They Don’t Pay Me Enough… #01: Gay Neophytes [or Plugging the Wrong Port]
Today we begin a semi-regular installment entitled “They Don’t Pay Me Enough…” These entries should serve as a collection of Stupid User Tales I encounter in my day job [For those just tuning in, I'm the Systems Manager for a local arts company]. So without further adieu:
They Don’t Pay Me Enough…
Episode #01: Gay Neophytes [or Plugging the Wrong Port]
Earlier this week, I received a visit in my office by someone from upper management. To be exact, it wasn’t someone from upper management [Whom we'll call "Big Wig"], but rather their life-partner [Mr. C] [Who has recently acquired a job at my company]. Big Wig and Mr. C have been supplied a computer in their home by the company. This particular model of computer has built-in support for a wireless keyboard & wireless optical mouse. Said mouse has been giving them a handful of semi-legit issues, so I gave Mr. C a new USB wired mouse, as wireless was not a critical requirement for them. I explained how and where to plug it in, what a USB port looks like, etc.
Friday afternoon I received call from Mr. C saying he had plugged in the mouse, but still nothing was working. I had him double check that is was plugged all the way in and some various other troubleshooting ideas before resigning myself to the fact that I’d have to swing by their house to get this resolved [Mind you a week or so prior I had to swing by diagnose another issue, which turned out to be resolved by replacing the batteries in the wireless keyboard...]. It’s not far from the office so I said I’d be there later that afternoon.
When I arrived, I immediately went upstairs where their computer resided hoping to make this a brief in-and-out trip so I could go home early too. Sure enough the mouse wasn’t working and there were no signs that windows had detected a USB mouse. So I traced the cord back to the back of the computer where I found it plugged in… To the Ethernet jack on the back of the computer. I didn’t event know you could not only fit a male USB A-style plug into a female RJ45 jack, but more impressively do it at an angle that doesn’t look jacked up. So, squelching my inner-hysteria I wrangle the cable out from the ethernet jack and plug it into a free USB jack, not 1/4″ away from the ethernet jack. Windows sees a mouse, Mr. C is thrilled [albeit confused as to what he did wrong], and I move on [smirking that I now have a new blog entry at his expense]…
Technorati Tags: Stupid User, USB, RJ45, Neophytes, Gay
I had a similar experience on Thursday involving some oxygen tubing. I couldn’t figure out why both ends of the extension tubing and the end of the original tubing were both female.
But it only took me about 30 seconds to realize there must be a connector…which I found in the supply room. Though I’m still baffled as to why they wouldn’t just put one in the bag with the extension in the first place.
Then there was the time I solved an SU’s problem by pushing the ‘on’ button….
Comment by The Julie — July 1, 2006 @ 9:34 am
This reminds me, somewhat sadly, of my mom. For the future: use pictures, not words. That usually does the trick.
And also: your title made me snort at work. High five to you.
Comment by molly — July 5, 2006 @ 12:29 pm