Technology, people. It is in so many instances a wonderful, amazing, awe-inspiring thing. What humankind has done with machines, electronics et al in the last 50 years alone is nothing short of groundbreaking. It can take you to places you have never been before, virtually or in actual person. You can learn, work, do and BE in so many ways only a few had imagined.
So why does technology hate my guts? Is it just this cumbersome to use now that we have so much and it can do so much? Or does it just hate me because I am not always the nicest person I could be?
The day before yesterday, I spent almost an hour of my life on hold to a call center in India. I know you all feel my pain, because at one time or another, all of us in desktop/laptop owning land have done it…at least a few times. This installment of is “Karma getting back at me” is a duet of devices, and goes a little like this:
Last week I bought my first smart phone. I had a regular little cell phone, and an Itouch, and an MP3 player and a Palm Pilot. The goal here, other than being able to search for more info on the go (I am a know it all…you all know it), playing Words with Friends anywhere (I also love words…you all know that too) and Facebook anytime, I was looking to consolidate the technology. One device may be able to replace four??? Hot damn! I took my personal know-it-all-in-training, the Drake Jr. with me to the phone store. To say the Geek Squad is missing a member may be understating things. His 17 year old self and the 20 year old phone salesman exited into Phone Klingon dialect soon after we entered and stated our intentions. Gave me at least two pitying looks in tandem when I asked them to translate what they were speaking about. I walked in wanting an Iphone. I left owning an Android Incredible 2. Both geekteens agreed that it was bigger, badder, faster and gonna rock my world SO much better than the Iphone. And it was $50.00 less. So off we went home. Verizon uses Google Marketplace for their apps. I encountered problem number one at home within one hour of purchase: Marketplace did not want to launch. So after some intense dithering around by Drake Jr., he discovered that he didn’t know what it’s issue was either and had to go take a shower to go to work. Saved by the job. As a cable had been left out of the phone box, I had to return to the phone store anyway…so off the phone and I went back. Roger, an adult geek, had another customer’s phone sitting at the counter trying to suss out it’s same issue (same phone!) Another 30 minutes later, updates had been installed, and back to home I went. Much fun was had searching, downloading, trying to figure out just how many screens this phone has and where things have landed.
The next day, with things going well, I decided to try to sync my new phone with my Napster account. 1000+ songs in my library and still growing. That is not going as planned. Verizon has a Napster app. It works fine…for downloading new things wirelessly. As far as uploading my old stuff…we are having some translation issues (Phone Klingon still applies HERE). My phone, though loaded as a new device along with two others, still does not want to sync. The Drake Jr. very kindly, sternly and loudly offered to take over this particular issue. Since he was the one who PROMISED me with all of his geekknowledge that this would work if I purchased this phone, I found no reason not to throw, I mean give, him the laptop and the phone to work it out. Currently I sit at my desk in the summer school clinic with my laptop logged into the wifi…because it is STILL trying to download songs. To my hard drive. I think. I also think it’s going to take DAYS to finish. Because this is a shared with the Duckling Napster account. There are 3000+ songs in the complete library. Sigh.
So with all THAT also going on, it was time to renew my Norton Anti-Virus programs. I clicked, and paid etc. When it came time to download the updates…the Symantec server was being uncooperative (now doesn’t THAT just inspire confidence?) I logged back on on Monday and had a message to the effect of “is this your activity” from them. I confirmed that it was, it asked me for my product serial number, which I located where it told me to…and then it didn’t recognize it. Sigh. Moan. Really???????? I then attempted to click onto the contact info. I got Nathan my virtual rep. Now I know Nathan really doesn’t look like the picture they have up on their site and his name is probably Rohan or Avinash, but I digress. I type in my basic question, which at first it does not understand. THEN, it gives me answers that are not really germaine to my issue. Really???????????? I finally succeed in finding an actual contact number. I dial it’s 800 number self, and after 5 minutes on terminal hold, I find myself connected to THE CALL CENTER. I spent 47:52 minutes on the phone, mostly in silence while updates occured after the nice Indian gentleman remote accessed my computer. He updated, fixed and all was well. I sorted three baskets of clean laundry on the bed while holding the phone. Sigh. In the meantime, Napster is not even a 16th of the way through the downloading it is doing on my hard drive.
Yesterday and today, I have carried in to summer school with me the new phone, the itouch, the mp3 player that I cannot currently sync due to the downloading in progress, the Palm Pilot AND the laptop. Not getting any lighter, the bags. ONLY getting heavier. Yesterday everything I had either needed to charge or sync. And there is a desktop here too. I think there were desks at Mission Control during that last shuttle launch that did not look as automated as this one did.
So at some point in the next few days THAT BOY (Drake Jr.) WILL finish sorting out my Napster sync problem or I WILL get him. I am learning the new phone technology, but I keep forgetting where certain apps are stored. Like my bookmark function…FML or my CRS brain.
Philosophically speaking, this is my quandary: does technology really hate me or is this the universe’s way of saying “be nicer….don’t talk about so and so that way…invite that slightly annoying person along…don’t gossip…”? I really thought God preferred sending me flat tires when I’ve been bad.
