Technical difficulties result in time-out

By Tammy Malgesini

Staff Writer

Published on February 22, 2017 7:06AM

I recently got electronically put in time-out.

After numerous failed attempts to log into a secure message from an email link, I was locked out and directed to call the National Help Desk.

I don’t even understand why such an email — which requests the information be printed in the newspaper — needs to be sent in such a secure fashion.

If I had known the hassle I would go through, I wouldn’t have dialed the phone. After I provided my name and company information, Mrs. Help Desk asked how she could assist me.

After describing what led to the call, it’s apparent she had no clue what I was talking about. I repeated my dilemma with extra details. Mrs. Help Desk then asked if she could access my computer remotely.

I said, “No.”

But it probably sounded more like, “Nooooooooo!!!” (Similar to John Belushi in the old “Saturday Night Live” sketches). Realizing I sounded a bit annoyed, I added that she didn’t have the ability to do that.

Mrs. Help Desk asked if she could put me on hold for up to three minutes. I‘m not sure why she stressed the three minutes — maybe she was hoping I would just hang up.

I should have. The thing is, I had gotten locked out an account that’s primarily used by our records editor. I didn’t want this to become Renee’s headache after she returned from vacation.

When Mrs. Help Desk returned from her more-than-three-minute break, she said since I wouldn’t let her remotely access my computer, she couldn’t help me.

I replied, “It’s not that I won’t let you — not that I would — but you can’t because you don’t have access to my system.”

Luckily, all Renee had to do was change the password when she returned — how secure is that?!?

Dealing with technical glitches gives me a headache. I think the writer of error messages could help in lowering people’s blood pressure by the way they word the messages that end up popping up on computer screens — like this “connection trouble” one that I received in December:

“Apologies, we’re having some trouble with your web socket connection. We’ve seen this problem clear up with a restart of your browser, a solution which we suggest to you now only with great regret and self-loathing.”

Error messages that make no sense are most irritating to me. After experiencing a glitch in an old news system, the message box asked, “Do you really wish to quit Newsedit?” I detested that message because I had no choice. I had to quit. And I prayed my work would still be there when I logged on again.

One of the most baffling messages I received on several occasions was, “Your computer woke from sleep or hibernation. Your connection to the server has been lost.”

Seriously, I could be typing away and that message would pop up on my screen. I think my computer had narcolepsy. Instead of technical support, I think it needed to see a doctor who specialized in sleep disorders.

Growing up in an analog world, I’m an old dog trying to learn new tricks when it comes to all things digital.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

New phone and narcotics don’t mix

By Tammy Malgesini

Staff Writer

Published on May 24, 2016 1:00PM

Here’s a tip for you: Don’t make phone calls, send texts or make social media posts while under the influence — of ANYTHING!

A few days after I had my hand and knee surgery last month, I received a message from Renee Struthers, my co-worker who takes care of community stuff when I’m out.

“Are you on some strong painkillers,” she said through Facebook Messenger. “You left a … sort of rambling message earlier.”

I sat there looking at my shiny new Droid Turbo 2 and thought, “I haven’t made any phone calls.”

However, when I looked in the call log there was irrefutable evidence that suggested otherwise.

I later figured out what happened. I was attempting to respond to Renee in either Messenger or by text through voice-to-post (it was much easier to talk into the phone rather than typing with one hand).

Between being confused with my new phone and being under the influence of narcotics, I evidently called her desk line. While attempting to voice-to-post, I was talking into my phone but the words weren’t coming up on the screen. So, I would pause and repeat what I was trying to convey in the message — thus the “rambling.” In addition, there was likely some extra commentary such as, “Why the #$%@ isn’t it working? Stupid &^%$@ phone.”

Honestly, I don’t even know why they call them smartphones. Mine is dumb.

I’m sure others have had similar situations. We all know there’s a learning curve whenever getting a new smartphone.

I remember when new cell phones came with a small book that provided the ins and outs of the new device. Those days are gone. It seems a bit odd that the more complicated devices have become, the less information they provide with it.

I guess you’re supposed to conduct a Google search to figure things out — that is, if you can get on the Internet. That was the initial issue with my husband’s new phone.

The tech support person I talked to said John needed a Gmail account. I suggested he could just use mine. Without providing an explanation, the tech dude said that wasn’t recommended.

Whatever!

Well, turns out he was right — it wasn’t a good idea. When my hundreds of work-related contacts showed up on John’s phone, he was none too pleased.

And, don’t even get me started about auto-correct. Most of the time, it ends up being auto-wrong.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

New year brings ch ch changes

Community Editor Tammy Malgesini pays tributed to the late David Bowie's classic song "Changes" by going through several of her own in the new year.

By 

By TAMMY MALGESINI

Inside my shoes

Published on January 12, 2016 3:47PM

The new year is in full swing and with that, my life is full of change.

Whether it’s good, bad or indifferent, one thing is for sure ... it’s different.

Finally catching up with the 2010s, I am now the proud owner of a flat screen TV and blu-ray player.

While the TV made its way into my house on Thanksgiving (yeah, yeah, I’m one of those who went shopping while the turkey settled), it didn’t actually make it out of the box until after Christmas.

My husband, John, who successfully conquered my 4 Gift Christmas Challenge list, decided to go beyond the quartet of presents and slapped a bow on the boob tube and called it a gift. I’m not sure how right it is that an item I ventured out in the cold to get turned into my own Christmas gift. Wasn’t it enough that I had to stand in line to see if I was lucky enough to get one of the last remaining 40-inch specials at Wal-Mart?

But it’s all good, the wait resulted in only one evening of frustration rather than two because on Christmas morning, I opened a package to reveal a blu-ray player. We messed with cords, input jacks, remote controls and on-screen instructions to update my daybed room entertainment set-up. Sure, technology is awesome, but gone are the days of merely plugging something in and pressing the on switch.

“How do people like my parents deal with stuff like this?” I exclaimed.

After what seemed like forever, I was finally able to kick back and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Another recent change in my life has to do with what’s in my cup. I’ve been a Pepsi fan for years. As a senior in college, among the “remember whens” was “Remember when Tammy Stockman didn’t have a Pepsi in her hand?

Disdaining the aftertaste of Diet Pepsi, I finally relented and began drinking Pepsi Next several years ago. With a third of the calories of regular Pepsi, my physician has still suggested I continue on the path leading to calorie-free soda.

Right around Christmas, I noticed a decline in the number of half-racks available on store shelves. Initially I thought maybe others were easing into a change to calorie-free soda as the new year approached.

Unfortunately, my switch in soda had nothing to do with a New Year’s resolution. Due to declining sales, Pepsi quit producing Pepsi Next. I was sent into a panic. I didn’t want to go back to the full-calorie product.

And the cost of Pepsi Next was soaring on Amazon.com. At nearly $90 a half-rack, that’s like paying $7.50 per can or 63 cents per swallow.

After much research and a few taste tests, I am now officially a drinker of Pepsi Max. According to the tag-line, the max stands for maximum taste.

However, I think it also has to do with more than twice the amount of caffeine. If my hands would stop shaking, I cccould read the label and tell you exactly how much additional cccaffeine is in the cccan.

“That’s all you need — more caffeine,” said Renee Struthers, our records editor.

Yup, ch ch changes for the new year. (RIP David Bowie.)

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.