This morning I looked like a liar. Not intentionally and I was not really lying, it just looked like I was. I got asked to do something that I did not think I could do, I said I could not do it, and then ended up doing it. See what I mean?
I was dropping the girls off at school and the principal, who knows I work with computers, asked me if I could take a look at the computer that ran the security cameras at the school. It is just a PC, so her assumptions were that I would easily be able to fix it because I work with computers.
What she does not know, and what I preceded to tell her was that I don’t even fix my own computers. I am not a hardware guy, I write software. I have done the obligatory PC build (where you build a PC by assembling the parts yourself) but that was ages ago and the silly thing was always way too noisy). But generally I can help fix software that I actually wrote, but don’t let me loose on hardware.
I really did not want to be down on my hands and knees staring at the insides of a computer, like some guy on the side of the highway jiggling the spark-plug cables in his car because he has to look like he knows what he is doing.
Any way I was convinced to help out (all the time thinking and saying that I would not be able to).
So first things first: is it getting power?… Follow the power cable to the UPS… Ah the UPS is not on… Turn on UPS… UPS makes funny beeping sound, but still wont power the PC… What else is plugged into UPS? … Monitor, it also won’t turn on… Bypass UPS… computer turns on.
You see how that went?
- Me: I can’t fix computers.
- Her: please?
- Me: ok let me look… Ah the UPS is broken.. look it works now.
How was I to know that it would be that simple? I just did not want to have to open the PC up and stare for a while. I’m not that kind of geek.
I should have said “Sure I’ll take a look, but I can’t promise anything. I usually get someone to help me with these things.”
Ever lied to someone, unintentionally and without actually knowing you were doing it until later?
tsk tsk tsk Ron.
But I know where you are coming form – w.r.t. misconceptions dues to associations.
anyway, yes – can’t think of any examples, but I did try.
Yes, I just this week told my boss that my contract was only for 2 years. He had set up a meeting with the Vice Rector to negotiate that my position be made permanent when we re-evaluate the contract at the end of this year. He was just about to go to the meeting, when I realised I had read wrongly, and that it was actually a 3 year contract! Phew!
[...] Ever lied to someone, unintentionally and without actually knowing you were doing it until later? [...]
Great!!… but actually the hardware parts become tricky! Infact I had a PC going down 20 seconds after booting.. just because it’s internal modem had some strange fault!