The savvy curse

[Snotnarok]

This is something I've been plagued with for ages. I'm savvy with a PC, to get it straight out, and it is a CURSE. Having any computer knowledge I've found is an instant curse because your friends and family will extort you to all hell.

Almost every day I get IMs or Emails asking me questions that are literally:

1- www.google.com
2- type your search and hit enter
3- click on one of the first links
(yes I know about Let me Google that for you and have gotten much joy by offending these people)


People have IMed me asking me for requirements for games, how to make a website/can I make one for free. I've been promised to fix a PC for free that's in need of serious virus cleansing(4-5 hour job, more if they need files saved that is a job that pays 15-25 dollars an hour). Just yesterday I had to write, find the email address for someone who wanted to complain about not receiving a shipment. Friends have brought in PCs for me to fix and didn't asks prior, try to help, thought it was absurd to pay for it. There's tons more, but the point here isn't for me to ***** and whine, well maybe a little. But now it's your turn!

Tell me fellow Escapists, are you cursed with anything? Just what kind of stupid questions do you get?

 

[Timotei]

My extensive knowledge of anime makes me a target for many people. I can't tell you how many times someone will shove a picture in my face and ask who it is only for me to be obligated to tell them that it doesn't look like any character that I have seen or that it looks like a semi original piece from the artist that wasn't included in an anime or manga.

I also get with with the occasional weapon question too, mostly by people who think that because they played Modern Warfare 2 and have picked up every variant of the ACR that they somehow think they know how to operate the fucking thing.

 

[Couch_Ridden_Gamer]

People think I know everything about every video game in existance. I am proud to say that I am the leading game authority in my region. I wear that title with pride, but it gets annoying having everyone I know asking me about games. But. . . .I guess it has gotten pretty sweet since I started charging people for each game I beat for them on the hardest difficulty or for achievment-getting. ($10 for every beaten game, $1 for every semi-difficult achievment). And the best part! People actually pay! I make a good $50 a week. So. . .yeah. Its annoying, but. . . CHA CHING!

 

[Snotnarok]

My extensive knowledge of anime makes me a target for many people. I can't tell you how many times someone will shove a picture in my face and ask who it is only for me to be obligated to tell them that it doesn't look like any character that I have seen or that it looks like a semi original piece from the artist that wasn't included in an anime or manga.

I also get with with the occasional weapon question too, mostly by people who think that because they played Modern Warfare 2 and have picked up every variant of the ACR that they somehow think they know how to operate the fucking thing.

I've played over a hundred FPS, and I'm sure I'll be the first to admit that I know absolutely everything there is to know about how not to shoot a firearm. I know nothing about reloading, proper aiming, I've never even held a real gun nor do I care to. But yes I do think it's funny what MW2 has brought up, people talking about guns like they know how it works.

People think I know everything about every video game in existance. I am proud to say that I am the leading game authority in my region. I wear that title with pride, but it gets annoying having everyone I know asking me about games. But. . . .I guess it has gotten pretty sweet since I started charging people for each game I beat for them on the hardest difficulty or for achievment-getting. ($10 for every beaten game, $1 for every semi-difficult achievment). And the best part! People actually pay! I make a good $50 a week. So. . .yeah. Its annoying, but. . . CHA CHING!

I enjoyed reading to the part where it said "pride" in your post only to look left at your avatar and match a silly voice in my head to it haha. Yeah I got the gamer curse too.

"HAY IZ DIS GAME GEWD?!" No it's not "I HURD IT WAZ" ...then go buy it and leave me alone.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Almost every day I get IMs or Emails asking me questions that are literally:

1- www.google.com
2- type your search and hit enter
3- click on one of the first links
(yes I know about Let me Google that for you and have gotten much joy by offending these people)

I'm amazed that some people are still ignorant to the magical powers of google. You can look up literally anything in a few seconds.

The most annoying thing I've encountered is friends asking me to destroy viruses on their computers. It begs the question "if you weren't expecting the attatchment(a .exe at that!)then why did you open it?!"

 

[Godgolden]

o/ PC savvy, nowhere near as bad as you but i get stressed over my own pc enough..

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Knowledge of early American History. I've had people ask me questions about basically everything from the Jackson Era to Reconstruction and while normally I have the answers, it gets annoying to hear the same questions over and over again.

 

[Xiorell]

aquatic and reptiles. And relationship advise when I am obviously not interested in relationships myself and am clearly happy to simply fuck it and go back to my soliary life.... that seems to happen alot.

 

[Snotnarok]

aquatic and reptiles. And relationship advise when I am obviously not interested in relationships myself and am clearly happy to simply fuck it and go back to my soliary life.... that seems to happen alot.

Yeah let me stack on that haha, my friend constantly asks me for relationship advice or just talks to me about relationships. Now that's fine in most circumstances, I have had relationships but here's where the logic breaks down, I'm asexual and she knows this.

same PC savvy -.-

How do I hook up a gaming controller to my PC? :O

^ top dumbest question probably asked to people like us.

 

[SmartIdiot]

Eh... I don't really see it as a curse. I'm good at a few things, people ask me for advice/lessons in musical endeavors. I'm quite flattered by it. Plus it's always nice to help someone. It only gets annoying when people ask you for advice repeatedly i.e not taking any of it in.

 

[UltraParanoia]

Cars and HVAC.

Neither one is fun to get annoying questions about (as it turns out, I think starting a gas furnace with burning newspaper is a bad idea, get a long match you idiot.)

 

[Meggiepants]

People have IMed me asking me for requirements for games, how to make a website/can I make one for free. I've been promised to fix a PC for free that's in need of serious virus cleansing(4-5 hour job, more if they need files saved that is a job that pays 15-25 dollars an hour). Just yesterday I had to write, find the email address for someone who wanted to complain about not receiving a shipment. Friends have brought in PCs for me to fix and didn't asks prior, try to help, thought it was absurd to pay for it.

Before I address your post, let me tell you what my response to this type of request is. I used to let myself get wrapped up in this kind of crap, now, when someone asks me to fix their PC, I say, "Sure. While I'm doing that, can you come over and do my laundry for me? I notice how clean all your laundry always looks. I just don't know how to do it very well. Especially the ironing part. Your shirts are so wrinkle free!"
Of course, you can substitute laundry with dishes, or house cleaning, whatever. If they don't understand fixing their computer shit is work for you and that you'd rather be doing anything else, after this response, they just might get the hint.

I used to get the computer stuff. Now I get the research stuff, being a former librarian. "I have this research paper I have to write and I can't find anything! I know how good you are at this stuff!" I actually don't mind doing this, as I can do it really fast and it is kind of like looking for hidden treasure for me. Yes, I treat even my job like a video game. The problem is they also want me to print out their articles and help write their paper too. Sorry, but the scavenger hunt for your topic might be interesting to me, writing a paper on the history of the dung beetle, is not.

 

[A Weary Exile]

I'm considered one of the "Smart kids" at my school (Although at my school that isn't saying much) so I often have people trying to cheat off me or get homework from me.

I also seemed to be cursed with some sort of gay vibe that makes every new person I meet mistake me for being gay. I just don't understand it, I don't dress, act, or look feminine in the slightest, so I don't fit the usual stereotype. I guess it's because I've never had a real girlfriend (Trust me, the girls where I live are a deadly combination of unfathomably stupid and hideous, I'm not missing out) so I guess they think: NO GF=HE IZ TEH GAY!!

 

[Snotnarok]

People have IMed me asking me for requirements for games, how to make a website/can I make one for free. I've been promised to fix a PC for free that's in need of serious virus cleansing(4-5 hour job, more if they need files saved that is a job that pays 15-25 dollars an hour). Just yesterday I had to write, find the email address for someone who wanted to complain about not receiving a shipment. Friends have brought in PCs for me to fix and didn't asks prior, try to help, thought it was absurd to pay for it.

Before I address your post, let me tell you what my response to this type of request is. I used to let myself get wrapped up in this kind of crap, now, when someone asks me to fix their PC, I say, "Sure. While I'm doing that, can you come over and do my laundry for me? I notice how clean all your laundry always looks. I just don't know how to do it very well. Especially the ironing part. Your shirts are so wrinkle free!"
Of course, you can substitute laundry with dishes, or house cleaning, whatever. If they don't understand fixing their computer shit is work for you and that you'd rather be doing anything else, after this response, they just might get the hint.

I used to get the computer stuff. Now I get the research stuff, being a former librarian. "I have this research paper I have to write and I can't find anything! I know how good you are at this stuff!" I actually don't mind doing this, as I can do it really fast and it is kind of like looking for hidden treasure for me. Yes, I treat even my job like a video game. The problem is they also want me to print out their articles and help write their paper too. Sorry, but the scavenger hunt for your topic might be interesting to me, writing a paper on the history of the dung beetle, is not.

I've been getting less wrapped up in it. I'm going to say that my biggest problem when people do this is they underestimate the difficulty/value of the work and just assume it's easy to do. Sure it can be easy but that doesn't change the fact that it takes time and I like spending my time doing other things.

I've decided to spare the topic another rant by me but left it in a spioiler if you're interested in some real web gems.

Spoiler

I had one client that wanted me to make a website, fair enough, but as usual the deeper the website discussion goes the worse it gets. With some unlisted stuff he also wants me to sit down and fill the website in at his house, and in the same afternoon teach him how to make/maintain websites. "It shouldn't take more than a day, besides the hardest part is scanning the stuff" So, photo editing, making the website, scanning, adding the content to the website, plus all the nitpicks that this client WILL ask for will take a day?

I was so dumbfounded, and so angry at the ignorance if his statements. It doesn't bother me if someone doesn't know what goes into it, but when you're telling me how it is, how to do it, and what's going into it and you don't. Then you've just started pushing me. I told the client that I couldn't do it and for months I'd get emails insisting that we should just take a day, get some coffee and knock this project out.

If you don't know how website making goes, I found an image online that sums it up, and this is NOT an exaggeration this is basically what every webmaster goes through [http://theoatmeal.com/comics/design_hell]

 

[Meggiepants]

I've been getting less wrapped up in it. I'm going to say that my biggest problem when people do this is they underestimate the difficulty/value of the work and just assume it's easy to do. Sure it can be easy but that doesn't change the fact that it takes time and I like spending my time doing other things.

I've decided to spare the topic another rant by me but left it in a spoiler if you're interested in some real web gems.

Spoiler

I had one client that wanted me to make a website, fair enough, but as usual the deeper the website discussion goes the worse it gets. With some unlisted stuff he also wants me to sit down and fill the website in at his house, and in the same afternoon teach him how to make/maintain websites. "It shouldn't take more than a day, besides the hardest part is scanning the stuff" So, photo editing, making the website, scanning, adding the content to the website, plus all the nitpicks that this client WILL ask for will take a day?

I was so dumbfounded, and so angry at the ignorance if his statements. It doesn't bother me if someone doesn't know what goes into it, but when you're telling me how it is, how to do it, and what's going into it and you don't. Then you've just started pushing me. I told the client that I couldn't do it and for months I'd get emails insisting that we should just take a day, get some coffee and knock this project out.

If you don't know how website making goes, I found an image online that sums it up, and this is NOT an exaggeration this is basically what every webmaster goes through [http://theoatmeal.com/comics/design_hell]

I. Love. the oatmeal! I have seen this, and I thought of it when I read your post. Almost linked it for you.

Spoiler: And my own story, if you are interested

I was a web designer for a long time for the library I worked at. But I had to pull myself out of the whole thing, because of problems like you mention. I swear, the last meeting I attended they spent an hour and a half discussing the color of a particular button. I said, "That's it. I'm out." The most frustrating thing about this, is you can make a complicated form or federated search function for them, and they are like, "Oh, that's nice" but if you create a generic shiny button that clicks, they are like "Wow! Amazing!"

 

[Snowalker]

I have the problem similar to the OP, but I take pride in it. Not to say I don't get annoyed, but more that my friends trust me that much with their computer/electronics.

 

[BonsaiK]

I get emails from musicians all over the world from people who curiously think that I am rich and that I can get them rock stardom and a deposit on a nice mansion with a click of my fingers. They do not realise that I live on beans, barely have two coins to rub together most of the time, and that the "pluck someone out of thin air and groom them for megastardom" part of the industry tends to be centred about 10,000 kilometres away from where I have the most influence. Some band from Liverpool contacted me the other day. I wrote them back: "You're in Liverpool, what the fuck do you need me for?".