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Tech Stories Archives - May 2010
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1.
OK, I give up.
I've been trying for weeks now to find a software package that will allow me to playback HD-DVDs under Windows 7, without success. My first thought was that PowerDVD 7.3 Ultra was it, but apparently it only works with HD-DVDs under Vista. My next try was TotalMedia Theater 3, but the audio didn't work.
I figured if this wonderful community didn't have an idea, or already know the answer, nobody would. So, any takers on this little puzzle? [By:  Stryker One
/ 2010-05-01 ]
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VLC? -RamenMcTavish
The format war really screwed a lot of people didn't it? I second VLC though. -linuxmatt
VLC should do it, but try Media Player Classic Home Cinema first - http://mpc-hc.sourceforge.net/media-player-features.html - it's portable, lightweight, fast and easier to use than VLC. -Gromit
K-Lite does a codec pack that's bundled with Media Player Classic. I highly recommend that. http://download.cnet.com/K-Lite-Mega-Codec-Pack/3000-13632_4-10794603.html?tag=mncol -exzyle2k
Well VLC is probably the easiest, if you want something a little more light weight Media Player Classic is still the way to go. I'd recommend FFDShow Tryouts if you need a decent codec package to watch any of your content. -AdeptusMechanis
PowerDVD 7 updates http://www.cyberlink.com/downloads/support/powerdvd-ultra/patches_en_US.html - I assume you are using v7 because it's free, the commercial version is up to v10. -AussieFoot
Yeah VLC will do. -kennz
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2.
"Starfish" Sleepers (NT/OT)
Not worth bumping LOTD. http://preview.tinyurl.com/258s8hs
Spotted on the Yahoo front page: "'Starfish' sleepers are helpful". Link says that they are also good listeners. Pbbth![By: linuxmatt / 2010-05-01]
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I like starfish sleepers. I listen to them snoring for a few seconds then I get to log a ghost call. -Jack
"...good listeners, helpful, and are uncomfortable being the center of attention..." In their dreams! -stiffarm
TOTALLY would have been worth bumping LOTD -PoglaTheGrate
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3.
stuck...
Since 4-26-10, I have put about 4000 miles on my truck (new Job). I am now stuck in Mitchell South Dakota until 5-3-10 due to truck problems. Boredom is killing me. is there anyone in the area who wouldn't mind a visitor?[By: srteach / 2010-05-01]
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At 65MPH, that's over 15 miles of driving per day. -Kid
Oof - what went out, dude? -Grue
You can't get here from there. -CyBear
EGR cooler bypass started leaking on a 2006 F350 diesel. It doesn't seem like many miles, but there were four days without any miles (not including this breakdown) where I had orientation and inspection for the contract. -srteach
South Dakota huh? Too bad you got there too early for Sturgis. -Stryker One
Mitchell? You poor thing. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant we ate at when we were stuck there due to weather. -pixel
I used to have a girl friend who lived in Mitchell, SD. Aside from the Corn Palace (Don't Ask!) it's just a typical midwestern town. [And before you ask, yes, she was definitely only of those midwestern gals...] -VoiceOfSanity
I forgot to mention the truck I was stuck with was my brothers truck.
Got out of there on Tuesday, finally got a motel room (first shower in 5 days), left town on Wed, home (980 miles away)on Thurs.
Picked up MY truck on Thursday. I'll be driving around the country (delivering camping trailers), so maybe I'll get to meet some of my TSC friends. -srteach
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4.
"A Customer Draws Near!"
I haven't seen these linked around here before so I'll share them: http://btb2.free.fr/acdn_00.html[By: Jack / 2010-05-01]
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Funny stuff! Thanks. -ThinTheHerd
Nice :) -rosemetal
"Be Not Afraid, The Woodnymphs Have Taught Me How To Apease The TechnoDieties..."<House's Dr. Wilson, if his "porno" had been a Video Professor Production> -ChildofCthulhu
that's awesome, thanks. -cyberblade3001
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5.
vista... a nightmare in the flesh!
Setting up a workgroup is fun. Setting it up between vista and xp, is a recipe for heavy drinking later, when alone. Took over 45 minutes and that's not stumbling stupidly around. F*cking thing wanted "network discovery" turned on and all this bs. Why? I don't mean to whine, I got it working in the end, but gaaaaaaah! it was easy as pie with xp. Why did they make vista so unintuitive? Morons![By: AdmiralLaurie / 2010-05-02]
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http://xkcd.com/323/ - Vista was the second time they gave a team of programmers a years supply of alcohol... -Wonko The Sane
Win7 and the Homegroup is not vastly better either, sadly. -desseb
I've had no issues with Vista or Win7... Seems to be easier than in XP -Caboose447
My limited experience is even after getting a mixed bag network (Xp-Vista-Seven) working, all to frequently something will bork things up. No rhyme or reason, just 'I think I'll mess with him today.' Sometimes a fix will take in an hour, sometimes you might as well nuke and pave. XP-XP? Set it up and forget it (mostly). -jerrybear
7 > Vista > XP - XP you had to know voodoo sometimes, install NetBEUI, whatever... I have never had any issues with XP to Vista, XP to 7, or Vista to 7... and 7's homegroup is AWESOME. I make a homegroup, my xbox and ps3 both automagically see it, and my XP box sees it too. XP was not easier, or better ;) -PsiKoTicK
I might just be entirely new to linux, but I cannot get it to interface with anything after XP -LDFeral
I think M$ decided they really needed an OS that *looked* like Mac OSX, unfortunately, Vista was what they came up with. It's history repeating itself, but Vista was more dramatically unsuccessful... -AlanSmithee
The only thing my 7 box can't seem to access is my old Snap server. -Stryker One
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6.
Good customers get what they want..
Bad customers get what they ask for.
Case in point: A real starfish calls in with no connection to the "innernet". Has a non supported router which she has reset "many times" but said router has no ip, thus no connection.
I suggest that the router has failed and suggested she bypass the router and connect her pc to the modem. I explained in very, very simple and plain english exactly how to do this simple task. I mean how friggin hard is it to connect 1 wire from one box to the other? She could not do it. She is not the first STUPID starfish I have encountered. How do these people live and breath at the same time? She then threatens to drop her services with us and get a wireless card because:there aretoomanywiresandshecannottellonefromtheotherand transfer me to billing so I can cancell, lather rinse and repeat. So I did as she asked and xfered her to billing. Did I forget to mention that this is Sunday and billing is closed? But the call forwarded anyway. But she did get what she asked for. [By: atomicbill / 2010-05-02]
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Hey, unsupported router = your device, not ours = your choice to have "too many wires". Buhbye now. -linkv
The only time I ever have trouble with my router that technically doesn't exist is getting the wires backward, ut now that they're unique, np! -AdmiralLaurie
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7.
Cool printer
Hello helpdesk? My printer keeps shredding the paper.
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/05/inkjet-facade-printer-paintballs-are-worlds-coolest-toner/ ;)[By: AussieFoot / 2010-05-03]
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"Made in Germany, you know the Germans always make good stuff." -SpiderRider3
Now if we could figure out a way to make it use LED throwies... PROFIT!! -PoglaTheGrate
I like but don't like. Cool concept, neat machine, but considering the target demographic, the biggest customers could likely be gangs. Talk about taking tagging to a whole new level.... -MadJack
I use one of these to shred my paper http://icanhascheezburger.com/2010/04/27/funny-pictures-all-my-usual-enthusiasm/ - -Wonko The Sane
Starfish target practice! -formatCdrive
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8.
I hate multi-function keyboards
ALT+F4 should close an app not open Power Point.</end mini rant>[By: 0gr3 / 2010-05-03]
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It OPENS an app? Well, that's just... it's just plain evil! -FuzzyElf
I thought ALT-F4 was a system command like CTRL-ALT-DEl, and you can't override it. -DarkRookie
sounds like they keyboard has an F-LOCK key that wasn't enabled... I hate those things with a passion. -Bynar
I does have one of those blasted F keys and it was enabled but it still took 30 seconds of WTF?!? to figure it out. -0gr3
I'd have a hell of a time on that system especially if they used insert with any of the keys. it'd make Jaws go boom -AdmiralLaurie
We have an IBM Thinkpad that has the keypad turned ON by default. Lots of fun entering passwords on that thing. -Wraith556
My favourite keyboard is an older Logitech but I have to remember to press the F-Lock every damn time I boot up because there is no option to change the default F-Lock status. The mob with flaming torches and pitchforks convinced them to allow software to control that on later models. -AussieFoot
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9.
How dumb can they get?
My IQ has dropped a few points... One of the lawyers I work for is traveling out of the country and wants to know if his iPhone will work in Mexico. I e-mail him that it will work as long as there is cell coverage. He e-mails back: "can I use it if I'm in an area without wireless coverage?" WTF? Are you really that stupid? I e-mail back that your iPhone (cell phone) will not work in an area without a signal. Only 6 more hours and the day will be done... [By: Starfury / 2010-05-03]
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oh - they can get worse... much worse..
like wandering into an area thats analogue only - no data.. -Harm
I remember once, commenting to someone on the phone that I had gotten very little sleep the night before. They replied, saying that they had read an article about lack of sleep reducing a person's IQ by 40 points. To this day I'm not sure if I muted the phone before saying 'I'm sure, now, we'll stay on the same page' -LDFeral
"Can you fly to a city that doesn't have ait service?" Waitaminnit... it's gonna depend on how hard I punt you in the a$$. -Voz
Sorry, that's "AIR service". -Voz
Actually, for every hour of sleep you lose, you lose an IQ point, if that sleep isn't made up within 7 days. (So says my med-student wife) -NetOwl
It will <i>work</i> but it won't get cell reception. -0gr3
Let's see, I've lost... *grabs scientific calculator, punches up a complex formula* error! wtf? -AdmiralLaurie
Pfft. C'mon man, it's a *lawyer*. After having worked around them, I don't know how half of 'em tie their shoelaces in the morning without strangling themselves. -MeanDean
pair of doorstops -stiffarm
NetOwl: In that case I'm probably in the negatives... -DedSysOp
Well that explains my score on Brainage then...*cries* -Angelace
Is there anywhere in North America that's still analog only? -Stryker One
Can I get laid in Mexico if I don't pull my member out of my pants? Will she be satisfied in that case? -crazymactech
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10.
Halo Beta Goodness!
So you gamers in the TSC universe know that today is the first day of the Halo: Reach multiplayer Beta. In my downtime, I will be checking the forums to see what people think. Wanted to share this one though for your LART enjoyment. Guy thinks he's Mr. Expert and is predicting from a BETA game that Halo is done for in the "war" between Halo and CoD. Check it out! More to come: http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=43528637[By: KrazerKap / 2010-05-03]
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http://loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/228/Halo-The-Future-of-Gaming -PoglaTheGrate
Although technically well executed I never really thought Halo had more than mediocre gameplay, never followed up with the sequels. Just not much of a straight FPS fan, for me there has to be some sort of character development/role-playing elements, imagine Deus Ex with multiplayer. -AussieFoot
I'm too busy playing with a different MMO beta. -PolarCoyote
"Dairy Tycoon" the MOO RPG. -AussieFoot
i've never been a real big fan of Halo or CoD. they're both ok games, but i have no intention of getting either of them. i'm waiting for the next Rainbow Six game to come out, or failing that, maybe Gears of War 3. unless Halo Reach has some kind of cover system... then maybe -razmann
Halo was great when it first came out, but i don't find much substance in the game - or many FPS's these days ( i still maintain Half life 1 was the bestFPS i pleayed, along with quake and doom) never played CoD much, and i play Battlefeild bad company 2 with frineds. I find the Battle feild series just felt better. i just like it more i guess. i'm more of an MMO person myself. LOTRO is what i curently play - again with frinds ( all games i play are with people i actually know and have known for years - which makes the process more fun. -Harm
I played the original HALO on the PC. It was good being able to play the game at a detail level that the original XBOX version couldn't. Overall, I thought the game was good with an engaging story line, but it was a bit short. I was able to play through in about 10 hours of gametime over a weekend. If I had tried to play through the original Quake II or Half-Life in a weekend, sleep would have been the first casualty. -Wraith556
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11.
So obvious its hard
My dad used to be a network engineer... and a computer salesman... and ran a home business selling/fixing/whatevering to computers... Still, sometimes he scares me with his questions. He was trying to log into a French Car website to try and sell some spare parts. He called me and said he couldn't work out where to log in. I called him back later (I was dropping my kids off), after emailing him a screen shot of the site with the login boxes. He calls me back to ask a few questions. After a couple of minutes describing the page (no dad, not the address bar), he says there is no login, it says welcome **his business name**. That means you are logged into the page dad... But - quoth he - I didn't log in. You didn't log out last time you were on the page either.[By: PoglaTheGrate / 2010-05-03]
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12.
WTF
WTF??? It's Tuesday 10:13am in the East and no one has made a post to TSC yet?[By: THETECHFROMHELL / 2010-05-04]
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Dammit, you went and collapsed the waveform. -flapjackboy
yea.. they seems to be fewer and fewer over the years.. either we've exausted our content supplies, or many of us just don't have time to post. -Harm
Maybe starfish are getting smarter? I know there is a more likely reason but I could happen.... -0gr3
Actually, I think we may have reached a saturation point -- for any arbitrary story, one very similar has already been posted. And we do still try to avoid being like "those other sites" with their monthly cupholder stories... -chazz
Agree with Chazz. You have to work at posting anything unique anymore. If I had posted all of my "My e-mail doesn't work" e-mails received from customers, y'all would have shot me for spamming the site. -RiffRaff
You want a story... ok.... Once upon a time there was a starfish, a tech killed him, and we all lived happily ever after. The End. -duckhead
Agree with Chazz and Riff. I still get the stupid ones every day with the wireless support at the hotel, but so much of the time it's the same, stupid, "did you turn on your computer's wireless?" or something like it. Stupid, but boring and repetitive. Though thinking about it, I might have one or two stories I can put together... -Voz
Death by ennui! -AussieFoot
I for one am happy to give up quantity for quality. Even in switching the product that I support, the star fish are all the same so no real new stories from us. In a few years though I'm sure I will have Gigglebyte stories as he has grasped the idea of the touch pad and the mouse and that button clicking makes things happen on the laptub as he calls it. -frprinterwiz
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13.
Blast from the past.
I'll just leave this classic bit here: http://www.lospadres.info/thorg/lbb.html[By: Seamus / 2010-05-04]
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One of my favorite stories. -vacuumtubes
I never had a blue box, but I had a program for my C=64 that did the same thing. -Grembo
Y'know, I've read about this sort of stuff. What they did to Joe was impolite, especially if he *was* helping out. However, doing the free calls bit is a little shady. But I'll step down from my soapbox. -AdmiralLaurie
This intrigues and delights me. -boxxertrumps
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14.
Stupid Is As Stupid Does
Not smart: Getting drunk on a work night.
Dumb: Driving the company-issued truck to your motel while drunk.
Stupid: Waking up the next morning and continuing to drink.
Beyond Comprehension: Driving the company-issued truck to the work site with almost 24 hours of alcohol in your system and getting pulled over by the local constabulary.
Yes, the guilty party is in jail. No, we're not going to bail him out. No, he is no longer employed with us.
The only reason human evolution has slowed down is because there are laws protecting the terminally stupid from being hunted down and killed before they reproduce.
[By: RiffRaff / 2010-05-04]
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To quote Hanover Fist: " He's nothing but a low-down, double-dealing, backstabbing, larcenous perverted worm! Hanging's too good for him. Burning's too good for him! He should be torn into little bitsy pieces and buried alive!" -duckhead
What happened to the company truck? -NightSteel
I'm with NightSteel, I do hope the truck is OK. I'm assuming if there's any impound fees that the company will take those from the fuckjob's final paycheck. -OgdenTechGuy
what. the . fuck! drinking the night before.. Okay we've all done that.. but its seems fauckwad was just stupid exponentially! driving + company vehicle while intoxicated makes drunk = bad to the power of are you retarded?! looks like they were gunning to be fired.. -Harm
This one of the guys out at your "pile of dirt"? -Grue
Had something similar happen here a while back, but it was an Over The Road Driver. We had to send a manager and a Class A driver 4 states away to get the truck. No, we didn't bail him out, nor did he keep his job. We were nice enough to call his wife to let her know where she could pick him up. :) I bet that was a looonnngg ride home! -MasterOfNone
When I working a night job while at uni, a cow-irker had a day job where he crashed the BOSS' car. The stupid thing was he was being a poseur by pretending to talk on a fake mobile phone (and was even fined by the police at least once before this incident) and was so involved in his self-conversation he drove up the back of another car. Lets just say his day job ended on that day. -Wraith556
What is it with people drinking and driving? maybe it's because I've never driven, but the worst I've ever done is fallen and nearly broken my thumb. Now, that being said, if you wake up the next morning, almost guaranteed to feel like hell, why should you continue to drink? Doesn't that indicate a serious problem? -AdmiralLaurie
AdmiralLaurie, one of the myths of drinking is that "the best cure is a hair of the dog that bit you:" in other words, drink more to take the pain away. Which works, but only because it makes you more drunk again... you will burn about a drink every two hours, so if you have eight over four hours, and then sleep for eight hours, you're still two drinks gone when you wake up. Add a couple more "eye-openers" to that and you are no way fit to drive. -chazz
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16.
Wish Me Luck! NT/OT
I've got the final exam tonight for my Food Service Sanitation class. The catch is the final is also the IL Dept of Public Health's Food Service Management Sanitation test, which means if I pass I get my Sanitation License. If I fail, I fail the class... It's weighted that heavily...... Also, the last time I took a state exam, it was a psychiatric evaluation! HEY-O!![By: exzyle2k / 2010-05-04]
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Karma bomb deployed....3......2.....1.....FIRE IN THE HOLE! -0gr3
Karma - Hercs are wheels up... and kinda dirty. oops dropped some on teh ground.. 5 second rule. Still good, right? * NOM* -Harm
I remember the canadian one was heavy on temperature and concentration of the quats (or whatever they're using now) sanitizer. Good luck -LDFeral
Good luck! Also, look at it this way - you pass the test, you can officially be a Sanitation Worker! *bfeg* -Grue
Best of luck to you. -KrazerKap
UPDATE: Took the test, think I did pretty good... I can miss 20 questions and still come out with my license. I'll know in 10-14 days if I passed. -exzyle2k
I had a pretty good tech that worked for me, and one day, he just turned in his notice. His uncle had gotten him a union job driving a garbage truck. "Is there anything we can do to convince you to say?" I obligatorily ask. A simple response, "Pay me $47,000/year". No real answer to that one. "I'll see HR gets your paperwork together" -AngrySup
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17.
Okay, so we have a complaint!
http://www.techcomedy.com/single/new_stories.php?content_number=83054 Since we have had a registered complaint (and I don't have a star) I submit to you, much goodness from the DogCow: http://moofburger.blogspot.com/2010/05/ifun-with-iphones.html[By: unrenowned / 2010-05-04]
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I had to laugh at the reference to "Logan's Run". -Wraith556
Now, I have no experience with Apple Stores, in either the US or the UK... but geez, he comes across as an asshole. And he apparently doesn't know basic punctuation (I winced at each "it's" instead of "its"). -Seamyst
...and now, there is a star. -vacuumtubes
I would as soon pull all my teeth, myself, with rusty pliers, than go into another APPLE store again! Never more, quoth the raven! -jerrybear
I have to say though, I've had better experiences in an Apple Store than say, Comp-USA back in the day when you had to chase down and tackle a rep just to find out how much something is because they refused to put price tags on stuff. I'm guessing their slogan was, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." -Biosynthetic
VT or whoever gifted me the star: Thank You! -unrenowned
That was funny First because the fish has an Apple product so all of his pain is self induced and sec because the Jobs zealots are really that way. You know Full of themselves they think there shit's purple and smells like rainbow sherbet -Crai
Oh $deity no. It's not Crai's fault, there was no way to know that the Digital Dogcow is in no way a fish. Dogcow's been MIA for so long that his legend is bound to be fading a bit. I'll be in the sub sub basement of the LART shelter waiting for this to hopefully pass by. -StylinTechie
Reading through the other blog posts DD finds what some of us already know. Tech Support is like kindergarten. All day you sit reading to people who can't (and won't) do it for themselves! -Wraith556
Crai, that ain't no 'fish, that's our own Digital Dogcow. Look up some of his more classic tales! -Captain Trips
that explains exactly why i'll muck with cups and nvidia driver problems and all the other linux frustrations for a million years before i'll be an apple customer/tool. thx for the link. -stiffarm
<Loonacy> Apple dumped the geek/hobbyist market to go after the highly profitable moron/trendy market. (bash.org) -Seamus
Just finished reading through the whole site. Ok he isn’t a fish but he still loses cool points for the fact he willingly bought an Apple product and then entered an Apple store. I mean really what more can you expect from the Acolytes of Jobs? These are the people that Abercrombie and Fitch make. There the same breed of Emos. Just a different wrapper. Anyways I love the kindergarten teacher bit that is very true. Iv book marked his page maybe he will post more in a month or six lol. -Crai
Seamist, um, yes his punctuation can be a little off, but he's not an asshole. If I'd gotten the runaround like that, well, however, that aside, a lot of the comments are things he didn't say. And he did have a right to mention his right to a replacement, even if he didn't get it. At least he didn't make a great big noisy fuss. -AdmiralLaurie
Sale of Goods act did not apply - it is only for the company who sold you the device - O2 should be the one who fixed it.... -Wonko The Sane
Crai, it is understandable you did not know as dd played the drama llama card a long time ago here. I never cared for him even before we had words over me calling a mac a doorstop (stemming from my own experience of a senior tech using a mac for a doorstop while we moved systems from one room to another)i was apparently deserving of his ire as i had offended his frail and delicate sensibilities by besmirching his glorious apple. To be frank i was slightly happy when he threw his toys out of the buggy and left as his condescending attitude was as welcome to me as a dose of AIDS. Some people here still have an affinity for him though, different strokes for different folks i guess -starfishmagnet
Over time I've appreciated Dogcows stories on this site, but that one made him out to be just a jerk. As a guy that like the quality of his product, why does he care what the people in the store look like? He made it out like their hiring practices were discriminatory when it comes to age or attractiveness, but he was just as discriminatory. The three step process makes a lot of sense. Conceirge points you to a salesperson or a 1st tier support person based on your needs. 1st tier support weeds out all the stupid user errors so that Geniuses can spend their time working on the real problems. It's all a matter of appropriate triage. If he was so concerned about time frame, then he also should have known that they were busy and he can make an appt online to get faster service and not waste his time. Whether you like Apple products or not seems to be irrelevant, Dogcow does. But what I saw was Dogcow being a dick to people because he didn't like the way they look and because they didn't magically pull a new phone out of their ass to bow to his whim. He also misinterpreted the law when he tried to strongarm the girl into just giving him a new phone right away. He might as well have been screaming, "I want a new mouse!" He was completely in the wrong on this one and has become the fish he once complained about. -YourLastHope
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20.
All Hail the Wayback Machine
http://web.archive.org/web/20051226083539/www.techcomedy.com/users/submitted_content.php?nick=Digital+Dogcow
Some catch up reading for the young'uns on the Ol' Dogcow. [By: redevil34 / 2010-05-05]
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Thanks for that, I wonder if I could get away with threatening an idiot with my USB drive. -Avandor
I have so missed Dogcows stories!All Hail the Dogcow! -ecoli
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