Plugging in...
The Tutor received an unusual and unique thank you while working with a new client this past week. The Mail Chimp program was proving a bit problematic, more a semantics issue when all was said and done, for sending out what should have been a simple group mailing.
The Tutor's client shared their two-day frustration of attempting to get a campaign mailed to a certain "group" of potential clients. The solution ended up taking about an hour to resolve. When it was apparent that we had a solution, the client, bless her, took both of my hands in hers and kissed the back of each of my hands, thanking me for using them to solve a problem that had consumed too much of her time.
What can I say? The Tutor's hands are not usually revered during a session, but they appreciated the thoughtful, kind and unique gesture.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Kindle Capers
Plugging in...
What happens when you cross an Amazon Kindle with the Kindle App on an iPad? Usually they play nice and SHARE the book being read, whether it was first obtained on the Kindle or the iPad. Yesterday, though, a Kindle and iPad play date went astray.
It should have been easy, they "sync", right? Indeed they do, but only if the same email address was used to register the Kindle and the Kindle App on the iPad. It took some tedious detective work to discover that there was an old email address registered for the Kindle AND... Amazon does not have an edit email address for the Kindle, if the registered email address is defunct!
One must DEREGISTER the Kindle and REGISTER the Kindle using the email address that was used on the iPad Kindle App. You don't even want to know the other solution that Amazon presented, ridiculously long, convoluted and unnecessary! Something about merging the accounts, waiting several hours, calling tech support back...
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, was there ANOTHER email address from your past somewhere, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
What happens when you cross an Amazon Kindle with the Kindle App on an iPad? Usually they play nice and SHARE the book being read, whether it was first obtained on the Kindle or the iPad. Yesterday, though, a Kindle and iPad play date went astray.
It should have been easy, they "sync", right? Indeed they do, but only if the same email address was used to register the Kindle and the Kindle App on the iPad. It took some tedious detective work to discover that there was an old email address registered for the Kindle AND... Amazon does not have an edit email address for the Kindle, if the registered email address is defunct!
One must DEREGISTER the Kindle and REGISTER the Kindle using the email address that was used on the iPad Kindle App. You don't even want to know the other solution that Amazon presented, ridiculously long, convoluted and unnecessary! Something about merging the accounts, waiting several hours, calling tech support back...
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, was there ANOTHER email address from your past somewhere, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Latest iPhone Waterproofing
Plugging in...
How about those snack baggies from Zip Lock, or your favorite grocery store brand? Who knew that not only are they waterproof if one properly seals them BUT your iPhone will work IN the bag, with or without gloves. No special "touch" hand wear required.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
How about those snack baggies from Zip Lock, or your favorite grocery store brand? Who knew that not only are they waterproof if one properly seals them BUT your iPhone will work IN the bag, with or without gloves. No special "touch" hand wear required.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Unplugged and Plugged In!
Plugging in...
The last day of 2014. Wow. Technology has seen many changes as have YOU, the users of the new during this year.
After 27+ years of tutoring, troubleshooting, advising, purchasing and installing... the premise of making sure it's plugged in and turned on still holds. How ironic that is. That one piece of advice hasn't changed.
The other piece of advice that hasn't changed... unplug it, then plug it back in before calling for help. Just yesterday, that was the "technical" solution for a mis-behaving printer [aka wouldn't print]. Sometimes it is the simple solutions that we overlook. Aren't we thankful when it IS the simple solution?
When next the Tutor is called upon to problem solve, shop, install or teach, the calendar will have turned and it will be January of 2015. What will the technologists have in our future? The Tutor promises it will be interesting, enlightening, maybe frightening, educational, exciting, and fun. See you in the future. Happy, safe, healthy new year.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
The last day of 2014. Wow. Technology has seen many changes as have YOU, the users of the new during this year.
After 27+ years of tutoring, troubleshooting, advising, purchasing and installing... the premise of making sure it's plugged in and turned on still holds. How ironic that is. That one piece of advice hasn't changed.
The other piece of advice that hasn't changed... unplug it, then plug it back in before calling for help. Just yesterday, that was the "technical" solution for a mis-behaving printer [aka wouldn't print]. Sometimes it is the simple solutions that we overlook. Aren't we thankful when it IS the simple solution?
When next the Tutor is called upon to problem solve, shop, install or teach, the calendar will have turned and it will be January of 2015. What will the technologists have in our future? The Tutor promises it will be interesting, enlightening, maybe frightening, educational, exciting, and fun. See you in the future. Happy, safe, healthy new year.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Saturday, December 6, 2014
A Heartfelt Compliment
Plugging in...
Everyone benefits greatly from a compliment. The Tutor received a compliment of the highest caliber on December 4, 2014. After negotiating another aggravating password problem, this is what my grateful client said:
"What would I do without you? I can do without my Cardiologist, but you, you I cannot live without!"
Clearly the client was grateful and exaggerating ever so slightly. But the sentiment was heartfelt, no pun intended. This is one small reason why the Tutor loves this job: clients are always so very happy to see the Tutor!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Everyone benefits greatly from a compliment. The Tutor received a compliment of the highest caliber on December 4, 2014. After negotiating another aggravating password problem, this is what my grateful client said:
"What would I do without you? I can do without my Cardiologist, but you, you I cannot live without!"
Clearly the client was grateful and exaggerating ever so slightly. But the sentiment was heartfelt, no pun intended. This is one small reason why the Tutor loves this job: clients are always so very happy to see the Tutor!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Password Blues
Plugging in...
There are email programs out there that are looking after your safety, even if you are not. How so? They either require you to change your email password within a certain time frame, or they allow you set a reminder to change the email password. What happens when the reminder doesn't work as advertised, as in no email access at all??
An outlook.com user had set the reminder to kick in every 72 days. And kick in it did, but without any physical reminder: no text, no email, no nudge. The user tried to get email on their iPhone, and the dreaded "incorrect password" message reared its ugly head. The same user then tried to login to the email account on a laptop, and the same message appeared. Much head scratching and puzzled facial expressions occurred. The user was convinced that the email account had been hacked.
Not until several more tries on the iPhone to fetch email did the reminder finally kick in that prompted: you must change your email password. That in turn nudged the user to remember that they had set that option, um, 72 days ago.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - did you create a note about the email reminder external to email, and is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
There are email programs out there that are looking after your safety, even if you are not. How so? They either require you to change your email password within a certain time frame, or they allow you set a reminder to change the email password. What happens when the reminder doesn't work as advertised, as in no email access at all??
An outlook.com user had set the reminder to kick in every 72 days. And kick in it did, but without any physical reminder: no text, no email, no nudge. The user tried to get email on their iPhone, and the dreaded "incorrect password" message reared its ugly head. The same user then tried to login to the email account on a laptop, and the same message appeared. Much head scratching and puzzled facial expressions occurred. The user was convinced that the email account had been hacked.
Not until several more tries on the iPhone to fetch email did the reminder finally kick in that prompted: you must change your email password. That in turn nudged the user to remember that they had set that option, um, 72 days ago.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - did you create a note about the email reminder external to email, and is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Happy Thanksgiving, 2014
Plugging in...
A picture is worth a thousand words...
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
A picture is worth a thousand words...
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
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