Plugging in...
Wonderful, wireless internet. Great when it works, frustrating when it doesn't. Frustrating when the user isn't sure just how the wireless piece does its thing. That user, would be YOU, the reader!
Most laptops have built-in wireless cards which act as antennae to scout the airwaves for nearby wireless connections (networks). BUT... in order for this to work, each laptop has a different method for having the wireless "radio" on, enabled, working, lit up, whatever word works for you.
A recent client wanted to allow a laptop to use the wireless in the house. It hadn't been used before, but it was set up and ready to accept wireless connections. So the Tutor sent an email with instructions for how to connect to the wireless router in the house. Except no one could make it work. Long story short: impatience won out, the Tutor was in the neighborhood and did a "pop-in" visit.
Main problem? The wireless button was switched off. This particular button was at least visible, above the keyboard, but with nary a verbal descriptor, just a symbol that remotely resembled a cell phone tower, along with a blue LED indicator. The light, of course, was out.
Button depressed, blue LED comes on, then the proper wireless icon appeared in the bottom, right corner of the computer's screen. The first time one desires to connect to a wireless connection, it doesn't happen auto-magically, no matter how much one begs! Usually (though not always) a right click of the mouse on the wireless symbol brings up a menu with "view available wireless networks". By clicking on that sentence on the laptop screen, the user will be presented with the names (aka SSID) of the available wireless networks that the laptop can "see". Just because it can "see" them listed, doesn't mean it can connect to each of them.
If a wireless network is protected with a pass code, phrase, password, pass phrase (they all call it something different) then the laptop will not be able to connect unless the user knows the code. If it's unprotected, anyone can connect, the user will be warned it's connnecting to an unprotected network, but will allow the user to choose CONNECT anyway.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is the wireless TURNED ON, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Death by Any Other Name
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
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
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
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