Friday, March 24, 2006

 

High tech and not so high tech

Here am I, blogging at Grandma Moses. I'm very worried because each of the last several days I've been here, my internet connection has been slow -- so slow as to make it difficult to surf and blog. The wireless signal strength has been "good," "very good" or "excellent," and other users seem not to be having problems. And my laptop works just fine at other wireless locations.

So what's the deal -- is there a new incompatibility between my particular laptop and Grandma Moses's particular wireless link?

While I'm having tech problems, two guys at a nearby table are having tech problems of their own. It's an intense conversation, almost like a major relationship talk, but it seems like they're partners in some high tech business and having a falling out. They keep repeating earnest relationship clearing-the-air phrases like "All I'm saying is" and "what I'm trying to say is."

They keep talking about R & D and insisting that their goal is to make money. There's also a lot of touchy-feely corporate buzzwords. The guy who looks like Tim Robbins -- a regular here at Grandma Moses -- says table a lot. For a while he was talking about "clearing the table," by which I think he meant getting clutter out of the way. Now he's talking about putting things back "on the table," but I think now he means negotiating points.

I'm not a lurid eavesdropper. They're actually talking too loudly for a confidential conversation in a near-empty coffee house with quiet mood music playing in the background.
"You're just as frustrated as I am."
"Please stop taking all this shit so personally."
"I wish you'd recognize this is business and be dispassionate about it."
One of them has gotten up to leave, but it really is like a romantically involved couple. The funny thing is that just a couple of months ago, I found myself being forced to eavesdrop on Tim Robbins actual intense relationship conversation with his girlfriend. I guess he thinks of Grandma Moses as his home away from home too.

Now his business partner says:
"Can I walk away now, or are you going to be pissed off?"
This is so cool -- it's like that movie Startup.Com. I love living in a town that's home to a major research university, because you're much more likely to be able to eavesdrop on young high tech entrepreneurs.

Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
 
Well, to be boring, may I suggest a possible fix for your slow internet connection? First, if you are in explorer, go to tools and go to internet options and then clear your temporary files and your history. If clearing your temporary files takes a long time, that's a sign you had a lot of them, which often slows your program. (Be careful not to clear all your cookies or you'll have to re-log for all your favorite newspapers sites etc).

Then, go to your system tools for your computer and clear temporary files, and then defrag your system.

finally, run an anti-virus program.

good luck.

yaltejj -- a really bad negotiated post-war arrangement
 
and run spybot and ad-aware. You never know what's creeped into your system from random surfing. (the spybot/adaware regimen should be done several times a year - some people say monthly, but I'm never that rigorous)

--
ohujgiis (1). (oh-hug-geez): a word muttered under one's breath when obligated to hug "touchy-feely" friends.
(2) (o-huge-eyes) - a brand of glasses that makes your eyes VERY large.
 
Wendy's advice very sound. And for the lazy among us, you can get free spy sweeper and have it run automatically every night to keep your system squeaky clean.

wpk

xcfkfa -- cross-country ski accident resulting in multiple people with tangled limbs
 
I don't like eavesdropping either, but sometimes it's just too damn interesting not to! If they were talking loud enough for you to hear you should've turned around and given your $.02! hee hee. This post did seem like a movie script, though! :)
 
Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]





<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]