Of Special Powers With Computers…
It’s not uncommon for me to joke about my “special powers” with computers. I’ve been called a “computer demigod” and told that I have “the best computer karma in the office.” Of course, it’s exactly that, a joke; computers treat everyone the same. But then sometimes things happen that make me wonder if some of us really do have a special ability with the ghastly things.
Today, for example, a friend came over who had told me his computer wouldn’t turn on. Whenever he pushed the power button it would beep a little pattern and then turn off again. That sounded distinctly like the RAM or processor had gone bad. When I opened up his laptop and pushed the power button, however, it started up just as cheerful as ever! Perhaps I have a healing touch for computers…
Another friend asked me to come look at her printer, which hadn’t worked for weeks. I walk in the door of the room and, no joke, the printer starts printing the document she had sent to the queue earlier. Perhaps I don’t even have to touch them… it’s just my presence.
I think one of my professors may have summed it up best:
Everything depends on hard work. Anyone can succeed. When it comes to playing the trumpet, or the violin, or soccer, or academics, or computers… well, I don’t know if I’ll go that far, some of you have an uncanny ability with those things… but everything else: hard work is all that matters.
I had a similar experience working as a physics TA at Wheaton. Our department used to be notorious for using old, outdated equipment that only worked if you smacked it around a bit. Or, if a TA happened to walk by to help you out. I can’t tell you how much fun I’d have, watching students struggle desperately to get their motion detectors to work, or volt meters to take data. They’d use every trick in the book I knew, and finally, despairingly, would raise their hands, begging me to “fix” their detectors. Right, like I knew anything about actually fixing stuff. Still, I’d walk over, and take data, exactly like they had done, and gave them my best “are you an idiot?” look. Then I explain, in as patronizing tone as possible, “you just need to hit this little button here, called “collect”, to make it collect data…” and watch their faces go through such a fun collection of contortions.
So much fun.