What annoys you? (1 Viewer)

[Clinton McClure]

I also do not envy the mods, however, subjects forbidden on HTF can easily be avoided. If a person can't afford high dollar gear (a lot of people can't), they don't have to post political reasons why. Saying something like, "I'm just getting started in HT and I can't afford the latest and greatest 4K tv" is fine. The mods just don't want that expanded to be, "I'm just getting started in HT and I can't afford the latest and greatest 4K tv because politician X is a butt and is ruining the economy". I've played by these rules for 18 years and have no trouble with anyone here.

 

[DaveF]

I keep thinking about the charts showing steady gains in productivity but flat wages since the 1970s. Now I feel anxious about bringing it up at all because just mentioning it instigates political debate. I see flames licking up the sides of my monitor.

Bluntly, there is no reason to bring up hot-topic matters of wage statistics and its implicit political push-buttons on HTF. HTF intentionally does not engage in those topics, knowing that people have many other venues to discuss all those topics: Twitter, Facebook, Newspaper comment sections, numerous political and social and religious blogs and forums, etc. etc.

There is also no reason to bring the ups and downs of other forums to HTF. It's not a productive topic on HTF. And I believe that the other forums have the same basic attitude (or hope they do).


There's two facets to "home-theater": hardware and content. People can be an enthusiast for either or both. Folks are welcome to ignore the hardware side of the forum and nerd-out talking about the content. And content has never been more available or more affordable!

The Moderators appreciate the support. We're volunteers doing this because we're long-time members and want to support the forum. But we'd prefer to not be needed and off enjoying home theater stuff instead of "moderating".

 

[Edwin-S]

On this forum? I don't really think so. If it so much as smells like politics or religion, it gets shut down almost immediately. Being a member here, a person learns pretty quick to abide by the rules. There is no grey area here when it comes to politics, religion or personal attacks.

From time to time, I have thought that the moderation here has been a little too heavy-handed. On the other hand, I have to say that the moderation policy here obviously works as the level of discourse and civility here is on a plane that is rare when compared to the general tenor of Internet conversations overall.

In general, this site has been a good place to hangout and discuss a common interest in the 16,5 years that I have frequented it, even if I have had a few run-ins with the mods over the years. I have managed to not get booted off this site which, sometimes, surprises me as I have had a low survivability rate on a couple of other sites. Must be that real name policy.

Funny, most of those sites involved politics and pseudonyms.

Well, except for a certain animation site, but the owner of that site is a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do type. At least, the owners and mods here abide by their own rules.

 

[ChristopherG]

The kitchen sink in my house seems to always be full of dirty dishes. As the primary dinner preparer I find this super annoying especially when there are 3 other supposedly functioning adults in the house...

 

[Tony Bensley]

It's been mostly fairly quiet over the past few days.

In any case, moving forward, I'll be sure to stay away from name calling in regards to our next door neighbors (And anyone else, of course!), and simply stick with the facts as they apply to any future unfortunate goings on. It's just as well, since I'm going to simply have to find a way to tolerate their negative tendencies, as it appears that we may be sticking around for awhile, after all. I'm not real happy with that development either, but then, everybody has to deal with disappointment in some form. That said, I don't mind saying that this one really hurts.

CHEERS!

 

[Clinton McClure]

The kitchen sink in my house seems to always be full of dirty dishes. As the primary dinner preparer I find this super annoying especially when there are 3 other supposedly functioning adults in the house...

Does my wife live there? She can fill a sink with dirty dishes like nobody's business.

 

[David Norman]

The kitchen sink in my house seems to always be full of dirty dishes. As the primary dinner preparer I find this super annoying especially when there are 3 other supposedly functioning adults in the house...

I see a solution there. Dishes in the sink means Cook's on Strike. Preparing meals for one seems to in order for a while.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I have something that really annoys me.

I'd love it if someone could give me some guidance...if there IS anything that can be done. And I know others have had to deal with this.

It's pretty simple. My wife and I enjoy having a bird feeder outside our kitchen window. I keep it filled with sunflower seeds. It attracts ALL KINDS of birds--cardinals, grosbeaks, finches, sparrows, blue jays, mourning doves, even the occasional woodpecker. And, of course, we have the occasional squirrel.

But the squirrels are not my problem.

The problem is the neighbor's cat. As you might suspect, the cat lies in wait and attacks and kills the birds at my feeder.

Sometimes he takes the bird away...just leaving behind some feathers. Sometimes it leaves the entire carcass behind...making me believe it doesn't really eat them for food. This makes me exceptionally angry.

I have two dogs...but they don't run free (like the cat). So they can't be of help.

So. I'm angry.

I feel guilty. There are times when I think it is unfair of me to attract the birds to an unsafe place...and I should take down the feeder.

I feel like the system is unfair. My dogs aren't allowed to run free and wreak havoc in the neighborhood. Yet this cat, with impunity, is turning me into an accomplice in the needless destruction--because it doesn't have to follow the same kind of rules.

I am annoyed.

 

[Tony Bensley]

I have something that really annoys me.

I'd love it if someone could give me some guidance...if there IS anything that can be done. And I know others have had to deal with this.

It's pretty simple. My wife and I enjoy having a bird feeder outside our kitchen window. I keep it filled with sunflower seeds. It attracts ALL KINDS of birds--cardinals, grosbeaks, finches, sparrows, blue jays, mourning doves, even the occasional woodpecker. And, of course, we have the occasional squirrel.

But the squirrels are not my problem.

The problem is the neighbor's cat. As you might suspect, the cat lies in wait and attacks and kills the birds at my feeder.

Sometimes he takes the bird away...just leaving behind some feathers. Sometimes it leaves the entire carcass behind...making me believe it doesn't really eat them for food. This makes me exceptionally angry.

I have two dogs...but they don't run free (like the cat). So they can't be of help.

So. I'm angry.

I feel guilty. There are times when I think it is unfair of me to attract the birds to an unsafe place...and I should take down the feeder.

I feel like the system is unfair. My dogs aren't allowed to run free and wreak havoc in the neighborhood. Yet this cat, with impunity, is turning me into an accomplice in the needless destruction--because it doesn't have to follow the same kind of rules.

I am annoyed.

Hi Mike!

Based on what you've posted above, outside of talking to your neighbor (I know the potential pitfalls of that, all too well!) regarding his/her cat, I unfortunately don't see any ready solution.

Personally, it really irritates me when people let their pets run around completely unsupervised. We've had our cat, Trixie for over 10 years, and the only time she's ever outside is when we have to take her to the vet. She's actually scared of going outdoors due to having been abandoned as a kitten, and I wouldn't feel good about letting her outside in our neighborhood, at any rate.

Anyway, I hope this issue that you've unfortunately have had to deal with is ultimately resolvable to your satisfaction, and the uncompromised safety of your feathered friends.

CHEERS!

 

[Stan]

I also do not envy the mods, however, subjects forbidden on HTF can easily be avoided. If a person can't afford high dollar gear (a lot of people can't), they don't have to post political reasons why. Saying something like, "I'm just getting started in HT and I can't afford the latest and greatest 4K tv" is fine. The mods just don't want that expanded to be, "I'm just getting started in HT and I can't afford the latest and greatest 4K tv because politician X is a butt and is ruining the economy". I've played by these rules for 18 years and have no trouble with anyone here.

Hope that wasn't directed towards me. Also have been here for 18+ years. I behave, only in trouble once a few years ago, but the person I had a problem with faded away.

The mods are wonderful. Probably a lot of stuff has been deleted and people banned from posting, makes this forum a nice place to enjoy, not filled with typical internet trolls.

Thank you to Mike and all the others who watch over this forum.

 

[Malcolm R]

I have something that really annoys me.

I'd love it if someone could give me some guidance...if there IS anything that can be done. And I know others have had to deal with this.

It's pretty simple. My wife and I enjoy having a bird feeder outside our kitchen window. I keep it filled with sunflower seeds. It attracts ALL KINDS of birds--cardinals, grosbeaks, finches, sparrows, blue jays, mourning doves, even the occasional woodpecker. And, of course, we have the occasional squirrel.

But the squirrels are not my problem.

The problem is the neighbor's cat. As you might suspect, the cat lies in wait and attacks and kills the birds at my feeder.

Sometimes he takes the bird away...just leaving behind some feathers. Sometimes it leaves the entire carcass behind...making me believe it doesn't really eat them for food. This makes me exceptionally angry.

I have two dogs...but they don't run free (like the cat). So they can't be of help.

So. I'm angry.

I feel guilty. There are times when I think it is unfair of me to attract the birds to an unsafe place...and I should take down the feeder.

I feel like the system is unfair. My dogs aren't allowed to run free and wreak havoc in the neighborhood. Yet this cat, with impunity, is turning me into an accomplice in the needless destruction--because it doesn't have to follow the same kind of rules.

I am annoyed.

Like Tony says, there's not likely to be any easy solution. Cats are not as likely to inflict serious bodily harm that is possible with some dogs, so they're not subject to the same regulation by local city/town authorities.

About all I can think of is put the bird feeder higher where the birds would be farther out of the cat's reach. Or take the feeder down for a while, possibly disrupting the cat's pattern, and try again after a few weeks. Hopefully the cat will have changed it's routine if the birds are no longer around and will go elsewhere.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Thanks, guys.

Putting the feeder higher wouldn't help as many (such as the larger mourning doves) gather on the ground underneath to go through the dropped seeds.

The cat lies in wait even when the feeder is empty...and even at night. I can't say that it's an especially smart cat! We can go away for weeks at a time and he still shows up. Maybe some birds still gather to go through the seeds which have dropped onto the ground. I dunno. I don't want to start thinking like a cat!

Tony: You've got your neighbors. And I've got mine!

 

[Malcolm R]

Can you spray the cat with a hose or water gun when you see him stalking your feeder? Unless it's one of the rare cats that enjoys water, that might discourage him.

I'm not really a fan of birds. My neighbor has a bunch of feeders out and I hate the noise and mess. But the only neighborhood cat that seems interested here wears a bell, so he's not very successful in his hunt.

 

[BobO'Link]

I have something that really annoys me.

I'd love it if someone could give me some guidance...if there IS anything that can be done. And I know others have had to deal with this.

It's pretty simple. My wife and I enjoy having a bird feeder outside our kitchen window. I keep it filled with sunflower seeds. It attracts ALL KINDS of birds--cardinals, grosbeaks, finches, sparrows, blue jays, mourning doves, even the occasional woodpecker. And, of course, we have the occasional squirrel.

But the squirrels are not my problem.

The problem is the neighbor's cat. As you might suspect, the cat lies in wait and attacks and kills the birds at my feeder.

Sometimes he takes the bird away...just leaving behind some feathers. Sometimes it leaves the entire carcass behind...making me believe it doesn't really eat them for food. This makes me exceptionally angry.

I have two dogs...but they don't run free (like the cat). So they can't be of help.

So. I'm angry.

I feel guilty. There are times when I think it is unfair of me to attract the birds to an unsafe place...and I should take down the feeder.

I feel like the system is unfair. My dogs aren't allowed to run free and wreak havoc in the neighborhood. Yet this cat, with impunity, is turning me into an accomplice in the needless destruction--because it doesn't have to follow the same kind of rules.

I am annoyed.

Try spreading some cayenne pepper or citrus peels around the area. You can grind the peels a bit (orange, lemon and/or grapefruit) to spread. Cats use their noses a lot and all of these irritate them, dogs too so be careful since you own some. They'll put their nose in, get a snootfull, and usually leave. We had issues with a neighborhood cat coming into our garage if we left the door up but lightly spreading the pepper in a ~1 foot swath on the concrete in front of the door took care of the problem. Of course you have to reapply periodically, but it might work and shouldn't bother the birds.

 

[Clinton McClure]

Hope that wasn't directed towards me. Also have been here for 18+ years. I behave, only in trouble once a few years ago, but the person I had a problem with faded away.

The mods are wonderful. Probably a lot of stuff has been deleted and people banned from posting, makes this forum a nice place to enjoy, not filled with typical internet trolls.

Thank you to Mike and all the others who watch over this forum.

Nope, Stan. It wasn't directed towards anyone.

 

[Stan]

It attracts ALL KINDS of birds--cardinals, grosbeaks, finches, sparrows, blue jays, mourning doves, even the occasional woodpecker. And, of course, we have the occasional squirrel.

So unfair. Live in eastern Washington and I get nothing except sparrows and squirrels, so boring.

The coolest thing happened a few years ago. I glanced out the window just as a hawk swooped in and caught one of the sparrows. Sat in my back yard, plucked every feather from it, then flew up to my garage roof and ate the bloody corpse. Finally a little variety to spice up the day rather than the endless crowd of sparrows.

 

[Tony Bensley]

Tony: You've got your neighbors. And I've got mine!

Mike: I'd be open to making a trade!

 

[David Norman]

Thanks, guys.

Putting the feeder higher wouldn't help as many (such as the larger mourning doves) gather on the ground underneath to go through the dropped seeds.

The cat lies in wait even when the feeder is empty...and even at night. I can't say that it's an especially smart cat! We can go away for weeks at a time and he still shows up. Maybe some birds still gather to go through the seeds which have dropped onto the ground. I dunno. I don't want to start thinking like a cat!

Tony: You've got your neighbors. And I've got mine!

There are various cat repellents that you can buy or make that seem to work pretty well -- eucalyptus, citronella, various commercial products made with cat predator smells that can be sprinkled or spread around. if the area around the base of the feeder is ground then you could spray or even bury some these around the area. I've heard some people plant mothballs at intervals and have some success.
Various concoctions that could be sprayed intermittent are probably available at Petco or maybe the local Vet might have some cheap suggestions.

A sprinkler with motion detector or a Ultrasonic motion detector might not be very pleasant -- not sure your dog (I'm pretty sure you have) would appreciate it.

 

[Stan]

A sprinkler with motion detector or a Ultrasonic motion detector might not be very pleasant -- not sure your dog (I'm pretty sure you have) would appreciate it.

My dog is a complete space cadet, loves water and sprinklers. She is so "not normal" I've given up. Absolutely wonderful but her brain is somewhere else.

 

[DaveF]

My ferocious feline lies in wait for those treacherous birds!