Tag: computers

What fresh hell is this?

Imagine that it takes you–you, who do not have dial-up, but pay a monthly fortune for high-speed Internet access–about an hour to get online. That you read your e-mail. That you suddenly realize you’re offline when you try to respond to an e-mail. That you wait about half an hour, get online again, answer that e-mail and another one or two, then pull up LiveJournal. That you read comments to your posts. That you begin reading your friends’ posts. That you compose a comment, but when you hit send, you’re no longer online. You wait ten to fifteen minutes. Get back on LJ. Post that comment. Read another post. Try to answer. Guess what?

Repeat this several times a day. Add to it that you go offline every time you’re trying to research something for what you’re writing, every time you try to read the news, look at a Google map, fact check something, follow a link from someone’s post, read a friend’s blog, upload a photo, download a document…

Imagine that this goes on every day for twenty-two days. That you’ve reported trouble with your cable modem numerous times. That you’ve replaced your modem. Replaced your wireless router. Dealt with crating the dogs so the cable guys can come in and out of your house. Found that it’s never fixed after they leave. Closed the gate so Rex can’t escape because no one understands that the SAME GATE THAT HAD TO BE OPENED WHEN YOU GOT HERE HAS TO BE CLOSED WHEN YOU LEAVE.

Called the cable company again, knowing that each call is an investment of at least 15 minutes just to get a live voice on the line. Realized that even though the live voice will be polite and helpful, you will be a raging bitch because YOU’RE JUST SO TIRED OF THIS.

While it’s going on, AT&T calls you almost daily and tries to seduce you into switching to their DSL plan. But you realize that the phone lines into your house are old old old, often have static, and your phone has a tendency to stop working. Do you really want to make that change? Will AT&T really be any better than Time Warner Roadrunner Comcast or whoever they are today?

When you call the cable company–AGAIN–to ask them that question, they give you a full month’s credit on your “high speed Internet access” (ha!) and modem rental. And you’d like to be grateful, but all you really want is to be able to be online for more than a few minutes at a time without drama.

Try to work on two novels when you’re this frustrated. Let me know how that works out for you.

ARGH

It’s not easy to write and research, not to mention answer TJB’s reader mail and comment on your LJs, when the cable modem has been going out at least once an hour since last night.

Sometimes technology is an evil thing. Although it has spared you all from my rambling posts or posts full of pictures that make your dial-up sputter and freeze. =)

I now have proof…

…that my keyboard is my brain.

Someone I knew seventeen years ago called me because he was trying to determine the last name of someone else we knew–VERY BRIEFLY–also seventeen years ago. He wondered if the last name started with a “T.” I keep lots of records, but I had little hope that the full name was written anywhere. Still, I have a certain journal that I thought might help. Eventually I did find the initials of the person, but the last initial was “H.” I tried and tried to remember the last name, without success.

So I put my hands on my keyboard, closed my eyes, and said, “Just type it.” I came up with an “H” name that is completely uncommon and unfamiliar. I google-imaged the name, and–DAMN!–there he was!

I returned the call and provided the last name.

I find that completely bizarre, since I can’t remember what I ate yesterday.

The Internet rocks.

Earth Day update

We’ve sometimes had to go to great pains to find ways to properly dispose of our computer equipment. Now HP helps make it easier, with details here. We’ve always used their packaging to return used printer cartridges, but it’s nice to see that they’re addressing the battery issue, too, for any rechargeable batteries, not just the ones in computers. The recycling of printer cartridges and batteries is free. There is a cost for turning over computer hardware, but it seems like an inexpensive gift for a planet that gives us everything.

Technology is hard

Usually I buy songs from iTunes to add to my PC’s music library. But iTunes doesn’t have everything, so I have a Napster account, too. I also found that I couldn’t use iTunes music with my Windows Movie Maker, but Windows Movie Maker will accept songs from my CDs and also from my Napster downloads because they go into the Windows Media Player library (which iTunes will not).

None of my iTunes or Napster music can be converted because it’s protected.

I have finally accepted all this without whining. Mostly.

But if I just want access to ALL my music on my PC, randomly played, whether it’s from Napster or iTunes, is there no way to do this? Or am I just really stupid?

Why I should always listen to Tim

Force of habit makes me do something that almost no one I know still does. I do virtually everything on the Internet through AOL. Others scoff at me and throw around browser names that mean nothing to me, but Tim in particular (Mr. Mac user), who has to listen to me shriek each time AOL betrays me in some heinous way, always says, “If you won’t try anything else, at LEAST use Explorer and stop being tormented by AOL.”

And I do try, but it’s hard to stop after ten years. I KNOW AOL now offers free use of their e-mail and a lot of the other services I access. I KNOW I could have AIM up and still stalk communicate with people no matter what web browser or Internet provider I use, but I just like having AOL open so I can keep my eye on my mail and my buddy list. All my favorite places bookmarks are set up on AOL, and it’s just too much freaking trouble to start over elsewhere.

However… after many hours of work through the night on a web site, when I was checking all my pages to make sure everything was loading and linking correctly, and I suddenly started getting messages like, “This web site does not exist,” and pictures weren’t loading, I thought it might be best to reach for a credit card and book a trip somewhere, anywhere, yes, EVEN FLYING, to escape the wrath of Tim. I was sure I’d destroyed all his work by tweaking things here and there, creating a page or two, teaching myself some new things. And the idea of telling him that…

You know, Tim is a really great human being, and I’m sure he’d have forgiven me. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to. Because about ten minutes into my panic attack, AOL crashed on me. And I thought, Hmmmm. Maybe it’s not my work. Maybe I didn’t destroy everything Tim (and Timmy before him) ever did. Maybe it’s AOL.

So I rebooted my computer, went to Explorer, and everything worked like a charm.

I don’t have to overcome my fear of flying. Just my AOL habit.

My anniversary

I just realized that December 13 is my second anniversary on LiveJournal. Happy anniversary to me and LiveJournal! When I started this, I had around five readers. Now I look at my site statistics and wonder who the heck all you people are. You’re always welcome to comment here or send me e-mail. But whether you just lurk or whether you interact, thanks for reading. Thanks for buying our books or my novel. Thanks for tolerating my obsessions and being happy for all the good things I talk about and for not anonymously telling me that I’m an evil rat killer.

And for those of you who I met through LiveJournal, you all rock my world. =)

My Eyes, My Eyes!*

*That’s usually Tim’s line, but I need it tonight. He’s good about letting me steal from him. In fact, I won’t say who, but someone complimented me on a particular line that’s in A Coventry Christmas. I didn’t confess that Tim actually suggested that line when he was proofing my novel before I submitted it. We’ll just keep that our little secret.

Since Live Journal was down much of Friday night and most of Saturday, and I’m stalled with what I can do on TJB5, I decided it was probably time to refresh my Web site a bit. I changed some things on the home page and replaced pictures and updated text on a few of the pages. There are still things I want to do, but my eyes are too tired to work on it further.

Just in case you’re wondering, I can do small things to my Web site, but I didn’t build it. Tim did. Usually I can figure out a few things, but inevitably I end up wailing, “Tim! Help!” And he always does. He is self-taught with all of this and does excellent work. In fact, people have paid him for that work in the past. So if you ever need help with your Web site or you want a Web site, he’s your man. But pay him. Please.

Tim never complains, but a lot of people ask him for help with their writing or hit him up for information about publishing or Web design. He’s really generous with his time, in spite of all his deadlines, and I admire that about him. I don’t blame people who can’t pay him; I totally understand that writers and artists usually have very little money. What irritates me is that they COULD thank him publicly. They COULD link to him from their blogs and journals and Web sites. They COULD talk about his/our novels and give us a little publicity in return.

Karma…

And to all of those who ARE so great about thanking him or talking him (and the rest of us) up, thank you so much. We get e-mail all the time saying, “I heard about you from X’s blog,” or “Z recommended your novel,” and that means so much to my writing partners and me. We frequently mention the artists and writers and other gifted people who inspire and entertain us, and we appreciate every time the same is done for us. I honestly believe that the more successful creative people are, the more it opens doors for other creative people.

A world without art—whether it’s visual, literary, musical—is a world without joy.