Business | Piss and Moan

DOH!

Posted on October 11, 2019 by backuphill

apple magic keyboard with numeric pad on table near wireless mouse

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There are those clients who just don’t know what’s up and then there are those clients who are lucky to survive a day when left to their own devices…

You, of course, have heard of the typical IT calls where someone has to “check to see if it is plugged in” and to “turn it off and turn it back on” and “did you turn your computer monitor on?” You are smarter than that, right? I am sure you have never had to need that sort of tech support, right? You’re all beyond that now, right?

So, yesterday I took a call about the software we support not working. It was in my area of expertise and so I figured it was something the user was doing (or not doing) and that is why it wasn’t working the way they expected.

In this case, a teacher wasn’t able to get the software to record the grades being entered for a graded assignment. I called the client and shadowed them in my virtual meeting room. Below is the conversation:

Me: “What seems to be the problem? Can you show me what is happening?”

Client: “I know you can’t see this but I am pushing the numbers for 2 0 and nothing is happening.”

Me: “Are you using the numbers on the keyboard above the letters or does your keyboard have a 10-key pad?”

Client: “I am using the numbers on the side.”

Me: “Can you push the NUMLK key on your keyboard and try it again?”

Client: “Oh, huh, weird. I have never had to do that before.”

Me: “silence….as I roll my eyes and bite my tongue”

Me: “So everything is working like it should now? Glad I could help.”

Add that to the list of “I’ve seen it all” items.

Why is it that people have a hard time troubleshooting issues themselves? Is it that we can’t, won’t, or don’t because we always expect it to be someone else’s problem?

Chalk this one up as another head shaker…

Not the fairest in the land

Posted on September 30, 2019 by backuphill

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There was a clear loser yesterday in the fast food wars. The food from a fast food restaurant was anything but royal.

Headed out of town yesterday and so busy getting ready that I forgot to grab something to eat while at the house. It was an hour drive to the destination, so I wasn’t going to make it without a little food. I remembered there was a Dairy Queen along the route that was easy to get in out of, so it seemed like a decent place to hit the drive thru.

From time of order to food through the window, it was 18 minutes. Not fast food by any means. I happened to notice the time I placed the order because I was on a little bit of a time crunch by then. The line ahead of me in the drive thru was moving very slowly, so I started tracking how long it was taking.

Once back on the road, the food came out of the bag. It wasn’t pretty. Not at all.

Now, I realize it is fast food and the expectations aren’t for gourmet food. However, there is some expectation that the food is decently hot and, after that long of a delay, that the food is relatively fresh. Expectations shattered.

The fries were limp. Crispiness wasn’t even close to the vocabulary. Soggy is more like it. Slightly warm, maybe just above room temp.

The burger was warmer than the fries, but the bun had the consistency of being in the warmer and wrapper for 20 minutes. It had been microwaved to be warmed back up, while still in the wrapper. That much was obvious.

Crappy food after an 18 minute wait. Interesting. Disappointing. Since I was already down the road and running behind, I certainly wasn’t going to turn around and ask for new food.

Mental note made: Don’t stop at the Dairy Queen. Ever.

Planning

Posted on September 27, 2019 by backuphill

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So, I am doing a training today. Teaching teachers to use the software the should be using for grading students.

I am usually the type of guy who doesn’t mind someone pointing at something and say, “Do it.” I show up, and do it.

BUT, this morning is a bit different. I wasn’t a part of the planning of this and I found out yesterday there are all kinds of factors that could make this morning go very poorly.

First, this training was supposed to be to one district who requested the training. Somehow members of another district managed to get into the training. I think I nicely took care of that issue by letting them know that the training was indeed intended for a specific district and that they weren’t really invited.

Second, the registration website being used to sign participants up for the training says the training starts at 8:30am. My calendar says it starts at 9:00am. So which is it? OK, I am flexible and can go with the flow….except for the last thing…

Finally, there is a meeting scheduled in the room where the training is supposed to take place. The meeting is scheduled from 7:30-9:00am. Uh, that is a problem! Not only can I not set up and prepare for my training, but if the training is truly supposed to be at 8:30am what am I supposed to do with the people who show up on time for the training?

Yeah. This could turn into a CF real quick.

I know my stuff. I don’t have an issue working on the fly. Hell, I taught high school for 15 years. I can go with the flow with the best of them…but at least I had some control of my environment to some degree. In this case, I have little to none.

And on top of it all? I am wearing slacks on a Friday, which is supposed to be casual day at the office. Damn.

Annoyed

Posted on September 25, 2019 by backuphill

man sitting on black leather padded chair

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There are few things more irritating than playing whack-a-mole on news websites! I mean seriously, why does this have to be such an annoying thing?

OK, to be clear, I am talking about all of the pop-ups, over-sized headers, loud videos, video ads, etc. you get when you visit just about any sort of news site. Whether it is a tech website, an entertainment website, or something else, there are just about always two or three pop-ups that have to be closed to get a clear view of the page.

Annoying! I say. Annoying!

I use an ad blocker, but even that doesn’t get everything. Sometimes it isn’t a third party ad. Sometimes it is even the website sharing it’s own information about something else they would like you to look at. More annoyance.

Why is this necessary? Yes, of course, I know…they make money by clicks and crap like that. Some websites I have just stopped going to (they used to be good ones and I liked them) because I get tired of the same “dance of the pop-ups.” I like whack-a-mole, but not really that much.

All I can say to anyone who might be reading this – STOP IT! You are seriously damaging your name, brand, reputation, whatever by continuing this practice.

*This applies to blogs as well. If you have ads on your blog, make sure you aren’t turning off your readers by having stupid crap like described above.*

In the gutter

Posted on September 16, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Adrien Olichon on Pexels.com

Actually, the title is a lie because it has nothing to do with being in the gutter and everything to do with not being in the gutter.

Good service is hard to come by these days. That seems to be a common cry from and about all sorts of industries. People just don’t get the service they deserve or expect (I realize in a “me first” society what you deserve and what you expect may be two different things). First and foremost, you expect that people will be honest. Next, you expect that they will do their best to make sure your experience is great so that you recommend them. What you deserve is the best treatment possible with honesty and integrity, without you having to demand that minimum.

Anyway, there is an issue with one of the gutters on the house. It needs to be replaced because it has literally rotted from gunk sitting in it. This is partially due to my neglect and partially due to the fact that it was shoddily repaired about 5 years ago (again by me, who is/was and inexperienced gutter repairman). Because of the way I repaired it, it was difficult to clean and it didn’t drain correctly which allowed it to collect debris and then just cause the metal of the gutter to rust and break. Yeah, I didn’t do my duty on that one.

So, it has come time for a professional to get the job done right. I didn’t expect that I would get someone out the minute I called and I accounted for some delay in getting the repair done. I realize that they likely have other jobs they are doing. However, I didn’t expect that one company would tell me that it would be two weeks before they could come out to do an estimate and another company to tell me a price over the phone (it’s not a big job, just 26′ of straight gutter) and tell me he would fit it in between jobs.

So, I cancelled the estimate from the company with estimate delay and went with the company who said they would be out between jobs…only now it has been two weeks and still no one has come to fix the gutter. And guess what? It’s now the rainy season (I mean, come on, when is it not in WA?) and the rains are running down the roof, going straight through the broken gutter, and promptly flooding the yard.

Thanks gutter, dude. Thanks a lot.

Pizza shenanigans

Posted on September 12, 2019 by backuphill

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Did that title get your attention? I know it does me! I love pizza and so I get excited just thinking about it. Well, that is until I start thinking about the shenanigans going on at the local Little Caesars.

I am sure you are well aware (and if you aren’t then you really aren’t a pizza fan) that Little Caesars advertises a special deal they call the “Hot & Ready.” Essentially, you can get a basic large pepperoni pizza just about any time (because they always have them prepared, thus hot and ready) for $5.99. This is advertised EVERYWHERE!

Why am I explaining what a Hot & Ready is? If these people love pizza like they say they do, then they already know this information.

So, our local Little Caesars benefits from a national advertising campaign but doesn’t actually offer the advertised price. Why? Well, apparently there are two types of stores, corporate and franchise. One is owned by the company and the other just has the name and product licensed to them. As such, the franchise stores can decide on their own what to price the products at.

Imagine my chagrin the first time I walk into our local Little Caesars store and ask for a Hot & Ready and expecting to pay $5.99 and then get charged $6.99. Yeah, that’s right, pure shenanigans!! When questioned why the response was “We’re a franchise and we don’t have to sell pizza at the corporate and advertised price.”

Well, okay then, Ms. Snotty McSnotterson.

From then on, let’s just say the pizza didn’t taste quite as good…and I drive out of my way to find a corporate store.

Yes, I realize it is only a $1 but it is the principle of the whole thing that bugs me. Anyone else do something simply for the principle of it?

Donut figure?

Posted on September 6, 2019 by backuphill

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Donut figure?

I decided to take donuts to the office this morning because it’s been a couple long weeks due to the start up of school and every day has been stressful. We seemingly have had more help tickets come through out system in the last two weeks than we have had in a long time.

Anyway, as it turns out, there is already an organization wide meetings this morning (not just our staff meeting which the donuts were for) and there is typically refreshments served at that meeting. So, the donuts will likely go mostly uneaten.

Wasted food. Wasted money. Dare I say, wasted gesture?

Maybe not.

I guess I have a lot of eating to do this morning…which may actually lead to a donut figure of my own.

Survival mode

Posted on August 30, 2019 by backuphill

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One day. Just make it through the day.

Friday before a long weekend. Will it be busy? The hope is that it won’t be because district employees will be taking advantage of their last long weekend of the summer. Alas, the hope had died on the vine…

We are already running and I don’t think we have hit the ground yet.

The flood of support tickets continues. At one point yesterday, I had six open support tickets and trying to support them all at the same time. Today, I already have two to start with. Hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.

Watch out people! The weekend is nearly upon us. Keep your head down today, enter survival mode, and make it through the day. Just one last push to weekend freedom!

D.W.D.S.

Posted on August 29, 2019 by backuphill

angry bad john art black and white emotion

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It’s been crazy busy at work of the last two weeks. Like no time to think, not time to breathe busy…

I think I hit my wall yesterday and today isn’t looking any better.

Today, I just “Don’t Wanna Do Squat” (you can replace the S-word with whatever you like, but this is almost a family show here….). I just wanna sit and veg out and just not do any work. I’ve had enough. I wanna check out. Cab please!

There has to be a solution for this feeling. Oh yeah, it’s called being wealthy.

Damn.

Guess I’ll do more work, reluctantly.

Deadlines

Posted on August 22, 2019 by backuphill

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Some people work well under pressure. Some people just work. Others, well, when faced with a deadline they don’t work and let the deadline fly by like a jet from the Blue Angels.

Me? I am somewhere between the first and second, but I am finding with the project I am working on that I might be looking at the third. LOL Maybe I am just tired of working on it and want to see it end. Maybe I just have too much left to do and am overwhelmed by the sheer scope of what need to get finished. Maybe I am just tired and therefore just don’t care. Maybe.

All I know is I have a project that needs to get done within the next five days (yes, that includes the weekend) and I am going to be out of town this weekend. That doesn’t bode well for the project…

I fully intended to work on it last night as it would be quiet at home, but the fatigue set in and I bailed after an extra 30 minutes of work. I fully intend on working on it tonight after work as well. We’ll see how that does. I also have a half day at work tomorrow before I leave town for the weekend. So, I have time….but that means the time I have I will have to buckle down hard. (So, I’ll write a blog post instead of working…)

Wish me luck. I am going to have to dive in head first and see how this goes.

What kind of deadline person are you? Do you work well under pressure, do you just plug along and hopefully get it done, or do you just blow off the deadline and do what you do?