Every year my company has an annual meeting where everyone comes into town. During this year's meetings I'm planning on holding a roundtable at a local restaurant with select people to discuss technology in their jobs.
We also have this administrative assistant who is...technologically retarded. Throughout the years I've worked there, the stories of her incompetence with all technology related items are numerous. And it doesn't end with her. Her family is also technologically stupid.
The father of her child, 3 years ago, saw the "touch anywhere" message from a certain DVD maker and walked up to the TV trying to touch the screen.
Her son bought his mom what he thought was an MP3 player, but it turned out to be headphones and a holder or something (he's going to be an engineer...). The mom brought it in to us to ask why it wasn't playing.
It goes on, but on Friday she came to talk to me about my round table meeting and said we should hold it at the local community college. I said no because we want good food and a casual atmosphere, and a classroom isn't that.
Well, she also wrote an email about it to her boss. I don't remember if it was prior to us talking or after, but I'm 90% it was prior, so no ill will there. Anyway, she says something along the lines of:
"we should hold it in their classrooms so we have computers to use. They can provide beverages and food. Also, they have WI 5, which is great if we're going to discuss social networking sites."
Her boss forwards me the email, and I thought, "What is WI 5?" That was followed a second later by, "Holy shit..."
Do you have users like this?
Not a stupid use story, but similar stupidity.
Former employee and I were talking about something. I wish I could remember because it make for a more rich story. Anyway, he made a comment and it included something that I interpreted as Attila the Hun. Only, he said it wrong. When I corrected him, he said "Excuse me. I'm not totally up on all the Star Wars stuff". But, we hadn't been talking about anything related to Star Wars. We were in Hawaii and probably discussing some of the battles held on the islands. One in particular, the invaders, instead of fighting and killing the natives, just herded them to a cliff and proceeded to push them off. So, we were talking about ancient battle type stuff. I may have mentioned Hun, and then he responded and may have used Hutt. And then I corrected. And then he said that. Fuck, I can't remember.
Like I said, if I could remember the actual conversation, it would be much more funny. But as it is, I can only remember that Attila the Hun was in Star Wars.
But back to users: Had a chick that got a PC for the first time. Replaced her green screen terminal. She had never seen a PC, let alone Windows. Not knowing this (it was 1993), I told her to get to where she needed to be, she just needed to double click on the icon (and I pointed to it). She had no idea what I meant and put her hands on the home keys. So I said "you use the mouse". So she picked it up and looked at it and then the screen. I said, "You move it around and it moves the arrow on the screen. When it's on the icon, you double click". As I did this, I moved my hand around in the air demonstrating moving the mouse on the desk top. She copied my example and moved the mouse around. . . up in the air. "No" I said "there's a ball under there that that moves as you drag it around on the desk". She turned the mouse over and saw the ball. So, she took the mouse more fully into her hand so her fingers were able to reach around the mouse, and twiddled the ball with her finger tips trying to get the cursor to go where she wanted it. At this point, I took the mouse from her and showed her exactly how it worked and what to do.
Edited By Cakedaddy on 1330373859
Former employee and I were talking about something. I wish I could remember because it make for a more rich story. Anyway, he made a comment and it included something that I interpreted as Attila the Hun. Only, he said it wrong. When I corrected him, he said "Excuse me. I'm not totally up on all the Star Wars stuff". But, we hadn't been talking about anything related to Star Wars. We were in Hawaii and probably discussing some of the battles held on the islands. One in particular, the invaders, instead of fighting and killing the natives, just herded them to a cliff and proceeded to push them off. So, we were talking about ancient battle type stuff. I may have mentioned Hun, and then he responded and may have used Hutt. And then I corrected. And then he said that. Fuck, I can't remember.
Like I said, if I could remember the actual conversation, it would be much more funny. But as it is, I can only remember that Attila the Hun was in Star Wars.
But back to users: Had a chick that got a PC for the first time. Replaced her green screen terminal. She had never seen a PC, let alone Windows. Not knowing this (it was 1993), I told her to get to where she needed to be, she just needed to double click on the icon (and I pointed to it). She had no idea what I meant and put her hands on the home keys. So I said "you use the mouse". So she picked it up and looked at it and then the screen. I said, "You move it around and it moves the arrow on the screen. When it's on the icon, you double click". As I did this, I moved my hand around in the air demonstrating moving the mouse on the desk top. She copied my example and moved the mouse around. . . up in the air. "No" I said "there's a ball under there that that moves as you drag it around on the desk". She turned the mouse over and saw the ball. So, she took the mouse more fully into her hand so her fingers were able to reach around the mouse, and twiddled the ball with her finger tips trying to get the cursor to go where she wanted it. At this point, I took the mouse from her and showed her exactly how it worked and what to do.
Edited By Cakedaddy on 1330373859
Maybe she thinks they have really good classrooms there.TPRJones wrote:WI 5
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
A guy came into the shop I used to work at, buying a box of 3.5" floppy disks.
He called irate on the phone, saying that we were the third store he had bought floppy disks from and we were selling a defective product, just like Radio Shack and Walmart.
The first thing I did was blame the floppy disk drive, but he said they didn't work in any of his computers.
After about fifteen minutes on the phone he mentioned opening the case to get another floppy out.
Me: "Sir, the box of floppy disks didn't come with cases."
Him: "Yes they did. I pulled the metal tab off, then pull open the case to pull out the floppy."
The schmuck was ripping off the slider and cracking open the plastic case to get to the "floppy" part inside.
He called irate on the phone, saying that we were the third store he had bought floppy disks from and we were selling a defective product, just like Radio Shack and Walmart.
The first thing I did was blame the floppy disk drive, but he said they didn't work in any of his computers.
After about fifteen minutes on the phone he mentioned opening the case to get another floppy out.
Me: "Sir, the box of floppy disks didn't come with cases."
Him: "Yes they did. I pulled the metal tab off, then pull open the case to pull out the floppy."
The schmuck was ripping off the slider and cracking open the plastic case to get to the "floppy" part inside.