Jimbo's Journal

.... we're getting a new system/software at work.  ..... we're designing some of the forms using some version of Crystal Reports (I've never used it before).   C's computer wasn't able to access the crystal reports program and was giving a win32.dll kernel error.   My brilliant deduction was that maybe since she hadn't run ANY Windows updates in several YEARS, maybe that was the problem.  (Our main "IT Guy" wasn't here at the time.)  I had her do many, many, many updates, at least going back to Windows service pack 3.   After several hours, I think the crystal reports was working.  The PROBLEM was now that no MS Office programs were working, which are MUCH more important.  After much work from me and IT Guy, nothing was working.  Finally C went out and bought MS Office 2007 (yes, we had been using 2000).  IT Guy got that installed.  That still doesn't work.  More specifically, it doesn't work under C's name/password signed on to the network.  If it is an ADMIN sign on (or other user????? not sure) it seems to work fine.

Any ideas?




Lesson to be learned:  Don't EVER update/ correct/etc other people's computers.
Also now I'm getting the looks and quarter-to-half-joking comments which I am guiltily perceiving to mean "Why did you have to F*@# up my computer?!?!?  It was just fine before you made me do the updates."

I am becoming increasingly frustrated at work.  We are in the process of learning our new software (Syspro).  In previous jobs learning new software has been a process of a few weeks.  This so far is 3+ months and counting.  Of course, it takes longer when sessions are only once or twice a week (less when averaged over that entire period).  Basically, we they have SO bastardized the software that we are currently using that no one really knows or can comprehend what actual software can do.  And worse than that many of them seem unwilling to try to learn new things or even be open to new ways of thinking and using the system.  It is a complex system, which has many advantages but will also require a lot of effort to figure out how to use effectively.  And I KNOW that if things start to get too overwhelming or complicated, their tendency will be to start bastardizing this new system as well and therefore negating all of its advantages.  Basically they will then have paid tens of thousands of dollars to essentially have the same software (functionally) only that works on a Windows platform instead of DOS.  Myself, I adore learning new things like this; I want to learn as much as I possibly can, and not even just because it will help me be more efficient but because I think learning things like this is actually fun.  Sick, I know.

But all that aside, what is irritating me is that I seem to be the only one willing (availability admittedly plays a part as well) to actually devote the time to it.  My boss, who has to deal with customers and is ALWAYS on the phone, often skips out of the training partially or completely.  Today for example he was there from about 10-noon, but then he didn't make an appearance at all after lunch from 1-3.  As I said, I want to learn this software inside and out.  I want to know all the bells and whistles.  But what I don't want to do is then have to teach everyone else how to then do their jobs because they were unwilling to take the time and effort which was required of them.  The quandry though will then be that if I don't, they will start to take shortcuts which will subvert the effectiveness of the software and everyone's jobs then get more difficult.  See the cyclical pattern here?

A revolutionary new laptop with no keyboard
( Embedded video that autostarts ... LOUDLY )

To recap, I bought a new laptop at Best Buy in .... March (Feb?).  When I got it home it had a defect, so I returned it.  When I returned it, they credited my account, but neglected to recharge the new one.  So when I got my credit card statement and noticed, I decided to do the right thing and point it out to them.  I went in to the store and they (re)charged me for the laptop.  I noticed about a month after that that they hadn't given me my Reward Zone points.  So, I went in again, and blah, blah, they wound up crediting my account AGAIN and recharged my card.  Well, NOW I haven't been able to find the credit on my credit card statement.  So, now instead of not charging me at all, they've charged me twice  (at least if my observation is correct) ...... which is EXACTLY what I had worried about in the first place..... and makes me question my decision to "do the right thing" in the first place.

Well, I'm unusually busy right now AND I don't want to deal with this AGAIN!!!!  So I'm pissed off and confused and freaking out and anxious, and I can't do anything because I'm sitting here at work and my receipts are all at home and I'm busy and don't know when I will be able to address this ...............  AARRGGHH!!

I can't say that I know what that means right now, other than knowing that I won't have overwhelming guilt later.

On Tuesday I got my credit card bill.  It seemed a LOT lower than I thought it would be.  I had, after all, bought my laptop.  Wednesday I got around to looking at the itemizations.  I noticed the charge for the laptop and then the next day, after I had discovered the flaw on the display, I showed the credit for returning it.  It did not, however, have a charge for the replacement.  So today after work, I went an hour out of my way to go back to the store to point out their mistake.  Sure enough, they recognized that they made a mistake.  My consciense is clear.  Yet I couldn't help hoping that they'd "reward" me somehow, perhaps a gift card.  I had to explicitly remind myself that that is not the reason for doing this.  I did it because it's the right thing to do.  I've felt bad for days sometimes after noticing that the grocery or department store accidentally left items off the bill and I neglected to say anything.  Yet there is a selfish part of me that wants recognition.  I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of the reason for writing this, so please, no "attaboys."  I just feel like whenever I do the right thing, I have nothing to show for it.

I feel this way a lot lately. I used to be pretty good at Jeopardy and Trivial pursuit (still pretty good at this), and friends and I used to play the "movie line game" or the "one hit wonder game." But lately I feel like my memory has gone to shit. (Yet I can still remember my phone number sans area code from 1974.)

The Outsourced Brain

Through that experience I discovered the Sacred Order of the External Mind. I realized I could outsource those mental tasks I didn’t want to perform. Life is a math problem, and I had a calculator.

 Memory? I’ve externalized it. I am one of those baby boomers who are making this the “It’s on the Tip of My Tongue Decade.” But now I no longer need to have a memory, for I have Google, Yahoo and Wikipedia. Now if I need to know some fact about the world, I tap a few keys and reap the blessings of the external mind.

I have relinquished control over my decisions to the universal mind. I have fused with the knowledge of the cybersphere, and entered the bliss of a higher metaphysic.

I'm pretty sure he's exaggerating a bit, but just a bit. I used to be able to tell you the names of movies and the actors that were in them, name a song (that had made the Top 40) and I could tell you who sang it. Now I have the internet and sites like IMDb to remember these things for me.

I got a new printer at work:  OKIDATA ML420*.  Much faster AND quieter.  Maybe this one won't refeed the paper back into itself and get jammed like the ML320 did (though that was most likely because I had removed most of the guides), and that thing was SO DAMN LOUD.



*we require an impact printer for carbon forms.

So my prediction continues to come true .... much to my dismay.  In preparing to organize things for my vacation next week, I ripped some more songs and synched them to my Archos 404.  I unplugged the player and began to use it.  The screen started flickering and then it shut down.  Repeat ad infinitum whenever I retried.  It seems to work fine when plugged in to the puter via USB cable, but when not it freaks whenever it accesses the HD.  So I've made three calls to tech support and they have come to the conclusion that it is a hardware issue (probably faulty wiring) and sent me an RMA (which got eaten by spam filters and they had to resend to my work email).  So I'm still going to take it on vacation as it will be nice on the 15 hour drive and seems to work fine when externally powered, but I won't be able to use it if I decide to go for a walk or boatride or just lounging around on the pier.  :(


Please no "I told you so" or "You should have bought an iPod" comments.  You do so at the risk of both depressing me and angering me.  Trust me I have been thinking these things myself.

So yesterday we ordered a new HD for my computer.  The thing was defective.  So many error on it that files and programs must have been getting corrupted.  It came in UPS at around 10am.  I had taken the old one out and installed the new one by around 11am.  Then the fun part .... RESINSTALLING.  Thankfully, since we are on a network, my profile and all my stuff is basically safe and secure on the server, but not all the apps.  Reinstalled windows.  Then all the updates.  First I had to update the Update installer, then a batch of XP updates, then SP2, then more updates.  Finally had windows done by around 2pm.  Then on to the other software.  First I installed AUTOCad, then had to uninstall it and do it again because I had been given the "wrong" activation codes.  Then Office - Word and Excel.  In between all this (I don't really mind doing the actual installations, it's the waiting in between that sucks so much), I helped our "IT" guy install a DVD-R drive in the owner's computer.  Byt that time, it was time to go home.  Tomorrow I still have to install MS Project and Adobe Acrobat .... and something else?

BTW, one of the updates was for IE 7, which seems to be patterned a lot after Firefox, with tabs and such.  I don't like tabs (drmagoo expressed the same sentiment recently).