Technology

Hey, Siri!

Posted on by backuphill

apple applications apps cell phone

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Get clicks.

Promote the fear of law enforcement to support an agenda.

Encourage illegal behavior for the sake of making money.

“Hey Siri, I’m getting pulled over.”

Interesting thing…it’s illegal to record someone without their knowledge (this article takes you to WA, specifically, but you can scroll to the top and see all states) and none of these articles mention that fact at all. They don’t even recommend to check local laws to find out what is legal and what isn’t.

Looking at all the articles, they even read very similarly, like they are written as a press release and the authors just changed some words around and hit publish.

Only one article cautioned about using a third party app (this is not an official app or feature from Apple) but only in passing. So, they are promoting an app or feature that is developed by a third party and there is almost nothing about the data the feature may collect. Lack of concern is interesting. What are they getting for their promotion?

This stuff is irritating because it is playing into and promoting the narrative that we need to fear the police, which is incorrect. Plain and simple fear-mongering to justify clicks.

Lacking

Posted on by backuphill

mockup of white clipboard with blank paper

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Time.

Content.

Motivation.

Actually, there is plenty of content and motivation. I have been making drafts like crazy for things I want to Piss and Moan about, but I haven’t done a very good job of getting this stuff ready to publish ahead of time. Work as been so busy that my mornings and the usual time that I post stuff has gotten away from me. It’s hard to keep up when you’re buried.

So, nothing new today except excuses. Sorry.

Guess I better do a better job of planning to get content out and get those drafts written so there is content ready to go before I start new stuff.

Refi

Posted on by backuphill

administration agreement banking blur

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I’ll tell you what, in a world where everything seemingly has to be done online right now, banks aren’t really trying to make the Refi process any easier.

When a bank contacts you about the possibility of lowering the interest rate on your mortgage it should be a breeze. They have all the info they need based on the current loan and short of a few updated documents for verification, it should be a seamless and painless process.

Nope.

At least not with Chase. Maybe others have been better.

Their website doesn’t work like it should. They are communicating, or at least trying to communicate with me, through two different portals instead of one. I can only upload documents in one of those portals, but have another portal to “e-sign” stuff in. Makes no sense.

Then the mortgage advisor assigned to me doesn’t communicate with me until nearly the end of each day so it takes another 24 hours to get anything done. This all could have been done last week, but they can’t print (or download) the documents already signed on their website, and they keep asking for things we have already done.

Irritating I tell ya! I stayed with them because it should be relatively easy if you’re already their customer. Nope. Not so much.

Frustration.

Better luck

Posted on by backuphill

man old depressed headache

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Projects. So much time for projects.

BUT, do you have a project you want/need to do but are putting off because you aren’t sure the results you’ll get are what you want?

Don’t you hate it when you work on something and you have it all laid out in your head but then it doesn’t turn out like you envisioned it? OR, maybe it doesn’t go the way you want and it ends up being more trouble than it was worth, falling into that “Better luck next time” category of tasks?

I had one last night like that latter of those two. A retractable screen door on the house needed to be fixed. The most expensive option was to just replace the thing and with a new one or the other option was to buy parts for half the original cost and attempt repairs with no instructional manual. There was a vote and I lost, so repairs it was.

After much grunting, Pissing and Moaning, and not so quiet mutterings under my breath, I got to the project last night after work. And it went about as well as I thought it would. It was more trouble than it was worth. I would have rather started over with a new setup, but there is now a semi-functional screen door again. It just doesn’t work like it did when I originally installed it…which was perfectly (if I do say so myself). Now, it will make due but its not operating as smoothly as it could be.

Oh well.

So, I ask, do you have any projects you are dreading to tackle? Or did you do a project you dreaded only to regret tackling it afterwards?

I’m curious.

Extra effort

Posted on by backuphill

elderly gentleman making silence gesture in studio

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So, I have a colleague that likes to take the extra effort to prove herself correct.

Well, “correct” is actually subjective in this case because there are always different ways to go about things in software. Another one of those weird cliche sayings, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

Anyway, she didn’t like that someone other than her had found another way in the software to do something we all thought wasn’t possible at first. She found the first solution and she crowed loudly. As we began to dig in, another colleague and I found another way to do it and when we brought that to the attention of everyone on the team she protested that it wasn’t a viable way to do it.

Well, she now has spent all weekend (unpaid time) to prove that she was correct, to a degree. That her method was the bet way and there really shouldn’t be any other method used.

OK, whatever.

I’m not going to get into it. You can have your silly little victory, but we all know there is more than one way to do it. My ego isn’t that big that I have to be right.

Anyone else have a co-worker that is like this? Has to be right at all costs, doesn’t like it when you show them there are alternative ways to do things?

Printer

Posted on by backuphill

green and black industrial machine

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I should have known. Experience has taught me otherwise, but I went against my better judgement…

Someone in the house burned up the rest of the toner in the printer and I can’t print the documents I need for work this morning. So, I am hastily trying to figure out how to make things work before the meeting (oh, yes, while frantically Pissing and Moaning to you all).

When the printer gave a “low toner” alert, I went on Amazon and purchased an off-brand toner cartridge because the reviews said it was good and the description said it would fit the printer. Model numbers, everything lined up. Better judgement (and some spotty past experience) in me said this was risky but when trying to save a penny here and there you sometimes feel like you gotta take a chance.

Well, that chance failed. The box clearly says it should fit, but the toner cartridge clearly doesn’t! The printer manufacturer must have changed the loading cartridge without this off brand company getting the message because it isn’t even close.

So, work arounds and a little added stress. I can do it and it wasn’t the other household member’s fault since they, just as I would have, assumed we had a replacement ready to go.

It’s just really irritating when you do all the necessary research to make sure you are doing it correctly (forget the off-brand part, LOL) and still have it end up wrong.

TGIF.

This too shall pass, but I am going to Piss and Moan loudly about it on my Amazon review and return.

Buried

Posted on by backuphill

Not dead yet. Yet. Not six feet under. Not yet.

Just buried “at” work, though I am not AT work.

Make sense?

Now that schools have finally decided “in person” instruction isn’t going to take place again this year and distance learning is now kicked off, “full-steam ahead, engines be damned,” there are lots of things that teachers are trying to do to make online learning work for them. As they adjust the way they do things, they are looking for ways to make it easier on the kids, and themselves, as change can be hard…especially when it is forced on you without any time to prep for it.

So, I have been getting ready for a plethora of presentations to the teachers in an effort to help them live in this new reality. Our software has tools available to help the teachers, but for a lot of them they are either afraid to try it or just don’t know what to do once they do try it. As such, training via remote applications is what we do almost on a daily basis so we are out here prepping and presenting, since we are the “experts” on a sort of remote learning.

Anyway, I almost forgot to complain about something today. Is this a complaint? Not really. Or maybe it is. I’ll let you know.

I am working on my next presentation that came about at the beginning of the week as a casual conversation, then a casual presentation, to a full-fledged and full-blown training of over 150 teachers over the next two school days (Friday & Monday). There’s a good possibility that more sessions will be added. The training will be recorded, of course, so there will also be video production after all is said and done so that an “on-demand” training video can be used in the near future.

Whew! I will need a drink after prepping today and definitely after Monday’s training.

 

 

Breakthrough

Posted on by backuphill

As Gomer Pyle used to say, “Surprise, surprise, surprise!” You could also throw in his “Shazam!” or “Golly!”

There was a breakthrough. I am holding my breath, but at least there may be a payoff to my concerted effort and persistence.

Goal Zero finally responded to my customer service inquiry – only nine days after submission. Not with an answer I liked, but at least it was an answer.

And Ryobi, finally, after two hours on hold yesterday and then resorting to the “call back” (yeah, don’t fall for that ever…) option for no response. I called again this morning and after 20 minutes on hold, someone actually picked up!! They were very nice and got the process started for tool replacement via the warranty. Mind you, this was just the first step so there are still things on their end that they need to do, but I am hopeful. Hopeful that at least the process will now go the way it should have at the start.

Persistence. Patience. Bargain with the devil? Nah, I didn’t have to go that far, but I was contemplating the next step…a witch’s curse? Pentagram on the garage floor? Flaming sacrificial alter for burning the tools? There are a lot of options when you think about it.

Hopefully none of you out there are doing customer support. If so, know that you may not be safe from the dark world. As a matter of fact, maybe that is why I have had strange happenings in my home office…perhaps I have been cursed in my role for customer service…that might explain the strange goose-pimples at odd times of the day…

I’m out! I gotta go get my protection on.

man wearing gray and red armour standing on the streets

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Blah!

Posted on by backuphill

It’s been that kind of week.

Blah!

Customer service issues that still haven’t been resolved. Radio silence. Crickets everywhere.

Work has been overwhelming in trying to help schools with distance learning with little to no guidance from the state on how they should be tracking attendance, engagement, or even if they need to do it. Every call is a lot of shoulder shrugging, head nodding, what ifs, and apologies for not being more helpful.

BLAH!

It’s Friday.

I have never run a marathon, but is this what it feels like?

I need this weekend like no other.

Customer service?

Posted on by backuphill

 

The saga widens.

If you’re a business, staying in contact and helping your current customers is important for continuing to be a business. This shouldn’t even be a question. It’s a given!

If you’re a business and want to stay in business, you should respond to potential customer inquiries so they can decide if they want to buy your product. Again, this should be a given.

Customer service these days (well maybe always, but definitely more noticeable these days) is severely lacking in all kinds of different places. With most business being shifted online because of the current lockdown, customers are trying to reach out to companies as they deal with product issues or consider purchases. I am no different.

The Ryobi issue is still ongoing…no call back from the Warranty Department. Do I call every day now? Do I wait it out? Should I create a Twitter account just so I can go on there and shame them into helping me?

I emailed a company to ask about a product I currently have to see if they had a connection cable needed to connect to another product I have of theirs so they would work together. As yet, no response to that email from Goal Zero.

On top of that, I took the battery out of one of the vehicles and took it to a local company to have them check it out. It died in the vehicle for no reason and there isn’t anything that was drawing power from it, so I was wondering if it was bad. I dropped it off on Saturday with the understanding they would call on Tuesday or Wednesday with the test results (seemed like a long time to me, but OK). Yesterday afternoon came and no call. I called them. “Oh, yeah, seems to be working fine but we would like to test it one more time.” So, I’ll be picking that up this afternoon, hopefully.

Is this normal? Is customer service normally this bad?

Anyone else having a hard time getting online customer service? This stuff shouldn’t be that hard as it can mostly be done remotely. Are companies really not that nimble to make adjustments for customer service? Is it that hard to pick up a phone and just call?

I would be interested to know if you are experiencing more frustration than normal when contacting customer service.