Assignment 2A - Bugs List Stephanie Frechette

Assignment 2A - Bugs List  Stephanie Frechette 

1. The industrial carpet cleaner at the elementary school where I work smells something like vomit every time I need my alphabet rug cleaned.

Why does it exist?
It could certainly be that the matter that is being sucked out may consist of things like vomit and such but custodians swear they clean the machine regularly

2. Every time I turn on the television in my bedroom the cable provider has the DVR box set so that the channel may not be changed from the provider’s new channel for nearly 5 minutes.

Why does it exist?
The cable provider may want to bump up ratings on its own network.

3. I live on the fairway of a golf course and golf balls regularly pummel my house and sometimes hit my jeep and have even broken windows.

Why does it exist?
The first reason it exists is that “I live on a golf course” but I live about 200 yards and to the left of the tee box so another reason is that the golfers are hooking the ball when they hit it causing it to go beyond the fairway and over the trees into our yard.

4. The traffic light at the intersection leaving the neighborhood leaves cars turning left for several minutes and then only maybe two cars make it through the intersection before the light turns red again. It is so bad that many people turn right and go a block and make a u turn to avoid the wait.

Why does it exist?
This light may need to have timers reset or maybe there isn’t enough traffic leaving the neighborhood to warrant a shorter light cycle because the crossroad is a very busy road with many travelers heading to/from downtown Orlando.

5. There is so much negativity in the news. It is on every television channel and newspaper.

Why does it exist?
One of the things I have heard is that “if it bleeds, it leads."  It seems there are so many things that can grab our attention, positive news included but we, as human beings, seem to be drawn to the negative news sometimes not just because we want to see negativity but because we sympathize or empathize with those who are covered in the stories.

6. My iPhone is plugged in every night before I go to bed but then I wake up in the morning and it is showing battery life of 25% or less.

Why does it exist?
Perhaps my charger needs replacing or it is not plugged in all the way.

7. Garbage bins for weekly trash collection are beaten up and they are only a couple of years old.

Why does it exist?
The trash collectors are rushing and throwing the bins instead of placing them on the curb. This may be because they have so many homes to visit they are just trying to be sure they are able to finish collection for the day. They are sometimes working after dark so they may have too many houses to service for the number of trucks and personnel.

8. Nearly every morning when driving to work one of the streets I must drive on is a challenge to navigate because there are so many cars parked on the street so that only one car can pass through at a time.

Why does it exist?
Homeowners don’t have enough space in their driveways to accommodate all of the cars in their household.

9. My daily contacts are really only half-day contacts. I put them in the morning and by mid afternoon my eyes are so dry I have to replace them.

Why does it exist?
The air conditioning in the building dries them out or perhaps because I have astigmatism that may contribute to irritation.

10. Rocks get in my running shoes while I am running causing me to have to stop and remove them.

Why does it exist?
It may be because my heal is narrow so that when I pick up my heal and debris is tossed up toward my leg there is a gap so it falls in there.

11. People not paying attention at the stop light and the light turns red before I get to it.

Why does it exist?
They are probably looking at their cell phones, texting etc.

12. Every time I walk in the house I see tumble weeds of dog hair seemingly floating across the floor even though I clean regularly.

Why does it exist?
I have three dogs and two of them are Labradors and they shed often and a lot.

13. The light bulb for night setting under my microwave over the stove seems to burn out often.

Why does it exist?
Perhaps it is engineered obsolescence? Maybe there is faulty equipment in the microwave.

14. The battery on the laptop is supposed to last four hours and it never lasts more than two hours. I have replaced it twice and it still only lasts two hours.

Why does it exist?
I think when the manufacturer says the battery last four hours that is just sitting and turned on not running several applications and or streaming video which diminishes the battery life at a much faster pace.

15. I put a load of laundry in my front load washer only to find I missed some clothes that need to be washed but the washer will not open once it has started the cycle.

Why does it exist?
It exists, I think because if it were to open the water would pour out onto the floor.

16. The milk or juice carton is empty all but a few drops in the refrigerator.

Why does it exist?
The person who leaves the cartons in the refrigerator lacks initiative to rinse out the carton and put it in the recycle bin.

17. Seven Eleven stores seem to be one of the only convenience stores with gas pumps where one has to use a debit card instead of credit card which is exposing a person’s bank account to identity thieves.

Why does it exist?
Perhaps this exists because there is a higher transaction fee to the company than with debit cards.

18. People leave the shopping carts everywhere at Costco. Recently, one rolled into my jeep while I was shopping.

Why does it exist?
There are not enough cart corrals at Costco and the carts are larger than the average shopping cart. Also, people don’t want to take the time to go to the corral so they leave their cart sitting in the parking spot near their vehicle.

19. The Bic mechanical pencils always run out of eraser before they run out of lead and there isn’t a replacement eraser.

Why does it exist?

It could be that I make too many mistakes but it seems like a replacement eraser could be engineered for these pencils. Another engineered obsolescence, perhaps. I don’t think I have ever had a pencil run out before the eraser on any pencil.

20. I usually avoid Walmart Neighborhood Market near me unless I am in desperate need of an item and every time I visit, there are no cashiers, only self-pay aisles open and not enough of them.

Why does it exist?
I think it is because the store is understaffed or the store is trying to keep labor costs down.



Reflection

This exercise was interesting and I actually had fun with it. I really try not to focus on the things that bother me but rather solutions to those things so this exercise was similar in nature. I really did have to think about things that I encounter on a daily basis to find problems that needed fixing or solving. I had my husband join in on the fun over the last couple of weeks which helped us focus on finding solutions to our household list of bugs. I had not really thought of entrepreneurs as problem finders/solvers but I am excited to learn more.