. No need to click Resume. The vehicle just returns to the speed you set it for. Kinda like magic.

But instead, it would appear people like to annoy the hell outta me (and probably others too).

That just figures.

No longer

Posted on July 18 by backuphill

I awoke this morning to an email that made me pause for a moment. I knew the moment was coming. I have for a while, of course, but actually seeing it there in print made me pause and contemplate the past. A stage in my life is truly over and going back isn’t an option (at least not an easy one).

This morning I had the official notification via email from OSPI (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) that my teaching certificate is now officially expired.

Again, I knew this day would be coming for seven years (well, nearly 7…in a little over a month it will be 7 years since I left the classroom). It has been in the back of my mind and occasionally I would get reminded when I would glance at my National Board Certification. The expiration date was right there on the bottom – June 30, 2022. My state teaching certificate was tied to that because the National Board Certification linked the two and extended the state expiration date.

I am no longer a teacher.

It’s hard to say that. There was a lot of time, money, and effort tied to that part of my identity. Of course, I haven’t been a classroom teacher for nearly seven years, but to actually have that part of my life come to an official end (there was always that “open door” to go back) is a little surreal. I loved my subject and I really liked teaching students about it. I didn’t like all the time and politics related to the job.

I am happy with where I am now, don’t get me wrong. However, officially letting go of that part of me is surprisingly more emotional than I thought it would be.

I will always be a teacher, just not a classroom teacher. I guess I have to remember that. I still teach people in education about the software they use. I still teach teachers about the software they use to track student progress. It’s just a different kind of teaching.

Right reversal

Posted on June 24 by backuphill

“The sky is falling! The sky is falling!”

OK, Chicken Little…or littles….there is a lot of yelling, crying, hand-wringing, and plain old threats of violence over the Supreme Court of the United States’ reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision. A decision that has been on debate about the correctness, legality, and morality since it was handed down nearly 50 years ago.

In my humble opinion, this is the right reversal. I say it that way because of two things: it overturns a precendent set in the past that was wrong from the start and it removes the ability to legally kill human babies.

I wrote all the way back in December of last year, when this case was being heard by SCOTUS, that the danger of precendent was something that the court could not and should not stand on, simply for standing on precendent. I also wrote about it way back in 2019, about precedent being danderous. I was trying to show that previous courts had made decisions that were wrong and that needed to be overturned because they were morally wrong and righted wrongs that never should have existed. When this decision was leaked to the press (in and of itself, unprecedented) early, the sky began falling then. This just confirms that there are some who clearly are going to die on this hill and that a large portion of the United States is morally bankrupt.

So, again, overturning the first decision to legalize abortion at the federal level was the correct thing to do. It’s the right reversal. There is no inherent right or implicet right in the Constitution for an individual to take a life, let alone to kill babies. It can’t be Constiutionally protected because there are no means to justify it.

It’s the right reversal because there is no moral justification for taking the life of a baby. You can’t tell me that an inch and a half (or three, or whatever amount) of skin and tissue makes the different between whether or not a baby, a child, a human is alive or not. Once it has a detectable heartbeat, no matter the time or space, it is alive. Some might even argue earlier, but a heartbeat for sure is discernable and can’t be debated. It just can’t. No argument can be created or defended that would change this fact and to do so would simply be smoke and mirrors to displace the real issue.

Once again, there will be a lot of complaining, groaning, screaming, and lying (yes, lying) about the wrong that has been done with this right reversal. For many in the country, there can no better or singular issue to demonstrates their depravity than this. Any opinoin that directly supports killing children, at any age, tells you alot about the person holding the opinion.