What I learned from four years as AV support at SFSU

So I have been working on campus at Academic Technology for the past four years and in less than two weeks it will come to an end seeing as they don’t really allow you to work on a school campus unless you go to the school (well, job for students anyways). Anyways what the team and I do essentially is help the faculty of SFSU with their technology needs. Things such as laptops, projectors, video cameras, etc. We also troubleshoot all the machines that are installed in classrooms that teachers and students use to either present, show a video, or get cable broadcast (which originates from us too). 

Four years doing customer service strengthens you up and teaches you a lot about the finer things in dealing with people. So as I prepare to leave the place of establishment and move on to bigger things and a less secure paycheck, I figure it is time for me to share some of the knowledge in worker’s manual style sort of list:

• There is no reason to be rude to a stranger no matter how terrible your day was. Unfortunately that does not go both ways as certain faculty members treat us like slaves.
• Some faculty members just are not meant to use technology. How the heck are you going to forget what I just told you how to do only YESTERDAY?!
• It is NEVER personal, it is just business.
• Teachers that feel that their way is the best even when it is completely wrong, sometimes you just have to go along with it and let them see their own failure (especially sweet if it is in front of a packed class)
• Not everybody is as smart as you. When giving directions over the phone, give directions as if you are talking to a five year old. 
• Most of the time people completely ignores the virtue of putting things back as they were when they first receive them (tangled to hell cables anyone?). This is plain selfish - even if it is my job to put things back as they are once faculty returns equipment. 
• Anticipate and you will have less problems. Takes five minutes to look over the schedule of inflows and outflows and have a game plan. This goes for any job really. 
• Wash you hands regularly. Loaned out equipment of any kind is absolutely filthy. 
• When teachers are mad and fired up about things going bad, you should always stay calm. The more mad they get, the more calm you become. Not to brag but I have this thing down to a T (also explains why I get sent out to all the mean ones).
• General courtesy is very much lost these days. Who the heck enters a room of work and not say a hint of salutations? Are we suppose to just notice you’ve entered? A simple hello will get you everywhere my friend.
• Faculty and students alike NEVER prepare for year end presentations with regards to the technological equipment that they are going to use. So inevitably when things go wrong or they don’t have the thing they need (mac adapter anyone?), we are the ones to bend over backwards just to help them out. Makes you wonder how these students will get on in their real jobs…
• The best teachers will still execute their lesson plan even when the equipment they need is malfunctioning (projector in classroom out, no powerpoint for the day). Unfortunately there are only a handful at SFSU.
• Generally speaking, people don’t plan. You know what they say, failing to plan is planning to fail. Just be glad we are so accommodating with your last minute request. 
• People generally don’t have much patience either. NO WE ARE NOT THE LIBRARY - you can’t just return things by merely dropping it off. WAIT for us to check and make sure shit is there.
• NOBODY reads directions. Even when they are attached to the machine they are using. Hey guess what? When you call us, we are looking at the SAME directions. 
• Sometimes teachers will call just to vent like we are some hotline for the depressed and angry.
• If the computer you are using takes more than 3 minutes to completely load into the operating system - it is time for a new computer.
• I tend to walk slower to your classroom to troubleshoot your problems if you were rude to me on the phone (sorry, bum knee).
• Speaking of walking, if you have two functioning legs, we are not too far from you. Suck it up and come to our office to pick up equipment. It can be your exercise for the year.  
• There is no common sense sometimes with some of the requests. NO we cannot bring the sound back if you failed to capture ANY during the video recording (physics anybody?)
• Teachers assume it is the same person on the phone they whole day (we are open 7:45am - 10:30pm). Hence they don’t identify themselves. I can’t really do anything for you if your first words when I pick up is “Hi, I am ready to see my video” (WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!?!?!?).
• Always delete your browsing history if you are on a borrowed or a public computer. We’ve had much laughs looking through people’s browsing history. As a matter of fact, you are on a public computer - you should know better. Just saying.
• Telling you on phone “would you please hold” is a rhetorical question. If you are going to keep talking I am just going to put you on hold anyways.
• Teacher’s that knows what they are doing gets insulted when you start your troubleshoot with them at the most basic level. Sorry, but that is just standard operating procedure. 
• People don’t read room directions either. Even when they are plastered all over the walls (what I do is walk outside and point at the piece of paper). And no we are not a directory - I don’t know where the closest computer lab is.
• Don’t get mad if I don’t know how to work you computer. After all, it is YOUR computer. My responsibility is equipment that belongs to department.
• Be kind rewind. If we can charge a fee we would be rich.
• Email warnings about overdue items are surprisingly effective. It is not like we charge a fee for late items either. Go figure.
• Teachers assume we are psychic and automatically knows what building they are in when we ask them what room they are in. Sorry they haven’t installed caller location tag on our phones yet.
• Teachers generally don’t have any interest in learning how you fixed the problem, just as long as the problem is fixed. Don’t be surprised if they call the next day with the same problem.
• Customer is always right, even when they are not. In that case you just have to spin it so that it makes them feel like they are right. 

So that is pretty much it. It have been a fun four years of working at Academic Technology, along with some interesting characters to boot (which makes it double the fun). A big shout out to Dave LaCosta for giving me the opportunity to gain some valuable work experience, and a steady stream of disposable income every month. Going to miss this place.

Now go out and get her - random thoughts

Only a scant two weeks until my under graduate studies are finally over (and it only took five years!). I had a feeling this month of May will just fly by, and indeed even though it has only been the fifth day, it feels like things are quickly coming to an end. But no time to reflect on anything because I still have at least three major projects that I still need to get started (?) on! Haha it is so hard not to let apathy set in and just be like fuck it, I am graduating for sure now anyways, so why bother. But of course I am not that kind of person, and to be honest if you are that kind of person, you don't deserve your degree.

Anyways, at least I got my fun out of the way this past weekend (funny right, fun before work - the American mentality?) when I went down to LA for the Korean Music Festival. Now that I think about it, it is a shame how there is no Chinese equivalent of it. Nonetheless, I had a great time enjoying the weather (though absolutely dry) and some good music (and a chance to fanboy out loud for a bit haha). Speaking of fans, do people not have manners? I understand that may be your favorite singer singing the Korean national anthem, but have some respect and not SCREAM and YELL the whole time. 

I don't think I can live in Southern California in any permanent fashion at all (and not only because of my undying love for San Francisco). The air is just too damn dry, and it wrecks havoc with my skin. I have grew up amongst humidity all by live - South East Asia, and San Francisco (three sides water). Hence I guess I have evolutionarily adapted to having water in the air? You know you've got a problem when you have used twice as much lotion as normal and your skin is still not hydrated. I mean sure it may be nice to not be freezing all the time, but not at the expense of dehydrating your skin (and body too, drink water by the megatons). Anyways, the first breath of air I took back in the Bay Area was refreshing to say the least. 

And of course I can't live in LA because I would get beat up by a Dodger fan.

I came back to San Francisco on Sunday evening to the great news of the death of Osama Bin Laden. Personally I don't get why is his death worth so much celebration. Sure the families of the victims of 9/11 gets a measure of closure, but heck his death will not bring your love ones back, so anybody that actually derives satisfaction over Bin Laden's death is just being selfish. Trotting over the ground zero and raising a ruckus and being all patriotic is kind of excessive - it is not like we WON the war. This is not World War II, and Bin Laden is not Hitler (symbolically speaking, not in terms of being a douche). Hitler's death meant the end of the war in Europe (too bad he shot himself, no glory kill for US). Bin Laden's death as of right now means NOTHING. America is still in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Al Queda still exist (do you feel anymore reassured about our national security?)

I cannot possibly be the only person seeing the death of Bin Laden as the start of the domino falling instead of closure. I am glad that the implications of Pakistan is not escaping the mainstream media. It is more clear than ever that Pakistan did hide Bin Laden within their country, and certainly they cannot be happy about the US coming in unannounced and having a fire fight in on their soil (next Call of Duty game?). Think about this, if another country have helicoptered in a squad of elite soldiers into one of our cities (without telling us) and open fire on a suspect on their most wanted list, I don't think we would be all too happy either (Roman Polanski should be shaking in his mansion in France). How convenient the mainstream press ignored that the US basically disregarded the national sovereignty of Pakistan and just went in there (like a boss!).

It is definitely not the end of it. US - Pakistan relations, and the entire Middle East region will come to a head really soon, especially the role the West is playing (revolution!).

I have to say, having a smartphone with a data plan really boost my productivity. Not to say that I do anything important with my phone (maybe...). It just that having the phone allows me to do all the frivolous social networking and texting during times that I would otherwise have not the ability to. So instead of wasting time, I get to do my Facebook, twitter, and mail checking done and over with, giving me more productivity for when I do get situated at a place of work. Imagine all the time wasted while walking from the car - now I can check all my stuff during the walk so that once I reach home I can start doing productive stuff. So basically it is spreading the non-productivity to other times where before it would not have been possible. They say time is money, and smart phone data plan have allowed me to use it more wisely (because really, who is going to stop social networking and checking news online?)

Oh yeah, loving the weather this week. It really feels like summer is here (even though I no longer have a summer break of any kind). And of course it is the San Francisco kind of hot so it is just perfect. And of course when the girls dress in their summer clothing, it is just the best. Hot weather also makes people go out and exercise. You know what makes a hot girl even hotter? Regular exercise. It just adds mega points to the attractiveness factor. 

Why you should backup your computer

What will you do if you woke up tomorrow and found out that your entire digital music collection is GONE? What about all the photos and memories you have with family and friends - all gone? If you are like most people, you will proceed to the shit out of luck aisle because you did not backup your files. Good luck finding and downloading 10,000+ songs (legally of course... of course.) and trying to relive the precious moments in your live with only the memories in your head. 

The digital revolution have pretty much consolidated all forms of media and files into one solitary machine (or two, if that is your cup of tea). Heck I am perhaps the perfect example. Of course my music is in digital form, immaculately catalog in the bloated software called iTunes. All my movies have been ripped into a digital format (h.264. mp4. ac3) for easy access and no disc swapping (I actually threw all the disc away - the minimalist in me). I grew up in an age of digital cameras, so all photographs I have are in digital form to begin with. With a scanner, any important document that I have is not locked up in a filing cabinet, but rather the encrypted space of my hard drive.

How nice is it to basically have everything in one computer? Very much so, plus it keeps my room clean because I have less things (paper somehow always tends to stack up and take up space like no other). Anyways, having everything in one object means that it is also easy to lose it when the object disappears or malfunction. Technology may be great, but the hard drive that stores all your digital files is still only a bunch of spinning magnetic platters read by a stylus (not unlike a LP record player). And as with anything that has moving mechanical parts, it can FAIL. There is a reason the most amount of years hard drives have warranty on them is only 5 years. They are NOT built to last, hence the data you have on it are not going to either.

Unless you perform backup. In essence, it is having another copy of your data on a separate device, or in some extreme cases, separate location (you'd still have a copy of your stuff even if your house burned down when it is stored at another location). For most people though, it means having another harddrive that stores the same information, and updating it regularly. Hard drives are so dirt cheap these day that there is really no excuse not to get some and backup your data (unless you are the type that likes to play Russian roulette). 

And it is not physical deterioration of the hard drive you have to worry about. Computers in itself don't last forever (will save the conspiracy of windows for another day). Things from viruses to power surges can completely kill your machine. In that case all your data is gone too (well, not exactly, but do most people know how to extract data from a broken machine?). Another thing is, laptops are as popular as ever - so imagine a machine with all your stuff is actually MOBILE and prone to thieves (Starbucks laptop theft is at all time high I have read). In that case, perhaps losing all your music and memories may be the least of your worries. 

There is another way to backup your files - online (to the cloud!). But unless you want to pay monthly fees, the amount of free space online backups give you (I use Dropbox, which gives on 2gb free - I use it only for my documents) is not nearly enough. Online is convenience in that you can download and restore anywhere there is an internet connection. The problem is the internet connection itself. Upload speeds are absurdly slow compared to download speed no matter what ISP you have, hence the initial backup of your file may take a long time. Even with the faster download speeds, downloading gigs of data during restore will still take much much longer than simply plugging in an external hard drive. Online store still have ways to mature for it to be truly mainstream (and the fact that people's data are increasing by the gigs does not help). 

Nonetheless, the message is this - BACKUP your data. The cost is so cheap you don't have an excuse. Don't wait until that day comes when your computer goes kaput and all your files are gone. I sort of hate to always be a champion of Apple products, but if you have a mac and an external hard drive, there is software within the operating system that will do a backup for you automatically as a scheduled task (set it and forget it, thanks Rotisserie chicken machine). Even windows has its own backup software. But you don't need software, just drag and drop your files and you are good to go.

P.S. I love my music, so I actually have it in four places - the mac, external hd, iPod, and DVDs. Overkill? Not if I never lose it. 

Sorry I'm late - random thoughts

It is what happens when you procrastinate. But not really, I did NOT procrastinate at all, and still somehow someway thing still end up piling up together. You know the semester is coming to an end when you seem to have so much stuff to do yet you don't even realize you have that much (?). Such was the timeline between this past saturday and yesterday, in which literally I had thing after thing to do, and all of them were due this week (sure I fit in cleaning my far and going to a Giants game, but otherwise I would go INSANE). 

So it was to my relive that last night I slept really well because all the stuff I had to do for school (and otherwise) was over with and now i can enjoy some time for myself (like sleeping without feeling like you still have hella stuff to do - it is a great feeling). Anyways you know how I said last week that perhaps this weekend might be a bad time to go to LA? It is actually a great time to go to LA this weekend, as I literally have nothing to do that is school related (thank you god). Sure there are big things still due, but heck I can do them later (that would be procrastination).

Anyways, I finally gave in to the hype and purchase an iPhone! I originally had said that as soon as Verizon get the iPhone, I will for sure get one (no way I am ditching to AT&T for its unreliable network, and no more mobile to mobile with my Verizon network friends). Now I originally plan to wait for the iPhone 5, which usually, would come out in June according to Apple's normal refresh cycle. But it is widely believe that the fifth generation device will not bow until September, and I realize I just cannot wait that long (not to mention my contract was up). Nonetheless, here I am with my iPhone 4, and OMG it is so cool!!!!

But really, curse Apple for making products that are beautiful and make sense (and curse them for being so darn expensive). You get over the sticker shock really quick after using any Apple device (I honestly should work at an Apple store). Anyways, now that I am a slave to the $30 dollar a month ("unlimited", right...) cellular data, you bet your ass I am going to use it as much as possible to get my money back (hello Pandora!). Going to use 3G as much as I can, even if wifi is available, and it drains the battery more. 

Speaking of battery, why are people so afraid to abuse it? It is ONLY a battery, a thing that powers your device. Stop treating it like its a baby (oh, I'm trying to save the battery, wait, I better turn off stuff I don't need). It is one of those things where it deteriorates by itself even if you don't use it. Besides, if you are worried about wasting your own energy bill, charge it at a public place (thank you Starbucks, campus, public library) and pilfer other people's electricity (not that I am condoning such theft, maybe...). You freaking paid for the device, use it comfortably and not worry so much about something as minor as battery life (please environmental groups, don't sue me. my friend is not a lawyer.. yet).

So did I mention I washed my car? Yes indeed, after 7 months in the elements (I wish I had a garage), I finally gave it the bath it probably did not deserve. I did not know the car and my wheels was this color! Is it something manly that if your car is absolutely filthy on the outside (not the inside, my car's inside is always clean... can't stand a dirty interior) that shows you actually use your car and not care about how it looks (probably ties in to the low maintenance factor). But you have to clean it sometime right? (once every half a year seems like a pretty nice schedule to me). Of course when the car was new I care more about how it looks, but nowadays as long as it runs fine I am okay with it looking like pulp. It is a tool after all, to get me from point A to point B. When you are as busy as I am (wait... doing what?), keeping the car clean (on the outside) is not that much of a priority.

Which is why in the future I will lease my automobiles. First of all my liability decrease dramatically, and I get a new car every two years, which is not so bad at all (ah, that toxic plastic bonding agent that normal people refer to as new car smell). Besides, you know every year some new car will always come out and you're like WOW, too bad I can't upgrade because I am still trying to pay off the car I have and I will take a lost if I trade it in (gap insurance, people, buy it). 

But of course it rains the day after I washed the car (I love you San Francisco!). Thankfully I had waxed it too (ouch, my arm), so the water just sort of sheeted off. But still... gir. 

Hey guys, who here does NOT stare at a monitor for house on end at night (crickets...). Well I recently found an app (for both Windows and Mac) that helps preserve your eyes in these situations. It is called f.lux (http://stereopsis.com/flux/). Basically it matches the color temperature of your monitor to your interior lighting at night, and by doing so it is much easier on your eyes. It takes awhile to get use to at first, but once you do, and you stare at a monitor that does not have f.lux installed, it is as if you are staring right into the sun (my retinas). Best of all, the app is FREE. So my friends who like to burn the midnight oil by perusing their computers in bed, use the program to save your eyes (because otherwise how else will you ogle at the opposite sex?)

Three more weeks of undergrad left. Expect reflection/nostalgia blogs in the coming weeks (yay...)