Castle Shima

What the? Did you just shoot at me with your eyes closed?! -- Detective Spooner from I, Robot

Tower View
Both Sides Of The Coin
Whenever someone asks me what I do for a living, I have to explain that I am a systems analyst with a specialities in data warehousing, data marts, business intelligence tools, and project management.

In English, that means I work with computers and data.

Whenever I talk about my work or computers in general, I try to keep the conversation as non-technical as possible. This is because not everyone knows all the little abbreviations that geeks like me tend to talk about. Almost everyone at one point or another has had to deal with a computer person practically speaking in tongues, especially when they need computer help.

Apparently, even we computer folks are not invunerable to this kind of thing.

Home networking is not forte, but I've been lucky enough to have my friends, Fury and Methos, help me set up a miniature newtork by linking my computers to a router, then to my cable modem.

For those that dont know what a router is, its a small box that lets you hook up multiple computers to it. Then this box would pass signals from your computers to the cable modem. This way they all can share the same modem.

Last week, when I couldnt connect to the Internet, the first thing that came to mind was that the modem went bad. After all, it was several years old.

When I called my cable company's technical support, the technician walked me thru several procedures. After a few minutes, he suggested that I exchange the old modem for a new one then to call them back to get it set up for the network.

After running down to one of their offices and exchanging modems, I hooked up the new device and called the technical support team again. A different tech responded, but once again, she walked me thru several steps.

Thirty minutes later we realized that the original modem was fine, but that both my router and network card had burned out. Before we could do anything else, a shopping trip was required.

The good part was that, according to this technician, I should be able to simply connect their modem to my new network router, turn everything off, and then turn everything back on. The connections would work automatically afterwards.

I believed the tech since Methos, who works for this company and specializes in networking, had told me the same thing a few weeks back.

So of course, it didnt work for me.

When I returned home with the new parts and got them set up, there was still no response from the modem. My computer could see the router and the modem could see the router, but the router would not let my computer talk to the modem.

This was going to require yet another call to the cable company's technical support.

This time, a technician named Pauline responded to my call. When I explained my problem to Pauline and asked what I was doing wrong, she told me "Remove the router. You dont need to to use it."

When I asked her how this was going to solve my problem, she simply replied "Your computer will be able to reach the Internet."

Well, duh.

I asked her how this was going to resolve my issue of connecting my multiple computers to the cable modem. Pauline told me "Just connect the wire from the modem to whichever computer you want to use for the Internet."

I almost blurted out Are you f**king kidding me?!

As calmly as I could, with my hands shaking slightly, I asked why I would do something like that. Pauline then tells me that her company doesnt handle routers and they dont support home networks.

So I said the first thing that came to my mind. "Let me get this straight. You are telling me that your company, which spends thousands of dollars promoting the home networking capability on television and on your website, which recommends the very same router I have here, does not support home networks."

"Oh no, sir. We just sell separate connections to people that want to use multiple computers."

The sentence almost came out again: Are you f**king kidding me?!

Needless to say, that call ended shortly afterwards. I know I should have gotten her manager right after that, but the sentence kept wanting to be screamed out.

Fortunately, Fury was able to help me get the connection working properly. After that I wrote a letter to the cable company praising the first 2 technicians and then recommending that Pauline be hung upside down by her toes.

Actually, I was abit kinder than that. I should have suggested beating her head in with the company manual.

That might have helped, but somehow I doubt it.
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Out In The Yard
Tyler wins the Gold in the Olympic Time Trial. Rah!
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Parody video from MoveOnPlease.Org takes a shot at Mooreon.. Have fun with this one!
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Here is the lazy man's sniper rifle from Barrett. I'm going to have to get me one of those...
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Background Noise
Stand Or Fall by The Fixx

Is this the value of high existance?
should we proclaim with such persistance?
Our destiny relies on conscience...
Red or blue,
Whats the difference?
Stand or fall...
state your peace tonight...

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* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
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