Great Moments in Computer Programming

[Tdarcos]

I bought a fake flash drive on Amazon, the details are in an article here. But that's not why I'm mentioning it here. On the product description page, where you click on the "Add to cart" button, is the "report inaccurate description" link below the description, where if you click it, a pop-up window appears, allowing you to say why you think it is. I choose "not as described," gave an explanation, then hit the submit button. And nothing happens, Repeated tries, no soap.

[Casual Observer]

I have a whole drawer of them from conferences, need some?

[Jizaboz]

I'd say it was formatted wrong but if it's brand new then that doesn't make sense.

But on your new problem, AWS services can be stupid with at times! Not just on the consumer end, but on the devops end I regularly put up with things like dashboards taking forever to respond and being forced to refresh 2-3 times as I curse at it.

[Casual Observer]

All websites are buggy, each in their own special way.

[AArdvark]

Why do I need administrator access to remove an Adobe PDF reader SHORTCUT from my desktop? The machine at work updated and this morning I got a brand new shortcut on my desktop that I don't want. I cannot remove or delete it without Admin access. I have to go get Jasper to type in his password so I can move it to the recycle bin. Maybe I can shoulder surf him and see what his password is and start doing this bullshit stuff myself.

[Casual Observer]

What's a "desktop". Seriously. It has been useless for years.

[Casual Observer]

How do people use the Discord windows app at all? WTF? I got roped into trying it over a RTS thread or something. On re-start t's the first app to start loading and the last one to finish, often with some kind of error. Uninstalled.

[pinback]

I have never had a problem with it.

A rare miss from CO.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

How do people use the Discord windows app at all? WTF? I got roped into trying it over a RTS thread or something. On re-start t's the first app to start loading and the last one to finish, often with some kind of error. Uninstalled.

I don't like Discord. I wish we could all move to the next IRC replacement.

[pinback]

You DO like Discord, you just refuse to use it.

[RealNC]

I have never had a problem with it.

A rare miss from CO.

Well, it's an Electron application, so he's not that far off.

[Tdarcos]

Why do I need administrator access to remove [a]... SHORTCUT ... machine at work updated ... new shortcut on my desktop... I cannot remove or delete it

Short version:You can't remove it because it's not yours. It's owned by a different account.

Long version: Every Windows 10 installation has at least three accounts that own files. System (Administrator), your account (which may or may not have Administrator access), and "Trusted Installer". Trusted Installer runs at least at administrator privilege, perhaps higher.

Like it or not, I have to run as Administrator on my machine, or I'd have to keep logging out and logging in to do may things. Trusted Installer can do things I can't - at least, not without backdoor access such changing the file or folde's Access Control List through the properties window - like create folders at C:\ or folders located at, or files within, a folder in, "c:\program files" (64-bit apps) or "c:\program files (x86)" (32-bit apps.)

But Trusted Installer is started from an installation package running in Administrator privilege. Since that shortcut is owned by an account that isn't yours - and especially since it is a privileged account - you can't delete it without administrator privilege.

[Tdarcos]

There is a federal program which gives low income families - which can be one person - a cell phone with unlimited talk and text, plus 25 GB of data usage per month, free, plus a free smartphone. It's called Lifeline service, and since I qualify for it, I applied. I got the phone which was a BLU View 3.

After a day or 2 of usage, either I somehow bent or damaged the USB port, or (as I think is more likely) the charge port failed; I can't plug the power cable into it. A cell phone you can't recharge has extremely limited usefulness. So, I want to replace it. Trying to get someone at Safelink - the MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) who covers Virginia - to understand that the problem is not that the battery won't hold a charge, it's that I can't even connect the phone to the USB cable, is about as easy as getting Fort Knox to offer free samples. I try to explain that two different USB-C cables will not connect to this phone, but both of them work perfectly with both all of my video cameras with a USB-C port and a different cell phone. Charge works satisfactorily with both cables on those devices.

So I decide, "fuck it," since the actual underlying network operator is TracFone, I ask if a TracFone locked cell phone will work with Safelink. I'm told it will, so I purchase one of the refurbished Tracphones they sell, as I don't want to pay, say $200 or more for an unlocked new phone from, say, Amazon.com. So I get a replacement for about $25. To save the battery on the phone that won't charge (I will probably have to use this phone to authorize it being replaced) I power it down for the roughly two days it will be until tne replacement is delivered.

The phone came yesterday. I followed the instructions to fully charge it, and going online to find out how to transfer a number from one Safelink phone to another phone. Send a text message of ONESTEP to 611611. I get a message telling me to text ! for Spanish or wait for English. I'm warned to save voicemail messages as they won't transfer to the new phone. Then I get another message following it:

Oops. It Iooks like this device is not part of our Migration initiative. Text ONESTEP from the correct phone or call us at 1-866-667-6437.

I call that number from that phone. I get a recording thanking me for calling migration support line, advising me in Spanish to press 2 if I need it, warning me the call might be recorded, then I'm questioned if (and it reads back my telephone number) is the number affected. I say "yes" and it tells me

Great! Thank you for contacting us. As of today, you are not impacted by any network updates. You will hear from us if some action is needed in the future. We appreciate your business. To get a list of self-service options, text the word HELP to 611611. Goodbye. (Click!)

As happens too often these days, I'm caught being given the runaround.

Going to Safelink's website gives me the information, I just needed to go to Tracfone's website, select "Activate" and just handle it a a transfer from one TracFone to another, and that works.

[Casual Observer]

There are hundreds of providers participating in that program. Look up the FCC 499 list and choose one

[Tdarcos]

There are hundreds of providers participating in that program. Look up the FCC 499 list and choose one

Everything is working now, if I were to switch providers, I'd have to pay for another phone.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I have been using SpeedDial for Brave for a while.

I also use Google Sheets. Cntl-B bolds fields in Google SHeets.

SpeedDial has a new feature that uses Cntl-B. It brings up a .... I can't remember what they are called right now. Overlay. It brings up an overlay asking me where I want to save the page to.
How oblivious do you have to be to think that commandeering Control-B was going to be ok? Honestly, C, V, B and I have been break/copy, paste, bold and italics for, what? 40 years?

SpeedDial seems to let me pick a new keyboard shortcut. Ok. Fine.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

My wife got me a new phone that uses a "5G" network. I did a speedtest on it. I got like 40 megabits per second*.

I could have had these speeds the entire time, but I was cheaping out, getting Moto G Play phones because they were so cheap.

Argh, I say.

Argh.

[AArdvark]

Will that be classified under 'operator error'?

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Maybe some new tech is good.

[AArdvark]

Now, I've heard some bad things about 5G, mostly from wackomoles, involving mutations and DNA.

Can you please document any unwanted glowing or extra limbs, ect?

THE
TRUTH IS OUT
OF HERE
AARDVARK