Have you ever been around technology circles and all someone can do is just cop a feel on the trigger of hate for a piece of hardware or operating system? Do you just get tired of someone who just plain wants to dump on you all of their troubles about X brand machine?
Well, here is my fix for this situation.
1) I ask myself, "Is there any educational value exchange for me or the other person to learn some thing?"
2) Is someone freeloading and wanting me to babysit their problems or waste my mental hours of computer persuasion and experience in such a way that I am basically doing it for free when our economy so desperately needs jobs? Basically they're looking for a free handout.
and finally: 3) Is there some fix out there that they could simply go out, find out or help with? (my usual answer to this question is to ask the person to search Google, Yahoo, BING or some other search engine that they prefer. That is how I am going figure out the answer to their question. So why not have them do their own research and take me out of the equation?)
Those are my general questions I ask. I also apply the priniciple of "don't reinvent the wheel, use what WORKS." Nothing is worse than buying an expensive doohickey that requires hours, days or weeks of tech support phone calls, friends coming over to help you fix or continues to give you problems. I also use a metaphor, what truly does not work because the most expensive doorstop or boatanchor.
Have you ever bought your expensive piece of "_______" brought it home and come to find out, it is just a big boatanchor? Even worse, you bought it on clearance or no returns policy? It does not even have to be computer software or technology, it could be any thing. And later into the future, you can look back at this foepaw from the past and laugh at it.
Yes, I have done this many times. And it is a learning experience!
