The Threadless Nut

I recently spotted this maintenance log attached to a large air handler in a lab:

• 3/10/06-Change filter & belts, grease bearings
• 8/17/06-Replace worn sheave
• 8/23/06-Install correct sheave & new motor

I guess someone made a bit of a mistake.

Ok, I understand that technology is helping us in all sorts of ways, but this is a case of engineers gone wild.

The Smart Pressure ™ tire gauge

Ok, this is a tire gauge, a digital tire gauge, so far I’m fine with that. Then we add the ability to enter in your target pressure. It will display your target pressure next to the actual pressure. So, this seems pretty unnecessary, but I suppose it’s still ok. You don’t have to remember what pressure you’re going for, and I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt that it remembers this setting between pressure setting sessions, so you don’t have to go look anything up.

Here’s where it gets out of hand. So we’ve got a pressure gauge that displays 2 numbers next to each other. You think that would be enough, you could look at the 2 numbers, determine if pressure needs to go up or down, and adjust accordingly. No, apparently that is not enough, this thing needs to change colors to tell you what to do. Of course, now you have to remember that green means add air, red means dump air, and blue means go have a coffee, but I suppose that’s easier than figuring out that 30 is less than 32.

So, I stopped by our local HomeBorg yesterday to pick up a few things. One of which was some trim for the bathroom. All seemed well as I selected the trim, cut it to a reasonable length and headed to the checkout. Of course, that feeling is about to dissapate.

As we are scanning items, it is noticed that there is no barcode on the trim. I offer to run back and grab another piece with the sticker on it, but I am assured by the cashier that she can find it. I tell her that it’s 3/4″ quarter round and fasten my seatbelt for a long ride.

She pokes at the computer a bit and then calls for help from the millwork department. I’m reassured when a gentlemen comes up rather quickly and asks what the problem is. He gets the lowdown, and again I offer to just run back and get another piece, but he assures me he’ll find it. So he pokes at the keyboard for a while. After a few seconds, I notice that he is just repeatedly, and rather rapidly, pressing the down arrow key. Ok, so I figure he did a search for “quarter round” and maybe there are a couple of dozen entries to look through. No problem, should just take a minute.

After 3 or 4 “a minutes” with no break in the tempo of the down arrow beat, I figured I was incorrect in my assumption.

tap tap tap tap tap
Air compressors
Air hose
Air tools
tap tap tap tap tap
Blades, saw
Blades, utility knife
tap tap tappity tap tap
Door, folding
Door, screen
tap tap tap tappity tappity tap
Hammer, ball peen
Hammer, claw

I can only surmise at this point that he is browsing the entire inventory of the store. So, once again, I offer to run back and get the bar code. “No that’s OK, I got a guy back there”, after which he picks up the phone, while still tapping the arrow key and proceeds to direct his “guy back there” to the right product. “It’s down on the left”, “Not that one, the one next to it”, “No, the 3/4″ stuff”. At this point, I must say that I was impressed with his multitasking abilities as that down arrow rhythm stayed steady throughout the whole conversation.

Eventually, he stops pressing the down arrow and jots a number, that I assume was read over the phone to him down on a scrap of paper. The cashier starts to enter the code and I start to dread what it’s going to be. At this point I don’t care if the code rang up to a $4000 tractor, I would just pay it to get out of there. Fortunately for me, and anticlimatically for you, it came up to something that was $.83 a foot. I still don’t care if it was right or not.

So today I cancelled the order for the HT Air pants from Tonker. Tonker’s website still says they are in stock, and no one there seems to really care about it. I can’t say that it was a terrible experience, they did tell me they were out of stock quickly, and the other items shipped promptly, but if you order from them, just don’t trust their stock information.

Instead I’ve ordered from Motorcycle Closeouts. They say that they have 2 in stock. They do have a disclaimer that it also includes the stock at their supplier, which is only updated weekly, but at least they are up front about it. We’ll see what happens.

Ok, I finally decided it was just too hot to wear my current Joe Rocket Ballistic gear and ordered some First Gear mesh stuff from Tonker, Mesh Tex II Jacket & HT Air pant.
I specifically ordered from them because their website actually said that they had everything in stock and my preferred place, NewEnough, was backordered on the pants. Well, don’t believe everything you read on the internet folks, shortly after I ordered I received a mail stating that the pants were out of stock. Of course, I went to the site to see what it said and they still indicate that the are in stock.
Pet Peeve #3457: having bogus stock info on your website. If you aren’t going to be reasonably accurate, just leave it off.