|
Welcome to the International Skeptics Forum, where we discuss skepticism, critical thinking, the paranormal and science in a friendly but lively way. You are currently viewing the forum as a guest, which means you are missing out on discussing matters that are of interest to you. Please consider registering so you can gain full use of the forum features and interact with other Members. Registration is simple, fast and free! Click here to register today. |
![]() |
#361 |
Muse
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 853
|
Long ago, when I hosted email and web services, I frequently got emails from customers saying only, "I can't send mail."
Digging into the situation usually revealed that the target domain was blacklisted, or that the customer had mistyped the target email address. But I could never get over why they would send an email to tell us they couldn't send email. Isn't that like calling the operator to say your phone is disconnected? |
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#362 |
Self Employed
Remittance Man Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Florida
Posts: 21,125
|
I think a lot of users have this mistaken view that the "Computer guys" can see everything they are doing "behind the scenes" as it were and think detailing what the issue is isn't necessary.
If you're in the business I bet you've experienced this if you really step back and think about, when a customer responds to your request for more information with some variation on "Can't you tell from where you are at?" Even beyond legal requires, as in at even normal jobs (to say nothing of the medical environment I support now and the government environment I supported before) you can't just go in and randomly look at user's files and accounts willy-nilly, on tech level we can't see what the user is "doing" to the degree or in the way a lot of users seem to think. |
__________________
- "Ernest Hemingway once wrote that the world is a fine place and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part." - Detective Sommerset - "Stupidity does not cancel out stupidity to yield genius. It breeds like a bucket-full of coked out hamsters." - The Oatmeal - "To the best of my knowledge the only thing philosophy has ever proven is that Descartes could think." - SMBC |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#363 |
Not a doctor.
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Texas
Posts: 19,503
|
I worked at a small firm where people were convinced of the opposite.
I walked in to talk to the manning partner about something and he was obviously distracted. I offered to come back later and he said no, he is just momentarily confused. You see he just gave a very important, somewhat small, but very time sensitive task to a admin person and asked that they send it back to him ASAP, after explaining how important and time sensitive it was. Now, he was watching their desktop as they shop online and he can't even figure out what they are shopping for. It is more like they are just randomly browsing. |
__________________
Suffering is not a punishment not a fruit of sin, it is a gift of God. He allows us to share in His suffering and to make up for the sins of the world. -Mother Teresa If I had a pet panda I would name it Snowflake. |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#364 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
|
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#365 |
sinning sybarite
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,774
|
And then there are those times when you yourself do something so stupid and end up making a fool out of yourself.
Like just now - I saw there was a global issue effecting all our ETW (extended temporary workers) that disabled thier logins. All my operations team are ETW's, so I sent an email to their distribution list asking if it was affecting them. Which they'll never get, if it is affecting them. DOH! |
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#366 |
Self Employed
Remittance Man Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Florida
Posts: 21,125
|
The Commanding Officer of my last ship asked me to set up a "Restricted Internet" category in the ISA server so during periods of low connectivity (like when we had limited satellite access and were reduced to low bandwidth operations which was pretty common out to sea) we could maintain access to banks, educational sites, and official military sites but just keep people off of Facebook and ESPN and stuff.
So I made an ISA rule for .mil, .edu, .org and the top 20 or so banks/credit unions that showed up in our bandwidth report (and sent out an e-mail to everyone saying if they couldn't get on their particular bank or other site they felt was legit to let me know and I'd look into it). Few days later we went into low bandwidth and the Captain asked me to enable it. I had done it backwards, as a black list instead of a white list. So people could get to ever site except important ones. |
__________________
- "Ernest Hemingway once wrote that the world is a fine place and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part." - Detective Sommerset - "Stupidity does not cancel out stupidity to yield genius. It breeds like a bucket-full of coked out hamsters." - The Oatmeal - "To the best of my knowledge the only thing philosophy has ever proven is that Descartes could think." - SMBC |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#367 |
Not a doctor.
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Texas
Posts: 19,503
|
I was in a group that was leaving a firm and noticed that I had stopped receiving emails from some of the groups that sent out regular emails. I checked Groups in Outlook and noticed I had been removed from all my prior groups and added to the group Toast. I sent an email to that group assuming it was just the folks I was leaving with.
Bad assumption, it included everyone who had given notice or who were about to be fired. Very awkward responses followed. I actually thought my boss was going to fire me from the job I hadn't even started yet. Actually, he was just mad about swallowing his chewing tobacco while laughing. I almost swallowed my chewing tobacco, you jerk! |
__________________
Suffering is not a punishment not a fruit of sin, it is a gift of God. He allows us to share in His suffering and to make up for the sins of the world. -Mother Teresa If I had a pet panda I would name it Snowflake. |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#368 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
I really do love it when people call purely out of curiosity.
I just took a call from someone who asked me "What is Sync Centre?" He'd just seen it and was curious as to what it was all about. I was able to give him a very quick and simple explanation about how the enterprise was being updated to use more cloud services and what it meant to synchronise data from the cloud. It was only a very quick and non-technical explanation, but it satisfied his curiosity and he learned a new thing. And I'm all for that. |
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#369 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
I just overheard a colleague on a call:
"The form you need is the FTP Access Request... FTP. F for Fred, T for Tango... no, F for Fred. F for Foxtrot. FTP. F for Foxtrot. No, F for Freddie..." |
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#370 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 39,570
|
One thing that happens to me with depressing regularity is I'll get a request from a new employee. It's obvious that their teammates or their supervisor has told them enough to know they need something, but somehow managed to end the conversation before explaining to this poor soul how to get it.
So they come to me with this question about their job, and all I can think is, "why hasn't your team explained your job to you yet?" |
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#371 |
So far, so good...
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: On the outskirts of Nowhere; the middle was too crowded
Posts: 3,363
|
|
__________________
Over we go.... |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#372 |
Muse
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Oz
Posts: 913
|
|
__________________
It's a kind of a strawman thing in that it's exactly a strawman thing. Loss Leader 'When you're born into this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show. If you're born in America you get a front row seat.' George Carlin |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#373 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
|
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#374 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
Oh, absolutely. And the worst part is when I look them up in the corporate structure, I see that their supervisor has done this many, many times and by now should know better.
Like those people I posted about earlier who continually need their password reset, and have to ask every time how to do it. You'd think they'd learn after the eighth or ninth time. |
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#375 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
And here's the guy who seems incapable of speaking in complete sentences:
"Oh, hey, I'm having a problem with... uh, it's a RAS problem and I can't... it just won't... uh... I've had this a couple of times and... I can't get the..." Hard not to interrupt someone sometimes. I was easily able to determine what his problem was (he need to download and install Citrix Receiver) but actually getting him to say what was wrong was excruciating. |
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#376 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,955
|
5 pm before you leave for vacation is not the time when you request assistance with the remote access over your personal Macbook.
And arguing with me and questioning everything I ask you to does not accelerate the process. And when I give in to your demand to send someone to your desk to assist, that won't either. Or s/he will do is stand there and tell you to do the exact same things I am. Plus you get the added feature of one of them becoming available. We are not going to touch your personal laptop. |
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#377 |
Merchant of Doom
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Not in Hell, but I can see it from here on a clear day...
Posts: 14,037
|
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#378 |
BOFH
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: People's Republic of South Yorkshire
Posts: 12,159
|
And just when they're ready to snap let out an "Oops".
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#379 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
Cheeses, people. If you're going to make major changes to a major ICT system, including modifications to workflow and process, you need to do two things: First, make sure it is finished before you implement it. Second, tell people that you're doing it.
|
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#380 |
Merchant of Doom
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Not in Hell, but I can see it from here on a clear day...
Posts: 14,037
|
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#381 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
|
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#382 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: I'M IN THE PHONEBOOK! I'M SOMEBODY!!!
Posts: 3,850
|
|
__________________
"Let me guess, my theories appall you, my heresies outrage you, I never answer letters, and you don't like my tie." - The Doctor "I heard some things I can't prove from someone I don't know, and God dammit, that's enough for me." - Penny Arcade "Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from Science!" - Agatha Heterodyne |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#383 |
Begging for Scraps
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: 20 minutes in the future
Posts: 1,947
|
We use Jive and it's terrible. The important "Be aware" messages get buried under 3 year old posts about the Christmas Meal because that's what people are searching for\clicking on
It's all the bad features of social media smushed together with the bad features of the old intranets |
__________________
“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.” - Charles Darwin ...like so many contemporary philosophers he especially enjoyed giving helpful advice to people who were happier than he was. - Tom Lehrer |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#384 |
Self Employed
Remittance Man Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Florida
Posts: 21,125
|
I'm just gonna share the entire text of the trouble call I just received.
"Dr. (Redacted) needs help. He dismantled his computer and needs help getting all back together... asap." |
__________________
- "Ernest Hemingway once wrote that the world is a fine place and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part." - Detective Sommerset - "Stupidity does not cancel out stupidity to yield genius. It breeds like a bucket-full of coked out hamsters." - The Oatmeal - "To the best of my knowledge the only thing philosophy has ever proven is that Descartes could think." - SMBC |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#385 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Central City, Colorado, USA
Posts: 9,164
|
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#386 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 6,431
|
|
__________________
...our governments are just trying to protect us from terror. In the same way that someone banging a hornets’ nest with a stick is trying to protect us from hornets. Frankie Boyle, Guardian, July 2015 |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#387 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
I got one a little while ago that said only "Desktop PC Reimagine Required".
|
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#388 |
Lackey
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: South East, UK
Posts: 88,436
|
|
__________________
I wish I knew how to quit you |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#389 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
|
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#390 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: I'M IN THE PHONEBOOK! I'M SOMEBODY!!!
Posts: 3,850
|
|
__________________
"Let me guess, my theories appall you, my heresies outrage you, I never answer letters, and you don't like my tie." - The Doctor "I heard some things I can't prove from someone I don't know, and God dammit, that's enough for me." - Penny Arcade "Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from Science!" - Agatha Heterodyne |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#391 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
One thing I've not mentioned about my job yet is that I record the IVR messages, since I have such a mellifluous voice
![]() |
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#392 |
No longer the 1
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 21,340
|
|
__________________
As human right is always something given, it always in reality reduces to the right which men give, "concede," to each other. If the right to existence is conceded to new-born children, then they have the right; if it is not conceded to them, as was the case among the Spartans and ancient Romans, then they do not have it. For only society can give or concede it to them; they themselves cannot take it, or give it to themselves. |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#393 |
Muse
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Oz
Posts: 913
|
|
__________________
It's a kind of a strawman thing in that it's exactly a strawman thing. Loss Leader 'When you're born into this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show. If you're born in America you get a front row seat.' George Carlin |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#394 |
Self Employed
Remittance Man Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Florida
Posts: 21,125
|
Okay one thing I try to stay above as much as possible is office politics.
But Jesus Christ I swear some of these people measure their self worth based on how much stuff they have on their desk. Names have been changed to protect the annoying. *Unboxing a device at the front desk* Carol: Hey Joe, what is that? Me: It's a barcode scanner for the front desk. Carol: Why is Debra getting a barcode scanner? Me: Don't know, office manager put a ticket in for her to get a barcode scanner, that's all I know. Carol: I've been worker here longer than Debra. Me: That's nice Carol. Carol: I just don't understand why she's getting one before I am. Also why is her monitor bigger than mine? Me: I don't know Carol. Carol: I just think it's funny that Debra is getting all this stuff. I'm going to talk to the office manager about getting a barcode scanner. And a bigger monitor. At this point I should point out that Carol has at no point prior to this ever mentioned needing or wanting a barcode scanner, the nature of her job has no role for a barcode scanner ("Carol" does patient scheduling, "Debra" does insurance claims and billing). |
__________________
- "Ernest Hemingway once wrote that the world is a fine place and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part." - Detective Sommerset - "Stupidity does not cancel out stupidity to yield genius. It breeds like a bucket-full of coked out hamsters." - The Oatmeal - "To the best of my knowledge the only thing philosophy has ever proven is that Descartes could think." - SMBC |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#395 |
Graduate Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,942
|
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#396 |
BOFH
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: People's Republic of South Yorkshire
Posts: 12,159
|
FFestiniog Tsar Psoriasis.
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#397 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 6,431
|
|
__________________
...our governments are just trying to protect us from terror. In the same way that someone banging a hornets’ nest with a stick is trying to protect us from hornets. Frankie Boyle, Guardian, July 2015 |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#398 |
Graduate Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,302
|
I've been a tech most of my life, and the two biggest issues almost always arise from different ends of the spectrum: The "we've always done it this way" people, and the "we have to use the bleeding edge latest and greatest" folks.
And when they get into a grunting contest we wind up with Windows Vista systems (yes, that was bleeding edge at one point in history) running Virtual Machines of Windows XP so people can actually access their older programs. |
__________________
"One wonders how one augur may pass another in the street without laughing." -Marcus Porcius Cato, 2nd Century B.C. referring to the fortune tellers of his time "I could tell you that it is because I don't want The Language Award to appear too cliqueish. But I won't. 'Cause you're not one of the cool people." - Tricky |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#399 |
Self Employed
Remittance Man Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Florida
Posts: 21,125
|
|
__________________
- "Ernest Hemingway once wrote that the world is a fine place and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part." - Detective Sommerset - "Stupidity does not cancel out stupidity to yield genius. It breeds like a bucket-full of coked out hamsters." - The Oatmeal - "To the best of my knowledge the only thing philosophy has ever proven is that Descartes could think." - SMBC |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
#400 |
Observer of Phenomena
Pronouns: he/him Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 64,621
|
Colleagues, we have now entered the cutting age.
|
__________________
Self-described nerd. Pronouns: He/Him My mom told me she tries never to make fun of people for not knowing something. - Randall Munroe |
|
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Bookmarks |
Thread Tools | |
|
|