Idiots and thieves.

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
The other day I went out to local white box builder to get a disc. We didn't have any in the office and I needed to get some stuff home that wouldn't go out through the mailer (over 5MB, each file).



I drop down the corner and ask the old fart for a disc (I'd take 3 or 5 CDRW's too) if he had them. No dice, 50 or a 100, that's it.



I kinda understood, figuring that they deal on volume, but I wasn't going to buy that many for the office.



While I'm in there, I figure to ask about the price of RAM.



Me: "1 512MB 200 pin DDR266 so-dimm please."



Old Fart: "For what brand of laptop?"



Me: "It doesn't matter, they're all the same, at least anything built in the last two years."



Old Fart: "No no, this is notebook RAM!"



Me: "Yeah, for a Powerbook"



Old Fart: "I have to know because they're all different."



Me: "Yes, different types, SDR RAM, PC-100/133, 184 pin, 200 pin, small outline, etc etc, but they're all standards, you don't see any more proprietary RAM"



Old Fart: "Well, IBM differs from HP, from Dell and so on."



Me: "Can I just get the price please?"



Anyway, he had a decent price, but I wasn't buying it. It occurs to me that this is the new way of screwing customers who just drop of their notebook and say something foolish like I need more RAM. Then they get nailed because "it's special hard to find RAM just for their machine."



Laptops really are the new AIOs. The shop owners expect that they haven't got a clue, and gouge, I mean price, accordingly. Heaven forbid you buy from one of these guys and tell them it's for an Apple product, you'll never be able to return a defetive stick, since obviously it's your non-standard computer that fvcked it up.



Oy vey.



rant over.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Ooops, rant on again.



    I bring it up because this is now the second time I've run into the "laptops need proprietary RAM" phenomena.



    Anyone else run into this?
  • Reply 2 of 18
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    You gotta figure he deals with the least common denominator 99% of the time. People come in a say, "I need more memory because my computer says my hard drive is full or something."
  • Reply 3 of 18
    Actually i had this happen just this week.

    I was at my campus computer store picking up an Airport Extreme card and asked out of curiosity what a 512 stick for my 12" PB would cost.



    I thought the machine used normal PC2100 ram, but was told that it needed special ram and would cost over 200 dollars for the stick.



    Does the 12" need the SODIMM ram (~$200) or just the regular stuff (~$120)?
  • Reply 4 of 18
    ibrowseibrowse Posts: 1,749member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Scott

    You gotta figure he deals with the least common denominator 99% of the time. People come in a say, "I need more memory because my computer says my hard drive is full or something."



    It is ridiculous how often I hear "My computer was running slow so I deleted all of my music and games, what do I do now?"
  • Reply 5 of 18
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by iBrowse

    It is ridiculous how often I hear "My computer was running slow so I deleted all of my music and games, what do I do now?"







    You nailed it.



    You know what? Honestly, if people would simply do the following, they'd get through this whole "age of computers" thing A LOT easier:



    1. Immediately stop listening to their idiot brother-in-law or "guy across the street" on any and all matters computer and technological. Flipping through a two-year-old issue of Wired while you're taking a crap at Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport does not make you an expert in these matters.



    2. Learn what RAM is. Learn what a hard drive is. Learn the difference between the two so you'll realize that they are indeed two different things.



    Then you won't say things like "I needed more memory to make my Internet go faster, so I deleted all of my daughter's wedding photos from our computer, but I can't tell any difference. But Ron from down the street says I need to delete Solitaire and Acrobat, and reinstall Internet Explorer while holding down the F6, "L" and Alt keys while wearing an anti-static wristband".



  • Reply 6 of 18
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by gorebug

    Actually i had this happen just this week.

    I was at my campus computer store picking up an Airport Extreme card and asked out of curiosity what a 512 stick for my 12" PB would cost.



    I thought the machine used normal PC2100 ram, but was told that it needed special ram and would cost over 200 dollars for the stick.



    Does the 12" need the SODIMM ram (~$200) or just the regular stuff (~$120)?




    No, the 12, and many laptops need so-dimm (small outline - dimm.) However, this is not any sort of proprietary RAM, it's a standard notebook RAM form factor and it costs more than a desktop stick of the same capacity. The days of proprietary RAM-modules for different NEC, Toshiba, IBM, HP, Compaq Notebooks are long gone.
  • Reply 7 of 18
    thuh freakthuh freak Posts: 2,664member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pscates

    2. Learn what RAM is. Learn what a hard drive is. Learn the difference between the two so you'll realize that they are indeed two different things.



    this was my attitude for a while too, but more recently i've changed my mind. i regularly have to help out some older folks a few blocks away. i talk to them, and make some effort in explaining and helping. it's very clear though, that its in one ear and out the other [...if they were my kids i'd beat some hearing into them...]. some people haven't the time nor the inclination to learn or even scratch the surface of a computer. they are content with whatever someone near by can help them with. they will blindly trust any bloke who walks by (luckily, i'm not just any bloke, and am pretty knowledgeable about many aspects of computers; that is to say, my wired mags are only a few months old ).



    Quote:

    Then you won't say things like "I needed more memory to make my Internet go faster, so I deleted all of my daughter's wedding photos from our computer, but I can't tell any difference. But Ron from down the street says I need to delete Solitaire and Acrobat, and reinstall Internet Explorer while holding down the F6, "L" and Alt keys while wearing an anti-static wristband".



    well, we can hope the clueless yokels stop giving out terrible computer advice. i mean, when i don't know something, i try to make sure that's clear. "i've hit a wall. it might be time to go to a real service company, instead of the geek across the street."
  • Reply 8 of 18
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Holy crap, Mr old Fart actually tried to tell me that my RAM was cache, "because RAM is NEVER soldered on the motherboard."



    Didn't know if I should be mad at him or Apple.
  • Reply 9 of 18
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    But come on - most people know the basics of how their car works, and maintaining it, such as adding oil (god forbid changing it though ), adding water, checking tire pressure, etc. They may not *do* it, but they know what the differences are.



    There's a certain minimal amount of under-the-hood tech that is needed by users of any technology if they're going to be proficient at using it, whether it is driving a car or using a computer. I don't think that asking them to learn the difference between RAM and disk space is too much, you know? It's basic, basic, basic. The way I explain it is that the disk space is your filing cabinet, while the RAM is the size of your desk. RAM limits how many things you can do *at once*, while the filing cabinet limits how many things you can *store*. They're both measured in 'documents' ("I can work on 30 documents at once on my desk" vs. "I can store 1500 documents in my filing cabinet") but what they mean and how you use them is completely different.



    Of course, then I had someone convinced that to make more screen space (ie, Desktop), they only needed RAM to add more 'desk space'... *sigh*
  • Reply 10 of 18
    dmband0026dmband0026 Posts: 2,345member
    I think that many of us forget that of the 13,650 members of AI (as of 2:22 AM CDT January 11, 2004) most know a little more about computers than the average "computer-advice-giving-yokel". But you have to remember, the world has 6 billion people. So AI makes up approximately .0000000001% of the world's population. Now that I figured that all out, I realized that it has nothing to do with the thread.



    Ignorance is bliss for most. They don't realize how bad life is with microsoft. They don't know computers, and they probably shouldn't. I hate to see people get screwed by the "computer-advice-giving-yokel", but it happens. I wish that people would wise up a little about computers, but like I said, ignorance is bliss. They should leave the hard stuff up to people like us.



    Once again...no real relevance to the thread...time for DMBand to hit the sack.
  • Reply 11 of 18
    jwri004jwri004 Posts: 626member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DMBand0026

    ignorance is bliss



    Nice flipside:



    Ignorance isn't bliss, but sometimes it helps us to get to sleep at night.
  • Reply 12 of 18
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    I dunno, I think of myself as pretty computer dumb. I dunno why anything works from a technical level, but that doesn't stop me from figuring something out. All it takes are a few posts in fora like these, a quick search of the knowledge base or whatever appropriate resource, a google or three, and you're done. Sometimes things take a bit longer, but the solutions are out there if you just take the time to read.
  • Reply 13 of 18
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pscates





    1. Immediately stop listening to their idiot brother-in-law or "guy across the street" on any and all matters computer and technological. Flipping through a two-year-old issue of Wired while you're taking a crap at Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport does not make you an expert in these matters.





    hey, everything i know about computers i learned while sitting on the crapper....just replace "Playboy" for "Wired" and "taking a crap" with "...." nevermind...



    g





    ps...i am currently, and almost constantly, wearing an anti-static wristband....foil on my head too, but that is another story
  • Reply 14 of 18
    crusadercrusader Posts: 1,129member
    Yea I'm one of those crazy techs. I fix a good number of computers, but whenever I have to explain to a person exactly what they need to do I lie sometimes. Some people just don't bother to even make an effort to comprehend what you are saying. After 15 minuets of trying to unsuccessfully explain what the heck is going on with their computer, I just generally go along with the idea that they latch onto. I then do what ever I have to do, and get the thing working again. Does this propagate bad information? Yes, but it saves me time and any hassles I have to deal with.



    On a sidenote I sat down with a man for an hour and explained what every major component of his computer did, and what the differences were so he would be-able to clearly explain his problem the next time he called into the Helpdesk. What does he do? He files a complaint with my boss about me "wasting his time." Oy.
  • Reply 15 of 18
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    I'm by no means a high-end, tech kinda guy. Don't really aspire to be, really. Just want to know enough about the basics that I can get (and keep) myself out of any major disasters.



    I read posts here by some members who know SO much about everything and I really feel stupid and realize how little I do know about this stuff, but at the same time I'm confident I can hold my own on any given day when it comes to basic troubleshooting, system maintenance, knowing what's important and what to ignore, etc.



    Same with my car, my phone, my guitar, etc.



    I couldn't rebuild the neck from a block of mahogany and install a truss road and give it a nice finish, BUT I can change the strings, keep the humidity in the case just right, adjust the action and intonation, make sure the gears are working properly, check for finish-checking or neck warping and otherwise maintain a nice guitar, without having to be a full-tilt luthier.



    I don't want to know EVERYTHING, but I sure don't want to be a helpless sap, open to screwjobs from repair shops, idiot neighbors telling me wrong stuff, having to rely on calls to tech support 11 times a week, etc.
  • Reply 16 of 18
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Kickaha

    But come on - most people know the basics of how their car works, and maintaining it, such as adding oil (god forbid changing it though ), adding water, checking tire pressure, etc. They may not *do* it, but they know what the differences are.



    Not a month ago I found myself explaining to a graduate student that yes, you have to check tire pressure and keep the tires inflated.



    My father suspects that a great deal of the supposed unreliability of cars comes from the owners' neglect of them. I can't really disagree at this point.
  • Reply 17 of 18
    lainlain Posts: 140member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Crusader

    What does he do? He files a complaint with my boss about me "wasting his time." Oy.



    It is pointless to argue with stupidity. I am with you my man.
  • Reply 18 of 18
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    That's very, very true. A lot of old skills and general, core knowledge about "life" and the things in it (basic knowledge pertaining to cars, electrical stuff, plumbing, etc.) just seem to have fallen by the wayside over the years.



    I look at people like my Grandpa (Pappaw!) who is more McGyver-like than I ever realized. No formal education to speak of, but can fix or improve or talk about damn near everything. Fix the roof, can pave a driveway, repipe the house, build a picnic table, slide up under his truck with a wrench and go to work, etc.



    I just know so many people who would never even THINK to fix a problem or run to Ace Hardware and buy a $6 part to replace themselves. I guess these days, it's easier to reach for the phone and call someone and pay $75?



    Kinda scares the living shit out of me, because if this trend continues most people are simply going to be next to useless in day-to-day life.







    It's times like these that I'm REALLY glad I come from a blue-collar, "work with our hands" background and family: no businesspeople or professionals to speak of. Instead, welders, mechanics, truck drivers, carpenters, construction/bricklayers, pipefitters, machinists and all of them seem to know plumbing, wiring, car maintenance, home repair, etc. like the back of their hand!







    I think just enough of them rubbed off on to me that I'll probably be okay in life...



    Given a choice, I'd much rather know that kind of stuff than to be able to put together a kick-ass spreadsheet or annual budget report.



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