Corpse Run 197: Family Tech Support
I have a sneaking suspicion that most people who read my little strip are also the go-to tech support people for their families. As such, I wont get into the nitty gritty about that nonsense, other than to say it’s like my old tech support days sans having no further contact with the… customer.
So I’ve now taken my two real estate exams. The school test was done on Friday, and although I don’t have the results back from that one yet, I am 100% certain that I passed.
The state exam, however, was actually kind of confusing, many “huh?” moments were experienced. The exam was 1 1/2 hours long, but I finished in about twenty-five minutes. I then used the next half hour and change to go over the test and, on a sheet of scrap paper, compile my answers into three columns: questions I knew I got right, questions I was 50/50 on, and questions that I just made educated guesses on.
That’s right, I spent more time figuring out what grade I got on the test than I did actually taking the test.
Once I handed it in, I was told that it would take a week to get the results back.
I happened to check the results today, and they’re back already. This either means that my state government is either really fast and efficient when it comes to paperwork processing, or that they’re comically inaccurate in setting schedules. Since I am of the opinion that the government can’t possibly be good at stuff, I’ll go with the latter.
Oh, and if you were wondering, I passed, rendering that half hour I spent predicting my grade a waste of time. Woo?
After the test on Tuesday I walked straight to another appointment with Randy, my dentist, for a cleaning. In true dental comedian fashion, Randy walked me through the process:
“You’ve had a cleaning before, right?” he asked.
“Oh yeah,” I said, my eyes on the verge of rolling.
“So you know… how pleasant they are, yeah?”
He said this while breaking out the jar of topical anesthetic.
“Oh, they’re awesome,” I said, “they’re so awesome that you use the numbing cream to keep me from enjoying it too much.”
My dentist and I have a love/hate relationship: I love talking to him, I hate having sharp tools in my mouth.
I used to the family tech support, but then I linked them to this.
http://xkcd.com/627/
It didn’t help them with their problems much, but they bother me less now.
I did the same, except I had to translate that chart in french since my parents do not understand english :/
I also had to make a quick reference sheet for if I said “x” in english, I meant “y” in french, since technical terms in french can suck it.
Delta, That flowchart is absolutely perfect!
Sorry to hear that you’re stuck with the bilingual tech support, Pentavus, sounds like a nightmare.
I feel your pain, Alex.
Yeah, it’s a common burden between all of us… Google… if they would only use Google…
Not an IT person, but, yup I’m the go to person for tech support in my family. I seem to have gotten the brunt of the common sense, (which sadly isn’t that common) so I make educated guesses that turn out to be correct more often then not.
The friends that I have who do know this stuff seem to absolutely love me since I don’t ask stupid questions and I seem to understand their explanations in one go round. Funny thing is most of the time it all seems like “Duh…” to me and I don’t understand why others have such a hard time figuring things out.
It’s weird, isn’t it? I never feel as though I actually *know* what I’m doing when I’m “fixing” things for family.
The horror I have seen from fixing family computers is indescribable. Some private things on peoples computers should stay their business but when they ask me for my help it suddenly becomes my business. All the weird porn I have seen on my Grandpa’s and Dads computers is unjustifiable.
There was a folder I found once while cleaning out someone’s computer that was labeled “Christmas P0rn.”
I decided against looking at it’s contents, which I, to this day, feel was the right choice.
My mom didn’t know what the start menu was as of last year. It’s amazing how quickly she can reduce me to a cringing pile of goo.
She know where it is now, though, right? PROGRESS!
Thankfully, my older brother (1 year 51 weeks older, so we’re pretty close) is the go-to guy, after my dad. He was an ETC in the Navy, so he was pretty savvy as well. Together, they fight the forces of my mother and little brother screwing things over. Because at least they can be helped. Now me, when I screw my computer up, I screw it up HARD. No one can fix what I do.
That reminds me of the time my brother made the Blue Screen of Death red. It worked, but he had to reinstall windows afterwards.
Was the RSOD worth it? =P
There wasn’t anything important on that PC. So yes, the awesomeness made it worth it.
Haha, how do you mess it up that bad?
I don’t know man. I was on my third hard on my old laptop when I bought my current one. It was…pretty bad. I have no idea what I do. It’s technology in general that hates me I guess.
oh how i hate giving tech advice, i spent a year in college at computer hardware and failed but anyway everyone in my family thinks i shold be able to set up/fix all their i.t probs and now i work in an abattoir along way from computers, also ive noticed myelf starting to regurally comment on your comics and i dont generally comment on anything which makes you very honored
I consider my self very honored to have you!
thats great to know, although i ust admit if you didnt have a good comic i would not be here
LOL. Well duh… if he didn’t have a good comic no one would be here.
This happens to me all the time! I’ve had to teach my family (especially my grandma) the most simple things. Just to name a few: teach my grandma why she doesn’t need to log in to Gmail to enter Facebook, Tech my mom 174e92 time how to burn a DVD or pass music to her iPod, and teach my aunt how to add a contact on blackberry (she could only do it once)
Blackberrys are the devil!
I work for a company that makes apps or mobile sites and we dread when a client ask us to do anything for blackberry.
BTW, I know your mom’s phone number now. : P
Speaking of which, a few weeks ago a friend of mine wanted me to hide his “unmentionable files” so that only he could view them. But I’m thinking “if I hide them, couldn’t I view them @ will too?”, redundant, yes. Profitable, yes. Got paid to do that for him.