Lilfe in the slow (repair) lane.

I hope you charged her your full fee, and collected it.

Ignoring the fact that people are not taught (from an early age) how to analyze and solve problems, I think it's the former. I find that as products become more complicated, I have less patience with fixing or configuring them. Most configuration problems are due to bad design, or the failure to anticipate how products will actually be used.

Such problems do not include remembering to turn on the power.

On Thursday, February 28, 2013 7:39:11 PM UTC-8, William Sommerwerck wrote: > Such problems do not include remembering to turn on the power.

It doesn't help that our old USB HP deskjet _will_ turn on if off and you s end it something to print.

What's more annoying is the Bluray player that turns on the TV and selects the proper input. Seems OK until you want to pause the disc and check somet hing else on the TV. It then ejects the disc. If my family is SO STUPID the y don't know you have to turn on a TV before using it and have to select th e input they should go read a book. Wait, then they use a Kindle . ARGHHH

G²

it something to print.

proper input. Seems OK until you want to pause the disc and check something else on the TV. It then ejects the disc. If my family is SO STUPID they don't know you have to turn on a TV before using it and have to select the input they should go read a book. Wait, then they use a Kindle . ARGHHH

Programmers are easily tempted to do things just because they can. I remember doing the host programming on an early ATM machine. There were all kind of things you could do to interact with a customer using the machine, but the bank VP said no, either dispense the money or don't do it and give a reason. Spoil sport!!!!

Paul

I could not print from my pad. Same problem !!!!! Darn printer uses ink turned on, so I shut off. My new canon darks out pretty well in bedroom. Old lex mark had led that goes from dark to bright, cycling, Annoying.

Greg

I assume this is the TV's doing. Though who knows what future versions of HDMI will introduce.

The problem here is not with your family's intelligence, but the intelligence of whoever designed the player and/or TV's software.

This problem isn't new. It goes back over 50 years. There was a Popular Electronics project that used a record changer's power switch to turn on an amplifier, so your Aunt May didn't have to. I still have a commercial device of that type -- purchased about 35 years ago -- that allows one device to turn on another.

Ladyfriend. I'll be lucky if I can get a free dinner for my efforts and then only if I confess that it was somehow my fault.

Well, that's part of the problem. In a parallel effort, a different friend and one of his accomplices are currently trying to troubleshoot a non-functional Mercedes ML320. My guess is $200 in wasted money on parts that were not defective so far. The problem is that despite my advice on approaching the troubleshooting in a logical and systematic manner, they've been floundering around for several days without any useful results. I see similar logic errors everywhere I look. I recall from skool, that there was a time when it was considered more important teaching students how to think, rather than cram them full of factoids. However, when they succeeded, and the student was able to think independently, that was deemed some kind of aberration. That was my problem in early skool.

I'm not sure which is the real culprit. Obviously, something went wrong. I have no objections to the current state of electronic complexity. What bothers me is the lack of consistency among user interfaces and operating paradigms. There are a few standards, such as up is on, and down is off, and maybe red is bad, while green is good, but even those are violated. I installed a Logitech BlueGoof iPad keyboard today and found a slide switch where red means power on, and green means power off (which incidentally was not described in the manual). Huh?

Apple: It just works (except when it doesn't).

Well, to be fair, it's an HP problem, not an Apple problem. HP correctly guessed that many such printers will end up in the bedroom, where bright lights from the printer is not acceptable. So, they made the lights so dim. Unless one was specifically looking for the pilot light, it would appear to be off. That's not a bad arrangement, but I would not expect the typical customer to understand what is happening. They probably thing, that if the iPad is "always on", why shouldn't the printer be always on?

I can't claim to be all that perfect myself. In the distant past, I designed marine radios, and wrote some of the manuals. I was rather proud of the job I did on the first manual, until someone pointed out that I forgot to explain how to turn it on and off. Oops.

In the future, I expect things to become more and more complicated. I also see devices, like printers, engaging in a dialog with the user and with other devices, to determine what the user wants to do. It then negotiates the parameters and settings automatically between devices. Put the iPad and printer next to each other, yell "connect me", and they will. Send the printer some data, and it's a fair assumption that one wants it to power on in preparation for printing. Don't do anything for a few minutes, and it's a fair assumption that the printer should power down. AI (artificial intelligence) was the big thing in the late 1970's, but where is it today?

Ok, I've had my rant.

The problem with cars is that they flag up error codes that are erroneous. If you have an intake air leak, for example, the Mass Airlow Sensor gives an incorrect reading of how much air is entering the combustion chambers, so the fuel is adjusted accordingly and erroneously, which changes the reading from the Oxygen sensor. The car will tell you the Oxygen Sensor or the MAF is faulty, which people (including mechanics in garages who often don't have a scooby what they are doing) will replace at great expense to no effect, but still give you the bill.

Gareth.

So she's right, it is your fault, after all these years you're still forgetting to tell people to turn on the power! Sorry, I couldn't resist :-)

Mikek

PS. Turning on the power is just so obvious that... well you know.

I beg to differ. Cascading errors are certainly a risk in any monitoring system. At this time, the typical automobile just doesn't have the CPU horsepower to include the necessary computational resources and software needed to determine the initial cause of a problem and distinguish it from downstream faults. I ran into this trying design BITE (built in test equipment) for a marine radio. When a fault would occur in an early stage, all the subsequent stages would also show fault conditions. Since the radio was full of loops, there was no possibility of a straight line diagnosis back to the fault source. The 1980's solution was to attach a separate diagnostic computer to analyze all the flashing lights. We intentionally produced single active component failures, and recorded the light show. That worked fairly well and largely eliminated that problem. Unfortunately, it would not have caught a failure to turn on the device error. The days when printers and home computahs have self-diagnostics and error analysis built in do not seem to be in the plan. (HP laser printer error codes are as obtuse as OBD2 codes).

Incidentally, I had a similar problem with my Subaru. The oxygen sensor after the catalytic converter was complaining. The diagnostics proclaimed that it was a bad catalytic converter. I read up on how it worked and determines that the oxygen sensor was failing, which was a much cheaper fix than a catalytic converter. If I understand how something works, I can fix it. If I just look at the error messages and flashing lights, I'll be like my friend and his Mercedes.

Go ahead, rub it in. However, I'm not the only one with the problem. The Logitech iPad keyboard thing I installed last night simply said "turn it on". There was no clue as to the location of the on off switch or whether red or green meant on or off. One giant step backwards.

I suspect that you've never tried to start an automobile with an "engine start" button. There are a list of pre-requisites that must be observed before the car will start. Some of these are not so obvious, such as having the RFID contrivance fairly close to the dash and not buried in an aluminized mylar RFID-proof purse. Others are somewhat less obscure, such as having the transmission in Park which only makes sense if you can find the control. The button says "start" but it's not starting and no error messages on the dash or out of the speakers. It should be obvious, but it's not. Call tech support (OnStar)?

Well, I just got an email thanking me for driving over and turning on the printer. Attached was a collection of stupid people jokes, which was a clue that I had made my point. Also attached was an invitation to dinner, which is a clue that I shouldn't send her an invoice. There was also some mention of fixing a few things around the house, which decodes into me bringing my appliance and plumbing repair tools. I'm doomed.

I beg to differ.

Incidentally, I had a similar problem with my Subaru. The oxygen sensor after the catalytic converter was complaining. The diagnostics proclaimed that it was a bad catalytic converter. I read up on how it worked and determines that the oxygen sensor was failing, which was a much cheaper fix than a catalytic converter. If I understand how something works, I can fix it. If I just look at the error messages and flashing lights, I'll be like my friend and his Mercedes.

Er, not sure where you are differing, it looks like we are in agreement!?

Gareth.

Some cars require the clutch or brake pedal to be depressed in order to start.

Which just reinforces the principle that no good deed goes unpunished.

Sorry. I'm not accustomed to agreeing with anyone. Give me some time to get used to the concept.

Oh yeah, that too. Then, there's the seat belt interlock chime bypass. Nothing is simple or easy.

I have friends and I have customers. The difference is that the customers pay me.

Jeff Liebermann skrev den 01/03/2013:

Well, if turning on a printer gives dinner, imagine what fixing the plumbing might lead to :-)

Leif

it's the secret subliminal messages the GOV has been pumping into the common hang out areas of the internet. The intent is to make brainless dummies so that every one becomes a puppet to the GOV (subservient) and ask no questions when it comes time to thin the herd.

Jamie

Roll forward one day. I arrive at the scene of the crime fully prepared to get greasy, filthy, and frustrated. Standing around the vehicle were three well educated and intelligent engineering types, desperate to get the vehicle running. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I was immediately deluged with one complex theory after another. So much for intelligence as a survival attribute. As the barrage of brilliant theories subsided, I was able to determine that they had successfully replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter the previous day. OBD2 delivered the obvious fact that the fuel system wasn't working, along with about 10 associated downstream errors (mostly misfires).

When fixing anything, the problem can be attacked with either logic or psychology. Logic would require following the troubleshooting flow chart that everyone seemed to be ignoring. Looking at the flow chart, I can see why. However psychology requires only the assumption that three well educated and intelligent engineering types are fully capable of stupid mistakes, missing the obvious, and dumb oversights. I chose the much easier psychological approach and went immediately to the fuse and relay box. My plan was to push the fuel pump power relay and see if it would spin. I didn't need to do that as it was obvious that the fuel pump fuse, adjacent to the relay, was missing. Argh.

A brief interrogation of the participants in this fiasco revealed that nobody remembered removing the fuse, or had any knowledge of its current hiding place. I found a replacement fuse, inserted it in its socket, and suggested that the owner attempt to start the vehicle (while the rest of us stood by with fire extinguishers). The engine started and ran quite nicely.

To verify that the fuel pump had really been the problem, I attached clip leads to the fuel pump connector and applied 12VDC. Nothing. I then applied power directly to the fuel pump motor. Nothing, which means a bad pump moter. Unfortunately, I wasn't very careful about where I pointed the pump outlet, and sprayed some gasoline on myself.

In the same class as remembering to turn on the printer power, we now have remembering to insert the fuse. I just wish everything was this easy. Unfortunately, this is yet another friend, and not a customer. With luck, I'll get a free hot chocolate at the local coffee shop.

Sigh.

Ok, something is wrong with your assertion here, you stated that nothing happen which indicates the original pump to be bad however, you also claim to get fuel on you via a spray? This would indicate that it must of work?

I am confused..

P.S. If this was a test to see if readers actually read other's material? it worked.

Jamie

Sorry(tm). The problem was that I had an office full of people and was in the middle of editing that paragraph when I hit "send". I got the sentences in the wrong order. It should read:

To verify that the fuel pump had really been the problem, I attached clip leads to the fuel pump connector and applied 12VDC. Nothing, which means a bad pump motor. I then applied power directly to the fuel pump motor. Unfortunately, I wasn't very careful about where I pointed the pump outlet, and sprayed some gasoline on myself.

Nope. Just my rushed and sloppy editing. I can edit other peoples work, but not my own.