   Irritation with non-computer literates
  Ok, here''s a little scenario that played out yesterday when I got home from work.  Note:  I came down with a cold on Monday and had been feeling progressively worse all day yesterday, so I was a little cranky and tired when I got home.I get home.  Roommates are playing backgammon in middle of living room.  Fine with me.  I am best friends with roommate number 1, and pretty much despise roommate number 2 for many reasons, some of which will become apparent during the telling of this story.  Roommate number 2 doesn''t have a computer chair.  We''ve lived in our apartment an entire year and she still hasn''t bought one.  It''s not that she doesn''t have the money (her dad''s loaded), it''s not that she doesn''t have the means, she''s just TOO GOD DAMN LAZY.  Ok, that said, she''s in my chair while they play their game.  Meaning, I''d have to kick her out of my chair if I wanted to use my computer.  I didn''t feel like confrontation, and I really just wanted to lay down, so I grabbed Code Complete and went to my bed.After a few games, the roommates inform me that they rented a dvd (some comedy thing with Jeff Foxworthy).  Now, this pissed me off on a couple of levels.  1) We don''t have a dvd player... other than my pc.  So if they want to watch the stupid thing, I''m pretty much off my comp for another two hours.  Again, since I wasn''t feeling like anything other than laying down, I didn''t care, except for the fact that if I had wanted to use my OWN computer, I couldn''t.  2) Roommate 2 says something like "what you don''t think it will be funny?" (after I said I didn''t want to watch).  I said no, it probably is funny, and since I have a hacking cough, I don''t think heavy laughter will be all that much fun for me right now [/sarcasm] (I''m pretty irritated at this point).  So then they''re trying to watch the video, but roommate 1 opens the wrong program to watch it (divx player).  He''s trying different things but can''t get it to go, and asks if it''s the right proggy.  I say no, get out of bed (time #1 = more irritated) and close that proggy and open the correct one.  I tell him it should auto-load and go back to bed.I hear more confusion noises from both roommates and some "warning" beeps from the comp.  Oh shit, here it comes.  Roommate 1 "I can''t get it to work man".  Ok, no problem.  Roommate 2 "Is there some sort of trick to it?".  My response (as I''m getting out of bed #2 to help) "Yeah, you have to have magic pixie dust to sprinkle on it."  Roommate 2 "Well, you don''t have to be an ass to me."  I don''t respond, but would''ve said "Stupid questions deserve stupid answers".What had happened was VC6 was bitching about the dvd being in the drive for some reason and throwing up a warning screen.  They just needed to hit yes to continue.Does shit like this irritate anyone else?  Roommate 2 is the biggest fucking idiot I''ve ever met with regards to computers (she once broke down crying in hysterics after her computer wouldn''t load up.  Turned out she had kicked the power halfway off on the surge surpressor with her toe - idiot).  I wasn''t in the mood for that nonsense, or being sociable, but I helped them out anyway, and she calls me an ass.  I was being an ass, but I didn''t feel well.  Meh.A cookie to anyone who read that. 
  I haven't received my cookie yet...   If I ever end up in this situation, the roommates better go get their own computers. There's no way I'd ever let someone else use mine...   [edited by - Unwritten Axiom on July 30, 2003 12:00:38 PM];  lol, I''ve been in the exact same situation... tough it was not DVD playback, it was broadband internet connection.One even got mad when I locked my computer, because he couldn''t do something remotely important... On a similar note, the fact that no one understand what a computer scientist is pisses me off.Typical conversation:"What are you studtying in?"- Computer Science?"Don''t you find it annoying to repair other people computers, especially when everyone knows those machines aren''t reliable."*Bites tongue... users aren''t reliable cough cough*-Well that''s not exactly what I do.. I want to be a programmer."Yes, like programming windows to function when it is broken?"*Argg....*-No, programming applications, like say... Word, I could program Word if someboy needs it."Yes but why would you want to since its already have been done"*cries and bring up another subject**A few minutes later.*"Hey could you help me with my computer, its running an accounting software called BLEH and I would want it to do BLAH"-I''m sorry, never used it"Wow, talk about a computer student, that''s why its always broken and someone can''t get those computer running well, no one understand them and they can''t program them."Dunno if I''m a dumb magnet...  How comes everyone can differentiate a mechanical enginer from a mechanic, but not a computer science guy from a knowledgeable clerk?;quote:Original post by Unwritten Axiom  I haven''t received my cookie yet...   [edited by - Unwritten Axiom on July 30, 2003 11:54:55 AM]*gives cookie*They''re peanut butter. ;quote:Original post by Zul  quote:Original post by Unwritten Axiom   I haven''t received my cookie yet...   [edited by - Unwritten Axiom on July 30, 2003 11:54:55 AM]*gives cookie*They''re peanut butter.   MMmmmMmMMm.... ;  Well, no thanks on the cookie. Normally I''d keep my oppinion to myself, but since you asked  I think you''re a little impatient with roommate number 2 (probly because you''re sick). I''d be slightly peeved if people rented a movie on DVD fully knowing the only way they could watch it was on my PC, but other than that i see nothing that warrents crucifiction.Feel better, man.   When you find yourself in the company of a halfling and an ill-tempered Dragon, remember, you do not have to outrun the Dragon...;  Umm what''s the dif. between a mechanical engineer and a mechanicBTW Is the difference between computer science and computer engineering that the latter is more hardware related, what''s software engineering? ;    I have had similar (hell, nearly identical) problems with some of my former roommates, and I feel your pain.  At one point, while living in Phoenix, I came home from work one day, excited to see the results of some genetic algorithm experiments I had been running. (Didn''r really know what I was doing, hence the word ''experiments''). This was after the "show the bastards sixteen times exactly how to fire up a DVD because they were farting and eating glue in the back of the classroom the day the teacher decided to show them how to run Windows" period of our roommate coexistence.  I enter the house, to the loud blaring of Men in Black being played over my computer speakers."Oh, no," thought I.  "They didn''t.  They couldn''t have."Yep.  They did.I enter my bedroom, and both my roommates are huddled at my desk, watching Men in Black.  So I ask them, "Ummm... was there a program running when you started this movie?""Why, yes.  Yes there was.""Is that program still running?""No, we shut it off so we could watch this movie.  It didn''t seem to be doing anything useful that we could see, anyway. Just printin some stuff on the screen.""I see.  Pardon me for one moment, while I find my 12 gauge shotgun. And shells.  I will definitely need shells; preferably slugs. You guys wait right there."And that''s not even mentioning anything about the asshole who thought that, seeing Dev-Cpp open with several cpp files loaded, it would be amusing to insert a string of "fuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyou" somewhere in the middle of three of the files.  Of course, that has nothing to do with computer literacy, and everything to do with being an irritating prick, but it''s hard to stop venting once I start.I feel your pain, brother.  I feel your pain. Joshvertexnormal AT email DOT comCheck out Golem at:My cheapass website;quote:Original post by xMcBaiNx  lol, I''ve been in the exact same situation... tough it was not DVD playback, it was broadband internet connection.One even got mad when I locked my computer, because he couldn''t do something remotely important...  Gawd.  Same here.  I recently put a lock on my computer so that Roommate 2 can''t use it anymore.  I caught her using it while eating a freakin popsicle for god sakes.  Not to mention that she has her own perfectly good computer, attached via network to our dsl connection (by me), and yet, she prefers to use my computer "because it has a bigger screen".  Hey, I have an idea, if you want a bigger screen, GO OUT AND FUCKING BUY ONE.  And while you''re at it, BUY YOURSELF A GOD DAMN CHAIR TOO YOU CHEAPSKATE!  Ugh.We recently had people over at our house, and it was getting into the wee hours of the morning, when someone mentioned that "I''m good with computers".  Oh God, here it comes.  Yep."Can you help me with my computer?"''Maybe, what''s wrong with it?''"It doesn''t load up right."''What Windows are you running?''"Huh?"''What version of windows: 95/98/2000/me/xp?  What windows?''"Duhh..."''How old is it''"not too old. I think it''s ME."''Ok, we know what the problem is now.  Your OS sucks.''I talked this person through the problem (they were getting registry errors, I said they''d need to run scanreg from a dos prompt).  The person had no idea what that meant, or how to do it.  I said "All you have to do is go to start->run->command.  When the black window comes up, type in scanreg.  Hit enter.  That''s it."  *blank stare*Jesus.  Don''t ask me a computer question if your rat brain doesn''t have the potential to understand the answer.  People suck. ;  About the comp sci think, I know exactly what you are talking about. They think you are studying to become some tech support guy, and don''t understand that it is an actual SCIENCE you are studying (Penn State even considers Comp Sci an engineering degree). It''s not just that you could make "Word", you could make programs no-one has ever thought of before (Well, atleast at a masters level). 