What's bugging you? (2017-2018)

[jerichoholicninja]

I hate work emails that end with regards or best regards. I don't know why this is bugging me but it is.

 

"Best regards" is like nails on a chalkboard.

[jerichoholicninja]

The Berman thread in the MLB forum and rants about ESPN got me lamenting about TV in general and missing the days of watching TV in real time. NBC had must see TV on Thursday nights. Most people I worked with watched it every week and we would talk about it the next day. Seinfeld was huge water cooler conversation. I still remember overhearing people talk about "The Contest" episode the next day on the elevator and cafeteria. You really don't get that now except for maybe some reality type shows (DWTS, The Bachelor, etc. and I don't think it's the same...not as broad of an audience). Now everyone just catches up on series they miss by watching it on Netflix or they DVR shows and watch when convenient. Most conversations go "What season are you on? Did you get to the part where...? Ok, I won't tell you what happens but...")

 

Yes....I'm old.

 

Or when you're talking about a popular show and someone goes "I'm watching (insert totally obscure show that is only known by the actors and their parents) on Netflix. It's so much better than anything on TV." Yes, most mainstream things are watered down for the masses but your underground, hipster, indie show is probably just as crappy and you only like it because it's not popular.

[TURBO]

The Berman thread in the MLB forum and rants about ESPN got me lamenting about TV in general and missing the days of watching TV in real time. NBC had must see TV on Thursday nights. Most people I worked with watched it every week and we would talk about it the next day. Seinfeld was huge water cooler conversation. I still remember overhearing people talk about "The Contest" episode the next day on the elevator and cafeteria. You really don't get that now except for maybe some reality type shows (DWTS, The Bachelor, etc. and I don't think it's the same...not as broad of an audience). Now everyone just catches up on series they miss by watching it on Netflix or they DVR shows and watch when convenient. Most conversations go "What season are you on? Did you get to the part where...? Ok, I won't tell you what happens but...")

 

Yes....I'm old.

 

Or when you're talking about a popular show and someone goes "I'm watching (insert totally obscure show that is only known by the actors and their parents) on Netflix. It's so much better than anything on TV." Yes, most mainstream things are watered down for the masses but your underground, hipster, indie show is probably just as crappy and you only like it because it's not popular.

 

lol I can just substitute music for TV in your post and get the exact same thing I think about the hipster music that so many people like to say they listen to...

[nate82]

I hate work emails that end with regards or best regards. I don't know why this is bugging me but it is.

 

We are instructed at work to have our signature close with "Kind regards" as a norm. Drives me nuts. I think it comes more from non-native English speaking culture (we are a German company).

 

Also, another non-native English speaking phrase that bugs me is "do the needful" (i.e. please perform the action I need you to do).

 

That would drive me nuts. Someone created an email template at work today with the kind regards before the signature line. That was changed immediately so not using that part of the template.

[danzig6767]

The Berman thread in the MLB forum and rants about ESPN got me lamenting about TV in general and missing the days of watching TV in real time. NBC had must see TV on Thursday nights. Most people I worked with watched it every week and we would talk about it the next day. Seinfeld was huge water cooler conversation. I still remember overhearing people talk about "The Contest" episode the next day on the elevator and cafeteria. You really don't get that now except for maybe some reality type shows (DWTS, The Bachelor, etc. and I don't think it's the same...not as broad of an audience). Now everyone just catches up on series they miss by watching it on Netflix or they DVR shows and watch when convenient. Most conversations go "What season are you on? Did you get to the part where...? Ok, I won't tell you what happens but...")

 

Yes....I'm old.

Or when you're talking about a popular show and someone goes "I'm watching (insert totally obscure show that is only known by the actors and their parents) on Netflix. It's so much better than anything on TV." Yes, most mainstream things are watered down for the masses but your underground, hipster, indie show is probably just as crappy and you only like it because it's not popular.

Don't buy this at all. I'm in my 40's so i'm old enough to remember TV when there were only 4-5 channels and network TV ruled the day.

 

All i can say is thank god those days are over because most of the shows on network TV simply aren't as good as ones on cable or sites like Netflix/Amazon Prime. Has nothing to do with so called underground or hipster attitudes. It's just a reality. Pretty much anyone i know among my friends/family/coworkers roughly in my age group who do watch cable, HBO, Netflix, etc, nearly all of them also much prefer shows via those platforms over what's on network TV besides maybe some exceptions.

 

For example, i just finished watching Narcos on Netflix and Westworld last month on HBO. Both were fabulously made, but just couldn't have been done on network TV. Neither could Breaking Bad, which IMO was right near the best drama series ever made.

[danzig6767]

 

lol I can just substitute music for TV in your post and get the exact same thing I think about the hipster music that so many people like to say they listen to...

That term hipster for music today gets thrown around to loosely.

 

Music today just gets delivered so much differently than the past. When i was in my early teens and really started getting into music, for myself and friends, new music out came via a few radio stations and then we'd buy the album/cassette and later CD's. I still remember being 12 and getting my first album, Dio's Holy Diver. We'd request songs on the radio.

 

Now everything is so different. My kid is in her early 20's and she like most her age get much of their new music via a variety of different ways online. They rarely buy CD's. New music is spread word of mouth online. Younger people today also tend to have more diverse tastes than in the past.

 

That's where i also find so much of the new music i like. It's incredible. Instead of being force fed what only a few stations play, there are so many different avenues outside of radio to experience any genre of music. It's dramatically expanded my musical horizons, while i also still can enjoy music from my youth. Many musicians don't make as much money though because young folks don't buy records or CD's.

[tmwiese55]

I get your point on TV. But that still happens with the really big shows once they've been out long enough for everyone to catch up, like a GoT or Breaking Bad or Walking Dead. Everyone might not be there at the beginning but as they accumulate fans over the seasons the episodes become huge talking and internet topics the next day. So if you like that just be sure to get involved in those shows while they're still going on live. When people ask me what shows to watch next I often prioritize the ones that are still going so they can get caught up and watch live with the rest of the world.

 

Good point! I do remember some chatter after the last episode of Breaking Bad. I guess I just miss the weekly anticipation and discussion about every episode the next day..."Hey, did you catch 'Friends' last night?...."

 

Lol FVBrewerFan!

 

Right now I'd probably say the only ones getting that treatment is GoT and Walking Dead. So yes much less than before, and not at all for the weekly sitcoms other than among your own group of friends that watch the same things.

[FVBrewerFan]

On a related note, got sucked into Designated Survivor. My wife said first episode or two were OK, so watched whole season. Yea, it was not "ok"

[jerichoholicninja]

The Berman thread in the MLB forum and rants about ESPN got me lamenting about TV in general and missing the days of watching TV in real time. NBC had must see TV on Thursday nights. Most people I worked with watched it every week and we would talk about it the next day. Seinfeld was huge water cooler conversation. I still remember overhearing people talk about "The Contest" episode the next day on the elevator and cafeteria. You really don't get that now except for maybe some reality type shows (DWTS, The Bachelor, etc. and I don't think it's the same...not as broad of an audience). Now everyone just catches up on series they miss by watching it on Netflix or they DVR shows and watch when convenient. Most conversations go "What season are you on? Did you get to the part where...? Ok, I won't tell you what happens but...")

 

Yes....I'm old.

Or when you're talking about a popular show and someone goes "I'm watching (insert totally obscure show that is only known by the actors and their parents) on Netflix. It's so much better than anything on TV." Yes, most mainstream things are watered down for the masses but your underground, hipster, indie show is probably just as crappy and you only like it because it's not popular.

Don't buy this at all. I'm in my 40's so i'm old enough to remember TV when there were only 4-5 channels and network TV ruled the day.

 

All i can say is thank god those days are over because most of the shows on network TV simply aren't as good as ones on cable or sites like Netflix/Amazon Prime. Has nothing to do with so called underground or hipster attitudes. It's just a reality. Pretty much anyone i know among my friends/family/coworkers roughly in my age group who do watch cable, HBO, Netflix, etc, nearly all of them also much prefer shows via those platforms over what's on network TV besides maybe some exceptions.

 

For example, i just finished watching Narcos on Netflix and Westworld last month on HBO. Both were fabulously made, but just couldn't have been done on network TV. Neither could Breaking Bad, which IMO was right near the best drama series ever made.

 

I watch and enjoy a lot of non-network stuff but I have one friend who always brings up the most obscure, you'll never hear about it anywhere else stuff and then proceed to tell you how much better it is and put down what you like. A couple months ago we were talking about this season of South Park and he was confused as to why Garrison was running for president. Someone said to him "you haven't seen any of this season yet?" and he responds with "I haven't watched it in years. Didn't know it was still even on." in the most arrogant, smug way imaginable.

[RobDeer 45]

Those people are attention junkies and story toppers. They love knowing about random stuff so they can be the "expert" on something. I tend to think they are doing that to cover up for something else that is lacking in their life. I try not to engage with those people or give them the responses they want to hear. Usually keeps them from talking so much.

[hawing]

I hate work emails that end with regards or best regards. I don't know why this is bugging me but it is.

My peeve is any kind of email that ends with "Best," (sender's name).

[LouisEly]

I watch and enjoy a lot of non-network stuff but I have one friend who always brings up the most obscure, you'll never hear about it anywhere else stuff and then proceed to tell you how much better it is and put down what you like.

I'm going to take a wild stab and guess that this friend also drinks nothing but obscure IPAs and trashes anyone who drinks a light beer.

[nate82]

 

lol I can just substitute music for TV in your post and get the exact same thing I think about the hipster music that so many people like to say they listen to...

 

I guess I fall under this "hipster" music loving as I like a lot of bands that hardly anyone has heard of. One of my favorite band that probably no one has ever heard of is BackWordz. I also like these weird bluegrass bands like The Steeldrivers.

 

BackWordz

The Steeldrivers

[jerichoholicninja]

I watch and enjoy a lot of non-network stuff but I have one friend who always brings up the most obscure, you'll never hear about it anywhere else stuff and then proceed to tell you how much better it is and put down what you like.

I'm going to take a wild stab and guess that this friend also drinks nothing but obscure IPAs and trashes anyone who drinks a light beer.

 

Not this particular friend but I have another that's a similar TV snob and fits your description.

[FVBrewerFan]

I watch and enjoy a lot of non-network stuff but I have one friend who always brings up the most obscure, you'll never hear about it anywhere else stuff and then proceed to tell you how much better it is and put down what you like.

I'm going to take a wild stab and guess that this friend also drinks nothing but obscure IPAs and trashes anyone who drinks a light beer.

 

I fit that description. TV snob, hate light beer, only good beer. Not an iPad fan though.

[1992casey]

I also like these weird bluegrass bands like The Steeldrivers.

 

I have two Steeldrivers albums in my iTunes library. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm listening to their eponymous album as I type this.

 

Anyway, I think danzig6767 has hit the nail on the head when he says that "hipster" is "thrown around to loosely." It's like "rock." You hear one of those terms, and you still have no idea what the music is about.

 

I recall the days when we could call radio stations with requests. We always figured that if a station would play Snopek, it was cool. Smaller stations in Milwaukee and Madison would do that, along with a reservation station in northwestern Wisconsin.

 

I stopped listening to commercial radio a long, long time ago. The big fat flaw is that artists have to fit their music to a formula to get played. It was a major bummer when Madison's WIBA suddenly changed from a free-flowing format to a commercially dictated format circa 1980. (Before that, they'd fulfill requests for Snopek. )

 

If there's good commercial music that I end up liking, I've likely found out about it through one of the ways that danzig6767 mentioned… just like I would have found out about music that hasn't been acknowledged commercially. Satellite and the Internet have helped considerably. iTunes has been huge. There are streaming services like Pandora and Spotify. And of course, word of mouth has always been around.

 

But the fact that listeners are looking for something other than what's considered "popular" doesn't make them "hipsters." People are simply looking for good blues, jazz, punk, classical, folk, country, rock and roll, bluegrass, or whatever.

[jerichoholicninja]

I use hipster when I'm speaking of someone who likes things that aren't mainstream or popular and who also puts down other people for liking things that are. To me, hipster is someone or something that thinks and acts like it's better than others just because it's not in the popular culture. I know that's not technically the correct use of the word but that's how I use it. My musical tastes, especially, are way out there but I would never talk down to someone who likes popular music because that type of thing is totally subjective.

[pacopete4]

The petition going around social media to ban Aikman and Buck from every calling a Packers game. It's just so Packer fan (and I am one).

[Patrick425]

 

lol I can just substitute music for TV in your post and get the exact same thing I think about the hipster music that so many people like to say they listen to...

That term hipster for music today gets thrown around to loosely.

 

Music today just gets delivered so much differently than the past. When i was in my early teens and really started getting into music, for myself and friends, new music out came via a few radio stations and then we'd buy the album/cassette and later CD's. I still remember being 12 and getting my first album, Dio's Holy Diver. We'd request songs on the radio.

 

Now everything is so different. My kid is in her early 20's and she like most her age get much of their new music via a variety of different ways online. They rarely buy CD's. New music is spread word of mouth online. Younger people today also tend to have more diverse tastes than in the past.

 

That's where i also find so much of the new music i like. It's incredible. Instead of being force fed what only a few stations play, there are so many different avenues outside of radio to experience any genre of music. It's dramatically expanded my musical horizons, while i also still can enjoy music from my youth. Many musicians don't make as much money though because young folks don't buy records or CD's.

 

This is a great subject and I'm always interested in discussion about the differences in music now vs when I was a kid. Not necessarily the kind of music, but how today's generation enjoys music vs how people my age did when we were younger. So, sorry for the long post.

 

I get your point, and yes, it's much easier to have a diversified library of music now. It's also unbelievable that you can listen to your music "collection" pretty much anywhere you happen to be. If you had told me 30 years ago about how music would be purchased and played in the future, I would have been very excited about that. I also agree that younger people tend to listen to a much wider "array" of music. My 18 year old son listens to a lot of music from my generation. I did not listen to a lot of music that my parents liked (big band, Ray Coniff singers, etc - although now that I'm older, I can appreciate some of the big band stuff). The gap in musical interests between generations when I was a kid was much greater than it is now. I think my parents stopped accepting any new music beyond 1950. So, music took on a bit more of a rebellious nature to me. While I don't completely recognize all of the new artists and music that is available today, I'm a lot more open to seeking out new music (mostly through the Spectrum on XM radio) than my parents were at my age (50).

 

Having said that, my son and his friends were not nearly in to music going through middle school and high school as my friends and I were at their age. While the music may have been a bit "force fed" to us, there was always a lot of anticipation of new album releases. Buying an album and listening to it for the first time all the way through was great experience that today's generation does not experience. There were times when I would sit in my room and just basically listen to music and really get into it and think about the lyrics. When MTV first came out, I would watch music videos for hours. Music seemed like more of a soundtrack to our lives when I was a teenager. I had attended at several concerts while I was in high school (REO Speedwagon, Yes, The Kinks, The Police, Van Halen). My son is in his first year of college and went to his first concert just this last October. When he visited his girlfriend at U of Minnesota, she dragged him to a Ke$ha concert. Not one of his favorites...and it sounded like he did not really enjoy it that much. To give you an idea of the diversity of what younger people like, my son wanted to go with my wife and I to see Steely Dan this last summer, but was out of town the night of the concert. He and his friends are talking about going to see The Red Hot Chili Peppers this summer at Summerfest (although sounds like the show is sold out). When I was his age, I would have never wanted to go to a concert involving music that my parents enjoyed.

[CheezWizHed]

The petition going around social media to ban Aikman and Buck from every calling a Packers game. It's just so Packer fan (and I am one).

 

FYI, that started years ago.

 

Aikman has gotten better, but early in his broadcast career he had an obvious anti-Packer bias (when Favre was still playing for the Packers). They don't bother me now, but I don't get how they are the lead Fox broadcast team. They miss so many plays live until the replay happens (oh, now I see the hold/facemask/false start...). They must not actually watch the plays as they call them.

 

They are better than the later years of John Madden and Pat Summerall. Or anytime Jerry Glanville was in the booth.

[jerichoholicninja]

The petition going around social media to ban Aikman and Buck from every calling a Packers game. It's just so Packer fan (and I am one).

 

FYI, that started years ago.

 

Aikman has gotten better, but early in his broadcast career he had an obvious anti-Packer bias (when Favre was still playing for the Packers). They don't bother me now, but I don't get how they are the lead Fox broadcast team. They miss so many plays live until the replay happens (oh, now I see the hold/facemask/false start...). They must not actually watch the plays as they call them.

 

They are better than the later years of John Madden and Pat Summerall. Or anytime Jerry Glanville was in the booth.

 

I really don't understand the anti-Packers bias that I hear so many people talk about. Buck is just terrible at calling a game no matter who's playing or what the sport is. He's hated by both baseball and footballs fans so it's not just a Packers fans thing.

[DuWayne Steurer]

This petition is sad and embarrassing. People need to seriously stop with this sort of thing.

[FVBrewerFan]

Let me know where I can find a petition banning Phil Simms from all NFL games.

[DHonks]

I've always wanted to develop a special mute button that only mutes Phil Simms, Joe Buck, Chris Collinsworth, and Bill Walton. It'd be a huge upgrade feature I'd pay for to allow for crowd noise and their broadcast partners. I'd love broadcasts to utilize dual audio feeds for the home and away teams instead of national crews

[danzig6767]

Having said that, my son and his friends were not nearly in to music going through middle school and high school as my friends and I were at their age. While the music may have been a bit "force fed" to us, there was always a lot of anticipation of new album releases. Buying an album and listening to it for the first time all the way through was great experience that today's generation does not experience. There were times when I would sit in my room and just basically listen to music and really get into it and think about the lyrics. When MTV first came out, I would watch music videos for hours. Music seemed like more of a soundtrack to our lives when I was a teenager. I had attended at several concerts while I was in high school (REO Speedwagon, Yes, The Kinks, The Police, Van Halen). My son is in his first year of college and went to his first concert just this last October. When he visited his girlfriend at U of Minnesota, she dragged him to a Ke$ha concert. Not one of his favorites...and it sounded like he did not really enjoy it that much. To give you an idea of the diversity of what younger people like, my son wanted to go with my wife and I to see Steely Dan this last summer, but was out of town the night of the concert. He and his friends are talking about going to see The Red Hot Chili Peppers this summer at Summerfest (although sounds like the show is sold out). When I was his age, I would have never wanted to go to a concert involving music that my parents enjoyed.

When it comes to concerts today compared to the past, there is a sizable difference which i've noticed.

 

When i was younger, there were a collection of say roughly 20-30 big rock groups who sold a ton of albums/CD's and their fans would go see them in large arena shows, at stadiums, or large outdoor venues like Alpine Valley.

 

Now for many young people, they listen to an array of different artists, but don't buy CD's, meaning these bands don't get huge like in the past. So they can't put on shows in large venues. My kid is in her early 20's and sees lots of bands live, but most aren't super well known so they play in small venues. For example, a few months ago we went together with a few other people to see this band we both liked called Kaleo play at Turner Hall downtown. It holds maybe 500-600 people. I've seen two other bands play there. Been to quite a few shows at the Pabst Theater. She goes often to The Rave/Eagles Club to see bands, but rarely to ones in large venues.

 

Sure there are still some current pop/rock/rap groups who can and do play bigger venues. Look though when say Summerfest rolls around, many of the bigger stages are full of bands from the 70's/80's/90's where the fans of those bands are vast and went to big concerts. For so many current bands today, they tend to have smaller, but loyal followings because their fans may also have 150 or more groups/solo artists in playlists and often only a few songs by each.

 

Even for me, i now listen to a much more diverse amount of music than in my younger days, but a lot of the new music i find and like is say only 2-3-4 songs by this or that new artist i come across vs buying and listening to full albums/CD's in the past. Someone will send me a link to try this new group or song and i'll like it, but i only add a song or two from them to my listening list.