Own Up!

I have a computer lab in my home office so that I can keep up to date with programs I feel I need to know to enhance my skills or because I may need to pinch hit for a coworker. Every once in a while, the firmware update I install fries the firmware. What is most frustrating when this happens is when the support people either don't know about it or won't admit that it's a known issue.

Here are the things I've learned when this happens:

1) When the first level support person says he or she can't help you, escalate to the next level. 

2) Get a ticket number. You will need it in the future.

3) When the support person claims it's your hardware or because you installed something else, such as a firewall, don't accept that as gospel. Escalate.

4) While you're waiting for someone to get back to you, do a Google search for the issue. Sometimes you will find forums in which people have posted questions or answers about it. This makes it a known issue and that your hardware is not the cause.

5) Keep your receipts handy. You may have to appeal to the company for a refund. I'm in the process of this because a board blew on my color printer. I bought a new board and installed it before I found out that the manufacturer knew about the problem. I want a refund for the new board I should not have had to buy after all.

What is so hard about posting something on a company website that says "You may be experiencing a problem with _____, but we're working on it." That would give me more confidence in the company and make me more likely to buy another product from them in the future.


This type of approach crosses all industries. Do you recall why the packaging of medications make them hard to open? Many years ago, someone tampered with some bottles of Tylenol and put cyanide in them. Some people died. Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer, immediately recalled all bottles of Tylenol and took steps immediately to prevent this from happening again. It was a brilliant maneuver and it kept its good reputation. It wasn't the company's fault. They could have claimed that once a product leaves its warehouse, it has no control over what happens en route to its destination or what happens at the retail level. But the management then took responsibility. Sadly, that doesn't happen today. What a shame. As a purchaser, I often have a choice. And I will exercise that choice whenever I can.

What Harm Has the LinkedIn Breach Done?

Has anyone really been impacted by LinkedIn's security breach? A few of were discussing this after paying a condolence call to my late dentist.

Even semi-active LinkedIn users knew about the breach and have changed their passwords. (A note to Twitter users. For months before the LinkedIn problem, Twitter accounts of people who rarely tweet were being hacked.) 

In addition to changing passwords, LinkedIn users should be careful about documents they post on Boxnet. Both the right people and the wrong ones can see resumes posted on Boxnet. That means they have at least two key pieces of information about you: your name and home address. My wife, an ad copy writer and journalist, has received C.V.s that contained doctor's dates of birth and their Social Security number. If they have this as a PDF attached to their website in a document accessible on LinkedIn, they are potential victims of identity theft.

The answer to my acquaintance's question about how who was impacted by the LinkedIn security lapse is: We really don't know yet. One thing is for sure. LinkedIn management was penny wise and pound foolish for not taking the extra $tep$ to prevent penetration.

Weekends are for...Work

It is Sunday morning and I admit that I have a full day of work ahead of me. Not that I mind. On weekends, it's all about family. Here's what I've done so far and expect to do today:

Saturday:
Early morning: Work on finances.
9:00 - noon: Breakfast. Try to get older son ready for the day. (He's a dawdler.)
Noon - soccer lesson with my older son.
1:00 - 3:00 - try to get the older son to relax because he's already overly tired.
3:00 -  5:00 - At Rabbi Michelle Dardashti's house for a Young Families afternoon shindig. As a committee member, I have to talk to new members and prospective ones about joining our synagogue.
5:00 - Home again for brief respite and younger son's nap.
6:30 - 9:30 - Greek Festival.
9:30 - Home again, home again, jiggetty jig. For once, the older son goes to sleep right away, but mother-in-law needs computer tech support (me).


Sunday:
Early morning - Work on my blog.
? - 1:15 - Play with the kids.

1:30 - 4:00 - T-ball game with the older son and team BBQ
4:00 - ?
Late evening - Get older son to relax and go to bed!


Ah, Mondays. I love my sons, but I can't wait to go back to work. It's so relaxing!