An Endless Vortex of Sucky Non-Logic (Long)

[Cedophile]

Star Trek: The Next Generation. Specifically, the episode Chain of Command, Part II

I personally loved that episode. Until I read 1984. Then I lost all kinds of respect for the writers. Not that it was a bad episode, but the similarities are impossible to ignore.

[gregmaddux17]

But... (in best suspiciously British-sounding "French" accent) THERE... ARE.... FOUR LIGHTS!

Yay me for recognizing what is possibly a fairly obscure TNG reference.

I remember that episode and I recognized your reference. What was your favorite STNG episode?

[Gawdzillers]

If it makes you feel better, I recognized the quote, too. That was a really good episode.

God, now I feel like such a nerd.

What the nerd are you nerds talking about?
Popular Science? More like Nerdular Nerdence.

[Lobo]

The phrase "You get what you pay for" is usually accurate.

Too true, except for when dealing with AOL I've noticed. Pay for an ISP, get something at best defined as a virus that tries to invade I.E.

[devlinorrus]

David Warner as a Cardassian....wonderful actor and a pretty decent two parter for TNG.

[lordlundar]

Where does one obtain said shirt?

Right here

[phillippbo]

I have to ask.. WHAT SHOW?????

Star Trek: The Next Generation. Specifically, the episode Chain of Command, Part II (http://www.startrek.com/startrek/vie...ode/68580.html).

I'm such a geek...

[technical.angel]

Where does one obtain said shirt? I recognized the quote, too. Thought the episode was pretty good, but the psychological aspects behind it (effects of torture) were fascinating.

I have to ask.. WHAT SHOW?????

- "My computer doesn't have one of those network holes, but it does have a phone hole. So I shaved down the plastic on the network wire and stuck it in the modem. But I still can't access my DSL. Why is that?"

Now that is a new level of stupidity. Most of my students can just jam the network cable in the modem without shaving plastic.

I guess that's why they're in college!!!

Jenni

[HawaiianShirts]

Welcome to the club. We've got shirts!

Where does one obtain said shirt? I recognized the quote, too. Thought the episode was pretty good, but the psychological aspects behind it (effects of torture) were fascinating.

Back on-topic. I have wanted to write letters like that myself. The phrase "You get what you pay for" is usually accurate. When you're paying NOTHING and getting SOMETHING, you should accept what you can get. It's free.

My customers are opposite. Lately, I've gotten stuff like these:
- (Customer standing in an aisle full of routers) "Why can't they just make Ethernet splitters like they do for phone cords? I can split my phone cords as much as I want and nothing goes wrong. It should work the same way for network cables. I don't see why we need all these switches and routers and hubs and stuff." Explanations were pointless. He insisted that Radio Shack has Ethernet splitters, and he would be shopping there from now on.
- "My computer doesn't have one of those network holes, but it does have a phone hole. So I shaved down the plastic on the network wire and stuck it in the modem. But I still can't access my DSL. Why is that?"

At least they don't tell me I'm stupid or behind-the-times or any of the crap this guy pulled.

[Crosshair]

I didn't like that episode.

[lordlundar]

If it makes you feel better, I recognized the quote, too. That was a really good episode.

God, now I feel like such a nerd.

Welcome to the club. We've got shirts!

[Customer Beating Robot]

Working in IT I can understand your frustration. When I was younger and just starting out, I knew enough to know I didn't know everything. To that extent, I would be lost as soon as someone started talking over my head. I would get frustrated because I couldn't prove if they really knew their stuff or were just full of it. As I have gotten older, I realize that some of them were just confused but close, and others were just flat out bluffing.

I used to get all kinds of things such as "You can't just tell me how to fix my monitor over the phone? You mean that you can't tell me how to open my monitor case and go in there and repair my monitor that I spilt water on, with a soldering iron? What kind of IT person are you?" As I have gotten older and more knowledgeable, I understand that no IT person knows everything. And I have noticed that the most successful IT people are the ones who will freely admit that "No, I am a programmer. I don't know anything about hardware." Or "I am Windows developer, so I don't know anything about Macs." In life, we all specialize; that is how you get to be the best at something. The best doctors are specialists, not generalists. Ask a customer where they work and then start asking the questionings about accounting, projects, inventory, etc. Ask about all aspects of the business and then admonish them for not knowing how many cans of green beans they sold last month. They work there after all.

I have news for everyone. If you can dial a number and get a person, 99.9% of that time, the person who answered is a low paid grunt. The "know it alls" are too valuable in terms of dollars and time to the company, to be stuck talking to idiot customers all day. You will NEVER get someone on the other line who knows EVERYTHING you need them to know. Nothing against phone answerers, I was and still technically am one. I just don't understand how a customer can expect this encyclopedia of information who knows more than all the top scientits in the world, to be stuck answering a phone for $6.15 an hour.

[Spiffy McMoron]

But... (in best suspiciously British-sounding "French" accent) THERE... ARE.... FOUR LIGHTS!

Yay me for recognizing what is possibly a fairly obscure TNG reference.

If it makes you feel better, I recognized the quote, too. That was a really good episode.

God, now I feel like such a nerd.

[pbmods]

From what I can remember they had Win2K and had customized the settings for a limited user.

In other words, they tried to pre-empt a cultural problem with a technical solution.

Why not try trusting your Users... and failing that, keeping a log of all significant activity on each machine?

[phillippbo]

Don't suggest otherwise. Period. You see five lights.

But... (in best suspiciously British-sounding "French" accent) THERE... ARE.... FOUR LIGHTS!

Yay me for recognizing what is possibly a fairly obscure TNG reference.