They tell make my husband unplug the modem, etc. He's an IT guy. He understands this stuff far better than most of the help line people. When he is lucky, they escalate to a real techy.
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When they tell me to have my husband do something with any tech I have to ask them why...I'm the one that taught him.
Dawgluver
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+1. I'm DH's tech support. Not real good at it, but better than he is.
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I'm pretty good at tech stuff, usually better than the guys on the front line of help, but Stirling is a whiz at tech stuff. They have never asked me to talk to my husband. Sometimes I tell them they have to talk to him. 
Well, you know my Shrek is quite old...he remembers Howdy-Doody on TV...
Dawgluver
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I too am good at tech stuff, I learnt it all from Steve, he is ever so smart when it comes to computers, hardware and software...he is a Software Engineer in his full time job but also can make a pc from scratch, very impressive
You are the same age as Shrek???
I too am good at tech stuff, I learnt it all from Steve, he is ever so smart when it comes to computers, hardware and software...he is a Software Engineer in his full time job but also can make a pc from scratch, very impressive
Yes, my Dad does the same thing, he's been building computers and working with them since before there were PC's.
I'm pretty good at tech stuff, usually better than the guys on the front line of help, but Stirling is a whiz at tech stuff. They have never asked me to talk to my husband. Sometimes I tell them they have to talk to him.
It is good that us girls know what to do
Dawgluver
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I don't think so...
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
I used to keep up on all the technie stuff. But then I found Spike. So now my instructions are "Don't touch anything. Call me." So that is what I do.
I too remember Howdy Doody. I also remember Roberta Quinlin and her sponsor, Carpets From The Looms Of Mohawk. She had a 15 minute show at 7 p.m. five nights a week. And the nightly news was told to us by John Cameron Swazey who was sponsored by Timex. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Another 15 minute show. And I also remember my mother listen to the Romances of Helen Trent and the Guiding Light on the radio. Yes, I admit it. I am old.
I too remember Howdy Doody. I also remember Roberta Quinlin and her sponsor, Carpets From The Looms Of Mohawk. She had a 15 minute show at 7 p.m. five nights a week. And the nightly news was told to us by John Cameron Swazey who was sponsored by Timex. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Another 15 minute show. And I also remember my mother listen to the Romances of Helen Trent and the Guiding Light on the radio. Yes, I admit it. I am old.
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
The "unplug/replug" thing is what caused Himself to not call about a flaky modem for months, until it got too bad. Even I knew what was wrong...the thing was over a decade old and worn out! When he finally called they asked a bunch of questions, did a few tests with him on the phone, and told him they couldn't find anything wrong. Next day they send him an email - saying a new modem was on the way! Well, the new one has been in its box on the counter for a week now because MY idea worked: move the old modem from the den on the warmer second floor and put it down the basement where it's cooler and a constant temp. Danged old one has been perfect for 2 weeks!
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
Same with Himself. We never had a new computer (unless you count our Atari 800) until 2000 because he would bring home the old ones from work for free, tinker with them, and get them to run good enough for home. I felt like the IT guy's version of the shoemaker's kids.
Back in the early '70s he worked for a small company designing systems and writing code. (His typing wasn't very good - I have a punch card he did for me that says "I move you"
) A client wanted to get their desktop computers to send data to an office in another state, but back then only mainframes were doing data transfers. He and a coworker (Tom) stayed late every night trying to get it to work. It was a secret project and I couldn't tell anyone so I called it "Nanette" anytime we were out (theatre joke). Got so I saw so little of him I would pack a basket of food for him and Tom and run over to the office from my parents' home and drop it off! When they finally got it working by testing between their office in Cleveland and the home office back in MA (different company than the most recent) everyone at HQ was so impressed they offered the two guys teaching jobs at corporate. Dodged the moving bullet that time.
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
The "unplug/replug" thing is what caused Himself to not call about a flaky modem for months, until it got too bad. Even I knew what was wrong...the thing was over a decade old and worn out! When he finally called they asked a bunch of questions, did a few tests with him on the phone, and told him they couldn't find anything wrong. Next day they send him an email - saying a new modem was on the way! Well, the new one has been in its box on the counter for a week now because MY idea worked: move the old modem from the den on the warmer second floor and put it down the basement where it's cooler and a constant temp. Danged old one has been perfect for 2 weeks!
When Spike called Comcast for me to tell them I needed a new modem, they didn't believe him. So the silly person on the other end spent almost 20 minutes of his time trying to get my modem to work. Finally he asked how long have I had the Internet service with them. I even had the date. It was ten years ago. Long before they went digital. "Oh, I think your modem is out of date now." Such a brilliant guy. By now I decided to play with him. "Can you bring it into the office and we will exchange it for you?" "No, I am housebound and can't walk. And I am very elderly. The computer and TV are the only means I have of staying in touch with the outside world. Can you deliver it to me without an extra charge?"
"Oh, I will have to check with my supervisor." I already knew the answer, but since these calls are timed and monitored, I wasn't going to let him off to easy.
"Can I set up an appointment time with you? What time would it be the most convenient for you when you will be at home?"
"Well considering I am housebound I expect to be home all day."
The conversation kept going on and on about a good time for me and the truck that would be in my neighborhood. I finally had enough of his stupidity and asked for his supervisor. Took her 10 seconds to set up the time. And there was no delivery charge.
Had he asked me in the beginning when I had gotten my old modem he could have saved a lot of time. You can bet he got a dressing down for the length of that call. 45 minutes. Idiot!
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bakechef
Executive Chef
I'm my own tech support for most things, If I don't know how to do something, I research until I figure it out.
Just this morning I replaced the DVD drive in my home theater PC with a blu-ray drive before I even ate breakfast. I built the computer myself. I recently bought it a whole new case, one that will fit under the TV nice and neat instead of beside the tv on the floor. I had the whole thing dismantled, cleaned and put back together in about 45 minutes.
When it comes to the modem, there isn't much I can fix, it's proprietary from At&t, not even something I can go out and replace myself, like I could with my old cable modem.
Just this morning I replaced the DVD drive in my home theater PC with a blu-ray drive before I even ate breakfast. I built the computer myself. I recently bought it a whole new case, one that will fit under the TV nice and neat instead of beside the tv on the floor. I had the whole thing dismantled, cleaned and put back together in about 45 minutes.
When it comes to the modem, there isn't much I can fix, it's proprietary from At&t, not even something I can go out and replace myself, like I could with my old cable modem.
purple.alien.giraffe
Executive Chef
Grrr, predictability.
No you are closer in age to me, we just never had a TV until I was 10 or 11. I never saw Howdy Doody when it was first aired.
Dawgluver
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I vaguely recall it, I was more of the Captain Kangaroo generation.
Same with Himself. We never had a new computer (unless you count our Atari 800) until 2000 because he would bring home the old ones from work for free, tinker with them, and get them to run good enough for home. I felt like the IT guy's version of the shoemaker's kids.
Back in the early '70s he worked for a small company designing systems and writing code. (His typing wasn't very good - I have a punch card he did for me that says "I move you"
I used to sit in the room with the punch card creator while Dad's homework ran through and let him know when a jam happened or a run was done. He was busy down the hall setting up chemistry labs for the next day. I watched carefully and soon I was fixing jams and putting in the next box of cards without bugging him.
He got a lot of help out of me when he was a workstudy student. I got good at setting up labs, helped him with inventories, etc. Then we'd walk home past the cemetery and he'd scare me with stories.
