Non-IT WTF



  • Just when I think we IT people have to deal with all the idiots, I hear an anecdote from another industry that makes me feel better.  The problem is, generally the other industries aren't quite as technical which in my opinion makes the WTF that much WTF-ier.  Case in point:

    We met with our general contractor the other day to choose the plumbing fixtures for our bathroom remodel.  At one point we were just chatting while waiting for the sales lady to total our bill.  He related how not long ago one of his other customers called with a problem after they'd finished a kitchen remodel for her.  Her dining room chandelier was very dim and she wanted to know if maybe they forgot to turn the electricity back on or something.  He politely reminded her to use the little slidebar control that's right next to the on-off switch on the wall.

    I would have been nice to her like he was, but I would definitely have harbored fantasies of charging her for some labor to come out and investigate the "problem".  I mean, SHEESH!

    (In case anyone is reading this from another country or something, in the U.S we have in recent years had some neat new innovations in switch technology.  Dimmers aren't new, but instead of the turning-knob kind we now have switchplates with two controls on them.  A tiny rocker switch that turns the juice on and off, and a slidebar that dims.  The slidebar is RIGHT NEXT to the tiny little rocker, so I can't imagine how she forgot it was there.)



  • @jetcitywoman said:

    (In case anyone is reading this from another country or something, in the U.S we have in recent years had some neat new innovations in switch technology.  Dimmers aren't new, but instead of the turning-knob kind we now have switchplates with two controls on them.  A tiny rocker switch that turns the juice on and off, and a slidebar that dims.  The slidebar is RIGHT NEXT to the tiny little rocker, so I can't imagine how she forgot it was there.)

    I think I'll stick with the traditional turn-to-adjust, press-to-switch-on-or-off knob dimmer.  Clearly, replacing one multi-purpose control with two simpler specialised controls is too complex for the average mind to comprehend...



  • I like the rocker/slider version better, but I had the misfortune once
    of having the rocker mechanism break -- stuck in the ON position -- as
    I was getting ready to go to bed.  Nothing like having to mess
    with the circuit breaker, tools, flashlights, etc., at midnight just to
    be able to shut a damn light off... (Yes, I could have just flipped the
    circuit breaker and gone to sleep, but that's kind of an "all you have
    is a hammer" solution, isn't it?)








  • @cconroy said:

    I like the rocker/slider version better, but I had the misfortune once
    of having the rocker mechanism break -- stuck in the ON position -- as
    I was getting ready to go to bed.  Nothing like having to mess
    with the circuit breaker, tools, flashlights, etc., at midnight just to
    be able to shut a damn light off... (Yes, I could have just flipped the
    circuit breaker and gone to sleep, but that's kind of an "all you have
    is a hammer" solution, isn't it?)


    In such a situation I would loosen or remove the bulbs.



  • rocker + slider is the gay.  turn and press dimmer is the shizzle (so to speak).



  • @cconroy said:

    I like the rocker/slider version better, but I had the misfortune once
    of having the rocker mechanism break -- stuck in the ON position -- as
    I was getting ready to go to bed.  Nothing like having to mess
    with the circuit breaker, tools, flashlights, etc., at midnight just to
    be able to shut a damn light off... (Yes, I could have just flipped the
    circuit breaker and gone to sleep, but that's kind of an "all you have
    is a hammer" solution, isn't it?)







    How 'bout carefully removing the bulbs?



  • @masklinn said:

    How 'bout carefully removing the bulbs?




    Yes, I suppose that would have worked, too (emphasis on "carefully" --
    I'm not particularly fond of sizzling flesh).  It was during the
    workweek, though, so I would have had to fix it during non-daylight
    hours the next day anyway.  I might have gotten a full night's
    sleep, but I still would have been grumbling about it the next day.




  • @tster said:

    rocker + slider is the gay.  turn and press dimmer is the shizzle (so to speak).

    rocker + slider is teh gay. turn and press dimmer is the shizzle

    Fixed that for you.



  • @cconroy said:

    @masklinn said:
    How 'bout carefully removing the bulbs?




    Yes, I suppose that would have worked, too (emphasis on "carefully" --
    I'm not particularly fond of sizzling flesh).  It was during the
    workweek, though, so I would have had to fix it during non-daylight
    hours the next day anyway.  I might have gotten a full night's
    sleep, but I still would have been grumbling about it the next day.



    Instead you're grumbling about... what, months, years later?

    (I'm just yanking ya.  Don't get yer shorts in a bunch.)


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