Youtube videos! In honor of the technically-challenged and the tireless techies who support them

On October 03, 2008 in Nerd Rant

This may be my first completely non-Japan-related post ever. It was prompted by a youtube video that was just like an experience I had once at work.

I’ve worked with many less technically inclined people over the years and have had to help them with their websites, computers, and equipment. If you’ve ever done something similar the following might be familiar.

Pattern 1:

It never fails that something goes wrong due to something stupid they have done (and they will never admit any guilt) and yet they get upset with you about it.

You are mesmerised by their amazing level of ignorance and simultaneously furious about the stupid thing they’ve just done. Then you step in and save the day.

Pattern 2 (the Dilbert Effect):

Your boss/client, who can figure out how to turn on his computer on a good day, comes to you with some sort of suggestion that is completely stupid. Maybe even beyond stupid. It goes contrary to anything that could possibly be useful, efficient, or effective. That’s right, it would take a massive amount of time, energy, and resources to complete and be totally useless once completed. But that is the boss’s suggestion.

I’m no managerial genius but it seems to me that asking the person, who understands how the technical things work, whether or not something is a good idea might be a good idea!!

So then, you as the techie, have two choices. One, explain to the boss (who probably won’t understand unless you draw it in crayon) that he is an idiot and his suggestion is the stupidest thing you have ever heard. Or two, do the stupid idea, watch it fail miserably, watch the boss deny responsibility and shift it to you, then go and fix it the way it should have been done (or just quit).

Anyway, enough rant. Here are the videos!.

(sadly, I had to teach someone to do the same thing just last week. j/k)

(the part where he talks to Beth is hilarious)

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