Technology Boogers
Well, boogers.
I spent some time cleaning house last night, including packing up the TiVo and finding all its component parts that ealdthryth had put away in other boxes. Goodbye TiVo! You might be missed in the short term, but all you did was encourage us to sit like zombies in front of an endless parade of mind candy. In all honesty, I haven't felt the loss yet. We've still got a DVD player. 8^)
I also tried to get the computer in the scriptorium to connect to the Internet. After I went through all the recommended setups and followed the procedures, the wireless card could "see" the network (the connection lights were green and it showed me the relevant data about the network), but it simply could not connect to the Internet. The laptop can, and the office computer can--if you plug an Ethernet cable into it directly. I will have to actually call the support folks and see if they can walk me through the set up. I ran anti-virus and anti-spyware programs to see if there was anything that might prevent me from connecting. They only found one possible thing, and I think it was associated to RealPlayer.
Admitting defeat is pretty embarrassing considering that I used to set up and test computer networks when I was in high school--of course that was all hardwired client/server stuff back when Novell still had Netware v1.1 and Token Ring networks were brand new.... The Internet then seemed to consist of some dial-up bulletin boards and DARPA. As I began: Boogers.
However, the evening wasn't a complete loss. Domestic chores were done, and following ealdthryth's directives from Sunday, I disconnected the headset-based phone up on the third floor and replaced it with a spare standard phone. Actually, the replacement phone now qualifies as being a vintage model since it has a rotary dial. I had to put in a filter for the DSL, but that was no big deal. Moving furniture to get at the plug wasn't all that bad, either. At any rate, one more electricity vampire has been eliminated from the house....
Snuggly Fu
While I was struggling with network connectivity issues, AElfgifu came up to the Scriptorium and gave me The Look. Not The Look where I am about to get slashed, but The Look that means Canz it be lap tiem, naow?. I dutifully moved the keyboard, and AElf' hopped right up, purring with great satisfaction. She deigned to accept chin scratching and petting, but after a while, she got bored or ealdthryth made some noise downstairs, so AElf' ran off....
A little later, I went downstairs in defeat, unable to get the computer to access the Internet. I did a little eBay surfing from the office while Josie curled up on top of the filing cabinet and had cute little "faceplant" nap. ealdthryth and I ended up watching Muppets, and Josie decided that she needed some snuggle time, too. Her trip to the vet apparently was not pleasant, and after she was done hiding, she wanted the comfort of one of her pink hairless monkeys as a comfy spot.
MMMM! A double dose of plush kitty endorphins!
Ergonomic Disaster Area
OK, I think I finally know who my manager is. The guy in charge of moving us into different cells had a color-coded chart that I got a look at. My new manager is going to try to help me make my new cell better--he agreed that the current configuration lends itself to too much distraction and poor organization. He was willing to move me to another cell, but he was also willing to sign the paperwork to get the configuration of the new cell modified. I think it really shocked him that I wasn't absolutely thrilled and bouncing up and down with excitement to move to the new location. Once I explained my viewpoint, he was very receptive to the changes I outlined.
Unlike the vast majority of my colleagues, I have very little to move. Anything decorative was purged long ago from my office, and since I no longer do anything truly technical, most of my old reference material has gone back home. I think the barren state of my work area frightens the managers and unsettles some of my co-workers whose cells are populated with figurines and awards, and papered with project plans, pictures of trips, family, certificates of appreciation, etc. Once upon a time, my cell was just as cluttered as everyone else's--but then I became a very unhappy worker bee and realized that none of those things cheered me up even in a remote sort of way. All of it came home because I saw no need to have them at the office if I wasn't getting any benefit or happiness from them.
I think I am still an unhappy worker bee, but I will soon have a View. Theoretically, having a View will be a good psychological boost.
Lest I come across as some sort of spartan or minimalist, my Scriptorium, on the other hand is almost overwhelming in its clutter. I have used the clutter for visual inspiration for various projects, though I agree with ealdthryth that it is time to remove some of the it from our lives. I made a small start last night by eliminating some books that I know I will never read again, and I already have a short mental list of things that can be put up for sale so we can buy different clutter.... 8^)
I spent some time cleaning house last night, including packing up the TiVo and finding all its component parts that ealdthryth had put away in other boxes. Goodbye TiVo! You might be missed in the short term, but all you did was encourage us to sit like zombies in front of an endless parade of mind candy. In all honesty, I haven't felt the loss yet. We've still got a DVD player. 8^)
I also tried to get the computer in the scriptorium to connect to the Internet. After I went through all the recommended setups and followed the procedures, the wireless card could "see" the network (the connection lights were green and it showed me the relevant data about the network), but it simply could not connect to the Internet. The laptop can, and the office computer can--if you plug an Ethernet cable into it directly. I will have to actually call the support folks and see if they can walk me through the set up. I ran anti-virus and anti-spyware programs to see if there was anything that might prevent me from connecting. They only found one possible thing, and I think it was associated to RealPlayer.
Admitting defeat is pretty embarrassing considering that I used to set up and test computer networks when I was in high school--of course that was all hardwired client/server stuff back when Novell still had Netware v1.1 and Token Ring networks were brand new.... The Internet then seemed to consist of some dial-up bulletin boards and DARPA. As I began: Boogers.
However, the evening wasn't a complete loss. Domestic chores were done, and following ealdthryth's directives from Sunday, I disconnected the headset-based phone up on the third floor and replaced it with a spare standard phone. Actually, the replacement phone now qualifies as being a vintage model since it has a rotary dial. I had to put in a filter for the DSL, but that was no big deal. Moving furniture to get at the plug wasn't all that bad, either. At any rate, one more electricity vampire has been eliminated from the house....
Snuggly Fu
While I was struggling with network connectivity issues, AElfgifu came up to the Scriptorium and gave me The Look. Not The Look where I am about to get slashed, but The Look that means Canz it be lap tiem, naow?. I dutifully moved the keyboard, and AElf' hopped right up, purring with great satisfaction. She deigned to accept chin scratching and petting, but after a while, she got bored or ealdthryth made some noise downstairs, so AElf' ran off....
A little later, I went downstairs in defeat, unable to get the computer to access the Internet. I did a little eBay surfing from the office while Josie curled up on top of the filing cabinet and had cute little "faceplant" nap. ealdthryth and I ended up watching Muppets, and Josie decided that she needed some snuggle time, too. Her trip to the vet apparently was not pleasant, and after she was done hiding, she wanted the comfort of one of her pink hairless monkeys as a comfy spot.
MMMM! A double dose of plush kitty endorphins!
Ergonomic Disaster Area
OK, I think I finally know who my manager is. The guy in charge of moving us into different cells had a color-coded chart that I got a look at. My new manager is going to try to help me make my new cell better--he agreed that the current configuration lends itself to too much distraction and poor organization. He was willing to move me to another cell, but he was also willing to sign the paperwork to get the configuration of the new cell modified. I think it really shocked him that I wasn't absolutely thrilled and bouncing up and down with excitement to move to the new location. Once I explained my viewpoint, he was very receptive to the changes I outlined.
Unlike the vast majority of my colleagues, I have very little to move. Anything decorative was purged long ago from my office, and since I no longer do anything truly technical, most of my old reference material has gone back home. I think the barren state of my work area frightens the managers and unsettles some of my co-workers whose cells are populated with figurines and awards, and papered with project plans, pictures of trips, family, certificates of appreciation, etc. Once upon a time, my cell was just as cluttered as everyone else's--but then I became a very unhappy worker bee and realized that none of those things cheered me up even in a remote sort of way. All of it came home because I saw no need to have them at the office if I wasn't getting any benefit or happiness from them.
I think I am still an unhappy worker bee, but I will soon have a View. Theoretically, having a View will be a good psychological boost.
Lest I come across as some sort of spartan or minimalist, my Scriptorium, on the other hand is almost overwhelming in its clutter. I have used the clutter for visual inspiration for various projects, though I agree with ealdthryth that it is time to remove some of the it from our lives. I made a small start last night by eliminating some books that I know I will never read again, and I already have a short mental list of things that can be put up for sale so we can buy different clutter.... 8^)