I worked from home today.
I took a late lunch, during which I met with Myra and Mark for a “Center for Excellence in Curricular Engagement Web Site Brainstorming Session.”
We brainstormed about the “rhetorical purposes” of the web site and the general organization of it. Then, we prioritized the items in terms of what we could reasonably have done by the beginning-middle of April, and then we noted content that we already have (or mostly have), in an attempt to identify the low hanging fruit, if you will.
I went to Helios to work on my homework assignment, due at midnight tonight, and was grateful that I didn’t need Internet access to do my work.
This is the second day in a row there with “problems”–with their router—I guess. The problem is that you get an “excellent” connection, at a high speed, but you can’t access any web pages, which sort of defeats the purpose of the excellent connection. I’m just saying.
Three things that place needs: 1) an easy way to notify the staff that the system is hosed, 2) once they’re notified, something they can hang, or turn on, or write on, that says, “System Down”—something that tells the other customers that the system is indeed down, and that they’re aware of it, and 3) staff education on what a “next step” is when “bumping” the router doesn’t fix the problem.
Usually this is the flow there around a connection problem:
- Someone can’t get connected.
- They try reconnecting, refreshing their wireless networks list, disabling and enabling their wireless connection, and maybe then rebooting their laptop.
- They start looking around to see if it looks like anyone else is connected, and of course they aren’t, but they’re all heads down doing the things in step 2, so it looks like the might still be connected and working.
- They try a few more things, all the while looking up to see if anyone else is looking up and around.
- Somebody who feels confident enough about their computer skills to finally assess that it’s not just them, but something must be wrong with the router, goes up to the counter.
- Everyone else looks up when they hear that person utter the word router and there’s a collective sigh in the place intimating, “Thank [insert deity of choice here]! It’s not just me.”
- Everyone waits on pins and needles while one of the employees grabs the keys, goes upstairs, and bumps the router.
- When bumping it fixes the problem, everyone is heads down working again before the employee even returns downstairs.
- Everyone’s heart drops when they see the employee merrily making lattes again, and the connection still isn’t working.
- Rinse, lather, repeat some of the items in steps 2, 3, and 4 until the same (or another) person like the one in step 4 utters the dreaded, “It’s still not working,” line at the counter.
- All heads nod in support.
- The employee either shrugs and says, “We reset the router. That’s all we know how to do.” or says, “I’m sorry. SINGLE ICED SKINNY CARAMELLA.”
I’m just saying.
I got the first draft of my ENG 675 design document in a place that was fit to send to my two reviewers, and did that. That’s what was due “at midnight tonight.”
As it turned out, both of the people for whom I’m a reviewer of their projects, sent notes late in the evening letting me know that they were not going to make the deadline.
I took a moment to be thankful that I’m not working full time and going to school any more.
I met Kevin (av8rdude) and Kurt at Trailer Park Prize Night, where the hostess tonight, Mary K. Mart, was in drag as Anna Nicole Smith. Her body is not even cold yet.
I said to Kevin and Kurt, “You can’t get any more tasteless than that.” But, hey, that’s the je ne sais quoi of Trailer Park Prize Night.