Tech Support

As an official IT person for, whoah, a decade now, it was inevitable that I became the family and friend's tech support. Now, as much as I am a geek who lives and loves tech, there are times when I simply do not want to deal with it and when I don't want to hear about other people's problems. These days that is everyday at work even though that is my job, but that is a post for another day.

Over the years, I did my best to get all my siblings (two brothers, one sister, two older, one younger) online and connected so that we can converse regularly across the Internet for free; that has worked out with mixed results. The LB and I talk via email and/or MSN almost daily and we videoconference when we have the time and working systems. The OB is an electrician and knows enough to be dangerous but simply is too stubborn to get into the flow of the tules and the wave of the good stuff. The OS uses technology but does not enjoy it per se like the three brothers; her son has that distinction while her daughter, well, nevermind her for now.

Right now, I have my father's machine sitting behind me for the last week waiting for me to transfer the contents to a different hard drive. I did that once already but either the drive or the memory is producing regular blue screens so it renders the machine unusable. I have had no real time to tackle it yet but I want it out this week. I also have to finish our daughter's computer so that it can go back upsatirs for her to use to do her homework. We will be instituting some new lockdowns on the network that will give us more peace of mind (read wiretapping) and stricter controls on her web access and such (see Dateline's How to catch a Predator III).

In addition, the OS needs me to help her with specing out a laptop (which I can do easily once I receive the info I asked for a coupel of weeks ago) and to help her with software to get her typing speed and accuracy increased (read Mavis Beacon, the only one worth looking at). The MIL wanted DW and I to assist her manservant, er, friend, in his new woes of computer issues. We built the computer, we rebuilt it, we fixed it again after that and we fixed his mail and virus issue once more after that before we but the kibbosh on doing any more support for anyone. There was a cousin too that I kind of speeched off about using the DW as her personal tech support whilst not showing any real family affinty and such; did not go over well but she uses a service instead of us now. I wonder if we will eb inviting to the pool party this summer? Ah well.

Anyhow, we simply have no time for doing it for everyone anymore but especially those people that do not go out of their way to learn anything to keep it from happening again. Thsi is 2006, not the middle ages people! So, we offed that situation to the designated folks they have chosen to look at the issue and offered suggestions with no hint of us being remotely involved in the execution of such.

It just rankles me as we used to get calls on Sunday mornings (sleeping) and Sunday nights (relaxing) for this stuff with no understanding that maybe, just maybe, they were intruding on our time together. Not to mention, no understanding on the time and effort it took to do everytthing. We had friends who insisted on paying us for our time when it took only an hour or two and family who not so much as paid for dinner when we sat working in their house for over eight hours.

Anyhow, to those of you who read this that I currently support, no worries, I am still there for ya. Newcomers and leeches, bite me. :)

Peace.