VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:

[desocietas]

After reading a recent blog from the admin of the video game collecting site "Darkadia" where they state the existence of the website may be in jeopardy due to their search results screwing up because they rely on another website for the searches, I suddenly appreciate user created databases more.

I gave up on that site a long time ago. It was very pretty, loved the shelf-view. And I loved being able to sort my collection in various ways. But the site was way too buggy, no matter what browser I used. Not only did searches often screw-up, but if you have a large collection (which someone that uses a site like this likely would), it slows down and you have to wait for titles to load on your screen, among other bugs. It just all got too annoying to use.

It got a lot of press a few years back, I remember that. I didn't realize that it was based off of Giant Bomb's database which would bother me. What I do love about this site is the ability to have variants listed.

[Warmsignal]

I really don't understand how the USPS operates. There's got to be something I'm missing. Why does a package travel about 50 miles towards your town, and then backtrack about 100 miles in the opposite direction passed where it started out... I shouldn't watch tracking, it just drives me crazy.

[gf78]

I really don't understand how the USPS operates. There's got to be something I'm missing. Why does a package travel about 50 miles towards your town, and then backtrack about 100 miles in the opposite direction passed where it started out... I shouldn't watch tracking, it just drives me crazy.

One only needs to look at how USPS transports items to understand why they are flat-ass broke.  Here we go, real world example.  I mailed a certified letter in Bonne Terre, MO, addressed to a house in Bonne Terre, MO.  Same zip code...about ten miles away from the post office.  It travels approximately 80 miles to the St. Louis, MO sorting center. That's approximately 70 miles past it's destination.  It then travels south to the Cape Girardeau, MO sorting center.  This is approximately 160 miles from the St. Louis, MO sorting center.  It is then sent back this way to the Park Hills, MO sorting center which is about five miles south of the Bonne Terre, MO post office where this all began.  From there?  It gets lost.  In fact, three fucking certified letters were all lost with the last known location in Park Hills, MO.  All addressed to Bonne Terre, MO with a mailing address approximately 10 miles from the originating location!

And as annoying as that is, every package or letter mailed here, regardless if the delivery address is next door to the post office....it has to go to St. Louis, then Cape Girardeau, then Park Hills....to be delivered a literal stone's throw away next door. 

This redundant bullshit is why the postal service is so screwed up and broke.  They want to save money?  Don't send a fucking letter on a thousand-mile round trip only to come back damn near where it was mailed for delivery!  They would even score bonus points if it wasn't all beat to shit, completely destroyed or y'know...didn't magically disappear in a puff of fucking smoke!   

[ignition365]

I really don't understand how the USPS operates. There's got to be something I'm missing. Why does a package travel about 50 miles towards your town, and then backtrack about 100 miles in the opposite direction passed where it started out... I shouldn't watch tracking, it just drives me crazy.

One only needs to look at how USPS transports items to understand why they are flat-ass broke.  Here we go, real world example.  I mailed a certified letter in Bonne Terre, MO, addressed to a house in Bonne Terre, MO.  Same zip code...about ten miles away from the post office.  It travels approximately 80 miles to the St. Louis, MO sorting center. That's approximately 70 miles past it's destination.  It then travels south to the Cape Girardeau, MO sorting center.  This is approximately 160 miles from the St. Louis, MO sorting center.  It is then sent back this way to the Park Hills, MO sorting center which is about five miles south of the Bonne Terre, MO post office where this all began.  From there?  It gets lost.  In fact, three fucking certified letters were all lost with the last known location in Park Hills, MO.  All addressed to Bonne Terre, MO with a mailing address approximately 10 miles from the originating location!

And as annoying as that is, every package or letter mailed here, regardless if the delivery address is next door to the post office....it has to go to St. Louis, then Cape Girardeau, then Park Hills....to be delivered a literal stone's throw away next door. 

This redundant bullshit is why the postal service is so screwed up and broke.  They want to save money?  Don't send a fucking letter on a thousand-mile round trip only to come back damn near where it was mailed for delivery!  They would even score bonus points if it wasn't all beat to shit, completely destroyed or y'know...didn't magically disappear in a puff of fucking smoke!   

That's something that has always baffled me, you provide a service, but you take 0 liability if you fail in providing your service.  In order for you to take liability, I have to pay you extra money, and even then, you will fight tooth and nail to deny the liability that you agreed to accept.

[kashell]

Not only that, but the people that work for USPS are usually just so miserable with their existence that they make going there a nightmare.

[gf78]

Not only that, but the people that work for USPS are usually just so miserable with their existence that they make going there a nightmare.

My "normal" USPS delivery lady is very kind, careful and efficient.  She delivers thousands of packages to us a year.  I gave her a card and Applebee's gift card last year to say thank you for being great.

The "relief" driver when she isn't working?  Not so much.  She has left oversized packages tied in a Walmart sack on the front of the mailbox on a 55mph road, pre-filled out "sorry we missed you" cards and just chucked them in the mailbox without ever pulling down the driveway like she is supposed to and just generally delivered our neighbors mail to us.  Because hey, I guess stopping at that next mailbox just seems like too much to bear.   

I've already told the story on here how I ordered over 40 issues of Star Wars Insider and how USPS trashed the package, threw a dozen or so of the remaining issues I assume weren't totally demolished in another box and tried to pass it off like nothing ever happened. 

Then we have the "USPS Mail Innovations" nonsense where part of the journey is completed by DHL, UPS or FedEx, then "taken over" by USPS near the end.  And gee....for some reason it takes longer for the package to make it to me from St. Louis to the local Ste. Genevieve post office (60 miles) than it did for UPS's (or whoever's) part half-way across the country.   

I really won't feel any remorse when the postal system just goes kaput.

[gf78]

That's something that has always baffled me, you provide a service, but you take 0 liability if you fail in providing your service.  In order for you to take liability, I have to pay you extra money, and even then, you will fight tooth and nail to deny the liability that you agreed to accept.

Yeah, tell me about it.  The certified letters that "conveniently" disappeared took me weeks to get refunds on.  Because even though you and I and the guy working the counter at the post office knows there is no way in hell it takes a letter two weeks to make that trip....you have to wait it out.  Just in case I guess. 

[tafk]

Talking about all of these databases makes me feel like there should be a website that is solely dedicated to having a database of all information on games. Maybe spin it into mobygames somehow? It just makes me cringe as someone who works on/in databases all day how many different people are basically trying to track the same thing.

[rayne315]

has anyone else noticed large groups of the same game magically showing up to a game store all at once?

the specific game im talking about is starsky and hutch on the ps2. I never seen the game ever in my life till about a month ago when the game store I go to had 10+ of them all sitting on a shelf within a week of my last visit.

[ignition365]

has anyone else noticed large groups of the same game magically showing up to a game store all at once?

the specific game im talking about is starsky and hutch on the ps2. I never seen the game ever in my life till about a month ago when the game store I go to had 10+ of them all sitting on a shelf within a week of my last visit.

I see this game too damned often.  For all platforms.

[rayne315]

has anyone else noticed large groups of the same game magically showing up to a game store all at once?

the specific game im talking about is starsky and hutch on the ps2. I never seen the game ever in my life till about a month ago when the game store I go to had 10+ of them all sitting on a shelf within a week of my last visit.

I see this game too damned often.  For all platforms.

Im just confused on how It went from me never seeing it ever to so many damn copies in a week... its not like it was a new store to me or anything. I go their every week..

[desocietas]

Talking about all of these databases makes me feel like there should be a website that is solely dedicated to having a database of all information on games. Maybe spin it into mobygames somehow? It just makes me cringe as someone who works on/in databases all day how many different people are basically trying to track the same thing.

I totally know what you mean. That's all I can think of when I look at Backloggery... all those people using the site and *all* of them typing in the same video game names by hand.

[turf]

has anyone else noticed large groups of the same game magically showing up to a game store all at once?

the specific game im talking about is starsky and hutch on the ps2. I never seen the game ever in my life till about a month ago when the game store I go to had 10+ of them all sitting on a shelf within a week of my last visit.

I see this game too damned often.  For all platforms.

Im just confused on how It went from me never seeing it ever to so many damn copies in a week... its not like it was a new store to me or anything. I go their every week..

It happens, man. 

It's crazy what you see from region to region too.  It may be something scarce in your area; but down the road a bit, there's a pile of them.  A good example of this is Crash 'n' The Boys for the NES.  I looked for it for years.  Then, I go looking south of here; and they have 4 or five copies.  It's weird.

[ignition365]

Talking about all of these databases makes me feel like there should be a website that is solely dedicated to having a database of all information on games. Maybe spin it into mobygames somehow? It just makes me cringe as someone who works on/in databases all day how many different people are basically trying to track the same thing.

I totally know what you mean. That's all I can think of when I look at Backloggery... all those people using the site and *all* of them typing in the same video game names by hand.

Ugh, so badly do I wish this site tracked completion.  I hate having to type titles by hand.  I only have maybe 1/4th of my collection on there.

[karyann]

FINALLY.

I just got the Sword Art Online: Lost Song platinum trophy!

Now I'll put the game back in its box and not touch it again. (Partly because I have other games to play, partly because it's not bad but not outstanding at all either.)