Wednesday, September 23, 2009

ATT and wireless -- tech support sucks!

There's not too many things in life I hate worse than having to call any computer tech support! Today was one of those days. I have ATT/DSL. All was fine till I left the house to go mail in my reason for not being able to serve on Jury Duty (ah, yes, another woe, but not worth a whole blog) - and when I got back, I had no internet connection. I hit the reset on the modem, and that didn't work. I called them, and the recording said, "Did you unplug modem and restart?"

Well, no, I didn't. So, I hung up and did that. But I still didn't have a connection. So, I called back. Apparently hitting the reset erased my password; and the guy walked me through setting a new one. All is fine -- so far.

Then he has me turn on my laptop, which I might mention has not been turned on for quite some time - months - but it had connection when I used it last. But I agreed a good idea to check it. Good thing, because there was no connection.

He had me do several things; then had me delete the connection, let it create a new one; didn't work. An error message came up, something about the ISP wasn't compatible. Then the phone went dead. I suppose he hung up! They make it a big deal to get your phone number so they can call you back - but he didn't call me back.

So, I called them back, started over. "Let me connect you to the wireless tech support." GEEZ! Okay.

Then we go through the same things again, answering the same basic questions about modem and operating system and all that . She does the same stuff the first guy had me to do - properties, look at this, look at that -- then delete the connection; let it create a new connection, etc. Got to the same place - three or four times. Each time she would say, "Can you hold while I check your account?" Sure, I'll wait. Then she'd come back to do the same thing we did before.

Then she's quiet - then asks me, "You are having trouble getting the wireless to work on your laptop; is that right?" YES!!! Damn!!

I tried to tell her about the message, the ISP wasn't compatible; but she pretty much ignored me and said bla bla bla about ATT supporting Internet connection and I could connect; apparently it was something wrong with my laptop; and did I want her to connect me to the Connect Tech Support? I said there's nothing wrong with my laptop, and I thought that's who she was!! Yes, connect me.

Well, getting connected to that department, the recording alerts me that it is fee-based and to have a credit card handy. OH, NO YOU DON'T! So, I hung up; got out my ethernet cable and hard wired it, and it connected just fine.

Once again, I got the message about the ISP not being compatible; but when I tried to click on the error for more info, it went away. By this time I had wasted well over 2 hours, maybe even three, of stress and rising blood pressure; so I gave it up. I know I'll have to call them back and go through the whole thing -- again! But it won't be today!

There's no reason in this world that so much time and mental energy should be expended on something that should be so minor!

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Monday, September 14, 2009

How the GOP got hijacked by Right-Wing Authoritarians

How the GOP got hijacked (as well as ANY religion!) by Right-Wing Authoritarians

As we are witness the unfolding of a rather bizarre health care debate, one can't help but be amazed at the jaw dropping lunacy of the folks on the right who are amply represented by an assembly of "creationists" "birthers", "teabaggers", "screamers" and now "deathers"...

~snip~

Somehow the leaders of the GOP seem to have convinced a majority of their followers that;
1. President Obama is not a naturalized citizen and therefore his presidency is illegitimate (birthers).
2. Obama's healthcare bill will put seniors to death by their government (deathers).
3. Obama's socialist administration will come and get your guns (teabaggers).
4. Obama hates God (creationists).
5. Obama plans for the government to take over Medicare (screamers).
6. Obama plans for America are similar to Nazi Germany. (Limbaugh).
7. Obama's death panels will kill my baby (Palin).
8. Obama's defense policies put the country on the edge of catastrophe (Cheney, Gingrich).

~snip~

At the end of Chapter Two appears a list of those traits that are typically found in Right-Wing Authoritarians. When reading this list, think GOP leaders Limbaugh, Gingrich, Cheney and Palin.

Right-Wing Authoritarian - Leaders:

* Typically men (Palin is the exception but think masculine phrases used to define her such as "hockey mom", "basketball point guard", and "field dress a moose")
* dominating
* opposes equality
* desirous of personal power
* amoral
* intimidating and bullying
* faintly hedonistic
* vengeful
* pitiless
* exploitive
* manipulative
* dishonest
* cheats to win
* highly prejudiced (racist, sexist, homophobic)
* mean-spirited
* militant
* nationalistic
* tells others what they want to hear
* takes advantage of "suckers"
* specializes in creating false images to sell self
* may or may not be religious
* usually politically and economically conservative/Republican

When reading the below list of follower traits, think of those angry white faces (actually more red than white) at your typical "teabagger" party and recent Town hall "screamer" secession.

Right-Wing Authoritarian - Followers:

* men and woman
* submissive to authority
* aggressive on behalf of authority
* conventional
* highly religious
* moderate to little education
* trust untrustworthy authorities
* prejudiced (particularly against homosexuals, woman, and followers of religions other than their own)
* mean-spirited
* narrow-minded
* intolerant
* bulling
* zealous
* dogmatic
* uncritical toward chosen authority
* hypocritical
* inconsistent and contradictory
* prone to panic easily
* highly self-righteous
* moralistic
* strict disciplinarian
* severely punitive
* demands loyalty and returns it
* little self-awareness
* usually politically and economically conservative/Republican

While reading this list you may have asked yourself why these current followers, who display a deference to authority, are not following the head guy; the President of the United States. The answer is a simple one. The glue that binds the current out of power leaders to their pathetic followers is clearly and unambiguously RACE...

LA Science and Tech News Examiner: How the GOP got hijacked by RightWing Authoritarians

(and I might add to RACE - PERCEIVED RELIGION and ISLAMOPHOBIA)



I wish there was such a video about hijacking Christianity, too! If this behavior were all one had to reflect what Christianity is all about, who would want it!

Friday, September 04, 2009

Fears of Obama speaking to school kids



The Obamaphobia just keeps going from bad to worse. It's hard to believe "adults" and so-called "educated" people have fallen into the snares of the extreme, radical right. This event is something nice for the kids, to be addressed by the "office of the president" - no matter who holds that office. With our education system crumbling, our nation practically illiterate, and dropout rate on the rise, just maybe our kids might need a pep talk to stay in school and give it their all! But God forbid if it be our President Obama to be the one to offer that encouragement to our kids to better themselves with a good education!! This whole thing is the height of complete and utter lunacy at its best!

Even IF (stress IF) Obama did say something partisan -WHICH HE WON'T -- so the heck what! He's a Dem pres. That's part of our government system!! Two PARTIES!! Hello!! These students are not babies. They're kids who should be learning to listen to differing views and forming their own thoughts. It's called learning to think for themselves. That's part of an education, too. It's more scary if parents won't let their kids learn to do that! They're only teaching their kids to have a closed mind, never listen to opposing views than those of their parents! That's what's extremely dangerous!!

Locally it seems our schools cow-towing to this mania; and
it is most disheartening. If this is how our schools are, then Pres Obama has more work to do with the schools than maybe first thought. It appears our educators are the ones who need some education!

Sounds like too many of the teachers/administrators, as well as parents, are have become "indoctrinated" by FIXED NEWS!! WHAT IRONY!!

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Thursday, September 03, 2009

Restriction A - with corrective lenses


Alas, it is that time of my life when I had to renew my driver's license again. It's been six years, but I know I didn't have my picture made 6 years ago. They used the one I had. So, if I had been stopped with that 12 year old picture, it might would have turned into being somewhat of a humiliating experience to admit how much I've aged in the past dozen years.

But that wasn't what worried me. What did worry me was the eye exam. This was not going to be so easy. I'm getting cataracts, I can't see worth a flip, and I haven't gotten new glasses in three years. So, I was really stressing about this. In fact, I played out the mental daydream (nightmare) scenario that they would take my license away from me and I would have to call somebody to come pick me up.

Well, my birthday is on the 28th; so I knew I had to get down there early enough that if I didn't pass, I would have time to get new glasses and take the test again. So, I took a deep breath and went today, the 3rd.

First off the bat, I was standing in the line and when they flashed the light to take a person's picture, the light was right in my line of vision; so I saw bright spots for a bit. Oh, great. Well, I had to wait long enough, that corrected itself.

A lady from the back came to her station and called on me, as I was next in line. I had been watching the two ladies who were working their stations, wondering which would be nicer. So, when the 3rd lady came and I was her first, I felt a sense of relief for some reason, and it proved to be true. She was very nice.

Well, we exchange the pleasantries and preliminaries, and the moment of truth arrives. She pointed me to the machine you look in, and told me first without the glasses. "Line 5." Oh, boy. I couldn't see a thing. She was very kind and told me to go to the machine next to it. Maybe that would be better. Nope, it wasn't. "Okay, girl," I tell myself. "Stay calm. You knew you'd need to wear your glasses."

I have two pair of bifocals and took them both. One pair is computer/reading; and one pair is distance/reading. I always wear the computer glasses, but while driving up to the DMV, I got out the distance/reading to see if it made much difference; and it didn't at all. So, I took the computer glasses I had in my hand and put them on. Absolutely NO improvement. I couldn't read a thing.

Now I'm starting to feel the ol' heart start to be a little faster, but I quickly grabbed the other pair.

Ohhhh, there it is!!! I rattled off the letters/numbers so fast I even stumbled in my words on the last number "5" -- no, "6." Whew!!

She laughed a little and informed me we'd have to put a restriction on my license. NO KIDDING!!

Now that it's all over I wish I could go back to those machines and do it again. I'm wondering if I just didn't have my head lined up right in the first place because I know my 2nd pair of glasses just aren't that much more correcting than the first. But whatever, at least I've got them and I'm good for another six years!! Such a simple thing as renewing your license turned out to be a major stressor, but God is good and got me through it!

I lifted the picture above of our DMV off Google Maps. But just as an aside comment, that is the same location I went when I took my boys in the 80s to get their beginner permits and then licenses when they turned 16. And, indeed, it is the same building that I went to when I got my very first driver's license when I was 16 in the early 60s. I can remember sitting in the back room taking the written test; and then later when it was time for the driving test, I remember the officer told me to turn left and I made a very nice and controlled right - right into a parking lot! I wondered why he wanted me to go in that parking lot! lol He was kind, acknowledged that he knew I was nervous, and passed me. Gosh, that was such a long time ago.