Susan's Scribblings the Blog

Monthly Archives: October 2013

• When New Isn’t Improved

  Posted at 3:13 am by kayewer, on October 27, 2013

  Every time an electronic gadget is improved upon, it seems everybody rushes to buy the new version and get stuck with all the bugs that come along with them. Apple fans camp out for a new gizmo every month, it seems.  Windows users like me, on the other hand, enjoy long periods of peace before something new comes along. Unfortunately the problems persist.

  Windows 8 is a good example. Sure, it has lots of bells and whistles, like interactive touch screen apps, but the first thing people complained about was the lack of a discernible home base from which to start exploring, because somebody removed the “Start” button. Finally the release of Windows 8.1 (which probably means that they neglected to fix nine-tenths of what will eventually become Windows 9) should have solved the problem. I haven’t been able to deal with it.

  First, it took nearly twelve hours to install. You might do well to load it while you’re sleeping late into the weekend, and don’t intend to approach your computer with a hangover, because adjusting to some of the changes to Windows 8.1 might make your head explode.

  The first thing that happened to me was that I received a message that not all the changes were compatible with Internet Explorer. Then, when I logged in the next day, Windows had replaced my PC login with my Microsoft login. Also, I have never been able to access Office programs such as Word and Excel without being on the Internet, so working offline seems to have disappeared from the galaxy as well.

  One of my favorite Windows 8 games, Tap Tiles (R), was compromised by the new install, as I now have a “please wait” swirl of dots ghosting the middle of my screen.

  I know that it’s probably a problem with trying to put so much computer language into a program which takes billions of bits of mathematical lingo just to turn on the darned machine, but if one releases a fix for a problem which isn’t itself one hundred percent ready, are you fixing something that is broken, or just putting a bandage on a severed limb?

  Oh, and I haven’t yet touched a “Start” button.

  Share this:

  • Facebook

  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments

• Four Crossed Lines and What They Do

  Posted at 2:37 am by kayewer, on October 20, 2013

  Tic tac toe. The pound key. Hashtag. No wonder we get so confused about the world we live in, when symbols have more lives than a cat.

  Do people still play tic tac toe anymore? I don’t see it as an app anywhere.  Sure it’s hard to win when you’re a kid playing against older wiser folk, and computers make winning impossible anytime, but it is a strategic game and a time passer.

  The first time I started hearing “press the pound key now” on the phone, I knew that the British use the tic tac toe sign for weight, but getting customer phone calls from confused people took years to get under control.

  Now we have the hashtag on Twitter.  I never had a tutorial about Twitter, and therefore I have not used a hashtag on any tweets. I’m sure there is information on there somewhere about it, so I’ll have to actually take the time to. . . .skip to the next paragraph, men. . . .read the directions.

  Our world has been reduced to symbolism and innuendo. Fortunately we still need words to talk about them.

  Share this:

  • Facebook

  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments

• Table Talk

  Posted at 1:53 am by kayewer, on October 13, 2013

  So much is going on this week, including the ongoing government shutdown, bad weather, conflicts overseas (okay, so that’s another ongoing one since time immemorial), and I could rant about any of them, but instead I’m going to talk about a table in the office cafeteria.

  Every Monday at lunchtime, I go to a particular table in the cafeteria, where I have the privilege of dining with two senior colleagues who show up later. Somebody sits at that table before me, and leaves it in a horrible state. There is usually smears of sauce or gravy of some kind, and by the time I arrive it has dried on, so I break out my handy pack of Clorox(R) wipes and apply elbow grease until it comes off. I figure nobody–executive or minimum wage peon–should have to sit at a dirty table.

  Which brings me to the person who leaves this horrid mess. I imagine they are the same type of person who leaves ummentionable calling cards in restrooms and garbage within an inch radius of the drain and disposal. People of this caliber seem to thrive on general ill will and tend to super glue the chip to their shoulders. Even the lowliest person down on his luck can take a moment to clean up a space before leaving it. We should all follow by example or, if none has begun the trend, start it outright.

  Sure, somebody else will take care of it, but the problem is that you and I are somebody else.

  Share this:

  • Facebook

  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments

• Catty Little Devil(Dog)s

  Posted at 3:20 am by kayewer, on October 6, 2013

  The other day I was in Target (or “Tar-zhay,” as the elite put it), and was overjoyed to find that, after a long time off the grocery store shelves and days of searching, I finally found Drake’s Devil Dogs. I bought a box and packed one in my lunch. Just one.  Thank goodness these indulgent treats are individually wrapped.

  So I went to work and shared the news with two colleagues, whom I thought would be somewhat interested. Those who don’t eat such things may know of people who do, so knowledge passed along is always worth hearing about from somewhere.  The response I got could have been no nastier than if I had announced that I ate raw intestines. It was as if I had done something wrong, and they looked at me with disdain. I was quite taken aback. One of the two I could forgive because of their tendency to pop the selective blinders on when it comes to some of life’s strange facts, like the existence of scrapple. The other person took me by surprise, and I suddenly felt as if I were back in junior high getting my ego mutilated by the catty girls.  I didn’t let on that it hurt.  I left the scene, and I enjoyed that Devil Dog as if I had found water in the desert, and the heck with them.

  Neither of these people is immune to eating sweets, so it wasn’t that issue. They apparently just wanted to sit higher on the sand pile that day. The problem with sand is that it does slide around, and we topple off, so it’s wise not to alienate the ones who can help when we’re falling: we might even have some food on hand, like Devil Dogs.

  Share this:

  • Facebook

  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged devil dogs

• Feedback

  	Eden on Free Secretary
  	Eden on Getting the Message
  	Eden on The Unasked Questions
  	Eden on And Her Shoes Were #9
  	Eden on The Poison Field