Welcome, Good Evening, and I ain't Got No Class. Oh, and I'm Going to Need Buttons. Lots of Buttons.

What an eye-catcher for a title, eh? 

I've been bouncing around the idea of a tech blog for awhile (had a gaming one), and thought, hey, why not just make a new one?  Partly because creating these on my cellphone was wrecking formatting.

Great job, Blogger app.  Be better, yeah?

So, a little introduction (because everyone loves a braggart): 

My name is Nathan, I'll keep the last name a mystery for now.  

Prior to my career in technical support, I went to school for systems administration.  I did amazingly well on my A+, completed my Windows XP MCP and then stopped getting certifications. 

My reasoning for this is because I have the education, and I know how to seek the answers.  Stupid reasoning, by the way.  Don't do this.

As this blog evolves, I'll share some of that with you (how to find answers).

I work for a major Internet Service Provider in Canada (Cogeco), and have been doing technical support for cable service providers since 2011, so I've had skin in that game for about ten years (this December). 

The previous service provider that I had worked for was Bright House Networks, and then Spectrum (after the buy-out), although I was training as opposed to...teching.

On that note, I make up words, but I'm not going to demand that anyone "keep up".  

So then, good evening!  And what the heck is this all about?

Well:

"Technical stuff" scares the hell out of the less technically inclined, often because it's a mystery.  The lingo is often what gets the anxiety pumping. 

Either that, or the event that something "isn't working like it's supposed to".

I'd like to make this a little more accessible.  And, hey, nothing new.  There are lots of tech blogs, videos, etc.  I'd like to get into videos, eventually.  

So, I'd like to bring about an element of empathy.  I think that'll be pretty new.

I'd also like to remove some of the classism in technical support ("it's 2021, get a cellphone"; "you don't have internet"; etc.).  It makes it less accessible by making it unappealing.  

I think removing that would be healthy.  And probably also something different.

So, on with the show.

First free lesson (of many).  No, it is not following this guy's condescending advice.  It's actually on his condescending shirt (I'm going to hell for this one, but it is true).

RTFM

Or, Read The Friendly Manual.  That's what I mean to say to anyone new to something.  

You've got a new toy, thing, whatever, learn about it and then dive in.  Lots of us think "Oh, I know stuff, I don't need the words of wisdom!"

So, here's the thing:  I've been reading manuals for years, and have had harmony with my toys, my stuff, whatever. 

Before that, I was often breaking stuff and thinking/acting like it was the manufacturer's fault (not that that isn't ever the case). 

The punchline:  Except for that one audio system (shorted out), an XBox 360 (disc drive broke), a Playstation 3 (overheated and self-cooked) and a DVD player (connectors shorted out), it was usually just getting stuck in a menu or a setting that I didn't like, couldn't get out of, and shut down or had a snit because I was frustrated.  

And then I'd come back to it.  Again.  And again.  And sometimes again (I'm stubborn to a fault).  And I'd eventually figure it out.

That's called attrition.  It's a really terrible way to do things.

Now, if I had read that damned manual...I would only be slightly humiliated (because, you know, toxic ego) instead of so humiliated it was almost traumatising.

And sometimes it is traumatising.  I've spoken to people who have broken down crying because sometimes these things are so frustrating.  

And you can't blame them when they are unable to understand how it works.

TV's that won't change inputs.  Universal remotes that won't keep device coding saved.  Things locking up and freezing on the regular.  Wi-Fi, period.  I hate Wi-Fi.  

It doesn't make me cry, but does make me seethe.  

Anyway, back to the point.  The manual is your friend.  

It will tell you where to plug things in, it will tell you what the buttons do (can be frustrating if you're like me; you wanna know what they do, but you're going to press 'em anyway because buttons!!!).

It will give you some idea of how you can expect your new thing to behave.  And it will give you instructions (manufacturer contact and the information they'll need) of what to do when the crap hits the fan.  Sometimes it will.  Often it won't, until it dies.

Now, the kicker.  Back when I was kid and right up until a few years ago, you actually used to get a physical booklet with things.  Now...you actually may have to go into a menu on your device to look this stuff up.

This probably works for maybe my Dad's generation and younger (I could be wrong...), will mostly work for mine, and definitely works for the millenials.  But my grandma?  My wife's grandmas?  Not so much.

So, while I'm creating these, I may actually research this one and post some ideas about where to find this stuff if your new gizmo doesn't come with a booklet.

So, take your new-found wisdom, go out into the world and...press some buttons.  Because BUTTONS!!!!