This brain doesn't stop here anymore

www.bit-tech.net/column/30

 

Awesome article. I've actually been right where you are. Then I realized I had to take control of it. What's the point of years of experience and time researching stuff if in the end, it's all outdated and you are no smarter than Gus down at the gas station (no offense to people that work at a gas station, i've been there too ).

in the end though, i guess you have to decide what is more important...playing PC games for hours on end and tackling other real world issues or staying up on the subject that you've spent years learning to understand.

the same thing happens in every profession to most people. they get comfortable and decide to take a break from learning. you wouldn't want your doctor to have not read about any new research since he got his MD 15 years ago would you?

 

Haha Wonderful

However, i have to say - its all well and good being the "techy messiah" of everyone that knows you, but when you find out there's another within the same spread of people that used to rely on soley you, it becomes ever so awkward, especially when you recommend different things.

 

This is why they invented the "No I will not fix your computer" t-shirt.

 

Get this all the time, especially when I pop down to visit my mum, she's always got a friend thats having some problem with their PC.
I even got this when on a course at work, I got talking to one woman there who was saying she had problems connecting to the net, next thing I know I'm on the phone to her husband talking him through creating a new dial up connection.

Then like KNA says something crops up and you don't know the answer of the top of your head, it get quite worrying, you think "wait a minute" I'm the tech guru, why don't I know this, but here's the thing - we take the time to go home and research the subject and get back up to speed.

I've made the conscious decision to try and keep as up to date as I can, OK there will always be people that know a lot more than me, I can handle that.

As long as I can understand a competent level about the current and past tech I'll be happy, I'll spend time on the net, I'll ask on forums and on IRC, I like to try and find out for myself how to do something, thats just my nature I guess.

Will I be the same in twenty years time, I don't know, but I sure hope so.

 

I would love it if someone else would come along fix everybody elses computers instead of me.

 

It's so true, another great article

 

A good article, and its amazingly true , I mean there was a time I used to understand what Bigz was on about when discussing graphics cards architecture, now it all goes soaring over my head

 

LOL you're not the only one

 

There was a time when I was a bit like this - i knew the latest mobos and what features they had, i knew exactly which XYZ works best with ABC. Now i don't even care... Hand me a bunch of components and I can put them together and make them work but ask me the model # of Abit's latest mobo or the frequency of the latest ATi card and i'm afraid i have no idea - I just want it to work. I feel like some old grandad

 

To put in a word for the younger generation, we try our best, and our thirst for learning soon overleaps our parents and older friends knowledge. Inevitably we will all end up being dinosaurs with the newer, younger generation scoffing at our pathetic attemps to impress them with our overlarge mental libraries of outdated information (back in the days of ATI...). Inevitably, we will all be outdated .

 

Reality is starting to sink in the next-generation l337 h4x0r script kiddies will take over the world...

 

nice column

ahh i gotta say that i hate fixing peoples computers after a while, cuss suddenly you have 100 people calling you about there computers, i mean god damnit, its not that hard to reinstall win or scan your damn computer for viruses...

but any ways, the only thing i enjoy about this is when it comes down to new hardware..... theres where i go

 

I'm not that bad, am I? If I am, I would rather people say so

 

Hmmm, I have officially decided that I want a "No, I will not fix your computer" T-shirt. Does that make me a geek?

It's a great article. I've always considered myself fairly computer literate, but there's people younger than me who are far more literate in html/mysql/whatever "they" use to make web sites these days. And, the less said about the new photoshop masters, the better. Soon enough, we will be the "old guard" who actually remember games like counterstrike (but are too busy to actually play them).

 

I have to say, that's a pretty chilling and almost creepy column. I'm under 20 and I can see what you mean. I still try to keep up whats new, or how things are turning out. Hell, I read the business section in the newspaper just to find out how AMD is doing this month (its an Austin paper....AMD is a kinda big player in Austin). It has gotten to a point were I jsut stopped caring about certain things. For example, a year ago, I was the man. You could ask me about what kinda of motherboard you wanted and I could given you 5-10 options and explain features of each. Now if someone asked me, I'd probably jsut say something along the lines of "Well, MSI is a good brand. Never let me down before."

I used to relish in the fact that I was the family computer guru. I always though it was great. I'll be honest, kinda made me feel powerful and better. That sort of thing always seems to. One thing I never saw was the day I would dread it. Now when someone pops into my room, I just hope they don't want me to swing by and fix this or that. Like so many others, I got to the point where I just wanted to say "fsck off". They solicit and it enlarges the problem. You end up with people comming up to you and saying "You're the guy that know alot about computers right? My <insert someone you probably only vaguely remember here> told me you helped them with <this or that>. I was wonder if you could help me with a problem I'm..........blah blah blah. I've gotta calls for other countries because people refered me. And you know, it would be great if you got paid. Its just how do you ask for money? Unless its someone I don't know too well, that pretty damn hard to do. I feel like I should be paid. It comes down to performing a service that other people feel they are incapable of. I get caught between my lust for cash and my personality dictating that I should be the "nice guy" that does it for free.

Back to the topic, I guess it all makes sense in the end. Its never easy to stay on top of things. The computer industry, at least to me, used to be one big picture. I could pick out whatever piece of information I needed or wanted. Now it feels dauntingly complicated in such a way that it makes you think you'll never get on top again. For me I guess, it comes down to being the best. Its simply hard as hell to admit you're not. Especially if that one of the few things going for you. I'll trudge on doing tech support for my family, happy or not, if only to just maintain a bit of that feeling of being the only one that could.

I'm not going to stop trying though. I say don't ever stop trying. I figure once you let go, thats it, you're one of the "sheep" again. While it may be a feeble attampt against the inevitable taking advice from the new geek on the block, I think its worth the trouble.

not sure what I said here, not sure if it came out the way I wanted it to. Oh well, its not about being perfect, right?

 

but it's a bit more awkward to say no to your girlfriend (or even scarier, your girlfriend's mother)....



I don't mind helping friends who are getting into computers, I like helping them because they want to learn what I'm doing, so that they know how to sort stuff in the future. They'll probably end up helping me some time soon...

It's the people who can say nothing more than "it's broken, can you fix it?" and wander off to get coffee/watch TV whilst I curse at their beige box that annoy me; I consider that to just be taking advantage of my (vaguely) good nature. It's not like I can just say "no, I don't feel like it, go read a book about it" to them...

 

omg, what will the forums of today look like 10 Years from now?

[john doe] i want to upgrade my computer with a new graphics-card which one should i buy
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[K0|\/|pUT3R_maNiaK](cs : source 3 player):ic so u wonna upGr4de teh ole
w0rkst4ti0n? d0 u g4m3 at 4ll? wh4t w1ll b3 ur budg3t? wh4t k1nd 0f cpu5 d0 u
us3?
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[K1ll_teh_1nteL_c0rp](cs : source 3 player):did u C teh s34rch buttoN? fFs y
d03s'nT 4Nyb0dy s34rcH?!!!!!!!!!! Fukh3ad!!!111
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oh my god this wont stand we have to effectively erase the haxxor
language before it gets outta hand

 

article rang totally true, except ive never been able to understand a word Bigz says on irc

 

My eyes just glaze over and I agree with whatever he says.