Some questions...

[katiefoolery]

I sit here with some questions which I hope some people out there can answer.  They are most perplexing and confounding and driving me to distraction.

Firstly, I shall list the question foremost in my mind, due to my attempt to wrangle with it not five minutes hence.  Viz., Why is Yahoo such an unmitigated piece of human waste?  Seriously?  They had a sweet set-up with their free webpages at GeoCities, only to stuff it up by destroying validated code with their Javascript ads and creating an ad that couldn't be closed, unlike their previous version.  I was just updating my details on my Yahoo account which I have purely for a group to which I belong.  There was an option to upload a userpic, which I always like to do, to give visitors an idea that I might be a real person.  So I naïevely went along and browsed for a picture on my computer... only to be told I couldn't upload it because I wasn't signed into that piece-of-rubbish Yahoo picture-management palaver.

Alright.

Foolishly, I went into it and tried to upload a picture... only to find I'm required to first download a 30mb program that will look for all the pictures on my hard drive so I can simply choose which ones I want to put on Yahoo.  Yeah.  I really want to do that because a) I have that much time to kill and b) I'm an idiot.

So that will teach me to think Yahoo might have changed since I last dealt with it.

My second question is iPod related.  Yesterday, I installed an iPod nano that Bindi, my sister-in-law, received for her birthday.  All was working well - she put songs on it and we worked out how to find the sleep timer.  Much delight was experienced by the good Bindi.  Then it suddenly went sour this morning when Windows now refused to acknowledge the iPod's existence.  Perhaps the iPod said something rude to Windows?  Or maybe Windows is just being childish because the iPod nano is so black and slim and pretty, not to mention efficient.  So why have they suddenly stopped communicating?  It's a brand-new iPod!

Third question.  Which I seem to have forgotten...  Oh well, I suppose I could ask why I've forgotten question three, although it seems a little counter-productive.

Nuts.  I'm positive it was a really good question, too.

Oh well.  Answers to the two questions I could actually remember would be much appreciated, lest I start tearing my hair out over them.

I just remembered the third question!  Plendiferous!  It concerns an orange fruit drink and the bottle it comes in.  Please tell me why you think a company would design a bottle that ensures that every time you put it on the bench after pouring it, the juice sloshes out of the neck and onto the bench, floor and possibly even your footwear.  What is the point in that?  Do they want us to run out of juice quicker, causing us to buy more?  Or are they just really, really stupid?

Actually, you don't need to give me an answer for that one - it was mostly a chance to rant a bit about the design of fruit juice bottles.

Any other answers will find a ready home here, though.

Comments

[silver-pegasus.livejournal.com]

Firstly yahoo sucks, because it just does. Having not really dealt with it much, especially recently, I can't really think of anything better to say.

Secondly I have heard that windows can be quite sensitive at times. You'll often find it in the toilets having a good cry in a cubicle. Perhaps the iPod said something paricularly nasty to it. If you could just convince the iPod to appologise maybe things would be better.

Thirdly I'm not really certain why you've fogotten question three, maybe the fridge next door could help you with that.

Thirdly (well the was two question 3's) I do believe that all be due to an evil unnamed mastermind, planning to take over the world. First juice bottles, wot next. I, personally, am very scared.

Ok so that was all rather useless, but unfortunately I don't really have much experience in the areas of yahoo, iPods and Juice bottles.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

You're very lucky to have avoided much contact with those three items, good Tanya. Heed my warnings and stay away! Although, when iPods are allowed to talk to computers, they're lovely and I'm very fond of mine, despite its silly battery.

I often think similar things when pieces of technology fail to communicate with each other. After all, who's to say they don't have feelings after all?

[frohike.livejournal.com]

1. They are trying to take over the world. The picture program thingy is really a virus that will make this takeover easier.

2. I had this problem with my digital camera. I'd plug it in and a bubble would pop up saying "you've plugged in your camera" and then I'd go to take the photos from the camera to the hard drive and I'd get an error message "sorry, your camera is not plugged in". Obviously those weren't the actual messages, but they convey the general idea well. I don't know what caused the problem, nor how it got fixed. But it did eventually start working properly again. If you like I'll ask my dad if he fixed it and if so what the problem was etc.

3. They are in cahoots with Yahoo.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

You know, that all makes sense. Especially the bit about the fruit juice containers being in league with Yahoo. Together, they will take over the world with inept design! (Although I really hope they don't.)

The problem with the iPod is that Windows won't talk to it at all and whenever i plug it in, Windows claims that the "device has malfunctioned". So bah to Windows! I feel awful for Bindi because she received the thing almost a month ago and she's only been able to use it for about ten minutes. I swear it's cursed!

[frohike.livejournal.com]

Together, they will take over the world with inept design!

Its a very good thing I wasn't in the middle of food/beverage consumption when I read that. My monitor cringes whenever your name appears...

Dad says that the problem kind of fixed itself somehow. So no help. Call up tech support guys.

Tech Dude: Whats the problem?
Stupid Person: My computer won't turn on.
TD: Is it plugged in to the powerpoint?
SP: I can't see, there's a blackout.

*cringe*

[sirgallivant.livejournal.com]

I have no answers for you, good Buneater. But I can offer sympathy and more cumquats. :)

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Well, you can never have enough of that. Thank-ewe muchly, good knight. :)

[flippyfrog.livejournal.com]

1. Designed by idiots
2. Designed by idiots
3. Designed by idiots

does that help? if it doesn't, have this packet of sherbet lemons *hands over a packet of gummi bears*

oh goddamnit, i'm going to blame that on Yahoo

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

It's all starting to make sense now, although I'm going to join you and hold those gummi bears against Yahoo.

[flippyfrog.livejournal.com]

That would be rather painful for them, all those bumpy letters

[poisonheadache.livejournal.com]

1. I know. I hate Yahoo. Grrr.
2. Is it a USB or Firewire connection to the iPod that you've got? I've heard of this happening before and know of some things you can try but it depends on the connecting cables. Check the Apple Troubleshooting (http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/) because they have some things to try.
3. Bonus Grrrr.
4. (brand new number 4) - I watched Kath and Kim last night and thought of you. I love that show so much!

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

We were watching season three of K&K last night. I really could watch the show over and over again!

The iPod's connected via USB and I'm going to try a restore, although I don't like my chances. The problem is that iPod was a present to Bindi from a friend, so we just have to hope the friend has kept the receipt.

[decryption.livejournal.com]

Yeah, check out the Apple iPod Support Page - http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/ that usually fixes most iPod problems.

Yahoo is garbage except for Flickr :p

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I love Flickr! It actually works, though, so that must be why I keep forgetting it's associated with Yahoo.

I had a look through support yesterday and I'd already done everything except a restore, so I might try that today. The weird thing is that it was quite happily connected to the computer and working fine... then the next minute, it wasn't. We weren't even doing anything to it - we hadn't disconnected it or anything. Windows just stopped talking to it and now claims it has malfunctioned. I'm really not the biggest fan of Windows...

[decryption.livejournal.com]

Have you tried it on a different computer? Could be this specific computer chucking a fit...

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

The other two computers have my iPod installed on them. Would it confuse them if I plugged a different one in?

[decryption.livejournal.com]

Make sure you go into iTunes, go to the options and set the iPod settings to Manually update instead of automatically. That way it won't automatically transfer all the music across and stuff like that.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I always have it set on manual update, thankfully. I might give that a shot and see how it goes.

[lisabel.livejournal.com]

1. I believe it's because Yahoo, like much of the internet, has been commandeered by brainless prepubescent idiots who rather like the useless features and extra programs now offered by Yahoo. It's because it makes them feel OMGSPESHUL!!!1!!!

2. I had this happen with my HP printer actually...after installing the software and printing a test page it worked and then the next time I started up Windows it refused to work. I basically just forced Windows to recognize the peripheral by slapping it around a bit. No seriously, I reinstalled the software and manually selecting that printer. It seemed to have worked as it's not giving me any more problems. I'm not sure if that'll work with an iPod though.

3. Sacrificing functionability for aesthetics probably. Because that juice bottle is probably OMGSPESHUL!

Alright, that was probably terribly unhelpful. *shuffles away*

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Hehe! Every time I open the fridge and see the juice bottle, I'll be imagining that it's saying: "I'm OMGSPESHUL!" It really is a daft thing.

It wasn't unhelpful at all! It made me laugh. :)

[gravityslave.livejournal.com]

Yahoo is an initiative on the part of aliens bent on world domination. Someone else has mentioned the world domination bit, but as they missed the aliens I thought I'd better clarify.

As for the iPod, I am concerned: a friend of mine encoutered the same thing with his iPod and wound up with a free new one because it was a manufacturing defect of some sort. Let us know how it goes!

PS: I have these heating muscle-soothing strips that I bought for a friend as a joke gift, but the gifting never happened. I've lost the receipt, and you sleep on the floor, so I though you might want them. :-)

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope I can either get the iPod to work or that Bindi's friend still has the receipt from when she bought the iPod. She was so excited about receiving it and now she can't even use it! Weirdly enough, the iPod still functions but - alas! - it doesn't have any music on it at the moment. Ah well, at least she could spent a lot of quality time playing solitaire on it.

I'd love those soothing strips! My back was horrible yesterday and there's still no word on when we'll actually get our bed. Hopefully it won't be too much longer.

[gates-of-mol.livejournal.com]

Ah, Yahoo. It is a vile thing. I think I had a website at one point but then opted to scrap it. I can't for the life of me remember why but in reading your question, I think I have a hint. XD

As for the iPod, I've had similar issues with Windows regarding other products. And then there's the evil that is my Lexmark printer which occasionally decides it does not exist even when it's connected all pretty-like to my computer.

I think most containers are not processed properly. =3 That or I'm unable to drink out of most containers without some accident attempting to take place.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I used to have a GeoCities website and it was great. You could close the ad entirely and even though the code didn't validate, I knew it was good. Until I started using Firefox. When I saw my Yahoo website on Firefox I almost passed out - it looked awful! What was the point on writing validated coding when Yahoo's javascript ads completely stuff it up? It was very traumatic.

I think I suffer from the same thing when it comes to drinking from containers. I always end up looking silly.

[rigel-7.livejournal.com]

Yahoo are Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil (and the parental has signed up for web hosting with them - Gah!)

I find that if you reset the ipod, it usually fixes most problems.

1. switch the hold button on and then off
2. Press Menu and the middle select button at the same time for 6 seconds.
The little apple logo should appear and then it rrestarts itself.

It could also be that you have a faulty cable. But the service people are nice! I just had my nano replaced (hooray!) and it was my fault it broke :P (just don't tell them that)

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I'll try that too, thank-you muchly, good Rigel. I don't think it's the cable, unless it suddenly had a breakdown while it was still connecting the iPod to the computer. That's the bit I can't understand: one minute, it was working fine - the next, it was refusing to communicate!

Hopefully, we'll be able to fix it without having to get it replaced.

[cat-eyes-el.livejournal.com]

iTunes is the bane of the devil, so if you're using hat I pity you :P

Also I've never really used Yahoo... Although the games did used to crash my computr and my friend always wanted me to go in there.

Whih brand of juice?

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I'm quite fond of iTunes, to be honest. It works fine for me. :)

The brand is "Squeeze" juice. It's about eighty percent sugar, with a few spoonfuls of orange pulp thrown in for good measure.

[naelany.livejournal.com]

Not sure there are answers for any of those. At least none I can give you lol

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, there just aren't any answers - we just have to accept that a lot of things are really, really stupid. :)

[naelany.livejournal.com]

indeed