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Pet Hates

Tube drivers who like the sound of their own voice just a bit too much, and constantly make pointless and lengthy announcements. Why is it always someone with a really annoying tone too?

(Yes I’m sitting on the tube right now and going slowly insane.)
 
So, a few days in, and has anyone on the planet found a single improvement in iOS26?
I know it's a bit of a meme for Android users to joke "we had that feature five years ago mate" whenever a new iOS drops. But I never thought I'd see the day when my iPad started emulating Windows smegging Vista. (WE'RE GOING TO DIE!")

I already had all that "reduced motion" stuff ticked anyway, so I'm not seeing the worst of it. But whoever signed off on this abomination has clearly never used "dark mode" in their life. (The fact that "dark mode" should be the default on all platforms is a whole other debate). It's like they deliberately made everything as visually obnoxious as possible?
 
DiogoJ42 said:
So, a few days in, and has anyone on the planet found a single improvement in iOS26?
I know it's a bit of a meme for Android users to joke "we had that feature five years ago mate" whenever a new iOS drops. But I never thought I'd see the day when my iPad started emulating Windows smegging Vista. (WE'RE GOING TO DIE!")

I already had all that "reduced motion" stuff ticked anyway, so I'm not seeing the worst of it. But whoever signed off on this abomination has clearly never used "dark mode" in their life. (The fact that "dark mode" should be the default on all platforms is a whole other debate). It's like they deliberately made everything as visually obnoxious as possible?
Click to expand...
I think the gradual aim is to make iPads more like touchscreen Macs. I haven’t updated to iOS 26 yet myself, but all the tech folks online seem to be raving about it!

Tech pundits seem very fixated on iPads needing to be a computer replacement and needing to operate like a computer, but I’ll admit I don’t quite get this obsession myself. Can’t it complement a computer rather than replace it? If anything, I use my iPad more like how I use my phone, but on a much bigger screen, rather than like how I use a computer. The bigger screen alone makes me use my iPad way more at home than I use my phone!
 
From what I've heard, this new "liquid glass" faffitude is intended for VR / AR headsets, where having a see through home screen might be a slim advantage.
I just think of all the sci fi examples of transparent floating screens, that seem infinitely impractical.

As I say, I already had must fancy effects turned off, so I've avoided the worst of it. But the fact that in dark mode, the keyboard defaults to "bright mode" until you type is a pretty basic error.

Must be the first time in my life that I look forward to the next iOS update and can't wait to install it ASAP. I guess they get points for novelty?
 
Downloaded it on Thursday and within 5 minutes was Googling to see if there’s a way to revert to iOS 18. Hate how much of a faff it is to get apps into a split screen view. The reviews I’ve seen all talk about how well it works with a dock, but if I wanted to have to plug my iPad in to a keyboard to use it properly I’d have bought a bloody laptop 😡
 
Oh, please don’t say they’ve messed up Split Screen!

One of the things I love about my iPad compared to my phone is that Split Screen makes it really easy to have two pages open in tandem, if need be; you just drag the icon from out of your bottom bar, and it opens in a nice window at the side! If I’m doing something like writing a trip report, I find Split Screen really useful, particularly now I have a 13” iPad!
 
Isn't great to see apple users in meltdown, knowing it will not affect you in anyway shape or form.

Anyway, I have just done a 5 day cruise to Hamburg and Bruges. Ladies and gentlemen my hate this week has been. The Brit abroad.

Obviously, being a cruise they love to sell you drinks package. Which for me and the wife would leave us a lot out of the pockets. But for some, my life. Heard complaints that the kids are stopping them getting full value. Having to buy more as they only sell half pints and full pint price.

ONe family bollocking the kids constantly, for running around. How about talk to them instead of rolling a cig.

oh, and I saw the worst T-Shirt I have ever seen. Tie die, grey and black colour scheme. With a HUGE picture of a kneeling at George. Sword and flag in hand. Surrounded by the words about kneeling on enemies. On the back, the national anthem in full print. To top it off ladies and gentlemen. He lived in America with a polish wife.

Weirdly the Americans on board were sound. Apart from the Trump supporters, one was very angry that Charlie Kirk and JD vance can no.lomger run trump out!!

Anyway, cruises are alright. This one, Blackpool at sea.
 
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I worked cruise ships for a while and most of this is a very typical of the cruising Brit!

You would quickly notice attitudes from passengers towards crew change depending on where you were cruising.

Generally speaking, Brits were rude but often didn't complain (writing a strongly worded letter/email after the holiday is the British way after all!).

Americans were the complete opposite, very friendly and up for a chat at any opportunity, but if something went wrong they would tell you there and then.

Australians were laid back all round.
 
After going to the dentist on Wednesday, I’ve been thinking; why on Earth are routine dental checkups so expensive? They must be up there as one of the most expensive things per unit time…

I visit an NHS dentist, so it’s probably not even as bad for me as it is for many, but my routine checkup cost £27.40, and I was in there for less than 5 minutes… obviously I’m glad it was so short, because it means that nothing needed doing to my teeth, but it is nonetheless quite galling to pay £27 to sit in the chair for all of about 3 minutes and not even have any work done!

On the plus side, my dentist is always incredibly punctual and organised, so I guess it did mean that I was out before my scheduled appointment time!
 
Matt N said:
After going to the dentist on Wednesday, I’ve been thinking; why on Earth are routine dental checkups so expensive? They must be up there as one of the most expensive things per unit time…

I visit an NHS dentist, so it’s probably not even as bad for me as it is for many, but my routine checkup cost £27.40, and I was in there for less than 5 minutes… obviously I’m glad it was so short, because it means that nothing needed doing to my teeth, but it is nonetheless quite galling to pay £27 to sit in the chair for all of about 3 minutes and not even have any work done!

On the plus side, my dentist is always incredibly punctual and organised, so I guess it did mean that I was out before my scheduled appointment time!
Click to expand...
Yeah my NHS dentist checkups are also £27.40, although mine are usually a bit longer than five minutes. I had a wisdom tooth removed yesterday (extraction), and that cost £75.30 🤦‍♂️
 
Matt N said:
After going to the dentist on Wednesday, I’ve been thinking; why on Earth are routine dental checkups so expensive? They must be up there as one of the most expensive things per unit time…

I visit an NHS dentist, so it’s probably not even as bad for me as it is for many, but my routine checkup cost £27.40, and I was in there for less than 5 minutes… obviously I’m glad it was so short, because it means that nothing needed doing to my teeth, but it is nonetheless quite galling to pay £27 to sit in the chair for all of about 3 minutes and not even have any work done!

On the plus side, my dentist is always incredibly punctual and organised, so I guess it did mean that I was out before my scheduled appointment time!
Click to expand...
In fairness you'll feel the benefit one day when you have to have some work done which would have cost you over a grand privately but you get it for under a couple of hundred quid or lower on the NHS. I suppose you could square it with yourself by saying you're paying a bit more now for saving a load of money later on when you're older. £27.40 is a dream after going to a private dentist a couple of times which I've had to do in the past (I was in-between NHS dentists).
 
Matt N said:
After going to the dentist on Wednesday, I’ve been thinking; why on Earth are routine dental checkups so expensive? They must be up there as one of the most expensive things per unit time…

I visit an NHS dentist, so it’s probably not even as bad for me as it is for many, but my routine checkup cost £27.40, and I was in there for less than 5 minutes… obviously I’m glad it was so short, because it means that nothing needed doing to my teeth, but it is nonetheless quite galling to pay £27 to sit in the chair for all of about 3 minutes and not even have any work done!

On the plus side, my dentist is always incredibly punctual and organised, so I guess it did mean that I was out before my scheduled appointment time!
Click to expand...
The NHS charges work on bandings, if you did need some X-Rays the cost would still be £27, so averaged across a few years its fine really and still a lot cheaper than the actual cost would be if you went private.

Skyscraper said:
Yeah my NHS dentist checkups are also £27.40, although mine are usually a bit longer than five minutes. I had a wisdom tooth removed yesterday (extraction), and that cost £75.30 🤦‍♂️
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I'm about to have an extraction done privately (as I will then have an implant and that is not offered on the NHS) and that will be £300 just for the extraction, then the cost of the implant fitting on top.
Again the fact the NHS works in bands can make it seem like you are paying a lot for a filling, but something more complex is relativity cheap. Those who have circumstances where they can't pay of course do get free treatment.
 
@Matt N, although that might seem a lot per unit of time, consider what you're paying for. Your dentist has spent several years and tens of thousands of pounds studying dentistry and developing the expertise to be able to tell you if there's a problem with your teeth. They also have to pay a wage to their dental assistant, their receptionist and to themselves. They also have the operating costs of their practice such as heating, electricity and water, business rates etc. and the (often single use) equipment needed to conduct dental examinations. With the band system that £27.40 doesn't actually cover very much of that at all.

I have unfortunately got to the point where my dental issues have become so complex and require such specialist treatment that although I have an NHS dentist they have said they cannot help me at all. I've had an extraction this year that also required laser treatment to kill off an infected abscess, that cost £400. The implant to replace it is costing £2500. I've also paid £1000 for a root canal treatment that I am pretty sure has failed so I'm looking at another £400 for an extraction and probably another £2500 for a second implant, or possibly more as it's a large molar I'll be losing. I'd be pretty happy if I only had to pay £27.40 for a five minute appointment now and then.
 
Congratulations on having a dentist on the NHS Matt!
Bit impossible round here.
Due to a decade of neglect...not having a dentist on the nhs without a massive waiting list, I ended up finding a dentist who would do the needed work on the nhs, on the understanding I would continue as a private patient under Denplan...he was very good at the job, so I agreed.

Just so you know the real cost of dentistry mate...
£50 per month, every month, for the two of us...my wife has very good teeth, I have a gob full of metal.
That only covers the basic stuff of minor fillings and extractions, as well as check ups and clean ups.
My last crown cost me around three hundred quid on top for the lab fees.

A license to make money, but to get into dentistry, you need all the top grades, and three references from royalty apparently.
Very very challenging to get a place at a good school of dentistry.
You need straight a's, five years, and a lot of money to study dentistry.

And Nutty...don't give up hope on that root canal!
I only have one...thirteen treatments over about six months of time to get it to take, the dentist was "doing" each quarter of my mouth at a time, but had to keep going back to what he knew would be "problematic"...the one root canal.
Three temporary fillings, two lots of big inflammation, lots of sweating, but little pain overall.
Twenty years later...still got that beloved tooth.
 
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rob666 said:
Congratulations on having a dentist on the NHS Matt!
Bit impossible round here.
Due to a decade of neglect...not having a dentist on the nhs without a massive waiting list, I ended up finding a dentist who would do the needed work on the nhs, on the understanding I would continue as a private patient under Denplan...he was very good at the job, so I agreed.

Just so you know the real cost of dentistry mate...
£50 per month, every month, for the two of us...my wife has very good teeth, I have a gob full of metal.
That only covers the basic stuff of minor fillings and extractions, as well as check ups and clean ups.
My last crown cost me around three hundred quid on top for the lab fees.
Click to expand...
There’s now a rumour that my dental practice has been sold, and is going private. It’ll apparently cost £30 per month to even stay on the books.

It’s very much of the “I heard it from my cousin who heard it from a friend” category of rumour, with my nan having heard it from her cousin who heard it from an unknown source, though. Nothing has been confirmed… but £30 per month will be a tougher pill to swallow than £27 per year if this is true, that’s for sure.

I’m very well aware of how NHS dentists are like hens’ teeth at the moment, so I’m not moving from my current one for as long as I can!
 
Vets and dentists Matt...the lurch to large conglomerate firms, who then gently increase prices because they have a local virtual monopoly.

Seen it in person with both over the last couple of decades, we dodged the bullet with the vet, and never had insurance, but I was left with no realistic alternative when it came to my dental health.

Denplan or move on from my excellent dentist.
He could not do a proper job with decent support staff on the nhs, as simple as that.
And then he moved to the country, his wife made more money with her boarding kennels!
 
In my rural area, there definitely won’t be a great amount of competition if my dentist goes private. I think there’s maybe 1 other dentist in town? If you don’t go to either of those two practices, it’s a drive further afield up into the Forest, towards Bristol, towards Gloucester or into Wales (I’m not sure if English patients can have dental treatment in Wales, actually).

People at work were talking about this the other day and saying about how they have very far-flung dentists. One member of my team was on leave this week going to the dentist up in Yorkshire while he saw his extended family. Another colleague said about how their dentist is in Cornwall, and another said theirs is in Bath… my office is in Bristol. My dentist is currently somewhat of a unicorn, seemingly, in that he’s both near to me and taking on new NHS patients… here’s hoping he does not convert to private as my grandmother’s rumour mill suggests!
 
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