OT. Lesson Learned.

[M2/27]

I was putting up picture frames in my home office the other day. Obviously
this required the use of a hammer. Anyway, after finishing, being the lazy
Aussie I am, I just left the hammer laying next to one of the old PC's
running Win 98.

The lesson learned was "never leave a hammer next to a crappy old box that
has a tendency to crash, re-boot, hang and just generally be annoying."


Maybe some anger management is needed?

 

[cc]

"M2/27" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:41083d05@news1...
> I was putting up picture frames in my home office the other day. Obviously
> this required the use of a hammer. Anyway, after finishing, being the lazy
> Aussie I am, I just left the hammer laying next to one of the old PC's
> running Win 98.
>
> The lesson learned was "never leave a hammer next to a crappy old box that
> has a tendency to crash, re-boot, hang and just generally be annoying."
>
>
> Maybe some anger management is needed?
>

No, this has been established as the appropriate response to Windoze 98.

Good work confirming previously established results.

cc

 

[Michael Dart]

"M2/27" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:41083d05@news1...
> I was putting up picture frames in my home office the other day. Obviously
> this required the use of a hammer. Anyway, after finishing, being the lazy
> Aussie I am, I just left the hammer laying next to one of the old PC's
> running Win 98.
>
> The lesson learned was "never leave a hammer next to a crappy old box that
> has a tendency to crash, re-boot, hang and just generally be annoying."
>
>
> Maybe some anger management is needed?
>
>

I had an Epson 132 column dot matrix printer screw up at work. Beeping and
jamming, unable to be reset. Since I had a spare handy I just picked up the
offending printer over my head and slammed it on the desk. Oh what joy
seeing it explode in a thousand pieces. Very cathartic. Very "Office
Space".

Mike

 

[Stephen Baker]

M2/27 says:

>I just left the hammer laying next to one of the old PC's
>running Win 98.
>
>The lesson learned was "never leave a hammer next to a crappy old box that
>has a tendency to crash, re-boot, hang and just generally be annoying."

I like Windoze98. I still use it on both my machines, since it doesn't suffer
from some of the security problems associated with the newer versions. It
helps, of course, that both machines are old and slow, but they still do what I
wanted them to do when I bought them. ;-)

Steve "sounds like my bike, too..."

 

[Monique Y. Mudama]

On 2004-07-29, Stephen Baker penned:
>
> I like Windoze98. I still use it on both my machines, since it
> doesn't suffer from some of the security problems associated with the
> newer versions. It helps, of course, that both machines are old and
> slow, but they still do what I wanted them to do when I bought them.
> ;-)

No, win98 suffers from completely different security problems =P

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

 

[scurry]

cc wrote:
> "M2/27" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:41083d05@news1...
>
>>I was putting up picture frames in my home office the other day. Obviously
>>this required the use of a hammer. Anyway, after finishing, being the lazy
>>Aussie I am, I just left the hammer laying next to one of the old PC's
>>running Win 98.
>>
>>The lesson learned was "never leave a hammer next to a crappy old box that
>>has a tendency to crash, re-boot, hang and just generally be annoying."
>>
>>
>> Maybe some anger management is needed?
>>
>
>
> No, this has been established as the appropriate response to Windoze 98.
>
> Good work confirming previously established results.

Indeed. Repeating experiments to confirm results is one of the most
important aspects of the scientific method.
And another wintel bites the dust.

Shawn

 

[cc]

"Monique Y. Mudama" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 2004-07-29, Stephen Baker penned:
> >
> > I like Windoze98. I still use it on both my machines, since it
> > doesn't suffer from some of the security problems associated with the
> > newer versions. It helps, of course, that both machines are old and
> > slow, but they still do what I wanted them to do when I bought them.
> > ;-)
>
> No, win98 suffers from completely different security problems =P
>

Yes, but if a computer is down more often, there are automatically less
opportunities to compromise it.

I don't think the best can hack the 'blue screen of death'

cc

 

[MattB]

M2/27 wrote:
> I was putting up picture frames in my home office the other day.
> Obviously this required the use of a hammer. Anyway, after finishing,
> being the lazy Aussie I am, I just left the hammer laying next to one
> of the old PC's running Win 98.
>
> The lesson learned was "never leave a hammer next to a crappy old box
> that has a tendency to crash, re-boot, hang and just generally be
> annoying."
>
>
> Maybe some anger management is needed?

Maybe. I think you could consider that an act of anger management too. It's
not like you hit any people.

When I was working at an IT department at a ski resort I had the chance to
destroy hardware in some fun ways. I think it's good for you!

We threw monitors off 5th floor hotel balconies, printers off cliffs, and
shot holes through PDP-1120's with high powered rifles. Good times indeed.

Matt

 

[cc]

"MattB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> M2/27 wrote:
> > I was putting up picture frames in my home office the other day.
> > Obviously this required the use of a hammer. Anyway, after finishing,
> > being the lazy Aussie I am, I just left the hammer laying next to one
> > of the old PC's running Win 98.
> >
> > The lesson learned was "never leave a hammer next to a crappy old box
> > that has a tendency to crash, re-boot, hang and just generally be
> > annoying."
> >
> >
> > Maybe some anger management is needed?
>
> Maybe. I think you could consider that an act of anger management too.
It's
> not like you hit any people.
>

Yes, I agree this can be relieving.

A good friend and roommate of mine was housesitting for an advisor of his
and spilled some coffee on her keyboard. It died. Unfortunately, those
cutesy little ****ing mac keyboards was about 60 bones to replace. The only
good part about this was that we got to keep the broken one.

I let my girlfriend at the time have her way with it after a party at my
home. These are on the corner out front:

http://www.stanford.edu/~ccreese/images/miscpost/Destructive_diantha.jpg
http://www.stanford.edu/~ccreese/images/miscpost/Triumphant_diantha.jpg

I was a vehement Mac-hater at the time (which has changed since the advent
of OS X), and it felt great to watch this.

The PC/Mac issue was on the level of the Best Foods/Miracle Whip battle
going on in my house. Good stories about those.

cc

 

[bomba]

On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 09:58:51 +1000, M2/27 wrote:

> The lesson learned was "never leave a hammer next to a crappy old box that
> has a tendency to crash, re-boot, hang and just generally be annoying."

Lesson learned: never leave an Aussie with anything more complex than a
tinny

 

[Stephen Baker]

Monique says:

>No, win98 suffers from completely different security problems =P
>

True, Grasshopper..... But current batch of script-kiddies too young to
remember what they are ;-)

It would be like writing a virus for HASP...
(gotta be old for that one)

Steve

 

[Stephen Baker]

bomba says:

>Lesson learned: never leave an Aussie with anything more complex than a
>tinny

Tinnies can get pretty complex - especially the ones with outboards.... ;-P

Steve

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

"bomba" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 09:58:51 +1000, M2/27 wrote:
>
> > The lesson learned was "never leave a hammer next to a crappy old box
that
> > has a tendency to crash, re-boot, hang and just generally be annoying."
>
> Lesson learned: never leave an Aussie with anything more complex than a
> tinny
And a push'n'pop-top one, at that, heheheh... ',;~}~





Shaun aRe

 

[M2/27]

"bomba" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 09:58:51 +1000, M2/27 wrote:
>
> > The lesson learned was "never leave a hammer next to a crappy old box
that
> > has a tendency to crash, re-boot, hang and just generally be annoying."
>
> Lesson learned: never leave an Aussie with anything more complex than a
> tinny


LOL....touché!

 

[Westie]

Michael Dart wrote:

> I had an Epson 132 column dot matrix printer screw up at work.
> Beeping and jamming, unable to be reset. Since I had a spare handy I
> just picked up the offending printer over my head and slammed it on
> the desk. Oh what joy seeing it explode in a thousand pieces. Very
> cathartic. Very "Office Space".

I recently had an HP Deskjet throw a wobbly and it spat little bits of
plastic out at me before chewing up a wad of paper and spitting that out
too. Now it refuses to do even the most basic things properly. I didn't
think that I was that bad as a Boss.
--
Westie
(Replace 'invalid' with 'yahoo' when replying.)

 

[Westie]

MattB wrote:

> We threw monitors off 5th floor hotel balconies, printers off cliffs,
> and shot holes through PDP-1120's with high powered rifles. Good
> times indeed.

Nothing quite as satisfying as popping a high powered slug through a monitor
and being rewarded with the resulting "whump!" and sparkly shower of chunks
of glass.
--
Westie
(Replace 'invalid' with 'yahoo' when replying.)

 

[Kathleen]

Westie wrote:
> Michael Dart wrote:
>
>
>>I had an Epson 132 column dot matrix printer screw up at work.
>>Beeping and jamming, unable to be reset. Since I had a spare handy I
>>just picked up the offending printer over my head and slammed it on
>>the desk. Oh what joy seeing it explode in a thousand pieces. Very
>>cathartic. Very "Office Space".
>
>
> I recently had an HP Deskjet throw a wobbly and it spat little bits of
> plastic out at me before chewing up a wad of paper and spitting that out
> too. Now it refuses to do even the most basic things properly. I didn't
> think that I was that bad as a Boss.

We had a computer at work that would periodically get... stuck?
Wouldn't want to boot up. The first time I had it happen to me I called
IT and reported the problem and asked them to get somebody up to have a
look at it. The guy I talked to on the phone recognized the problem and
told me, "It just needs a thump. Pick up the hard drive and drop it."
I processed this for a few seconds, then decided that he was messing
with me to see if I could actually be induced to deliberately drop
electronic equipment. Electronic equipment that held the only copy in
the known universe of a critical report, I might add. I told him to
either come up here and do it himself or put me through to his boss.
See, I ate lunch with some of the folks from that department, I'd heard
the stories, and was well acquainted with their idea of "funny".
5 minutes later the guy walks into my office, and without a word, picks
up my computer, drops it, pushes the power button and boots up the system.

Kathleen

 

[Michael Dart]

"Kathleen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Westie wrote:
> > Michael Dart wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I had an Epson 132 column dot matrix printer screw up at work.
> >>Beeping and jamming, unable to be reset. Since I had a spare handy I
> >>just picked up the offending printer over my head and slammed it on
> >>the desk. Oh what joy seeing it explode in a thousand pieces. Very
> >>cathartic. Very "Office Space".
> >
> >
> > I recently had an HP Deskjet throw a wobbly and it spat little bits of
> > plastic out at me before chewing up a wad of paper and spitting that out
> > too. Now it refuses to do even the most basic things properly. I
didn't
> > think that I was that bad as a Boss.
>
> We had a computer at work that would periodically get... stuck?
> Wouldn't want to boot up. The first time I had it happen to me I called
> IT and reported the problem and asked them to get somebody up to have a
> look at it. The guy I talked to on the phone recognized the problem and
> told me, "It just needs a thump. Pick up the hard drive and drop it."
> I processed this for a few seconds, then decided that he was messing
> with me to see if I could actually be induced to deliberately drop
> electronic equipment. Electronic equipment that held the only copy in
> the known universe of a critical report, I might add. I told him to
> either come up here and do it himself or put me through to his boss.
> See, I ate lunch with some of the folks from that department, I'd heard
> the stories, and was well acquainted with their idea of "funny".
> 5 minutes later the guy walks into my office, and without a word, picks
> up my computer, drops it, pushes the power button and boots up the system.
>

That is known as "Percussive Maintenance." ;^)

Mike

 

[MattB]

Kathleen wrote:
> Westie wrote:
>> Michael Dart wrote:
>>
>>
>>> I had an Epson 132 column dot matrix printer screw up at work.
>>> Beeping and jamming, unable to be reset. Since I had a spare handy
>>> I just picked up the offending printer over my head and slammed it
>>> on the desk. Oh what joy seeing it explode in a thousand pieces.
>>> Very cathartic. Very "Office Space".
>>
>>
>> I recently had an HP Deskjet throw a wobbly and it spat little bits
>> of plastic out at me before chewing up a wad of paper and spitting
>> that out too. Now it refuses to do even the most basic things
>> properly. I didn't think that I was that bad as a Boss.
>
> We had a computer at work that would periodically get... stuck?
> Wouldn't want to boot up. The first time I had it happen to me I
> called IT and reported the problem and asked them to get somebody up
> to have a look at it. The guy I talked to on the phone recognized
> the problem and told me, "It just needs a thump. Pick up the hard
> drive and drop it."
> I processed this for a few seconds, then decided that he was messing
> with me to see if I could actually be induced to deliberately drop
> electronic equipment. Electronic equipment that held the only copy in
> the known universe of a critical report, I might add. I told him to
> either come up here and do it himself or put me through to his boss.
> See, I ate lunch with some of the folks from that department, I'd
> heard the stories, and was well acquainted with their idea of "funny".
> 5 minutes later the guy walks into my office, and without a word,
> picks up my computer, drops it, pushes the power button and boots up
> the system.
>
> Kathleen

I hope you promptly made a backup of your precious report!

Matt

 

[BB]

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 08:45:32 -0500, Kathleen wrote:

> 5 minutes later the guy walks into my office, and without a word, picks
> up my computer, drops it, pushes the power button and boots up the system.

This isn't the first time I've heard of computers being fixed that way.

Hard drives are designed to take a certain small amount of abuse when
they're turned off. As they're starting to show up in portable electronics
(e.g. iPods), durability is a big issue. I read somewhere that the
drop-test for cell phones is 1.5 feet, but the current micro drives
support only 1 foot - that's whats keeping them from being added to cell
phones right now.

--
-BB-
To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)