First World Problems: Share the Silliest Things That Bug You!

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Discussion Overview

This thread discusses various trivial annoyances that participants experience in their daily lives, often referred to as "first world problems." The scope includes personal grievances related to technology, packaging, and everyday tasks, highlighting the humorous side of these minor frustrations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express frustration when pulling tissues from a box, noting that they often end up with multiple tissues instead of one.
  • Several participants mention issues with typing on forums, particularly when backspacing leads to losing text or navigating away from the page.
  • There are complaints about clear plastic packaging being difficult to open, especially for older individuals.
  • Participants share annoyance with gas pumps requiring unnecessary questions before allowing fuel to be dispensed.
  • Slow or poor internet connections, particularly on smartphones, are highlighted as a significant irritation.
  • Some express frustration with software that repeatedly asks the same questions without an option to disable notifications.
  • There are humorous exchanges about the challenges of multi-quoting in forum posts and the complexities of modern technology.
  • Concerns are raised about the lack of spare toilet tissue in bathrooms, with some noting the inconvenience of having only a few sheets left.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share similar sentiments regarding their frustrations, but there are multiple competing views on specific issues, such as the effectiveness of technology and the design of packaging. The discussion remains largely unresolved as participants share their individual experiences without reaching a consensus.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference personal habits and preferences, such as using text files for drafting posts or the challenges of adapting to new software formats, which may not apply universally.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals who enjoy sharing light-hearted grievances or those looking for relatable experiences regarding everyday annoyances in a modern context.

lisab
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This is a thread about silly problems. You know these things are silly, but they still bug you.

For example:

I hate it when I pull a tissue out of a box, and it doesn't pull up the next tissue. I have to go fishing for the next one, and inevitably I end up pulling out a clump of several tissues.

What silly things bug you?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I hate it when I type up a long post on a forum, hit backspace to delete a letter, and it goes back a page instead. Then when I go forward, everything I typed up is gone.
 
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lisab said:
I hate it when I pull a tissue out of a box, and it doesn't pull up the next tissue.
I hate it when someone doesn't open a box the way it was designed to be opened. Must be an engineer somewhere crying.
 
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The piece of floss breaks before I'm finished.
 
The gas pump demands I answer the question 'Do you have Air Miles' before it will let me pump gas.
 
leroyjenkens said:
I hate it when I type up a long post on a forum, hit backspace to delete a letter, and it goes back a page instead. Then when I go forward, everything I typed up is gone.
For a long post, one can use a text file like TextPad or WordPad, or just do ctrl+A, the ctrl+C to copy the entire post just in case. I too have been frustrated by stupid browsers that take the backspace as Alt+left or previous window.
 
Now that my fingers are getting older I hate just about everything that comes in a clear plastic package. The newer plastics are just about impervious to human fingers. I had to get a knife and fight like heck to get the plastic top off of a pumpkin pie today.
 
edward said:
Now that my fingers are getting older I hate just about everything that comes in a clear plastic package. The newer plastics are just about impervious to human fingers. I had to get a knife and fight like heck to get the plastic top off of a pumpkin pie today.

That runs a strong second for me. It's not the newer plastics. It's because no design engineering was involved.

dlgoff said:
I hate it when someone doesn't open a box the way it was designed to be opened. Must be an engineer somewhere crying.
 
I hate it when you can't find the droids you're looking for.

But really, I can't stand it when my the touchscreen on a phone or computer has slight lag.
 
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  • #10
Was looking for something in the drawers, sitting behind the computer and when I couldn't find it, I tapped Ctrl+F on the keyboard :D (still didn't find it though :( )
 
  • #11
As of returning to PF to find this new format wherein I don't know how to do anything, the main thing that's irritating the hell out of me is that it keeps autocorrecting my words into something that I don't want. That's cutting my typing speed by half or worse. There must be some way to shut that off, but I don't know what it is. Also, I never did know how to multi-quote using the button. To do so, I would respond to one person with a quote, copy it, delete the draft text, respond to another quote and paste the whole first thing into it, and repeat the process as necessary. That doesn't work now. (Well, it sort of does, but the prior one comes up with just an arrow above the quoted section and no mention of who said it. I have to manually insert "{QUOTE}" and "{/QUOTE}" (using the square brackets, of course) to make it appear as a quote, and there's no way I'm going to take the time to type in the guy's handle and those numbers every time.
There are lots of other things not related to PF that get under my skin, but I figured that this was as good a time as any to bring those up.
 
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  • #12
Danger said:
To do so, I would respond to one person with a quote, copy it, delete the draft text, respond to another quote and paste the whole first thing into it, and repeat the process as necessary. That doesn't work now.
1. Click the quote button on a post you want to quote.
2. Repeat step 1 at will.
3. At the bottom of the page will be an edit window for your response. Click 'Insert Quotes'.
4. A popup will show your quotes. Click 'Insert these quotes'.
5. Edit your post with gay abandon.
 
  • #13
DaveC426913 said:
5. Edit your post with gay abandon.
I don't roll that way; I'll edit it with straight abandon if it's all the same to you.:p
(And of course the smilie I needed turned out to be pink... :rolleyes:)
Thanks for the info, Dave. I'll give it a try the next time I have do multiple quotes.
 
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  • #14
Slow/poor internet connection, especially on my phone. I've had a smartphone for so long now that it's a pseudo-disability to not have it. I'm so used to looking up things the moment I wonder about them, getting directions, chatting with friends and checking up on my most used websites.

I firmly hope to one day be an old man who bores his grandchildren with stories of the dark ages where not only did terabit bandwidth not exist but you would regularly lose signal just walking down the road. Let alone going underground or traveling to the country side. I hope and expect they'll look at me with the same lack of understanding as I do to anyone describing a world before phones and computers.
 
  • #15
Oh, this is so first world:
My HDTV tuner has somehow decided to always start on channel 12, when I usually want it to start on channel 1. So I always have to press "back" 12 steps or "dial" 12, very annoying. I can program a computer, by haven't felt inclined to fix this minor thing for a long time now. That's it, I'm going to do it right now!

EDIT: Two more annoying First World problems:

proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.staticflickr.com%2F3948%2F15441143668_d9b21f62a2_n.jpg
nero_writing_12X_TY_Writing_Error.png
 
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  • #16
I hate it when there is just a few sheets of toilet tissue left and no one has thought to leave a spare.
 
  • #17
Software that asks the same question every time it is used, without an option to disable it.

"An update is available! Do you want to update to the newest version which is known to have a bug that completely ruins what you want to do?"
 
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  • #18
mfb said:
Software that asks the same question every time it is used, without an option to disable it.

"An update is available! Do you want to update to the newest version which is known to have a bug that completely ruins what you want to do?"

Oh yes...
+ small, barely readable print saying:
  • stay updated with latest news letters
  • stay updated with the latest campaigns and offers
  • connect your account with service x, y, z
  • connect with everyone? ("What do you mean everyone? - EVERYONE!")
 
  • #19
Ryan_m_b said:
I've had a smartphone for so long now that it's a pseudo-disability to not have it. I'm so used to looking up things the moment I wonder about them, getting directions, chatting with friends and checking up on my most used websites...
...I firmly hope to one day be an old man who bores his grandchildren
Don't worry about it. If you're that immersed in your tech gadgets, you'll probably never have a chance to reproduce, let alone have grandchildren.

DennisN said:
Two more annoying First World problems:

proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.staticflickr.com%2F3948%2F15441143668_d9b21f62a2_n.jpg
nero_writing_12X_TY_Writing_Error.png
No-brainer there. It looks as if you're labouring away with a Windows-burner. Wise up, get a Mac, and relax.

Dave! I just tried that multi-quote thing the way that you said and it's great! Thanks!
 
  • #20
Danger said:
No-brainer there. It looks as if you're labouring away with a Windows-burner. Wise up, get a Mac, and relax.
Now look what you made me do :L, a mac attack:

15633979941_2e7d88cc57.jpg


15637467522_5bd7cebfb8_n.jpg


15450025129_019023e2d3.jpg
 
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  • #21
^^^
Haha, well that is my first world problem: When try to give people consumer advice, I tend to get some other random people spewing out their undying love for certain brands.
 
  • #22
wolram said:
I hate it when there is just a few sheets of toilet tissue left and no one has thought to leave a spare.
Evidently they don't know it only takes one sheet.

 
  • #23
Danger said:
Don't worry about it. If you're that immersed in your tech gadgets, you'll probably never have a chance to reproduce, let alone have grandchildren.

Funnily enough it's entirely possible to fully embrace "tech gadgets", have a fulfilling social life and find a partner with similar feelings ;)
 
  • #24
wolram said:
I hate it when there is just a few sheets of toilet tissue left and no one has thought to leave a spare.

Not even a square? Can't they spare a square?

How about Windows freezing your screen almost every day to ask you if you want to get
Windows 8.1 for free, and never giving you the option of " do not show me this again".
 
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  • #25
I hate it that paper towels are designed, apparently, to tear anywhere BUT on the perforations.
 
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  • #26
phinds said:
I hate it that paper towels are designed, apparently, to tear anywhere BUT on the perforations.
Ever pay a bill by mail? They always fold it so that the return portion tear-off perforations are close to the fold line. :mad:
 
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  • #27
DennisN said:
Now look what you made me do :L, a mac attack:

15633979941_2e7d88cc57.jpg
If that was a Linux screen that you showed, I owe you an apology. My ex-wife was visiting last week and neglected to return my reading glasses when she left. So, to me, that looks like the kind of crap that I've seen on Windows-burners. I have trouble reading the regular stuff on here, never mind the screen-grabs. I can change the magnification of my screen, or have my computer verbalize the text, but it's a bit inconvenient considering other factors.
Mac OS is based upon Linux, which I figure is what makes it so vastly superior to that MS garbage. The first system that I used after school was actually Unix, followed about a year later by Multix. Although I've never studied the subject, I've assumed all along that Linux is a descendant of that family. (In high-school, we used "Student Language", which I suspect to be a variation of "PL 1". The "read" command was something like "[something that I can't remember]\\SLC EXECUTE GET EDIT" The print command was exactly the same thing except that it had "PUT EDIT" in place of "GET EDIT". In both cases, it referred to the next card in the Data Stack, which followed the Command Stack in the deck of cards. It was on pencil-cards, followed by punch-cards the next year.)
I could reconfigure my machine to run Linux, but I'm starting to get a handle on Mavericks so I'll continue along that road until convinced otherwise. I do readily admit that Linux is the superior OS; I just am not familiar with the details of using it. Why you would put Windows :eek: ahead of OS in that lineup is something that psychiatrists will be debating for decades. Windows is to computing what jellyfish are to structural engineering.
 
  • #28
dlgoff said:
Ever pay a bill by mail? They always fold it so that the return portion tear-off perforations are close to the fold line. :mad:

Yeah, that too !
 
  • #29
Danger said:
If that was a Linux screen that you showed, I owe you an apology.
No apology needed at all, I was just having fun :). It's probably a Windows screen, I just linked to a failed burn notice on the net. It's been a long time since I used/programmed for Unix or Mac (I've never used Linux), so I really can't do a proper comparison that's up-to-date. But I remember I thought it was pretty awkward programming for Mac, but it is most likely much better nowadays. Otherwise I thought the Mac was quite ok. But it's not my weapon of choice at the moment :).
 
  • #30
dlgoff said:
I hate it when someone doesn't open a box the way it was designed to be opened. Must be an engineer somewhere crying.

In an old Peanuts cartoon strip, Charlie Brown watched Linus rip off the top of a new box of breakfast cereal.

Charlie Brown: "How can you do that after the Snicker-Snack cereal company spent all that money designing a new improved easy-to-open box?"

Linus (superciliously): "My heart bleeds for the Snicker-Snack cereal company."
 
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