Official Off Topic Thread

Meedleyx10 said:
Now that that is out of the way, the two I'm eyeballing right now are the SanDisk Sansa Fuze 8GB:

...and the Creative Zen 4gb:

I'm leaning towards the SanDisk for the following reasons:

-more for my money (in terms of how much music I can get on there)
-expandable memory (a plus, but I don't need to be able to store ALL my music on the thing...I only listen to my MP3 player while traveling or walking to/from school and have no problem switching out tunes every couple weeks)
-built in voice recorder (my current POS mp3 player has one and I sometimes use it to record lessons/classes and the like...works pretty well)

One thing I do like about the CZ model is the ability to sync it to Microsoft outlook for my calendar and such...but realistically, I don't know how much I'd use that since I'm still using the pen/paper method with considerable success. I've also heard a lot of first-hand praise for the CZ, and I've heard no first-hand accounts of the SanDisk.

If you have input or other suggestions, I'd love to hear it. One thing that would be nice is if I had something that played FLAC files, but that's not a necessary thing.
Click to expand...

I can say from my own experience that it becomes a hassle with smaller memory amounts. But, that experience was based around 128MB rather than 2GB. Heck, even with my 30GB iPod, I have a tough time - not necessarily that I hear all those songs so frequently, but keeping up with my collection becomes a pain. I have to go through my moods, which becomes a pain the arse. If I go into blues mode, I have to revamp my entire library and then resync. Then the next week when I go back to metal, I have to do it all over. But, again, it's really overkill with that many songs on there; but, again, if I start jonesing to hear a particular song and for whatever reason it wasn't loaded onto my iPod, I get pissed. So, really, for me, memory has become a big selling point.

But, I really don't like the iPod at all - the interface is cool, but still cumbersome. What I hate most is you can't scroll backwards from A to Z - if I'm listening to AC/DC one song but then want to jump to Yngwie for the next song, that's a lot of scrolling to do to get through 30GB when really I should have been able to go the opposite direction.

And iTunes bites for library features.

My wife and I were looking very hard at that Sandisk player for our daughter for Christmas. We were very sold on the price. Looking at the CZ though I would go with that one - Creative is a solid company focused on music. Sandisk is more in the memory business. I would probably use that as my deciding factor. Apple is a computer company - their music and phone hardware suck save for the interface factor.
 
FFS GET A ZEN.

#: 5 Band EQ. NO OTHER MAJOR PLAYER HAS THIS.
#: Hotswap MTP Device.
#: Use as removeable disk drive. Drag & Drop.
#: No software necessary. None!
#: Non-proprietary connection. USB A to B.
#: Built like a rock.

It confounds me that people buy anything else.
 
razoredge said:
Yes it is lame. Restaurant owners make out like bandits on this one, having the entire staff split tips, allowing them the opportunity to abuse the minimum wage laws. This applies to barbacks as well in large resorts, they spend all day tossing kegs of beer around relying on customers to tip the bar tenders decent and the bar tenders comming clean on what tips they collect... when $3-4 or more (depending) is charged for beer that costs the owners a minute fraction. Then you have the wait staff throwing the tips into a "kitty", forcing others to pay the price for the crap waiters that people dont tip much. Minimum wage is that at its best... MINIMUM, hardly grounds for making a LIVING, tips should be in addition to MINIMUM wage. Most wait staff workers bust their ass, running all day, on their feet all day, some waitresses/bartenders make good money in tips... but this should not be to the benefit of business owners to abuse the minimum wage laws, it should be to the advantage of the worker.... PERFORMING THE WORK.
Click to expand...


Nothing you mentioned is accurate.

I've worked in the restaurant business for over 12 years in virtually every FOH capacity; as a host, busboy, server, bartender and manager. I've also worked in a cross-section of establishments from pizza place, country club, corporate-owned places like TGI Fridays, family owned places, casual dining to extremely fine dining and everything in between.


There may still be a few exceptions to this(typically bartenders), but for the most part no restaurants force an entire staff to split tips collectively or by position.


Minimum wage laws as they apply to restaurant staff is a irrelevant because most work for strictly tips. Plus, these days, busboys almost always receive a wage of around $7-9. Sound low? It is, mainly because you're bussing tables. If you're worried about your paycheck as server/waiter/bartender then you must be awful at your job. Most places I've worked simply issue checks that read VOID because one you've earned a certain amount of tips you don't get a check. Sound stupid? Not really, because for most people this all evens itself out when the taxman comes due to the fact that very few restaurant workers accurately claim tips to the government. But once again, if you're waiting tables for a paycheck then you've got it all wrong.


Also, most waitstaff do anything BUT bust their asses. Most do the bare minimum to keep the guest happy. This should surprise no one. Restaurant staff work in restaurants because it allows them pretty decent flexibility, very minimal responsibility, virtually no experience/education/traning, the opportunity to bypass any/all drug or alcohol testing, and the ability to make quick and typically easy cash.
 
rockyracoon said:
Also, most waitstaff do anything BUT bust their asses. Most do the bare minimum to keep the guest happy. This should surprise no one. Restaurant staff work in restaurants because it allows them pretty decent flexibility, very minimal responsibility, virtually no experience/education/traning, the opportunity to bypass any/all drug or alcohol testing, and the ability to make quick and typically easy cash.
Click to expand...

My experience working in restaurants says yes. Most waiters are fuckin' lazy when it comes to their work, and to make matters worse, they often rely on bus boys' to do their work.

And are waitstaff expected to be tipped? btw
Click to expand...

Yes. A lot of places nowadays give you their ''suggested'' amount according to the amount expended and the percentage you want to give.
 
Minimum wage varies from state to state. It is expected that you tip the waiter/waitress (some restaurants actually...and I hate this...include a gratuity on the bill). Unfortunately there is an overwhelming portion of the table-waiting population who seem blind to the concept of earning their tips, and I've received many glares due to the fact that I tip based on service and don't hand out spare cash just because a person's job title is "waitress".
 
I work at a really slow place and the hourly is $2.13 and a good tip for around 3 people would be $10+ while a not so great tip would be $3-. For 2 people I usually get $2s and $3s and for highs it would be around $5+. 6 people and up is pure win cause you usually get $15+.
 
When my dorm building almost burned to the ground two weeks ago, a few of us went to IHOP at around 4:30 AM and I ended up leaving the waitress (My last) $5.00. I know what it's like to have to cater to assholes all day, so I try to tip as best as I can. Within reason, of course.
 
Some people must expect alot from their waiter. All I expect is to not sit for 15 minutes before they take the order and again after eating. Nothing is more annoying to me than having had two sips of my coffee and being asked if I want a refill or being in the middle of a conversation and being asked two or three times during a meal "is everything alright" of course everything is NOT alright, small portions, over cooked/undercooked at the expense of the weekly grocery bill... so dont come and ask, only a fool sends food back.

Some places kitty the tips some dont... doesnt change the fact that tips should be in the interest of the employee NOT a way for the owner to get cheap or free help.
 
I did a stint as a Delivery Driver last summer just to get some cash. $7.15/hr + tips. Tips were usually $2-$3 with the occasional $5-$10. A tip on a catering order averaged $40. It ended up being about $800 a month. Was fun for a while, but I certainly love my job now much more, and the pay too.
 
CttN said:
What is minimum wage over in the States? And are waitstaff expected to be tipped? btw hi
Click to expand...

The states do it nothing like what happens over this side of town. Minimum wage is minimum wage and it's against the law to pay less. (Though it's adjusted for age)

Consequently, tipping here (and I assume NZ, doubt it's any different) is a bonus for good service, not an expected part of a person's income.


BTW, hi!
 
And just for comparison, back when I was a pizza delivery driver pay was $16-$18/hr (can't remember exactly, but close to minimum wage), and I'd pull in around $20 in tips on a bad night and $50-$100 on a good night.
 
CantoX said:
Its my first job, I like it a lot, its really fun and the people I work with are really cool. The food is awesome too.. BUT! The food is overpriced and its been really really slow... I'm thinking of just earning experience points here and then leveling up to a nicer restraunt/steak house cause they get A LOT of traffic.
Click to expand...

What exactly do you call overpriced? you know there's a lot involved in food price, don't you?
 
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