Getting what you want from disgruntled lab techs

created by prole

(idea) by prole (5 hr) (print) ? 2 C!s I like it! Wed Apr 19 2000 at 2:48:26

Don't whine
Be as specific as you can. If you know the proper terminology, use it. Example: 'Netscape won't print my Hotmail' versus 'The stupid thingy button isn't working.'
Speak to us as peers, not as your minions ('Well, i'm sorry the campus network is down, but I have a very important .gif I need to look at!'). Some people like to be addressed as though they are your intellectual superiors, but that unavoidably leads to resentment, which leads to user revolution, and that's just ugly.
Read the signs. Follow the rules. Don't make us babysit you.
Don't hold us personally accountable for everything that goes wrong with your computer. Example: 'I got tired of the little hourglass thing, so I hit a bunch of keys, rapidly, in no particular order. Now all I've got is this blue screen with a bunch of gibberish on it. ...Well, no, I didn't save it. You can get it back for me, right?'
Don't monopolize shared resources (like printers). Someone gets pissed at us because of it, Then we have to tell you to stop and you get pissed at us, and that's one more person than is generally pissed at us about the same issue at a time.
Never say 'I'm computer illiterate.'
Don't waste our time unless it's really slow. Example: 'Gee, sir, i'm sorry you can't remember your Napster password. I'll come help you with that just as soon as I put out the fire in the Commodore lab.'

What happens if somebody messes up in lab	If you think hugs are better than drugs, you haven't tried LSD	A Positive LSD Story	Technically raped
computer illiterate	How to get rid of a telemarketer	Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution	Goddammit, I should never have built that giant killer robot
user revolution	Interview with prole	Why racing the elevator isn't a good idea	Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts
hacker manifesto	dumbing down	You're running Linux on what?	Commodore
Dressed in black with soundless shoes, I sweep in when it's dark and rearrange things	LSD and the no-hitter	Mountain Dew	.38 Special
Blue Screen of Death	Range Safety Package	girl	EBU

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