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[ASCIt]

Classes started up again last week, and I've got a great, DF-friendly schedule this semester. That basically means I'll be back for science and stuff.

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Updated weekly for your perusing pleasure

[Nyxalinth]

I do.  Looking forward to more !!Science!!

[i2amroy]

Welcome back! I know just how much bad class schedules can cut into DF time.

[wierd]

*sigh*

If only there was a solution to an oppressive work schedule. (and family intrusions. Really family members? You need me to fix computers AGAIN, *THIS* weekend? the same as you did *LAST* weekend? can I at least get paid this time? No? Well, Gee, thanks...)

[TomatoWalrus]

*sigh*

If only there was a solution to an oppressive work schedule. (and family intrusions. Really family members? You need me to fix computers AGAIN, *THIS* weekend? the same as you did *LAST* weekend? can I at least get paid this time? No? Well, Gee, thanks...)

That's why I refuse to fix computers for my family. That and because when I tell them that for whatever reason I can't fix it (busted hard drive, spilled liquid, etc) I get to listen to "Gee, Tomato, I thought you knew stuff about computers." I do, but I'm not a miracle worker. Plus, if I do fix it, and something goes wrong later, it's my fault. "My internet crashed, you must have done something to it last week when you put that new 2 gigs of RAM that you payed for yourself in it."

Much easier to just deal with them getting pissed over me refusing to fix it than having to listen to that.

[/rant]

[Loud Whispers]

That basically means I'll be back for science and stuff.

Slade everywhere quivers in fear.

[krenshala]

*sigh*

If only there was a solution to an oppressive work schedule. (and family intrusions. Really family members? You need me to fix computers AGAIN, *THIS* weekend? the same as you did *LAST* weekend? can I at least get paid this time? No? Well, Gee, thanks...)

That's why I refuse to fix computers for my family. That and because when I tell them that for whatever reason I can't fix it (busted hard drive, spilled liquid, etc) I get to listen to "Gee, Tomato, I thought you knew stuff about computers." I do, but I'm not a miracle worker. Plus, if I do fix it, and something goes wrong later, it's my fault. "My internet crashed, you must have done something to it last week when you put that new 2 gigs of RAM that you payed for yourself in it."

Much easier to just deal with them getting pissed over me refusing to fix it than having to listen to that.

[/rant]

I just quote them $75/hour to work on the computer.  Most aren't willing to pay that much when they -know- how long it will take someone else to figure out what they messed up themselves.

[wierd]

In this case, the order was deceptively simple:

"We want a desktop linux installed on this computer, for use by an old woman, so she can facebook without driveby downloads happening."


OK, I think. Ubuntu, Mint, or Debian will be ideal!

So, what ends up happening? Debian refuses to let me easily install the newly legacy'd nvidia binary drivers for the unit's integrated video, and constantly gives me greif. So, I try Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS comes with eyeball destroying and nerve crushing Unity by default, so, I apt-get install gnome, and switch to gdm and gnome classic shell. All feels good and well with the world... then, the update manager declares there is an update. After the update, X won't initialize correctly, and I don't feel like figuring out what the update script did to it. On a hunch, I reload the system *again*, and let it grab and install all of its updates from the unity shell. Amazingly, it works! Gee, thanks a fucking lot Canonocial, for neglecting to make your update scripts tolerant of alternative window managers. Way to promote user loyalty. In short, fuck you canonocial, fuck you and unity too. You destroyed 2 weekends with your bullshit.

I have it all set up, properly configured and loaded with wine, and have gnome classic configured for a windows user.  I have also disabled all the repositories except for critical security updates, in the hopes of avoiding a repeat occurance of their bullshit.

Regardess, a lot of my time got burned, and I didn't get paid.

[the woods]

Entitling yourself to an exchange of commodities for family favors perpetuates the kind of capitalist society that gives people oppressive work schedules.

[Neckbeard]

Entitling yourself to an exchange of commodities for family favors perpetuates the kind of capitalist society that gives people oppressive work schedules.

The reason why people, who either have been trained in or have trained themselves in fixing computers, want to be paid to fix your computer even though you happen to be bestest friends or family is because most of the time that work isn't respected when it's free.

Basically it don't matter how well you fix their computer, it doesn't matter how hard or next to impossible it is to fix (like motherboard that needs soddering work to replace blown capacitors or something), how time consuming it is, etc.  Basically the guy who does it for free is oddly just as liable as the guy whom you pay $75/ hour to fix it.  Even more so because it wont cost you anything for you to drag that person back in to fix the next thing you break on your machine, and you have an easy line of "You must have broke this after you fixed it, you must have broke that after you fixed it, blah, blah, <que guilt trip here>."

If you paid me $75 an hour to actually fix it, and I actually fixed it, it has a tendancy to stay fixed.
If I break it in that case (or something else happens to it but you try to say that I've "broken" it somehow), you would go to somebody else to fix it rather than me because obviously I'm a waste of money.  I might have to hand that back, but I'd never have to deal with ^*1 your freeloading in that case.

To juxtapose doing this for free...

If I fix it for free, and you break something else, I'm likely to be guilt tripped back into fixing it again.  If I break it even worse, I have to pay for it.



I could go on.

^*1 Edit:  And keep in mind "your" in this case means whomever is unsatified with the repair for whatever reason.  Not necessarily you for having your opinion.

[Starver]

Spoiler: Is this any good for anyone? (click to show/hide)

[Kipi]

*sigh*

If only there was a solution to an oppressive work schedule. (and family intrusions. Really family members? You need me to fix computers AGAIN, *THIS* weekend? the same as you did *LAST* weekend? can I at least get paid this time? No? Well, Gee, thanks...)

Yeah, I understand how you feel. And, at least to me, it's actually quite difficult to refuse to help if the one who is asking my help is close relative (brother or parents). I just can't say "Nah, I'm not interested, bother somebody else!" since that would surely piss them of.

A good example of what happened some time ago: I had been on the road whole day (due my other hobbies) and was frigging tired when I got home. I had agreed to help one of my relatives with computer (the relative in question was paying me a visit that weekend) and we had agreed that I would help him out the next day. What happened? He wanted certain thing to be solved RIGHT AWAY when I got home, though it could have waited to next day (IMO). So, after being on the road about 12 hours and my whole body was aching due the physical nature of the hobby, I began to help him. We never got the problem fixed at that evening, even after I spent about 5 hours working on it. The next day, it took me about 5 minutes to figure out the problem, which was something I had totally missed due tiredness. What did I receive? A single "Thank you!". But even after that I just can't refuse to help him since I know that he will help me out with something else at some point...

I also help out most of my friends and other relatives as well. Some ask my help more frequently, other less. Few times I have actually said that I will help but the time it takes must be repaid somehow. Only once the person in question actually got angry, though eventually he understood that searching new components, making sure those are compatible with old components, installing the new components and making sure everything works is not a task that can be done in hour or two, unless I'm willing to take the risk that something goes terribly wrong (destroyed one motherboard due such lack of concentration once, fortunately it was my own so nobody else got affected by it).

Now, what I suggest is that you give some sublime hints about the time it takes to those who frequently ask your help. It worked to me and now most of my friends that request my help often enough have realized how much time and effort I put to them. This has caused them to repay the help in one way or another; they serve me a dinner or we go to restaurant (and I don't have to pay), they help me out in something else or, in some cases, they even pay me some money. And all it needed was few well placed jokes about "charging 1€ per call, 5€ per hour each time I have to visit them". One just have to make those statements in situations when you aren't actually helping them with anything and make it general enough so that they understand that they are not the only ones that I'm getting annoyed.

Spoiler: Is this any good for anyone? (click to show/hide)

I have actually used that, gave it to one of my relatives who kept asking "stupid" things like why certain software behaves like it does (a software I have never heard before)? Worked relatively well, the amount of such questions have decreased since...

[chevil]

MY mother is an accauntant and I often help her with micrisotft word and excel! She has had courses on office software and I still get phonecalls when she forgets how to do something simple. Old people sheesh.

[ASCIt]

I'll admit, I've had my fair share of this as well. I just started my fourth semester, and they already expect me to fix everything. That being said, I'll be taking a week or so to get back into DF, so no science right away.

[ASCIt]

2/14/13: Corporate Sell-Out Day

Today begins the real work behind my fort - where I finish my defenses and begin operation "Train Mah Dorfs to Take On the Slade Quarry"

I've included preliminary screenshots, to provide an idea of what I have to work with:

Spoiler: Look at them - they demand it! (click to show/hide)

For the record, some notable points:
- I have a vampire loose, who I'm currently too lazy to actually look for. He/she has been responsible for three dorf deaths so far and will eventually become my count.
- one of my rangers lost a hand to an angry ghost, so I changed them to a mason.
- You may notice the large hole on the surface world. I plan on exploiting the river and making all of my roads "raised" so that the rest of the embark'll be flooded. One way into my fort, one way out.
- I've dug to the first cavern (and by extension also found either the second or third via a pit) from outside of my fort. This means that if there's an invasion from underground, they can't get to my tasty little dorfs unless they come in through the front door.