Often, I think I have the technical intelligence of a blade of grass.

My phone has not been working for over a week.

This afternoon, I notified Time Warner of my problem via their Online Tech Support room.

The very polite tech worked with me for several minutes and finally figured out I had the phone cord plugged in slot #2 instead of slot # 1.

The phone works now

Don't feel too bad about the "number one slot or number two slot" mistake. Sometimes, actually much of the time, the most common mistakes are also the most obvious; during my years in Uncle Sam's Canoe Club (U.S. Navy) I remember an electronics repair and maintainence man telling me that the FIRST thing they taught him in his "A" school was that the most common reason for electronic equipment failure was lack of electric power - that is to say that someone forgot to plug it in and turn it on... His instructors were quite serious when they emphasized to their students to always confirm that the "failed" equipment was in fact plugged in and turned on before going any further with "repairing" something that was not broken... You know how this story goes don't you? About a week later some equipment had just failed and I stupidly called the maintainence man before checking the power cable... the previous watch had done some cleaning and disconnected it without reconnecting it or even bothering to tell me... So I looked like an increadible moron when the maintainence man looked behing the equipment rack and explained that my electronic gear would perform much much better when it was plugged in.

Having worked in the service field, IT department, I can not tell you how many times I plugged in a broken machine.

River

I have heard of men putting it in the wrong hole before.

In the days before polarized electrical plugs (which can only go in one way), it was standard proceedure for telephone support for appliances first to suggest the customer try reversing the plug. If they just asked whether the appliance was plugged in they were likely to get a "What do you think I'm stupid." response. This way they could check if it was plugged in without offending the customer.

Transward

A while back my DSL line went out here at my house, I was on the phone with the Tech support, and they told me to unplug both ends of my phone line and reverse the ends and plug them back in. needless to say it did not fix the issue. It turns out it was crossed wires on AT&T's side when they upgraded cables down the road.

During the 1960s, I worked for a while for a a now-world-famous technology company, as a repair technician. From time to time, an electronic apparatus would come in for repair, and the problem described by the "customer" was really the customer's lack of understanding how to use the apparatus.

Within the company, among the technicians, such repair jobs were attributed to "cockpit trouble."

A private airplane pilot once remarked to me that "controlled flight into terrain can be a particularly dangerous form of cockpit trouble.

Which reminds me of a notice I saw in a small repair shop. "Test brain first; it may have failed."

Which, mixing threads improperly, leads me to wonder how much of today's political machination is simply an incorrectly understood form of cockpit trouble...?

Is human hatred a result of "crossed wiring" in human brains?

janekane (imported) wrote: Wed Apr 11, 2012 4:07 am During the 1960s, I worked for a while for a a now-world-famous technology company, as a repair technician. From time to time, an electronic apparatus would come in for repair, and the problem described by the "customer" was really the customer's lack of understanding how to use the apparatus.

Within the company, among the technicians, such repair jobs were attributed to "cockpit trouble."

A private airplane pilot once remarked to me that "controlled flight into terrain can be a particularly dangerous form of cockpit trouble.

Which reminds me of a notice I saw in a small repair shop. "Test brain first; it may have failed."

Which, mixing threads improperly, leads me to wonder how much of today's political machination is simply an incorrectly understood form of cockpit trouble...?

Is human hatred a result of "crossed wiring" in human brains?

Makes logical sense to me. Then again, my brain goes kaput when I try to hook up a new dvd/vcr - duh

tugon (imported) wrote: Tue Apr 10, 2012 4:11 pm I have heard of men putting it in the wrong hole before.

You sir, are fired from comedy!

That was a terrible groaner... totally correct, but just... you should be ashamed. Dammit, why am I laughing?

My 6 year old nieghbor explained that all things electric work on smoke.

Once you let the smoke out they don't work any more.