SOLSC March 29: What Do You Do When Your Computer Lies to You?

            This is not the way I intended to spend the day. As soon as I opened my MacBook Air and restarted it, I knew there was something wrong. (I had turned it off last night to give it a rest. Computers need their sleep, just as humans do.) Computers also lie.

            When I tried to open any app, they just danced on the dock for several minutes before opening — and doing nothing. If I tried to go to my mail, I got a “Server not found” message. When I tried the browser I use for my freelance work, that gave me a “network response error.” With my home browser I got this message: Adobe Creative Cloud is needed to resolve this problem. However, it is missing or damaged.” I was directed to download and install a new copy, which I was leery of doing, since others in that company had gotten pop-up messages to download some software, which was a scam. It was time to call the HelpDesk at the company I do the freelance work for.

            The HelpDesk, however, is reachable only by e-mail, and I couldn’t access my e-mail. So I called my contact at that company, and he sent on the e-mail request. An hour and fifteen minutes later, I got the call. We then spent an hour trying various things, during which I time I learned that I could use my phone as a hotspot with cellular data on. Useful to know. The IT guy determined the problem was with my internet connection, and I had to call the company that provides my internet. I add here that throughout this ordeal, the internet icon at the top of the screen was saying I was connected — and I never was. Computers do lie.

            This call, rather, two calls, only took up half an hour. The first call reached a recording, which sent a signal to my modem to reset, and apparently never noticed that my modem was offline. That took a human to determine, on my second call. The human was a very helpful woman with noticeable Queens, or was it Long Island, accent, who told me the modem went offline at 2:30 this morning. “It went on vacation,” I said, and she laughed. Later she shared that she still has an old TV with reception from an antenna.

            The reset button solved the problem. I will try to remember that the next time this happens. 

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I’m participating in the 16th annual Slice of Life Challenge over at Two Writing Teachers. This is day 29 of the 31-day challenge.  It’s not too late to make space for daily writing in a community that is encouraging, enthusiastic, and eager to read what you have to slice about.  Join in!