February 2003 Archives
While browsing MacSlash earlier, I came across a link to a very cool MT-powered site, Apple AirPort Weblog. For those who don't know, AirPort is Apple's wireless networking solution.
If you have any interest in Apple and/or wireless networking, go take a look. It's an interesting read.
While perusing Mac OS X Hints yesterday, I discovered a handy utility called SharePoints. To quote the web site:
" SharePoints is an application or a preference pane that makes it easy to add and delete share points like in the old Finder."
Basically it allows you to create share points outside of your public folder, without having to fool with NetInfo Manager. I used it to share the 13+ GB of MP3s in my iTunes Music Library.
Overall, it wasn't a horrible day, but it certainly had its moments. The hour I spent sitting in traffic this morning got my day off to a lovely start. Since I normally go into work after the morning rush is over, I'm not accustomed to gridlock.
Later on in the day, I almost snapped during a call from a total jackass who could not perform a simple operation like locating an icon on his desktop. I know, this doesn't sound all that bad, but when you spend upwards of thrity minutes trying to help a grown person who needs to have their hand held through every little thing, it gets very, very frustrating. If you're going to invest $1,000+ in a computer, why in the hell wouldn't you take the time to become somewhat self sufficient with it? It boggles the mind.
And then I come home and discover that there are assholes in my neighborhood after all. Well, at least one. One besides me, that is. :-)
Despite being trashed by most critics, Daredevil is really not a bad movie. I saw it earlier this evening and thoroughly enjoyed it (by the way, if you've never used Fandango to buy movie tickets, you should; it's quite convenient). So it's not a groundbreaking cinematic masterpiece, but it is a solid super hero flick. Good action sequences, a cool story, and an ending that leaves room for a sequel; what more could you ask for?
And at least one critic did give the movie a thumbs up. :-)
As the Apple watchers out there may or may not know, the Macs that have started shipping recently no longer have the ability to boot into OS 9. They've not taken OS 9 away, mind you. It's there for the benefit of running Classic apps under OS X, you just can't boot the machine into 9.
You see, Apple is weening us off of OS 9. In August 2002, they stopped including the OS 9 install CDs with new Macs. So if you need to reinstall OS 9, you have to use the restore CDs. This isn't so bad if you have a machine that shipped with OS X 10.2; the software restore utility included with those systems is flexible enough to let you restore individual components (such as OS 9) without wiping out the whole system and starting from scratch. Pre-10.2 restore discs are not so friendly, however. Of course, you could always purchase OS 9.2 from the Apple Store for $99.
The next step in the weening process is taking away dual boot capability. Presumably step three is getting rid of Classic mode, which I don't imagine will happen until certain application vendors get it in gear and start shipping native-OS X versions of their products (Quark is a big one).
As a Mac user, I can certainly understand why Apple would want us all migrated completely to OS X. It is vastly superior to previous versions of the Mac OS; with it's Unix core and lovely Aqua interface, how could you not like it?
But as someone who provides tech support for Macs, the loss of dual boot capability is somewhat inconvenient. Being able to boot into another OS is an invaluable troubleshooting tool. Not sure if it's a hardware problem or a software problem? Boot into the other OS and try to reproduce the issue. If the same issue exists under both operating systems, it's probably hardware-related. Yes, I know it's not the end of the world, but it is an inconvenience.
You know, now that I think of it, maybe this isn't so bad. Perhaps one day they'll decide to stop supporting pre-OS X systems. What a beautiful day that would be...
Take a peak at this collection of 80s commercials. All the greats are there: Transformers, Go-Bots, He-Man, Lazer Tag, and, of course, G.I. Joe. They aren't all commercials for toys, but those are my personal favorites.
I'm in the middle of reading and excellent book right now, See No Evil, by Robert Baer. It's a former CIA officer's account of that agency's war against terrorism, or rather, it's lack of a war against terrorism. Quite an interesting read thus far. All the usual cliche's apply; "It's a page-turner", "I couldn't put it down", blah blah blah. You should read it. Go to your local library and borrow it if you're too cheap to buy a copy. :-)
It's been over a year now since I registered, so I guess it's time I finally posted this. I am registered Linux user #260251. Yup. Exciting, eh?
I've decided to start adopting a Bill Lumbergh persona on the phone at work. What a great way to deal with annoying customers, and amuse myself and my co-workers at the same time.
"Yeah... I'm gonna have to go ahead and ask you to get that serial number for me, mmmkay? Thanks."
Today I recieved my copies of Mac OS X in a Nutshell and Linux Server Hacks. I'll be posting more details after I've had a chance to look over them more thoroughly, but as of now they both appear very promising.
And yes, the title of this post is a reference to Poltergeist.
As anyone who works or has worked in a customer service environment knows, evey irate customer in the universe thinks that speaking to a supervisor is the magic bullet that will get them whatever they want (which is unfortunately true in some cases). Don't get me wrong, there are times when the customer is right to complain. It is a rare occasion, but it can happen. For the most part though, the ones that complain are just assholes.
As I've mentioned previously, the company that I work for charges for phone support in certain cases. There is a period of complimentary support from the time the product is purchased, but after that, it's gonna cost you. Now, they have the option of paying per-incident (expensive if you have to call a lot), or buying a longer-term support contract (much cheaper if you have to call a lot).
This is actually leading somewhere, so bare with me. When a customer calls for help, we first need to verify their eligibility for phone support. Sometimes that information is already available to us. If not, we need to capture the serial number of their product. If they can't provide that serial number, we politely advise them to call back when they have it. Needless to say, they don't always take it well.
I found myself in such a situation earlier today. No serial number. Go ahead and call us back when you have it. And the inevitable... "Let me talk to your supervisor." No, my supervisor can't help you either without that serial number. And so on. It didn't occur to me until after the call ended, but I should have asked to speak with his supervisor.
Now, before you accuse me of being some sort of Tech Support Nazi ("No support for you!") who follows strict procedures and denies support at every opportunity, let me assure you that this is not the case. If a customer is polite and cooperative, I'll usually be willing to bend the rules a bit to help them out. But if they whine and complain and act like a total bastard, I don't cut them any slack. Sorry. Gotta follow the rules. Better luck next time.
Anyway, the point to all this is that you can't get everything you want, etc, etc. So don't be one of those people that asks for a supervisor every time something doesn't go your way. The only thing you accomplish is to make yourself look like a jackass (which you probably are).
I have noticed that many, many people incorrectly assume that every piece of software installed on their computer must be supported by the manufacturer of that computer. Allow me to disabuse you all of that notion right now.
If you are unable to print a document from Turbo Tax, for example, but you are able to print from any other application on your Dell computer, it would be foolish to contact Dell for support with this issue. Or, if you should encounter problems printing web pages from AOL's web browser, don't call Apple's tech support just because you happen to be using that AOL software on an iMac. They will tell you to call AOL; and rightly so.
Another thing; if you are using software to import and edit digital video, there is a strong possibility that the developer of that software has prepared a list of compatible DV devices. It is also very likely that they have been kind enough to make this list available to the public, perhaps in the form of a web page. There is a reason for this.
But, perhaps you are the adventurous type, and will decide to use a device that is not on The List. This is your perogative. Under these circumstances, however, it is not your perogative to complain to the developer, or expect the developer to support you, when things do not work out the way you expected them too. They gave you The List. You did not heed The List. You are a fool.
Well, that's enough ranting for now. Time to get some much needed sleep.
I just surfed over to Rush.com a few minutes ago, and discovered that February 11, 2003 will be Rush Day. Yes, 2.11.2003 is Rush Day. I wonder if this will be a national holiday in Canada.
12 inch PowerBook, iBook, or 20GB iPod?
Please don't call tech support about problems installing software if your system does not meet the minimum requirements. Seriously, just don't do it. We will laugh at you. We will mock your utter stupidity. Not while we're still on the phone with you, of course. We are not rude. But, when that call is over, rest assured that we will tell our coworkers about you, and they will laugh too.
You can avoid this shame and humiliation by simply checking the system requirements of software before you purchase it. Then again, we will find other reasons to laugh at you. We always do. It is your destiny. You cannot fight it. As long as you continue to call us, we will continue to laugh at you.
Of course, you realize that these are my opinions, and are in no way representative of the opinions of my employer, right? Good.
I just finished watching Frailty a few minutes ago. I had wanted to see this movie while it was still in theaters some time ago, but I never got around to it, and had actually forgotten about it until I came across a used copy of the DVD in Record & Tape Traders earlier today. After finally getting to see this movie, I'm glad I spotted it there today, because it definitely lives up to the reviews I've read.
It was not quite what I had expected, and the ending certainly left me wondering. It's the sort of movie that really needs to be watched multiple times to be fully appreciated. I'll be watching the DVD with the commentary tracks as soon as I get the opportunity.
Not wanting to spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, I won't go into to detail about the plot here, but I strongly recommend seeing this movie as soon as the opportunity should present itself. It is not just some slasher / gore flick; on the contrary, it's quite thought provoking, and there is very little blood on screen. But enough of this talk, just go watch the movie.
