You’re right.
…
What now!?
]]>My parents computers have Ubuntu on them, so I get 0 support requests. Just as you are seeing once your ma switched to a Mac, the constant computer software blowing up problems are a Windows problem, not a computer problem. Hardware is of course another matter — dusty fans, stuff plugged where it doesn’t belong, CDs shoved into random computer orifices, that’s another matter entirely. Luckily my parents don’t do that 😎
Agreed 100% on the printers… printers that behave totally differently depending on if they are plugged via USB versus wifi (even with Ubuntu)… and the hardware! The printes my parents have had, one inkjet had misfeeds and paper jams all the time… then an inkjet where the ink constantly dried up.. then one that did both.. then a (very inexpensive) color laser printer that (besides them complaining it was too big) got some kind of sensor fault and quit printing. Their current inkjet hasn’t started misfeeding yet, but I swear the cartridges on it must last about 20 pages.
]]>JUST BECAUSE IT IS A JOKE DOES NOT MEAN-Oh wait.
]]>When I was attending college as an adult student, one afternoon in the computer lab it got very quiet and I could feel a presence behind me. It was the instructor who said, “Please, you don’t have to hit the keys so hard!” I tried to explain, “Since 1971 I have used a Remington 1919 Standard typewriter, it is hard to break the habit of 30+ years of manual typing!” The kids around me got a good laugh!!
]]>So the mouse was reversed flight stick style?! Cripes!
]]>In school I encountered a student in the computer lab that was self taught and couldn’t use the mouse any other way.
]]>“Hi. I’m The Internet. I’m here to point out some potential factual errors in your joke premise.”
]]>Oh that’s silly.
I’m sure most Amish that need to use computers (yes, they exist. They’re allowed to use technology, just not own it and use it to make them lazy) tend to actually learn how to use them.
]]>Nope still don’t get it. Why would a different lease require different drivers?
]]>I bet it was wired directly to the interface outside, too.
No quick connect phone jack inside.
Which reminds me, how are my directions to the hotel coming Joel?
]]>This is definitely always the easiest way, but it just seems like giving up. If the printer is SUPPOSED to just jump on your network, then you’d appreciate it if it would just do that. Of course it refuses to cooperate, so you just acquiesce and hook it up to a computer that is usually always on.
]]>My solution to networking printers has always been to hook them up to a desktop computer and use the desktop to share the printer to the rest of the network. This is almost universally easier than connecting it directly to the network, but of course it means you need a constantly-running desktop computer. I use mine as a media server/downloading machine/file server/gaming rig so it’s pretty much always on minus the occasional restart. Without that, though, it’s a huge pain in the ass.
]]>You’re 100% correct. Making a note. Good idea.
]]>Yeah, she was quite shocked when we explained it to her. Do the math on that: $15 x 12 months x 40+ years = over 7 grand. For a phone that probably cost $5 (in 60’s currency) to make. We bought her a new one that cost $20 and has easily 10 times as many features.
Still, gotta be at least slightly impressed that old thing still worked after all that time. They built things to last back then…
]]>Your parents must be mythological creatures
]]>Oh. My. God….
]]>Wow, film at Christmas. I haven’t shot a frame of film since 2010, and that was just because I found an eight-year-old roll of unexposed film and decided to use it in a ten-year-old completely-manual Bell & Howell camera I’d gotten for renewing a magazine subscription. About eight of the twelve pictures actually came out.
The last guy I talked to who was using film at a car show–only three weeks ago–said he does his own processing, but apparently there are still labs you can send film to.
I actually have an answer on that one: different network adapter means different MAC address and a different IP lease from the DHCP server – and so anything that depends on this, like the drivers for network-based hardware, could have issues if you don’t have a version installed for the different adapters.
]]>Story number two was from a job I had out there. I worked at the electronics section of a national retail store. One day a member of the pharmacy came over to me in a hurry. My heart sank because my wife got her prescriptions from there at the time and I was worried something went wrong. As she approached she asked me if I could help them out with something important. I follow her back over there and it was only then that they needed me to change out their monitor on their register. I suddenly became the store IT guy without the pay…
]]>Although I should be nicer about this, my 7 yo twin boys can outhack me on the Kindles hands down now, soon I may be the one needing their assistance
]]>A friend of my parents was up until a few years ago still paying AT&T $15 a month to rent a telephone. Not a cell phone, a regular old land-line black rotary-dial telephone from the 1960’s. They haven’t even offered that service in decades, but they’re still happy to take money from any old people that have been living in the same place long enough and don’t know any better.
]]>No, they had the buttons towards them rather than away from them. So they couldn’t click, and the mouse on the screen was doing the opposite of their movements on the table. Pretty funny.
]]>Doesn’t HP have some sort of universal driver now that works with a variety of printers? It may work for you.
]]>I bought a new Brother multi-function printer because I couldn’t get toner for the old one any more, and the new one was supposed to do double-sided printing, but once I installed the drivers it was “You don’t use Windows, YOU’RE not allowed to print double-sided!”
]]>My wife’s grandparents are the types that STILL talk about the time I magically fixed their years long problem with their flat screen tv with my magical tech skills every time I see them. I went into the menu and changed the aspect ratio so it actually fit their television.
Yet they still have other kids and relatives that convince them to buy everything new that comes out. They have a desktop PC, an iPad, a digital camera, etc. All of which NEVER get any use. Grandma still pulls out a film camera at Xmas. I don’t even know where you get film developed now.
]]>Like they were using the mouse as a trackball?
]]>I took it down from 6, because after 6 months the entire house would be bees.
]]>My dad still paid for a Prodigy.net email address until some time in 2014.
]]>I helped a great aunt with her computer a few weeks ago, never in my life did I see so many browser on “toolbars” as I did on her computer. It took over 20 minutes to fully load her browser just so I could start removing them and get her on Chrome.
]]>After several seconds of her getting increasingly confused and angry at the computer, I pointed out that it may work better if she wasn’t holding the mouse upside down.
But yeah parents. So many computer stories. Too depressing to list.
]]>That second panel might be the best thing I have ever seen.
I did tech support for friends AND family. When I was underage, I also used the desktop the parental unit did, so I kept it on point. But, man, my friend let his friend use his computer, who downloaded a virus trying to get pornography. Bastard. Because I had to fix the damn thing.
Then there was his “old” computer that had not updated in x amount of years. Service Pack 1 and so fragmented, running programs was a joke. I remember trying to update and it needing hundreds of security updates.
And then I set it on fire.
Even my mother knew drives needed defragging, but my much-younger-than-a-parent friend was two steps away from feeding ice cream to the CD drives.
]]>Whoops.
]]>HAH! I’ve had the same experience. I spent so many years convincing my mom NOT TO EVER CLICK on ANYTHING, that she became terrified of clicking on… well ANYTHING. “It says Windows needs to install critical updates… WHAT DO I DO!?”
]]>I know from experience how pointless trying to get a Brother on a wireless network can be. I eventually bought an Apple Airport express to plug it into (that cost half as much as the printer) just to get it on the network easily.
]]>I actually have the same thing. A Brother. The wireless setup is completely impossible. Like Ive spent over a dozen hours trying to get it on our network, but it requires 3 drivers, 2 applications and a windows machine which I don’t have. Other than that, yes, it produces reliable black and white prints for months at a time on a single toner cartridge. Laser is the only way to go, but home laser full color printing just isn’t affordable or practical.
]]>My dad did that, too!
Now, I don’t feel like he’s a black sheep on the world. 🙂
I just don’t get how the people who taught her never to talk to strangers as a child are so very credulous when it comes to popups that tell them to “click here”.
]]>I don’t have the slightest idea why.
]]>