Plugging in...
This is not a good story. It does have a lesson which will divulge itself momentarily.
A client called for a "check-up" of their computer. It's running slow, won't always read Kodak photos CDs and other sundry items. A typical call the Tutor receives.
After finding nothing unusual but the usual detritus to cleanup, and some minor education in how Kodak Easy Share software works, the time was ripe for a backup. The client had not used their in-place backup (Maxtor One Touch) for six months. Can you see where this might be going?
Maxtor plugged in, computer performing the super easy backup until, until, until... (don't you just love the suspense of a computer mystery?) the laptop screen turned black, and ALL power faded away. Huh? That's what we both said too. Computer did restart, but the only hint of life was a blinking white cursor against a dark screen. And two large sighs were heard round the world.
The laptop, coincidentally, had breathed its last breath at the same time the backup was taking place. A massive heart attack, if you will. No CPR, no EMT assistance. Dead as in not worthy of fixing (it was 5 years old).
The moral of the story is: can you guess? If one has a backup plan in place, one must USE the backup plan in place. What good is the backup if it's six months old? Albeit, better than NO backup at all, but six months could paralyze some people who rely on their computers to earn their keep.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, IS IT BACKED UP, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
My Password? What Password?
Plugging in...
Those pesky passwords are just killing us. Create a password here, change a password there. Here a password, there a password, everywhere a password. Old McInternet had a password, E I E I O.
Good as the Tutor is, a password cracker is not the Tutor's claim to fame. The Tutor can help with many things password: changing a password that was forgotten, resetting wireless router passwords, assisting in creating a method so that password forgetting or writing down (kind of defeats the purpose, right?) is a thing of the past.
Think pattern. That's a hint for creating a new password for every Tom, Dick or Harry that begs for one. Use the pattern each time and you'll never have to remember what the password is again.
Don't understand "pattern"? Call the Tutor. The Tutor knows how to pattern. If patterning isn't your thing, consider using a password program to securely save and/or create the passwords for you. Roboform is the Tutor's current fav.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, did you use the password pattern and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Those pesky passwords are just killing us. Create a password here, change a password there. Here a password, there a password, everywhere a password. Old McInternet had a password, E I E I O.
Good as the Tutor is, a password cracker is not the Tutor's claim to fame. The Tutor can help with many things password: changing a password that was forgotten, resetting wireless router passwords, assisting in creating a method so that password forgetting or writing down (kind of defeats the purpose, right?) is a thing of the past.
Think pattern. That's a hint for creating a new password for every Tom, Dick or Harry that begs for one. Use the pattern each time and you'll never have to remember what the password is again.
Don't understand "pattern"? Call the Tutor. The Tutor knows how to pattern. If patterning isn't your thing, consider using a password program to securely save and/or create the passwords for you. Roboform is the Tutor's current fav.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, did you use the password pattern and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Friday, January 8, 2010
Whoa, it's a New Year
Plugging in...
Happy new year and welcome to the decade of 2010.
But where oh where has the Tutor been? The blog lost some steam in December, 2009, like many things in the world. The Tutor though, was occupied with enjoying the fabulous holiday season of 2009 and knee deep in installing four desktop computers, among myriad other computer-related tasks.
Unplugged is still goin' on out there, even when the Tutor's fa la la-ing. A keyboard this time. A frantic call early one morning. Can't type, can't shutdown, can't send an email, can't, can't, can't.
The caller had already shut off the computer and restarted it but the Tutor suggested unplugging the keyboard and plugging it back in again. The call ended, and the phone rang again minutes later, same caller. A laughing caller. When attempting to unplug the keyboard, the caller noticed IT WASN'T plugged in to begin with.
Many cables are stuffed and stuck behind things (computer, desk, table, etc) so it's not obvious when they work themselves out of their snug little slots. Course, wireless keyboards and mice can eliminate this little snag...
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Happy new year and welcome to the decade of 2010.
But where oh where has the Tutor been? The blog lost some steam in December, 2009, like many things in the world. The Tutor though, was occupied with enjoying the fabulous holiday season of 2009 and knee deep in installing four desktop computers, among myriad other computer-related tasks.
Unplugged is still goin' on out there, even when the Tutor's fa la la-ing. A keyboard this time. A frantic call early one morning. Can't type, can't shutdown, can't send an email, can't, can't, can't.
The caller had already shut off the computer and restarted it but the Tutor suggested unplugging the keyboard and plugging it back in again. The call ended, and the phone rang again minutes later, same caller. A laughing caller. When attempting to unplug the keyboard, the caller noticed IT WASN'T plugged in to begin with.
Many cables are stuffed and stuck behind things (computer, desk, table, etc) so it's not obvious when they work themselves out of their snug little slots. Course, wireless keyboards and mice can eliminate this little snag...
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Happy Holidays, 2009
Plugging in...
Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the tutoring is so delightful,
And as long as you call her phone,
You’ll never face the PC all alone.
It doesn’t show signs of running
And the viruses can be cunning
The electricity's about to blow
Let it go, let it go, let it go!
When you finally give her a call,
How you’ll hate it if she’s at the mall.
But if you really want her there,
Wait awhile, then she’ll appear.
The computer thinks it’s dying,
And you’re on the verge of crying.
But as long as you make the call,
She’ll save you from climbing the wall!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the tutoring is so delightful,
And as long as you call her phone,
You’ll never face the PC all alone.
It doesn’t show signs of running
And the viruses can be cunning
The electricity's about to blow
Let it go, let it go, let it go!
When you finally give her a call,
How you’ll hate it if she’s at the mall.
But if you really want her there,
Wait awhile, then she’ll appear.
The computer thinks it’s dying,
And you’re on the verge of crying.
But as long as you make the call,
She’ll save you from climbing the wall!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Fonting can be Haunting
Plugging in...
The tutor had the recent pleasure of working with a distinguished gentleman author in the midst of writing a book. Out of the twelve chapters already written, four of them had a visually disturbing problem. The customary font, Times New Roman, and the customary size, 12 pt, was SO small on the screen and when printed, that the author was forced to make the font size 18 pt. The publishing editor provided guidelines for the electronic submission of the draft, and size 18 was NOT in the guidelines. Try as the author might, he was unable to correct the problem. For the record, the editor, too, was incapable of solving the font mystery.
After the Tutor reviewed one document in depth (the chapters were typed in separate documents), the styles* used within, and the document formatting, the culprit made itself known. Somehow, somewhere, something (someone?) had superscripted the ENTIRE document and changed the spacing to add 10 points after each carriage return.
It wasn't a quick fix. There were many mixed styles in the document requiring editing. Once edited though, the corrected styles automatically changed the formatting in the document, as intended.
* In Microsoft Word, a style is a collection of formatting instructions. One uses Word styles to identify and format the structural elements in a document. So one could use the "Title" style for your title, "Body Text" style for body text, "Caption" style for the picture captions and "Heading 1" for the major headings.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is the font super or subscripted, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
The tutor had the recent pleasure of working with a distinguished gentleman author in the midst of writing a book. Out of the twelve chapters already written, four of them had a visually disturbing problem. The customary font, Times New Roman, and the customary size, 12 pt, was SO small on the screen and when printed, that the author was forced to make the font size 18 pt. The publishing editor provided guidelines for the electronic submission of the draft, and size 18 was NOT in the guidelines. Try as the author might, he was unable to correct the problem. For the record, the editor, too, was incapable of solving the font mystery.
After the Tutor reviewed one document in depth (the chapters were typed in separate documents), the styles* used within, and the document formatting, the culprit made itself known. Somehow, somewhere, something (someone?) had superscripted the ENTIRE document and changed the spacing to add 10 points after each carriage return.
It wasn't a quick fix. There were many mixed styles in the document requiring editing. Once edited though, the corrected styles automatically changed the formatting in the document, as intended.
* In Microsoft Word, a style is a collection of formatting instructions. One uses Word styles to identify and format the structural elements in a document. So one could use the "Title" style for your title, "Body Text" style for body text, "Caption" style for the picture captions and "Heading 1" for the major headings.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is the font super or subscripted, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
You Make a Me Sweat
Plugging in...
When you read the title, think Italian accent "you make a me sweat". It was uttered to the Tutor one fine day while teaching a classroom of twenty-five how to use Lotus. Oh. You don't remember Lotus 123, the pre-cursor to Excel, the darling of Cambridge Massachusetts? No matter.
The gentleman of Italian descent was having difficulty following the Tutor's instructions, mainly because English was his second language. Little did the Tutor know he was a brilliant engineer who worked on an oil rig. So why is that important to the story? The Tutor was informed by one of the man's colleagues not to "help" him catch up, that the colleague would assist him and the Tutor could continue teaching without interruption.
When lunch time rolled around, the colleauge approached the Tutor and explained why the Italian gentleman/engineer was so reticent when touching the keyboard. The Italian engineer held a position on the oil rig such that if he pushed the wrong button while on the oil rig, it could blow the rig to kingdom come. He was so accustomed to not touching anything until he was postively certain of the outcome, that he brought this focused attention to learning the spreadsheet program.
So. The Tutor stopped making the man sweat, his colleague helped him out, and the Lotus class was a success.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, do you know which key to press, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
When you read the title, think Italian accent "you make a me sweat". It was uttered to the Tutor one fine day while teaching a classroom of twenty-five how to use Lotus. Oh. You don't remember Lotus 123, the pre-cursor to Excel, the darling of Cambridge Massachusetts? No matter.
The gentleman of Italian descent was having difficulty following the Tutor's instructions, mainly because English was his second language. Little did the Tutor know he was a brilliant engineer who worked on an oil rig. So why is that important to the story? The Tutor was informed by one of the man's colleagues not to "help" him catch up, that the colleague would assist him and the Tutor could continue teaching without interruption.
When lunch time rolled around, the colleauge approached the Tutor and explained why the Italian gentleman/engineer was so reticent when touching the keyboard. The Italian engineer held a position on the oil rig such that if he pushed the wrong button while on the oil rig, it could blow the rig to kingdom come. He was so accustomed to not touching anything until he was postively certain of the outcome, that he brought this focused attention to learning the spreadsheet program.
So. The Tutor stopped making the man sweat, his colleague helped him out, and the Lotus class was a success.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, do you know which key to press, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Best Use of a Digital Camera
Plugging in...
A couple years ago, October 2007 to be precise, the Tutor had the good fortune and good health to visit Nepal, trekking and mountain climbing. But that's not what this tale is about.
The Tutor had a request to bring back some japa mala beads. What are they, you ask? A Japa mala or mala (Sanskrit:माला; mālā, meaning garland) is a set of prayer beads commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists, usually made from 108 beads, though other numbers, usually divisible by 9, are also used. Malas are used for keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra or the name or names of a deity. This practice is known in Sanskrit as japa.
The tale is also not really about the beads, so much as the journey to purchase the beads. So there the Tutor sat in a small jewelry shop at the Yak and Yeti hotel in Katmandu about 7:00pm. The informative shopkeeper was educating the Tutor in all things japa mala and had several expensive japa mala strands of beads strewn across the counter when the power went out. It was pitch dark, black as tar, impossible to see anything.
The quick-thinking Tutor, whipped out her digital camera and used the light from the LCD screen to assist the shopkeeper in retrieving the beads and returning them to their secured case. The Tutor thanked the shopkeeper and with camera in hand, led herself out and up the stairwell to her hotel room, guided by the LCD light. The hotel room had candles and matches, so the handy digital Canon Powershot G was turned off.
The Tutor did purchase several strands of japa mala beads, as requested, and brought them back to the states where they are either in use and revered daily, or tucked away in a drawer, now forgotten.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is there power, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
A couple years ago, October 2007 to be precise, the Tutor had the good fortune and good health to visit Nepal, trekking and mountain climbing. But that's not what this tale is about.
The Tutor had a request to bring back some japa mala beads. What are they, you ask? A Japa mala or mala (Sanskrit:माला; mālā, meaning garland) is a set of prayer beads commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists, usually made from 108 beads, though other numbers, usually divisible by 9, are also used. Malas are used for keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra or the name or names of a deity. This practice is known in Sanskrit as japa.
The tale is also not really about the beads, so much as the journey to purchase the beads. So there the Tutor sat in a small jewelry shop at the Yak and Yeti hotel in Katmandu about 7:00pm. The informative shopkeeper was educating the Tutor in all things japa mala and had several expensive japa mala strands of beads strewn across the counter when the power went out. It was pitch dark, black as tar, impossible to see anything.
The quick-thinking Tutor, whipped out her digital camera and used the light from the LCD screen to assist the shopkeeper in retrieving the beads and returning them to their secured case. The Tutor thanked the shopkeeper and with camera in hand, led herself out and up the stairwell to her hotel room, guided by the LCD light. The hotel room had candles and matches, so the handy digital Canon Powershot G was turned off.
The Tutor did purchase several strands of japa mala beads, as requested, and brought them back to the states where they are either in use and revered daily, or tucked away in a drawer, now forgotten.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is there power, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
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