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A post “Why I don’t talk to strangers”.........posted to a global group of 14.6m members,
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I don't consider Lounge member to be strangers! 
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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Well then, would you be interested in donating money to a police charity I'm running?
Kidding, of course.
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Yes, I am ready to donate a million or so, provided you pay a few thousand upfront to cover taxes, etc. 
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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Cp-Coder wrote: I don't consider Lounge member to be strangers!
Some of us are strange and some of us are even stranger
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I got A LOT of calls from telemarketers.
Like, daily calls.
Nine out of ten times it's for gas and electricity.
It's crazy over here in the Netherlands.
I should note that these are (probably) legitimate businesses and all they want to do is make you switch provider, which should be cheaper for me (according to them).
I once did that because the guy on the other end said I'd only get a cheaper business account with the company, so I agreed.
A week later I got a letter that I switched providers 
Some calls later and everything was back to old and the new provider told me they'd never do business with the telemarketing company again because I wasn't the only one that was lied to.
Despite GDPR, telemarketers somehow have full insight into my gas and electricity details and they can switch my provider just like that (it's crazy!) 
Anyway, at some point I just started blocking all phone numbers from telemarketers.
It wasn't very effective as most call using a private number and the ones that don't somehow have unlimited phone numbers.
I recently started asking them how they got my data and if they could please remove it from their system, as is mandatory by GDPR.
The amount of calls I get are down to one every few weeks 
How they got my phone number in the first place?
I have a strong suspicion that the Dutch Chamber of Commerce is to blame.
On the one hand I'm obligated to enlist my company with them with all my data and then they make that data public and sell it 
Luckily, the government did something about tat because it's downright criminal.
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I don't do phones. I smash/break/lose them accidentally on purpose.
Apparently it's a thing among people with my particular flavor of crazy.
I'm probably one of the only people in the world that can write software for a smartphone but won't use one.
Phones are disruptive, invasive instruments of torture, and the very existence of telemarketers is evil and tells me there either is no God, or God gave up on us long ago and moved on.
Phone calls are an evil medium where evil practices are stock in trade.
Real programmers use butterflies
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Not quite, but closely so, kindred spirits.
The point of the telephone is for you to be it's owner and not the other way around.
At my wife's insistence, I have a cell phone - a flip phone. No "Apps", or if any cam per-installed I've not looked for (let alone come across) them. Most importantly, I will not text nor will I accept/read texts. Quite a peaceful existence. Perhaps half a dozen people in the world have my cell number, all family, and if they call their name pops up. Otherwise, I just don't hear it. Actually, that's also true because it only rings a few times a week.
Sadly, we have already fallen under its shadow and you, too, will face this approaching darkness: it is now taken as a "given" that every biped is born with a "smart phone". More and more often, the way to do something requires one be texted or, at the least, have the appropriate "app" for contact. As of yesterday "my bank" informed via email that entry is now possible - but it has a queue. Entry can most easily be scanning the 2D bar code on their door (one is enqueued), uses their app (installed by scanning that bar code - 'gotcha') or calling them via a number on the door.
Or - in other words - no way into the bank (at this time) without the phone. I left a brokerage (ETrade) because they insisted that to change bank information I not only needed a smart phone but it had to be in my name.
Sack cloth. Ashes. The world has taken us by the hand and wrenched our arm.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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I'm finally having to retire my Nokia 1110 - the network are 'upgrading' their service and the new SIM that they have sent doesn't work on ancient phones. So I'm now on another cheap Pay-As-You-Go with no internet access or apps.
Hint for any who don't know ... if you get a telemarketer, never reply to any questions with 'Yes' or 'No'. e.g. if they ask "is that Mr XXXX?", reply 'It is' or 'Why do you want to know?'. Apparently, some want a record of your voice saying 'Yes' or 'No' so they can use it with automated banking services so it sounds like it is you confirming money transfers etc. [If I got that info from a CPer, I apologise for not giving you the credit]
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jsc42 wrote: if you get a telemarketer, never reply to any questions with 'Yes' or 'No'.
Why do you even answer?
I have two possibilities:
1 - it's someone I know and I'll answer (caller ID)
2 - it's someone I don't know, more often than not a spoofed ID these days. I let it ring.
In the case of 2, the answering machine doesn't give my name, just the phone number without an area code: "This is 555-1212. Please leave a message". They either will or they won't (Duh !).
3 - a relatively new option (which literally happened as I started this line in the post): I enabled my VOP plan to use their free phone-spam filter. If a number is on their list it only rings once (you can answer) but not twice.
So saying Yes or No to a telemarketer is not even an option anymore.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Quote: I got A LOT of calls from telemarketers
Same here. They are a real nuisance.
Quote: How they got my phone number in the first place?
Here in our area, whenever you have any dealings with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) they ask for your phone number. I could never understand why, but recently I read that they actually sell the numbers to whoever is willing to pay for it.
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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Wow, your privacy laws are so great - the greatest in the world, probably.
I guess once a total stranger can look up a phone number and get criminal record data, there's really no point going straight. No wonder the EU decided that no, the US doesn't have equivalence to GDPR.
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Their are online sources that can connect to public records - what you can find out is public records. The sleazy part is that even though they are public records you cannot access them unless you pay - either directly by somehow setting up an account, or indirectly, through those online services.
The DMV does sell phone numbers/emails - but you can check a box to opt-out (at least in NY). You need to know to look for it - nearby, but only if you pay attention.
Most telemarketers, however, are spamming you with autodidacts that are just simply sequencing numbers. Even unlisted nos. aren't hidden from a sequencer since there is no list.
Unless, of course, you answer. Then, if there's the machine beep they know the numbers real but it's being screened - or if you answer directly, they know they got a live one . . . and you're toast. Like email spam - "if you opt-out you've really just opted in!" Also, see if you can set your email to not download images (i.e., pixel beacons so you don't tell them your email was received and opened).
It take a bit of time, but we've managed to cut down on the amount just because we're not worth it.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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I don't give to anyone who calls. I don't even give to my alumni association when they call. Instead, I pick and chose who I give to and at what time. (My alumni association runs a PI day campaign every March and I give then when someone with a lot more money will match my gift.)
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So that explains Windows 10's upgrade process.
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My service framework has a message queue. That means there can be a backlog of messages. If the service gets stopped, like through the control panel, do you think it should execute that backlog when it gets restarted?
Right now I'm thinking if it's paused it should, and if it's stopped it shouldn't.
Is that intuitive, or is it just me?
Real programmers use butterflies
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Make it a configurable option 
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This project is already very difficult and confusing because I have to work around the service framework .NET gives you. I think that would just be spiteful to throw at the developer using this code. :P
And certainly no fun writing it. I did think about though. 
Real programmers use butterflies
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honey the codewitch wrote: Right now I'm thinking if it's paused it should, and if it's stopped it shouldn't.
Sounds reasonable to me.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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Depends on how important these messages are. In case they are only fire and forget who cares.
In case the receiver depends on all of them you need to make them "transactional safe" and forward them in case of pause or restart.
It does not solve my Problem, but it answers my question
Chemists have exactly one rule: there are only exceptions
modified 19-Jan-21 21:04pm.
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That had occurred to me, but it's pretty difficult to handle in practice. I can do it, at the price of additional complexity but i take your point. Now that someone other than me wondered about it - just so much more the reason to consider it.
Real programmers use butterflies
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Myself doing a lot of stuff writing services connected to third party system (among others SAP). All this mostly for production line systems where it is _very_ important not to loose any message (e.g. someting like "piece produced"). And yes this adds complexety and if I look to my code it is far away from nice 
It does not solve my Problem, but it answers my question
Chemists have exactly one rule: there are only exceptions
modified 19-Jan-21 21:04pm.
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Depends on what it is. ADT security systems do that. If you trip the alarm but there is no phone line it queues on the device. When a phone line is hooked up, even if it is 3 months later, the queue gets processed and the police get sent to your home.
WORST DESIGN EVER!!!
Social Media - A platform that makes it easier for the crazies to find each other.
Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it.
Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.
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Real programmers use butterflies
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