Everyone Can Be Part-Geek

I was going to go take some pictures for a new Utah photo-based travel book that I've been working on for a while. It's raining and there's a flash flood warning that just hit my iPhone, so I decided to work on other things today. Specifically, I've been putting off my work in progress, Minor Demons, for too long while I cleared my head by writing short stories under my pen name. The next chapter is pretty dark, especially the next scene, so I wanted all of the ideas for other stuff gone from my brain before I wrote it. I think I'm just about ready to move forward, but I wanted to get the final thing that's getting in the way out of my brain before I get back to Minor Demons.

 

So here's what I want to talk about today. I want to believe that everyone is part-geek. Let me explain specifically what I mean. I'm good with computers and networks and all sorts of other things for one main reason. I enjoy the challenge (most of the time.) I like the feeling of satisfaction when I get things working again. I recently moved from the Geek Squad to IT / PC Support at the University of Utah's Department of Pathology. It has been great for my commute and my overall quality of life. I also run into less asshole customers at my current job and I'm never expected to go into a Best Buy store to attempt to help fix their poor leadership (not all Best Buys have crappy, lazy leaders, but many do at this point.) Sorry for the tangent. I guess moving to my new job has just helped me realize that there are two types of people: people who will not let problems defeat them and people who hand their problems off to other people. Let's start with a few of the tickets I completed recently at work:

I had a ticket where the guy wrote his own batch file to open all the programs he needs when he gets in to work. It was pretty simplistic and I'm not a programmer by any means, but I thought it was pretty cool. When he upgraded to Windows 7, four of the programs no longer launched when he ran the batch file. He explained to me, in detail, exactly what he had done so far and I remotely accessed his computer to take a look at the batch file with him. With a few tweaks, I was able to get one of the four programs running again and I explained to him why that one wasn't working. At that point, he thanked me and said that he would get the other three running. He wanted to see if he could apply the same principles he had just learned from the one I fixed. I closed the ticket.

Several tickets I've received recently had NOTHING to do with hardware (which is the department I'm in.) Some of them barely had anything to do with the person's job. We received a ticket recently for an iPod that wouldn't charge in ONE of the front four USB ports. Here's the problem I have with a ticket like that:

- There are three other USB ports on the front of the computer that WILL charge it. Pick one, dumbass.
- An iPod that you brought in to work is NOT an ARUP asset. We are not required to troubleshoot anything about it.
- I fix computers for doctors and technicians that are performing tests to try to diagnose illnesses and save lives. Interrupting me with bullshit like your iPod is getting in the way of that.

My final issue with this ticket is that the person was put out when we told her that she was on her own. Seriously? Go figure it out yourself. I guess that's the difference between myself (and the person I described in the earlier story) and other people. As far as I'm concerned, a geek is anyone who will ask for advice but wants to learn and fix their own little life issues. People like the girl in the second story are assholes. That's the choice I see. Be part-geek or part-asshole.

I understand when there are times that someone needs to just hand an issue over to someone more competent than themselves. There are lots of reasons that this may be the case. If time is of essence, it's probably better to hand it off to someone who can fix it quickly. If the problem is way over your head, it's probably a good idea to have someone else fix it while you watch (and hopefully learn.) My problem is with people who run into a problem and their first thought, nearly every time, is, "who can I hand this problem off to?"

I try to be self-sufficient as much as I can. I'm not the greatest handyman, but I've fixed several small problems around my house when they've come up. I fixed my TV the last time it stopped working. I fixed my AC the last time it stopped working. When my showerhead stopped functioning like it should, I got a new one and installed it. I was able to eventually fix my dishwasher the last time it had an issue (though I still kind of wish I had called someone to fix that one.) When anything tech in my house goes down, I will resolve it myself. It doesn't matter if I've seen the problem before. There are times when I ask for advice or help. There are times when I need to call in someone who knows more than I do. Those times are RARE.

So what can you do to be part-geek? Take on life with a desire to learn and conquer your life's small challenges. If you think you can do it or fix it, even if it will strain you, take a shot. If you need to call someone in to help, learn from it. If it's a problem you don't want to deal with and you'd rather just let someone else take care of it... pay them in some way.

That last sentence deserves its own paragraph so I'm going to talk about that for a little bit. There are SO many people that I barely know that think, for one reason or another, that I owe them favors. I try to be a nice guy when I'm not annoyed or busy, but thinking that because you're in the same church as me or you vaguely know my parents that I OWE YOU ANYTHING is RIDICULOUS. I got a call that went to voice mail a while back from people that vaguely know my parents. They are assholes to my parents and to other people. They explained how they have a virus and figured I should go over and fix it for them. No offer of money, no gratitude for what they wanted me to do, not even an offer of chocolate chip cookies (which I have been known to work for in the past if people are nice enough about it. Chocolate chip cookies are almost always delicious.) They think I owe them. Let me go on record right now saying that I don't owe anyone shit right now unless I've said otherwise. I'm willing to help people I know and people I'm on good terms with, but please keep in mind that my weekends are pretty important to me.

That's about all I have to say on that subject. Join the rank of the geek and stop being a lazy asshole if you are one. One more thing I want to cover. I have considered making an e-mail list where I e-mail out one tech tip a week and possibly throw in a little history and stuff about promos on my books from time to time. It would mostly be for free weekly tech tips though. I don't really know if that would be useful or helpful to anyone, but please let me know (here, Facebook, my email, where ever) if you would value something like that. Have a great weekend.

Things To Remember When You Upgrade Your Computer

A large part of my new job involves replacing old dual-core Windows XP computers with new i5 quad-cores with Windows 7. We get a new batch of these each month and we have to swap over 2,000 computers in the next year or two. Many of the people that receive new computers are stoked. They take the right attitude about the whole thing. Occasionally I get someone who will fight me every step of the way since they are comfortable with their current computer (even though it's slow, dying, and ridiculously outdated.) I decided to write some things to remember when you upgrade since I still have the flu and I'm going to be resting (and writing) most of the day. This will focus mostly on Windows PCs, but feel free to apply the advice beyond that.

 
1. Your new computer will not work exactly the same as your old one.

This is the thing that makes most people mad. You can approach this in two ways. You can either realize that moving to a better, faster computer with more overall options is a good thing and weigh that against how things are going to change or you can complain that you're comfortable with the way things are and you don't want to upgrade.

I'm not a fan of upgrading just for the sake of upgrading. There needs to be a good reason to upgrade. I'm of the mindset, though, that even if a program that I really like won't work on my new computer, I can still find a way to get what I want done. After I familiarize myself with the new computer and operating system, I'll eventually become faster at things I normally need to do.

A lot of people fight me when they have to move from Windows XP to Windows 7. Let me give you some facts from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP):
-Windows XP was released on August 24, 2001. It is currently August 8, 2013. That means Windows XP has been out for just shy of 12 years.
-Windows XP is actually the second most popular Windows operating system. I know this shocks a lot of people, but Windows 7 surpassed Windows XP as the most popular Windows operating system in August of 2012.
-Microsoft has announced that they will pull support for Windows XP in April of 2014. It would have been sooner than that if most people didn't cling to XP following the release of Windows Vista.

So what does that tell us? Here's the main point: Windows XP is not the best version of Windows. If you are being forced to upgrade, moving to Windows 7 isn't so bad. There's a reason Windows 7 is now on more machines than Windows XP. I could say similar things about the Mac OS, but I think my point has been made.

2. A data transfer doesn't mean all of your old programs will move over.

Here's a concept some people don't seem to grasp even after I explain it to them. A data transfer means moving your data over to the new computer. You'll likely get to keep your documents, pictures, music, videos, and any other specific data files that you request. If you're using a computer tech for this, please make it easy on them and tell them what specifically you would like moved over. I get really sick of conversations that go like this:
"So what data would you like moved over to your new computer?"
"All of it."
"What specifically? The documents? The music?"
"Can't you just transfer the whole hard drive?"

This is where I facepalm. Yes I can transfer the whole hard drive. That would be stupid. Should I transfer the Windows XP operating system folder on to your new computer? It won't function. It won't do anything but take up space. Would you like me to transfer all of your temp files? Again... that's dumb. Transferring an entire hard drive wastes a lot of time and a large portion of the files on that hard drive will be useless on a new computer. Things I like to transfer that end up making most people content would include: documents, pictures, music, videos, Outlook files, QuickBooks and Quicken data, AppData, and Favorites.

Here's another thing that may be hard to accept: not all of your programs that work in Windows XP will work in a newer operating system. Yes, there are workarounds for this but I suggest you don't use them. Your energy would be better spent finding a way to do what that program did using Windows 7. Giving your old program a crutch to limp along with in Windows 7 will eventually end up being a bad idea (in most of the cases I've seen, it causes all sorts of weird problems that I will refuse to support as a computer tech.)

3. You've put it off for far too long and it's time.

I understand that people get comfortable with their computers. They like how things work, they put up with the slow speed, and they just don't want to upgrade. I use my phone as a bench mark. If I can do more, faster, on my phone than you can on your computer, it's time to upgrade.

I really don't understand people that say, "But I've only had it for seven years." Seven years? That's a great run for a computer. I've seen computers DIE much sooner than seven years.

Here's my advice. If you're scared and worried that it will take a while to get comfortable, go hang out with some people that can show you what new computers can do. When you get a new computer, explore. You won't break anything beyond the point of fixing unless you throw the computer out the window.

4. If you use a tech or friend for help, don't get mad at them.

I understand that upgrading is a difficult process for some. You want things to work a certain way. Yelling at your computer tech will not help you get your way. It just pisses them off.

I want everyone to understand something as well. I was not born knowing tons of things about computers. I wasn't born with some crazy gene that old people think seems to exist in the younger generation. I learned about computers through trial and error. I've broken things and fixed them. I've messed up programs and then made them functional again. The reason I'm good with computers and so many people aren't is that I am not afraid of them. Whatever error I cause or problem I create, I can backtrack and fix it. That's what Google is for. That's what recovery points are for. That's why you back up your data.

So I worked hard to become good with computers. I don't mind getting people set up, but I don't appreciate it when people complain, yell at me, or make light of all the things I know about computers (which, again, I learned on my own.) If you yell enough at a computer tech, one of the following will happen:
-your computer tech (or friend) will leave
-your computer tech will try to help you as best as they can and then will never help you again
-you will be blacklisted

There are literally people who would threaten Geek Squad techs. That's a very stupid thing to do. You will make your way to the blacklist and will never have the option of calling the Geek Squad again. As a computer geek, I have my own personal blacklist as well. There are some people that I simply won't help ever again because the last time I helped, they were assholes. Don't be an asshole if you want help... especially when you're going to need help with your new computer.

5. People are more prone to help you if you try to help yourself

I occasionally run into a problem that I haven't seen before. I google it. I try everything that has solved the problem for other people. I try a few things of my own. Before I go ask for help, I try everything I can think of and everything Google tells me to try. When I consult with another computer tech, I explain the problem and then tell them everything I've already tried.

When people approach me in the way I've just described, I'm a lot happier to help them. It's a lot nicer to go up to someone and say, "I've tried this, this, and this. I still can't get it to work. Would you mind helping me out or giving me some more ideas?"

I remember a time that my little sister came to me for help because her DVD drive stopped working. I ended up having to delete the upper and lower pass filters to get it working again. It was a problem that I wouldn't expect her to know how to fix. When she told me the problem, however, she told me that she Googled it and had already taken her computer back to a restore point. That didn't fix it, but at least she tried. She also told me exactly what her specific problem was. That sounds a lot better than, "Hey, Randy. I broke my iTunes. Will you fix it?"

Conclusion

Well this was a lot longer than I was planning. Maybe I'm just a frustrated computer tech. :-P A lot of this is really just common sense. Don't get so comfortable that you never improve. Don't treat other people like shit. Stuff like that. I promise that there's a feeling of accomplishment when you learn to solve computer problems on your own. I'm at the point now where I charge to do computer work on the side. At least a little money will keep most people away. I don't like being the only option people run to when they break their stuff. While some people are cool about just needing your help every once in a while, the majority of people will totally shut off their brains when it comes to technology if they think they can use mine instead. My brain stays pretty busy. It no longer has time to fix other people's problems unless cash is involved. :-P

So today, August 10th, is computer geek appreciation day. It isn't really, but you should be nice to your computer tech anyways. Today is the last day of Geek Appreciation week on YouTube, so I guess that's close enough. So thank a geek. Tell them they are smart and awesome. Even Jesus said something to the effect of "the geek shall inherit the earth." We're in the year 2013 and the geek is in the process of inheriting the earth right now. :-P

Geek Love

So I was on my way to Provo today for class and I got bored. I started thinking up geeky words and stuff that rhymed with them. It kind of turned into a love poem and I just polished it up in a word document. I got a good laugh from it (I laugh at myself a lot actually...) so I figured I'd share it here. Feel free to let me know what you think, but I'm still gonna think it's pretty funny regardless. Also, if you come up with anymore geeky little two line pairs... let me know.

Geek Love

I really didn’t care for this lovesick condition

So I locked up my heart with WPA encryption

Then one day you said that I was a cute guy

And it sent a spike to my power supply

Now I have no need for DHCP

Cuz I’m stuck to you like a static IP

I’m glad I have someone cool to hold hands with

And what makes it better; we’re on the same bandwidth

When I tell a good joke you give me a high five

And my pulse races faster than a solid state drive

I’ve been alone but now I want more

So let’s get together and take life dual-core