Error: I'm afraid this is the first I've heard of a "writeback" flavoured Blosxom. Try dropping the "/+writeback" bit from the end of the URL.
This entry is also about computers
So, my parents now have a fully functioning Windows XP installation. Their printer, however, is another matter entirely.
I didn't really discuss this much yesterday, but one of the biggest pitfalls of maintaining my parents' computer is having to deal with my parents. I'm sure that this is not uncommon among people my age, but my parents approached regular use of a computer with a great deal of trepidation1. And while they've both become fairly competent with the use of their computer, they have done so by learning very specific patterns of clicks and button presses that produce the desired result, rather than learning the underlying mechanics. So whenever anything changes they get completely lost, and they get pissed. I understand this, I really do, but when I've spent considerable time trying to un-fuck whatever is fucked on their computer and they start coming at me with complaints that some extremely minor thing has been altered slightly, I can't help but lose my cool.
The printer has been a sore spot for quite some time. When we purchased the computer four years ago, we also got one of HP's All-In-One printers, which is a combination printer/scanner/copier. This thing is a piece of shit, and it hasn't worked reliably since the day we got it. I've tried to explain that swiss army devices such as this are almost always garbage and that we should just get a separate printer and scanner. They mention that the copier function would then be lacking, and when I try to explain that the "copier" is just scanning and then printing, they totally shut down. So when the printer kicked the bucket today, I had to trundle off to Best Buy and try to find the least offensive of the All-In-One devices available. Against my better judgement, I went with another HP. Honestly, this decision was based on the fact that of all of the display models, the HP in question was the only one that was actually able to scan and then print something. I admit this was probably an elaborate Best Buy ruse to trick me in to buying their overstocked device.
In order to install the new printer, I had to first remove the old printer. I drafted my mother for this task, since moving light objects seems to me a fairly inoffensive task. I was not prepared, however, for her reaction to what lurked behind her computer desk when we wheeled it out from the wall. Behind every desk I've ever seen that hosts a computer is a rat's nest of cabling. I know that some people zip tie cables together, but this becomes a total hassle when you need to replace things. My mother was apparently not prepared for this inherent cable jumble, because she lost it when she saw this and began lamenting the state of her house. This did not prove very helpful in the installation of the printer, so I had to banish her from the room so I could get the damn thing over with. As I was sitting among these cables trying to tease out the power and USB cords that needed liberating, I began to reflect on how often doing some favor for my parents has caused me to yell at them.
I mentioned earlier that I do understand why they act like they do, I can see how unnerving it would be to have something change that you consider a fundamental aspect of the way you use said thing. Understanding, however, has not come close to staying my temper. I feel like I'm getting better, though. Yesterday when I needed help finding the backup CDs for the computer, mom claimed to have already given them to me. Since this was not the case, I calmly persisted in asking where, if anywhere, some CDs might be if I did not already have them in my possession. Rather than considering this, she proceeded to assign blame to me for not having them, and wiped her hands of the whole mess. And despite the huge bait laid2 before me, I was able to move on without comment. So, hooray for progress!3
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1 While looking up the word "trepidation" to ensure I had the correct word, I found the following definition:
tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation; perturbation
I found this pretty funny.
2 I spent about five minutes reviewing the uses of "lie" and "lay" before I could remember the correct one to use here. I'm still not fully confidant I chose correctly. So much for the 35 I got on the English section of the ACT.
3 Regarding the use of footnotes, I've been reading House of Leaves. I apologize.
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