The Filthy, Rotten, Nasty, Helpdesk-Nightmare picture clubhouse

[Octopuss]

Few pics from my own/personal collection of "Idiots using computers"

MASSIVE WARNING: not recommended for those with weak heart!

fuck me or what

 

[Mussels]

I see plenty of americans and other english speaking people claiming people who don't know the inner workings of computers are being stupid.

Personally, i think people SHOULD know the basics of this stuff

My 7 year old knows the difference between wifi and internet, that microwaves work by vibrating water, and that you need to blow dust out of computers once a year (at least)
We just cleaned the dust out of his nintendo switch, so that he doesnt show up in threads like this himself


$5 to whoever rolls that up and smokes it

 

[Athlonite]

I'm a smoker and I'd have to say 5 bucks is not enough to get me to smoke whatever that crap is

 

[80-watt Hamster]

Few pics from my own/personal collection of "Idiots using computers"

MASSIVE WARNING: not recommended for those with weak heart!

This one might be the worst I've ever seen:

 

[Frick]

Personally, i think people SHOULD know the basics of this stuff

My 7 year old knows the difference between wifi and internet, that microwaves work by vibrating water, and that you need to blow dust out of computers once a year (at least)
We just cleaned the dust out of his nintendo switch, so that he doesnt show up in threads like this himself

He's still an idiot for not knowing how to repair gearboxes.

 

[silentbogo]

I see plenty of americans and other english speaking people claiming people who don't know the inner workings of computers are being stupid.

Regardless of broken language I kinda see a point of where @seth1911 was going. There is a big difference between ignorance and willful ignorance(aka stupidity), and the latter is more prominent when living standards improve. Ukraine isn't exactly a model of QoL improvements, but it's still here and it's definitely noticeable. Back in a day people treated their computers like cars, so they knew exactly what its worth, and they tried to get the most mileage out of their devices. If they didn't know what to do - they'd bug all of their friends with more knowledge, or take it to a nearest workshop. Today people have a lot more disposable income (yes, even with political situation and covid in picture it's still 100 times better than wild 90s). Additionally electronics became cheaper, and there are tings like partial payments (basically a 0% interest credit). So, today if something breaks - people usually treat it as an excuse to buy new shiny things.
This brings us to an age where most of our local electronic workshops survive by functioning as thrift shops (buying and refurbishing broken stuff, selling it back into the wild), or by servicing SMB sector.
What's funny is that one of my recent customers lives in the same block as me, and works across the street from my office. After fixing 2 of his laptops, 2 phones and a wireless mouse he was genuinely surprised that "there are still workshops like that" in my town, even though we take almost the exact same route from work to home and he should pass at least 3 much bigger workshops on the way home.

 

[Splinterdog]

There are Argentines on this forum (I'm a Brit living in Arg) who will agree with me, I'm sure, that repairing stuff is normal practice here due to the dire economic situation.
The hall of horrors shown by @pregep is all too familiar to me in nearly 15 years of fixing PCs here. What's surprising is that most of them still end up functioning after a clean up.
I've even had the same machines come back like boomerangs, that I had originally rescued from the grave, but they just won't die.

 

[Frick]

Regardless of broken language I kinda see a point of where @seth1911 was going. There is a big difference between ignorance and willful ignorance(aka stupidity), and the latter is more prominent when living standards improve. Ukraine isn't exactly a model of QoL improvements, but it's still here and it's definitely noticeable. Back in a day people treated their computers like cars, so they knew exactly what its worth, and they tried to get the most mileage out of their devices. If they didn't know what to do - they'd bug all of their friends with more knowledge, or take it to a nearest workshop. Today people have a lot more disposable income (yes, even with political situation and covid in picture it's still 100 times better than wild 90s). Additionally electronics became cheaper, and there are tings like partial payments (basically a 0% interest credit). So, today if something breaks - people usually treat it as an excuse to buy new shiny things.
This brings us to an age where most of our local electronic workshops survive by functioning as thrift shops (buying and refurbishing broken stuff, selling it back into the wild), or by servicing SMB sector.
What's funny is that one of my recent customers lives in the same block as me, and works across the street from my office. After fixing 2 of his laptops, 2 phones and a wireless mouse he was genuinely surprised that "there are still workshops like that" in my town, even though we take almost the exact same route from work to home and he should pass at least 3 much bigger workshops on the way home.

Fully agree that people should take better care and repair more stuff, but that doesn't mean it's stupidity to not do it or not knowing how to do it. Some people are stupid, but most people are just being people.

 

[micropage7]

This one might be the worst I've ever seen:

View attachment 232738

the great thing is the pc suck all the dust from your room to make it more clean, kinda vacuum cleaner look a like

 

[silentbogo]

Fully agree that people should take better care and repair more stuff, but that doesn't mean it's stupidity to not do it or not knowing how to do it.

That's not what I mean. There are lots of people that do want their stuff fixed, but a comfortable life made them lazy and stupid. Just like that customer I mentioned.
They will remember all the pizza places in their block, or the way to any supermarket in the 20km radius, but they won't notice a smartphone service center right in their apartment building.
People forgot how to look for information, especially local information or physical(IRL) information. People forgot to differentiate between useful and useless info. People forgot to look at signs, cause smartphone became the sole source of precious info etc. etc. etc. It's not just about electronics repair, it's basically life in general. People cling to what seems familiar or more comfortable, and intentionally ignore everything else.
I wanted to tell a few more funny stories on this topic, but now that I think of it - it's actually quite depressing, so I won't

Enough sad stuff for one day. Here's a tad of fun from last week. The owner brought it in to check the fan, cause it was "rattling every once in awhile".
Apparently he didn't even know that he had an ODD or how to open it, but his 5 y.o. kid figured it out in a matter of seconds

 

[Octopuss]

I used to do basic bitch IT support in a company that had two clients, one of them being a chain of mobile phone stores in those large shopping centres etc.
We always packed air compressor in the car when going to do any kind of service in those places, and always unintentionally tried to "gas chamber" any people near the entrances in the underground garages I mean just imagine a PC like the one in the photo below, typically in worse conditions, and that times say five. The shit that blew out of the cases caused a short dust storm of sorts.

Some of the shit was VILE, and this was not the worst by FAR:

The computers typically sat in cabinets like this:

The entire place was typically a mess in every way imaginable.
Not sure how the fucking tech even worked with shit like this:

P.S. I have no idea who originally installed these places, could had been a company before us. I only worked there for 11 months (and ended up bullied by most of the (few) colleagues to the point of breaking down for a few further years)

 

[Mussels]

I feel that it's fair to learn basic maintenance on anything you rely on.
Dusting a computer and topping up oil and coolant in a car, oiling and tightening a bike chain.

Not the in depth stuff, but the sheer basics - which would let you SPOT a problem and ask for help, prior to ending up owning the images in this thread...

 

[micropage7]

just bought 2nd hand TL-WA901ND and guess what i got an access point with sticky layer, looks like the previous user place it in the kitchen

then i just cross my fingers drop isopropyl alcohol and brush it several times

after cleaned it, i just recheck it, i hope i don't kill it in the process

then it works pretty good, for something that kinda old school it performs pretty good
and i just add wire heatsink

 

[Mussels]

Those are the most ghetto heatsinks i have ever seen

 

[Splinterdog]

A splash of colour for your mouse and keyboard, sir?

 

[robot zombie]

I feel that it's fair to learn basic maintenance on anything you rely on.
Dusting a computer and topping up oil and coolant in a car, oiling and tightening a bike chain.

Not the in depth stuff, but the sheer basics - which would let you SPOT a problem and ask for help, prior to ending up owning the images in this thread...

I think a lot of people don't have any curiosity for machines. Me, I see a weird box on the wall as a kid, I wanna know what's inside and what it does. Most people find it unusual that I can describe how many things around us work on at least some real mechanical level. To me, it's simple stuff... to them, it's mystical. I swear there is a whole world of machines that lives somewhere in their heads as a place they just don't go. I think a lot of this is culture. My generation came into a world full of disposable stuff... the value people see in fixing or caring for things is less. The rest... is for the experts.

It's a shame. The practical skills involved in caring for and repairing things don't just extend the material life of things - it's the mind expansion. It makes you more curious, more confident, and quite literally more capable. It's lessons in the art of dealing with the rocks and hard places. Its new forms of problem solving in your life arsenal. Also, money in your pocket from time to time... or daily, if you want it to be.

I think you have to start kinda young on the mindset of fixing things though. Like I said, its cultural. I grew up examining and fixing things. Often for neccesity as much as curiosity. Like my dad. I grew up with kids who didn't and as adults, some of them are scared to change a lightbulb if you have to remove anything to get to it.

People have different mental strengths too. Not everyone is mechanically inclined. But I do think many people could do more for themselves if ever the idea of fixing something became ordinary in their minds. For them its not every day they stop and fix or service something, which I think makes it more of an endeavor than it has to be in actuality. And then either it doesn't happen and you get neglect, or terrible mistakes are made not picking up on obvious things. And you can look stuff up, but nobody can help you but you if things go wrong. And I believe most people CAN help themselves more than they think... but it becomes a question of if they want to try and what they stand to lose. There's an attitude that all people who think like we do have, and I think its easy to take that for granted with normal people these days lol

EDIT: Never go rogue with no autocorrect on a smart phone.

 

[Splinterdog]

I think a lot of people don't have any curiosity for machines. Me, I see a weird box on the wall as a kid, I wanna know what's inside and what it does. Most people find it unusual that I can describe how many things around us work on at least some real mechanical level. To me, it's simple stuff... to them, it's mystical. I swear there is a whole world of machines that lives somewhere in their heads as a place they just don't go. I think a lot of this is culture. My generation came into a world full of disposable stuff... the value people see in fixing or caring for things is less. The rest... is for the experts.

It's a shame. The practical skills involved in caring for and repairing things don't just extend the material life of things - it's the mind expansion. It makes you more curious, more confident, and quite literally more capable. It's lessons in the art of dealing with the rocks and hard places. Its new forms of problem solving in your life arsenal. Also, money in your pocket from time to time... or daily, if you want it to be.

I think you have to start kinda young on the mindset of fixing things though. Like I said, its cultural. I grew up examining and fixing things. Often for neccesity as much as curiosity. Like my dad. I grew up with kids who didn't and as adults, some of them are scared to change a lightbulb if you have to remove anything to get to it.

People have different mental strengths too. Not everyone is mechanically inclined. But I do think many people could do more for themselves if ever the idea of fixing something became ordinary in their minds. For them its not every day they stop and fix or service something, which I think makes it more of an endeavor than it has to be in actuality. And then either it doesn't happen and you get neglect, or terrible mistakes are made not picking up on obvious things. And you can look stuff up, but nobody can help you but you if things go wrong. And I believe most people CAN help themselves more than they think... but it becomes a question of if they want to try and what they stand to lose. There's an attitude that all people who think like we do have, and I think its easy to take that for granted with normal people these days lol

EDIT: Never go rogue with no autocorrect on a smart phone.

Well said, sir.
Times have changed and we now live in a disposable society in more ways than we would like to admit. Indeed, my home country, England, is a society bent on disposing that which can be re-used and paradoxically I now live in Argentina where fixing that which is broken, multiple times if necessary, is part of the make-up forced upon by simple economics. If it's broke fix it and keep fixing it.
Besides, it also keeps me in a living, so it works both ways and nothing is ever wasted.

 

[robot zombie]

Well said, sir.
Times have changed and we now live in a disposable society in more ways than we would like to admit. Indeed, my home country, England, is a society bent on disposing that which can be re-used and paradoxically I now live in Argentina where fixing that which is broken, multiple times if necessary, is part of the make-up forced upon by simple economics. If it's broke fix it and keep fixing it.
Besides, it also keeps me in a living, so it works both ways and nothing is ever wasted.

Well that's a helluva dynamic shift my friend! I can certainly appreciate that the way people operate there is largely just need - supply and demand. But I think there's something noble about refitting, rebuilding, and creative repurposing of parts and materials. In this world, it's a mark of poor economic standing and needs not being met. But I like to think that in a better-adjusted society, we all would be operating with that mindset far more often and it could be a joyful and productive thing - something that gives the world of humans more life and interesting things in it, while improving our standing with the "local ecology," and literally giving everyday people more power in the world and in their lives. It gives ordinary people an inherent buffer from the influence of the elite. A society of people capable of fixing and understanding the products they buy is protected from certain forms of deception, exploitation, and waste. I think it would make us better, both as beings and as peoples, and together we would be propping up a better platform for healthier patterns in growth and innovation across different industries. One that's not so hasty, impatient, and even imprudently-impudent. One that is simultaneously more cautious and more inquiring.

It kills me to discuss these things with my western friends and associates, as they look at me like "Cool, but who cares? What are you gonna do?" whenever I happen to see a fair moment to bring up a big e-waste related issue. They don't understand or care about the hows or whys of disposable tech, or how we are slowly getting screwed-down tight. Maybe they just don't wanna see where it comes back around to them. But really, every ordinary person on the planet, along with the planet itself are being robbed blind by the ways of modern industry and its insistence on cycling products at increasing rates, in order to continually increase profit margins. Where you live in Argentina is just the other side of that coin AFAIC, if you zoom out far enough. Your average person is not conceiving of the logistics involved in making their everyday lives happen. To them, it's just there. And that is a HUGE problem when you consider that it takes HUGE forces for it to just be "there" for them. It's an incredibly compromising place to be in, as a consumer. It's ruining us and making us increasingly less able to exert influence as consumers. Meanwhile, other people in the world suffer greatly for that to happen, and you yourself aren't even happy! You're doomed! But there are things you can do in your life, and in how you order you mind, that allow you to take back some control, so that our habits aren't so in congruence with the crusher that we are comfortably riding a conveyor to, at present.

I try to inspire that desire to take control in people around me. Just a few years ago I was building and servicing PCs around town and the types of clients I preferred to take were those I felt would want to learn to be better keepers of their devices, and thus be better stewards for the planet and our society, while improving their lives in their small way. It didn't matter what they knew, but what they could come to know. In my mind, they weren't just paying me to conceive/fix/upgrade their machines. We were tuning them - this is supposed to be above what you can get from an experience bought off of the shelf - focused and detailed. That's why you pay me. It was collaborative. Don't just dump your shit on me, lets work it out and get some real performance and longevity out of this thing! You lose out if you pay me to just get it going again, or do this crazy high-end build you barely understand. Lets talk about what's going on, find some questions that are interesting to you and explore the relevant knowledge, and then I want YOU to voice some opinions and make your own decisions. Most people I worked with then, don't need me anymore. People say never build freelance like I've done because you get irresponsible users depending on you for tech support. But that's why you gotta teach them how to prop themselves up! Make it something they not only *can* do, but *want* to. Inspire better users to have better clients. It's worth more to some of them than the fixes alone. Make them realize how easy it can be to do one cool thing for themselves, and they may in time find themselves wanting more of that experience. I don't know if you even *can* put a price on that.

Get that spark of 'getting in there' and taking on repair and maintenance challenges going steadily. It empowers people. I used to see that working in a hardware store just as much, if not more - I saw many people go from being uncomfortable with a screwdriver to confidently executing more advanced repairs and upgrades to things around their homes, by just conveying the right attitude about it and being right there with the information as they approached new challenges. I loved to see it. In a small way, it's clawing back at the disparity and enabling more fulfillment in people's daily lives. And not just because it's saving money.

 

[Splinterdog]

Well that's a helluva dynamic shift my friend! I can certainly appreciate that the way people operate there is largely just need - supply and demand. But I think there's something noble about refitting, rebuilding, and creative repurposing of parts and materials. In this world, it's a mark of poor economic standing and needs not being met. But I like to think that in a better-adjusted society, we all would be operating with that mindset far more often and it could be a joyful and productive thing - something that gives the world of humans more life and interesting things in it, while improving our standing with the "local ecology," and literally giving everyday people more power in the world and in their lives. It gives ordinary people an inherent buffer from the influence of the elite. A society of people capable of fixing and understanding the products they buy is protected from certain forms of deception, exploitation, and waste. I think it would make us better, both as beings and as peoples, and together we would be propping up a better platform for healthier patterns in growth and innovation across different industries. One that's not so hasty, impatient, and even imprudently-impudent. One that is simultaneously more cautious and more inquiring.

It kills me to discuss these things with my western friends and associates, as they look at me like "Cool, but who cares? What are you gonna do?" whenever I happen to see a fair moment to bring up a big e-waste related issue. They don't understand or care about the hows or whys of disposable tech, or how we are slowly getting screwed-down tight. Maybe they just don't wanna see where it comes back around to them. But really, every ordinary person on the planet, along with the planet itself are being robbed blind by the ways of modern industry and its insistence on cycling products at increasing rates, in order to continually increase profit margins. Where you live in Argentina is just the other side of that coin AFAIC, if you zoom out far enough. Your average person is not conceiving of the logistics involved in making their everyday lives happen. To them, it's just there. And that is a HUGE problem when you consider that it takes HUGE forces for it to just be "there" for them. It's an incredibly compromising place to be in, as a consumer. It's ruining us and making us increasingly less able to exert influence as consumers. Meanwhile, other people in the world suffer greatly for that to happen, and you yourself aren't even happy! You're doomed! But there are things you can do in your life, and in how you order you mind, that allow you to take back some control, so that our habits aren't so in congruence with the crusher that we are comfortably riding a conveyor to, at present.

I try to inspire that desire to take control in people around me. Just a few years ago I was building and servicing PCs around town and the types of clients I preferred to take were those I felt would want to learn to be better keepers of their devices, and thus be better stewards for the planet and our society, while improving their lives in their small way. It didn't matter what they knew, but what they could come to know. In my mind, they weren't just paying me to conceive/fix/upgrade their machines. We were tuning them - this is supposed to be above what you can get from an experience bought off of the shelf - focused and detailed. That's why you pay me. It was collaborative. Don't just dump your shit on me, lets work it out and get some real performance and longevity out of this thing! You lose out if you pay me to just get it going again, or do this crazy high-end build you barely understand. Lets talk about what's going on, find some questions that are interesting to you and explore the relevant knowledge, and then I want YOU to voice some opinions and make your own decisions. Most people I worked with then, don't need me anymore. People say never build freelance like I've done because you get irresponsible users depending on you for tech support. But that's why you gotta teach them how to prop themselves up! Make it something they not only *can* do, but *want* to. Inspire better users to have better clients. It's worth more to some of them than the fixes alone. Make them realize how easy it can be to do one cool thing for themselves, and they may in time find themselves wanting more of that experience. I don't know if you even *can* put a price on that.

Get that spark of 'getting in there' and taking on repair and maintenance challenges going steadily. It empowers people. I used to see that working in a hardware store just as much, if not more - I saw many people go from being uncomfortable with a screwdriver to confidently executing more advanced repairs and upgrades to things around their homes, by just conveying the right attitude about it and being right there with the information as they approached new challenges. I loved to see it. In a small way, it's clawing back at the disparity and enabling more fulfillment in people's daily lives. And not just because it's saving money.

I admire the aspirations you put forward, but as I have mentioned in other posts, most of my clients have zero interest in maintaining their devices and regard such activity as a black art. They don't possess the mindset, inclination or desire to get their hands dirty.
It's similar to motorcycle maintenance which I've taught myself up to the point where I can carry out most of my servicing, short of actually changing the engine. Perhaps if I were more generous I would open a computer club and show interested parties how to get hands on, but that would be counter-productive to my business.
When I was in medical sales many years ago, a surgeon invited me to join him as he carried out a total hip replacement on an 80 year old woman, so that I could better understand the procedure and how our product would improve the woman's quality of life. To say the least, it was a messy experience and fortunately I didn't pass out, but once was enough and I declined to attend any further operations. It simply wasn't my bag, so to speak.
I get what you say about consumerism because we are like sheep, but it's up to the individual to see this. I'm altruistic up to a point, but not when it impedes upon my livelihood.

 

[micropage7]

honestly i really forgot where i put the earphone, maybe about a year or like that and when i found it the foam melted and i spent more minutes to clean it and remove any glue residue from that

 

[ThaiTaffy]

Since I was a really small kid I've had this thing about opening up everything and seeing how it works, my grandfather started me on this path by teaching me how to rebuild engines not long after I learnt to walk.
Don't get me wrong I've broken far more things than I've ever fixed but now the saying "if it's not broke don't fix it" seems to be embedded into alot of people and preventative maintenance or modding seems to be quite a rare undertaking in every field. The majority of us here on the forums would most likely open up a second hand PSU and check caps or re-paste a SOC on anything we've bought we know that's been used. hell I do it on brand-new electronics, Screw ceramic plaster a good quality TiM and a few drops of glue on the corners of the heatsink works far better. Not sure where I'm going with this but just wanted to point out that myself a self confessed idiot still has a timer set to put my industrial vacuum into reverse and blow out my electronics every month.

 

[Jetster]

So filthy I had to do something

A little better

 

[trparky]

That's your idea of filthy? I consider that to be quite clean.

 

[Jetster]

That's your idea of filthy? I consider that to be quite clean.

Look at the back of the monitor. You can't really see it but hair, coffee, spiderwebs all over, plus my Romba was getting caught in the wires

 

[trparky]

Look at the back of the monitor. You can't really see it but hair, coffee, spiderwebs all over, plus my Romba was getting caught in the wires

I was just looking at the cables. Yeah, I can see that now. As for the wires being visible, you can take care of that by moving the desk closer to the wall. If you can't see a rat's nest of wires, then it's no problem.