On Sat, 21 Oct 2017 16:03:02 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Leon Fisk" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 21 Oct 2017 09:15:07 -0400
"Jim Wilkins" wrote:

snip
Recently working on snow plows has reminded me of the knowledge gap
modern technology has created. Electrical schematics are as readable
as street signs to me but alien hieroglyphics to the plow owner.
http://pospert.org/wiring-diagram-fo...ern-snow-plow/

I went on a service call once, in a different lifetime...

For a GM plant, 70 mi drive one way. Problem, printer doesn't
work. Powers up okay but won't print anything. We were GE repair for
much of the western portion of the state.

As I was coming into the open office area and still 20 feet away I
could see the RS232 cable for the printer disconnected and on the
floor. That's all it was. Plugged the cable back in and they were
printing again. The department was labeled as engineering too

I've had 3 of those since opening my company in '91. 2 unplugs and 1
monitor unplugged from the computer which had the strange female plug
on the end. I always took pains to make it look more dire than it
was, then "fix it" for them so they wouldn't feel too bad about it.
Had they brought the computer to me, I would have told them the
problem, but when I went on a house call, I always charged. So I'd
optimize things while I was there instead of just plugging in,
charging my full fee, and leaving.

Getting computers working made me some good money in Oceanside, CA,
too. Fresh Boots from the USMC would invariably use WordPerfect to
edit their AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files back in the days of DOS.
I'd pull up, insert my special 5-1/4" floppy disc and have the box up
and running in no time. It had a copy of Norton Editor and NoteTabPro
('96 on) on it, so I could use either to fix the .wp save that
WordImperfect had heavied down on the poor little ASCII files. I did
that so often, I had a text printout I left with them to keep with the
computer, hopefully taped to the cover, which suggested text editors
for changing the config files. Yup, lots of money...


Some of us see problems readily. Others just see equipment that
doesn't
work...

Magic box no work!


I wonder if it was simpler to call you than to get their union
electrician to come and plug in the cord. Someone may have quietly
kicked the plug out where you would see it.

You wonder how companies can afford to survive with things like that.
I was almost mugged for attempting to plug a guy's cord in during the
setup at COMDEX back in the '90s. Union guys went ape**** when I
pointed out the lack of connection and walked over to make it for the
vendor, like a nice guy. They made it clear that it was thea union
sparky's job and nobody else was "legally" allowed to do it. Scared
the **** out of me, it did. I tiptoed around the rest of the trip.
I never much liked unions, but I've really disliked them after that.


GM paid to fly me first class from NH to Flint MI to turn the range
knob on a signal generator down one click. .

Oh, ouch!

--
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to
succeed is more important than any one thing.
-- Abraham Lincoln