If advertisers and websites would play fair with their readers, we wouldn’t need to apply various filters and blocks to them. But when you’re trying to read an article and every sixth word is hotlinked with a pop-up ad, while the FavIcon in the browser window blinks at you like a traffic light, while loud video clips start auto-playing when the page loads—well, it’s time to shut it all down. Lifehacker has put together a great list of all the ways to reclaim your sanity when you’re online.
annoying
Post Cereal, Please Stop Spamming Anthony
By 7.31.09
Anthony has tried every means possible to get Post to stop spamming him, but Post laughs in the face of reason. And at customer requests. The only thing Anthony feels he has left to try is contacting the FTC, but he adds “I get the feeling that won’t help.”
New York State Provides Car Inspection Stickers That Lack One Important Feature
By 7.31.09
Stickers need to stick to things. That’s why they call them stickers. Someone should have explained this to the State of New York.
Meet The People Behind The Car Warranty Robocallers
By 6.15.09
We know how much you just loooove those car warranty robocallers, so we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to introduce you to the folks the FTC says is behind the robot army.
Fans Beg The Cubs To Stop Playing Annoying Commercial Jingle At Wrigley
By 4.29.09
If one had a few hours free to try to list all the of the annoying commercial jingles from Chicagoland, one would be remiss not to include the locally-infamous “Luna” tune. If you’re not from Chicago, you do not understand the pain, but after the jump you will. Yes, you will.
Microsoft E-mails You as a Reminder That You Opted Out of Receiving E-mails
By 4.22.09
Taking a page from the grossly overpriced playbook of Barnes & Noble college bookstores, earlier this week MIcrosoft sent an e-mail to users of the myriad Windows Live and MSN services reminding them that they…had opted not to receive e-mail from Microsoft. Um, thanks?
In Other Magical Lands Hotels Charge You The Price They Quote
By 4.9.09
Christopher Elliott, travel guru, has got to be a liar. In his latest blog entry he posts a story from an American who stayed in a hotel in Vienna... and was charged the room rate times the number of days he stayed. Can this magical hotel really exist?
Barnes & Noble College Bookstores Sends Email Reminder That You Don't Want Them To Send You Email
By 4.3.09
Gosh, this is really thoughtful of the Barnes & Noble bookstore on the Georgia Tech campus. They sent Steve an email reminder that at some point in the past, he explicitly opted out of receiving any email communications from them in the future. See, he may have forgotten that he didn’t want to be contacted, and how else would he remember it if B&N didn’t contact him to let him know? Update: Shane at Mississippi State University received the same helpful reminder from his campus bookstore, also run by B&N.
I Canceled Comcast Now The Phone Won't Stop Ringing
By 3.12.09
Reader Evan canceled Comcast — which seems to have lead to a barrage of annoying phone calls that simply will not stop. A little Googling turned up others with the same problem…
Every Year Capital One Reopens My Account And XBOX Live Debits Money
By 3.6.09
Every year Erick gets a Christmas present from Capital One. They reopen the credit card he closed 4 or 5 years ago. At that point, Microsoft gets into the act and starts billing that account for XBOX Live service he canceled at about the same time.
The Annoying Sound Stores Use To Drive Youngins Away
By 2.26.09
Here’s an example of that annoying noise that’s supposedly being used to drive teenagers away from stores and other places where they tend to gather and formulate their plans for world domination. It has also been used in commercials. Supposedly, only people under 25 can hear the noise. For the record, our staff can hear it and we think it sounds like that ringing in your ears that happens when people are “talking about you.” Annoying. [Teenager Audio Test via BuzzFeed] (Photo: Karl O’Brien)
By 2.16.09
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You want to know why some restaurants charge a fee to cancel a reservation? Because of jerks like this, who makes reservations at up to 10 restaurants at a time so that he can choose which one he wants on that special night. Don’t be this guy. [Des Moines Register] (Thanks to David!)
(Photo: wili hybrid)
Christmas Creep: Radio Stations Are In Full Holiday Mode
By 11.10.08
If you thought that you could avoid Christmas Creep by staying out of stores — think again. It’s annoying you on the radio as well.
Christmas Creep Confessions: We Played Christmas Music On Halloween
By 11.5.08
An anonymous reader, who works at a certain bookstore, says that her manager started playing Christmas music a week before Halloween… and on Halloween itself.
Merry September! Christmas Is In Full Swing At Rite Aid!
By 9.29.08
Halloween is about a month away, but it’s too late to start thinking about that now. You’ve got Christmas crap to buy!
Christmas Wrapping Paper Spotted At Walgreens
By 8.25.08
Reader James says he spotted this Christmas-themed wrapping paper lurking on the top shelf at Walgreens, waiting to strike…
McDonald's Charges More For Sweet Tea With Anything Less Than A "Full" Cup Of Ice
By 8.11.08
Reader Greg had his first run in with the notorious “no ice” fee, something we’ve been hearing about more and more lately. This time the culprit was McDonald’s and they got around the “Ok, fine. I’ll just have one cube of ice” tactic with a sign that specified a “FULL” cup of ice. Clever, McDonald’s. Very. Clever.
