The Venting Thread

[FishProf]

My school just declined to buy N95 masks for lab instructors, claiming the CDC doesn't recommend them.   Does anybody know of a source I can share with them to change their minds?

[Caracal]

My school just declined to buy N95 masks for lab instructors, claiming the CDC doesn't recommend them.   Does anybody know of a source I can share with them to change their minds?

It is true that they don't. To my knowledge, they aren't recommended for anyone but healthcare workers. Maybe some people disagree, but to me the reasons seem sound. There still aren't enough of them for healthcare workers. I think we could probably agree that whatever the risks in labs, they are almost certainly lower than the risks to health care workers treating people with Covid.

[mythbuster]

More in the continuing bookstore idiocy saga. Many students claimed they were never getting the emails from the book store. It turns out that IT has updated the student dashboard for all our functions. They now have a big email button (for university email) AND and inbox button (for the Canvas email system). Guess what- bookstore emails don't go to the Canvas system, so all our students with no emails are likely just checking in the wrong place! Personally, I wish I could turn off the student's Canvas email functionality. It causes to many problems for me.

I bet no one in IT thought there would a problem with having 2 email buttons side by side since they knew what the difference was.

[downer]

My fall Blackboard shells have disappeared for one school. The IT dept tells me they should be there. Yet they are not.

Maybe this is part of their clever scheme to encourage people to switch to Canvas.

[onehappyunicorn]

My fall Blackboard shells have disappeared for one school. The IT dept tells me they should be there. Yet they are not.

Maybe this is part of their clever scheme to encourage people to switch to Canvas.

I hate blackboard, man do I hate blackboard. As an organization we've sunk so much money and training into it that we'll never switch though.

Also can you just read what I sent you instead of telling me what you thought I said? It's awfully awkward when I have to get my supervisor involved to tell you the exact same thing I just sent, especially since your response was snippy and condescending.

[FishProf]

Checking your school email IS part of your job.   Choosing to not do so is choosing to not do your job.   I will NOT Back you in this.

[clean]

A few weeks ago, I got a message from DirectTV that my devices were no longer supported and I would lose my local channels.  I called them. I waited and waded through phone hell.  Finally got a person that told me that she could see no reason that I was getting the message and to ignore it. 

Well, it seems that the notice was not an error. So I lost all of my local chanels (which means all of network TV).  Oh, and while I am not in the 'Cone of Death' for hurricane laura, some of the spaghetti models do go directly through my town!

Today I called and again waded through Phone hell.  I was hung up on the first time as the employee wasnt able to hear me!  I called back and after 40 minutes I was in the same situation I was when I called. 

Why was my equipment able to provide my local channels 12 hours earlier but not now?  Why can they not flip the switch that they flipped to turn them off?

When I was on the phone with them 2 weeks ago, we discussed that one box was 17 years old and worked fine.  The other was 10 years old.  I have been a customer of theirs for 22 years!  BUT when I talked to them 2 weeks ago, I was told I would need a 2 year contract and be charged added fees for the additional services  (HD instead of regular TV). 

My bill has been creeping up for years. Ive been too lazy to find a new provider.  It looks like it is time NOW to find one.  IF they can not provide the services that they have provided for years (nay, decades), then it is time for us to part ways.  Im sure that cable TV is widely available!!  (AND I can probably bundle internet services, that I currently have to pay an additional fee for from another provider!!

[wareagle]

I don't have DirecTV myself, but from what I've heard, ever since AT&T took over they've steadily increased prices, and not by small amounts.  My sister pays double what she did just three years ago for the exact same package.

[onehappyunicorn]

Checking your school email IS part of your job.   Choosing to not do so is choosing to not do your job.   I will NOT Back you in this.

AMEN

[Harlow2]

Im sure that cable TV is widely available!!  (AND I can probably bundle internet services, that I currently have to pay an additional fee for from another provider!! [end quote]

Another tack is an antenna, since I don't have a landline and didn't want the only bundle that saved any money.  I have been fairly pleased with mine. Limited stations, but not THAT limited compared to my basic cable, which had doubled in price over the last 10 years. You might try looking at Antennaweb.org to see what you could get temporarily while you figure out a more permanent solution. The antenna and Prime (including Britbox) have quite a lot to offer.

[downer]

I am getting absurd numbers of emails with attachments all containing supposedly important information. The main message says "See below."

Generally, when I look, it turns out the info is not important to me.

My interest in opening these attachments is rapidly diminishing.

[Puget]

Students, I know you are anxious and everything is different this semester, but I provided all that information in (a) course announcements, (b) the syllabus, and (c) the welcome video. You should have seen it at least 3 times, so why are you emailing me "just to clarify". It is clear. You do not need me to personally tell you the same information yet again.  (I did not say any of this to them. Well, I did point them to those sources of information, but much more kindly.).

[the_geneticist]

Look here cousin-who-thankfully-lives-far-away, it is NOT responsible to have an in-person wedding!  Yes, I know you had to reschedule due to the pandemic & had to find a new church that is willing/foolish enough to allow a gathering & find an outdoor venue for your "you don't have to have a mask on the entire time" reception and your fiancee is insisting that you have to get married now because she wants a baby.  But you are going to kill people.  I don't care how much money you your parents lost on deposits.  How many funerals do you want to attend?

[mamselle]

Look here cousin-who-thankfully-lives-far-away, it is NOT responsible to have an in-person wedding!  Yes, I know you had to reschedule due to the pandemic & had to find a new church that is willing/foolish enough to allow a gathering & find an outdoor venue for your "you don't have to have a mask on the entire time" reception and your fiancee is insisting that you have to get married now because she wants a baby.  But you are going to kill people.  I don't care how much money you your parents lost on deposits.  How many funerals do you want to attend?

I was actually impressed by a family member's kids, whom i expected to want something like what you're describing: they actually did a 5-person service (officiant, the two kids, and one parent each). They livecast it (for those who wanted to attend in real time) and put the video up as well, for those of us who, like me, were otherwise occupied at the time.

I specifically wrote and told them how considerate they were, and how thankful I was for their thoughtfulness.

So, it can be done.  I'm sorry you're having to deal with all the difficulties.

M.

[the_geneticist]

Look here cousin-who-thankfully-lives-far-away, it is NOT responsible to have an in-person wedding!  Yes, I know you had to reschedule due to the pandemic & had to find a new church that is willing/foolish enough to allow a gathering & find an outdoor venue for your "you don't have to have a mask on the entire time" reception and your fiancee is insisting that you have to get married now because she wants a baby.  But you are going to kill people.  I don't care how much money you your parents lost on deposits.  How many funerals do you want to attend?

I was actually impressed by a family member's kids, whom i expected to want something like what you're describing: they actually did a 5-person service (officiant, the two kids, and one parent each). They livecast it (for those who wanted to attend in real time) and put the video up as well, for those of us who, like me, were otherwise occupied at the time.

I specifically wrote and told them how considerate they were, and how thankful I was for their thoughtfulness.

So, it can be done.  I'm sorry you're having to deal with all the difficulties.

M.

I like the plan of the "micro-wedding" and live-stream!  That's what I hope they end up with.  At any rate, I will not be going and I'm going to do my best to convince my 85 year old grandfather that it's not worth the risk to attend.