• Geek With Boobs (unregistered) in reply to Wyle_E

    I dunno why I'm feeding the trolls today. Must be something in the weather. But anyway ...

    Back in the early 90's, I was working at a Radio Shack store in Long Beach, CA. A man, your basic yuppie type, came in with a VCR he'd bought from us that he said was not working. He had hooked the "Audio Out" jack on the VCR to the "Audio In" jack right next to it, and couldn't understand why he wasn't hearing the audio through his home stereo. I mean, it was a stereo VCR, right?

    I managed to keep a straight face until I'd explained that hooking the VCR to the stereo rather than to itself would help greatly and sent him out the door with a sketch of the correct hookup and a recommendation to "read the fine manual, sir." Then, once the store was empty, I lost it; I was leaning over the counter laughing (I guess you had to be there). My boss came over and asked what was so funny. I explained it to him. It was a while before he could talk, either (yeah, you definitely had to be there). Finally, he caught his breath and said, "I can understand a woman not knowing that, but a man?" I was dumbfounded for a moment, then replied, "Tony, I'm an electronics tech; you don't know what half the stuff in this store even does!" (which he didn't) That ended that. Poor Tony: he's also the guy who sent in an RC car for repair three times because neither he nor the (male) customer knew where to put the batteries in. I never realized a black guy could turn that red until I got to deal with the "broken" car (without knowing its prior history), put some batteries in it, ran it around the store, and innocently asked "What's the problem?"

    I could tell stories like that all day. My point is that mechanical incompetence is not the exclusive domain of either sex. I fix computers, cars, and the occasional bit of plumbing for my male friends. I know intelligent, college-educated men who can't change a video card -- or a tire.

    As for the vacuum cleaner incident: Most people probably never think about the fact that a vacuum cleaner bag functions as a filter. It's called a bag after all, and a bag is what you put stuff in. It's what the vacuum cleaner puts its dust in, and very few people, male or female, really think about how the dust gets there. Yeah, it's obvious that the thing is a filter to someone with the geek mindset, because we think about objects as the manifestations of processes, but most people don't think like that. Like, for instance, the star of the tale (possibly apocryphal) of a man who was using a vacuum cleaner hose for, um, personal pleasure, and decided the effects would be better if he detached the hose and went straight into the vacuum cleaner body. One word: impeller. At least the old lady with the plastic wrap still has all her body parts.

    So, for those of you who might feel inclined to nod your head and say "yup" at the troll post I'm replying to, don't be too smug. If there's a gene for mechanical aptitude, it's not carried on the Y chromosome.

  • (cs) in reply to Geek With Boobs
    Geek With Boobs:
    I dunno why I'm feeding the trolls today. Must be something in the weather. But anyway ...

    Back in the early 90's, I was working at a Radio Shack store in Long Beach, CA. A man, your basic yuppie type, came in with a VCR he'd bought from us that he said was not working. He had hooked the "Audio Out" jack on the VCR to the "Audio In" jack right next to it, and couldn't understand why he wasn't hearing the audio through his home stereo. I mean, it was a stereo VCR, right?

    I managed to keep a straight face until I'd explained that hooking the VCR to the stereo rather than to itself would help greatly and sent him out the door with a sketch of the correct hookup and a recommendation to "read the fine manual, sir." Then, once the store was empty, I lost it; I was leaning over the counter laughing (I guess you had to be there). My boss came over and asked what was so funny. I explained it to him. It was a while before he could talk, either (yeah, you definitely had to be there). Finally, he caught his breath and said, "I can understand a woman not knowing that, but a man?" I was dumbfounded for a moment, then replied, "Tony, I'm an electronics tech; you don't know what half the stuff in this store even does!" (which he didn't) That ended that. Poor Tony: he's also the guy who sent in an RC car for repair three times because neither he nor the (male) customer knew where to put the batteries in. I never realized a black guy could turn that red until I got to deal with the "broken" car (without knowing its prior history), put some batteries in it, ran it around the store, and innocently asked "What's the problem?"

    I could tell stories like that all day. My point is that mechanical incompetence is not the exclusive domain of either sex. I fix computers, cars, and the occasional bit of plumbing for my male friends. I know intelligent, college-educated men who can't change a video card -- or a tire.

    As for the vacuum cleaner incident: Most people probably never think about the fact that a vacuum cleaner bag functions as a filter. It's called a bag after all, and a bag is what you put stuff in. It's what the vacuum cleaner puts its dust in, and very few people, male or female, really think about how the dust gets there. Yeah, it's obvious that the thing is a filter to someone with the geek mindset, because we think about objects as the manifestations of processes, but most people don't think like that. Like, for instance, the star of the tale (possibly apocryphal) of a man who was using a vacuum cleaner hose for, um, personal pleasure, and decided the effects would be better if he detached the hose and went straight into the vacuum cleaner body. One word: impeller. At least the old lady with the plastic wrap still has all her body parts.

    So, for those of you who might feel inclined to nod your head and say "yup" at the troll post I'm replying to, don't be too smug. If there's a gene for mechanical aptitude, it's not carried on the Y chromosome.

    I'm usually all about trolling, but this was so lame that I won't even bite.

  • Anonymous (unregistered) in reply to Geek With Boobs

    [quote user="Geek With Boobs"]As for the vacuum cleaner incident: Most people probably never think about the fact that a vacuum cleaner bag functions as a filter.[quote]

    [quote user="Geek With Boobs"]...the effects would be better if he detached the hose and went straight into the vacuum cleaner body. One word: impeller.[quote]

    One moment you complain the lady didn't know the impeller was behind the bag, then you complain the man didn't know the impeller was in front of the bag. It must be so difficult for you, surrounded by all these ignorant people.

  • (cs) in reply to Anonymous

    [quote user="Anonymous"][quote user="Geek With Boobs"]As for the vacuum cleaner incident: Most people probably never think about the fact that a vacuum cleaner bag functions as a filter.[quote]

    [quote user="Geek With Boobs"]...the effects would be better if he detached the hose and went straight into the vacuum cleaner body. One word: impeller.[/quote]

    [quote user="Anonymous"]One moment you complain the lady didn't know the impeller was behind the bag, then you complain the man didn't know the impeller was in front of the bag. It must be so difficult for you, surrounded by all these ignorant people.[/quote]

    Learn how to use quotes you idiot.

  • iMalc (unregistered)

    They need to make cases that use security screws for such people, and give away free ear-muffs sized headphones.

  • Survey User 2338 (unregistered)

    You should see what's under his car's hood...

  • SMB (unregistered) in reply to Myrmidon

    This made me laugh more than that chap who sealed his case and filled it with water, in an attempt at water cooling.

  • Anonymous Coward (unregistered) in reply to TheDude
    TheDude:
    <snip long section of mangled quote tags>

    Learn how to use quotes you idiot.

    Fail.

  • Manic Mailman (unregistered) in reply to Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward:
    TheDude:
    <snip long section of mangled quote tags>

    Learn how to use quotes you idiot.

    Fail.
    Woosh!

  • Anonymous (unregistered) in reply to Manic Mailman
    Manic Mailman:
    Anonymous Coward:
    TheDude:
    <snip long section of mangled quote tags>

    Learn how to use quotes you idiot.

    Fail.
    Woosh!

    Swish!

    Double Fail!

  • paddy boyo (unregistered)

    I have an old junker computer I call "foamy" that has foam in it because it was too loud without it. It's not as extreme as the one in the picture, though, and it runs fine.

  • John Smith (unregistered)

    Best thing i found for noisy pc is to place it in next room, buy longer vga, mouse, etc etc cables and enjoy the silence in your work room

  • Franz Kafka (unregistered) in reply to John Smith
    John Smith:
    Best thing i found for noisy pc is to place it in next room, buy longer vga, mouse, etc etc cables and enjoy the silence in your work room

    Yeah, that's option 3. Closets also work.

  • Glenn Matthys (unregistered) in reply to Myrmidon
    Myrmidon:
    Wow, what a waste of insulation. Everyone knows that Epoxy works so much better when it comes to stopping noisy moving parts from making all those annoying sounds. After the epoxy is dry, just cover the vents with plastic wrap to keep all those unpleasent heat related oders from leaking out and you're golden!

    Or much easier, just remove all the fans. No garantuees on how long it will run but hey, at least it will be silent.

  • PW (unregistered)

    So this isn't a good idea? Oops, I need a phillips head driver...

  • KNoodles (unregistered) in reply to Myrmidon

    I heard that water cooling is even better/quieter. Except, you first have to thoroughly seal the whole case, so the water does not leak out!

  • El-d (unregistered)

    Almost as impressive as this one.

    http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56924

    Although...still not sure whether I should be taking more than the pinch of salt.

  • callous (unregistered)

    heh

  • Almar Lijfering (unregistered)

    Perfect Solution for our company.

    Does not only get rid off the Airplane noises of some of our computers but alos prevents the workfloor to become the sauna it is now +40 computers / Developers.

    If we could only Isolate those developers :)

  • pctechie (unregistered)

    Ok i just fell out of my chair.. why can't i get repairs like this, Just old men wearing daisy dukes Dancing while they shop for ram:(

  • Eric (unregistered) in reply to Myrmidon

    Would that really work?

  • eagle275 (unregistered)

    facing a similar problem of noise, I simply glued some polystyrene-foam to both side-walls and the removable top of the computer my parents use . It didnt hinder airflow thus cooling was given but it prevented especially the side walls to vibrate due to usage of extremely thin material and screws that wouldnt fasten those walls enough. If you tinker with noise insulation you should at least have the sanity to keep airflow intact ... after all the entire electric power your computer takes from the wall outlet will be transformed into heat - with 100% success-rate ;-)

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