tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13030925.post5329554353547989600..comments2024-01-25T13:46:11.967-06:00Comments on The Bronze Blog: Doghouse Science #1: Hypotheses and Alternate ExplanationsRyan Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14750814560493466382noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13030925.post-27835817191663968982011-02-04T21:41:35.861-06:002011-02-04T21:41:35.861-06:00Please express that in the form of no paint daubs....Please express that in the form of no paint daubs.<br /><br />BD, I'm familiar with that very thing. I do more or less the same things you do in diagnosing things. Before I even try digging through registry entries and driver issues, I first confirm those are the issues. It's a waste of time otherwise. I go one bit further. I check the internal settings page for both the router (typically located at 192.168.1.1) and the cable modem (typically located at 192.168.100.1). There's a number of internal checks both have to confirm that they are connected to the next step in the chain.<br /><br />In my case, every call I make tends to result in someone needing to come out and replace some component outside, but that's only because I ONLY make those calls when I confirm I didn't screw something up on my side (which happens of course). As BD was stating, this is an important lesson in dealing with anything else. One way to interpret it is simply to assume that when something you have a hard time explaining happens, assume you messed up first and foremost before posting youtube videos about supposed "UFO sightings" or whatever.<br /><br />On a side note, as my family's "go to" tech support, I find it very frustrating trying to teach this basic "process of elimination" to family members. They will say exactly "I can't connect to Facebook" and then ask (with all the trappings of a technical attitude, with none of the substance) "in your professional opinion why do you think that is?". Depending on how frustrated they are, they will take me answering "I need to know more to give an answer to that with "well just give me what you think it is right now, don't worry about the details". I have to explain very patiently that the details are EVERYTHING and that I can't give ANY answer without them, not that I'm withholding some perfect super-cure because I just like being a stickler for paperwork. Especially annoying is when one or another of the more a-type people in my family ask me not just to help them with a problem, but to specifically fix it the way THEY think it should be fixed. I will have someone who, by their own admission don't know much about computers, tell me "Okay my printer doesn't work, could you update the drivers?", or "I get disconnected sometimes from Netflix, just tell me what kind of processor I should buy". I try to explain that I don't think that those particular solutions are going to work and they say "you let me worry about that, I won't blame you if something goes wrong". It's like they are trying to ask for help from me but at the same time are convinced they know exactly what the problem is. Some of it comes from some of them reading a couple paragraphs from some online tech site and assuming thats a sort of catch-all solution to all computer problems (the driver thing for example).<br /><br />This isn't to say that everyone in my family is aweful. Many listen to me and don't make assumptions about things. It's those few that are trouble. Admittedly with patience I can eventually convince even those a-types that they may be misunderstanding what's going on and it'll take me actually examining what's happening before I can find a solution. It's just rather annoying, because in the process I have to avoid coming across like a jerk in their eyes, and I was just coming over to have dinner to begin with so I don't want that :D.Dark Jaguarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13030925.post-18215317163842110112011-01-30T22:44:06.695-06:002011-01-30T22:44:06.695-06:00atheistmedia.com/2011/01/pz-myers-on-science-and-a...atheistmedia.com/2011/01/pz-myers-on-science-and-atheism-natural.html<br /><br /><br /><br />WRONG<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Dear PZ... I spoke with God yesterday.... Do you want to know what he told me?<br /><br /><br /><br />CLOBBERING TIME<br /><br />dawkins - got you...<br /><br /><br />who's the WINGNUT?<br /><br />richarddawkins.net/videos/579240-the-truth-about-the-lunatic-religious-right-in-america?page=1<br /><br /><br />THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION - JAN 1, 2011<br /><br />OMENS OF DEATH:<br /><br />starseedshaman.info/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/redwing.jpg<br /><br />an example and warning of the fate of those who try to divide people....<br /><br /><br />youtube.com/user/xviolatex?feature=mhumAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13030925.post-54618248710740591072011-01-30T21:49:13.617-06:002011-01-30T21:49:13.617-06:00And now you have learned an important detail about...And now you have learned an important detail about troubleshooting electronics:<br /><br />Unless it is soldered, checking a connection involves disconnecting and reconnecting it.<br /><br />This procedure does three things: It insures that the connection is seated properly, it will tend to scrape off any oxide layer that has begun to form and it will get rid of any bits of grit or gunk that are interfering with the connection.Chakat Firepawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02002352879959672258noreply@blogger.com