Today at work... was a normal day. Lot's to do. Keeping busy. Just the way I like it.
However...
It happened to be day 91 of my password for one of the systems that I work with frequently. This particular system makes you change your password every 90 days. And today was the day.
Now, I'm sure anyone who uses any kind of technology knows about passwords. At least 23 letters, numbers or characters, with a mixture using at least two of those. One capital, one lower case. Cannot resemble in any way, shape or form any of your previous 25 passwords. So what are you left with? Something pretty darn lame, that's what!
I try to be creative. Definitely something I like. Usually something that has to do with an ongoing project in my life, or a specific person, or an event.
So what do I do this time? I have a certain 'thing' that I've been wanting to start on, just a little personal goal... and I incorporated this into my new password. I type in my old password, tab, type in my new password, tab, type in my new password again, you know, just to verify that I've got it correct, then clicked Enter. And I'm in like Flynn!
Gather and sort some info. Email on it's way. Audit. Audit. Phone call. Paperwork.
Oh goody! Another chance to log in using my new password.
(and here's where the wrench gets thrown in...)
I type in my new password, at the same time thinking about the reason I chose it (that for the next 90 days, every time I use it I will remember this particular little goal, and being my own coach as I ask myself if I'm any closer to accomplishing it, which more than likely, I am not, therefore, the real charge of the password is to inflict guilt. And as we all know, guilt builds resentment).
What? Hmmm. Okay... Type it in again.
It's not working.
I look to make sure I'm typing in correctly. Still nothing.
I type very slowly. Still nothing.
Caps Lock on. Nothing.
Caps Lock off. Nothing
And just a few more times. Very slowly. Watching my fingertips as they hit the keys, one. at. a. time.
I now email the service to see if they can reset the password. And, instead of a response, I get the email that states that they have received my request and they will be sure to get right on it. Which, in reality, means that maybe by 6:30 that night they might be able to reset, after they call and I explain the situation to them, in detail, twice.
Then a thought occurs to me. "What if I'm wrong?" Let me first inform the reader that this never happens. I always (almost always) double check myself. I pay close attention to detail (usually). I even have my kids (most of them) trained to say "Mom, you're right." (okay, none of them) (even though it's true... and they know that).
Beaten down, I go over it slowly in my head... so of all the characters, numbers and letters I have used, which ones are most likely to get screwed up?
BAM! First try!
Crap. So now I've got a new password. A password I hate. A password that's going to make me feel guilty 20 times a day for the next 89 days. Oh the joy of mis-spelt guilt!
March 12, 2012
March 7, 2012
Who has a teenager?
Who has a teenager with a cell phone? Facebook? Twitter? Their own blog(s)?
And how do you feel about that?
The direction I'd like to take this evening is along the lines of The Deterioration of the Art of Communication. Now it's dawning on you. The dead stare you get from your child. The one-sided conversation met with silence on the other end of the phone. You know exactly what I'm talking about.
It's really mind boggling if you think about it. We want our children to be socially accepted and socially acclimated. We also want them to be smart and get jobs. More and more businesses are moving forward in the tech-age. Applications are easily accessible online. Interviews are done by Skype. Resumes are sent via email. All quite acceptable.
However... ! (my index finger is pointing in the air) The world has not quite made the move to 100% automation. We do not yet have chips in our brains to send thought communications to a receiving party whom we can just dial up by clicking our tongue against a specific tooth. We still rely on our mouths and voices (and hopefully our brains) to let those around us know how we feel and what we want.
There is a lot of aggravation on my part when I attempt to converse with my child. I've gotten over the acronyms: lol, b.t.dubs, fyi, etc. In fact, I sometimes use them myself. I suppose I'm disgruntled with the fact that she can sit at her laptop for hours and carry on six different "convos" on FB while texting to half the high school population and Skyping to at least two persons with whom she is doing homework with.
At first, I thought that was pretty awesome. My daughter is little miss social butterfly and she gets good grades. But now.... I'm not so sure. I believe she lives in a bubble world. I picture this "bubble" to be a clear cube around her head. She can't comprehend things, no matter how simple, when you speak to her. She can plug in her earbuds to listen to her tunes, but unfortunately, Mom doesn't know how to record a podcast for her to hear. So when I talk to her and ask her questions, it's very reminiscent of talking with a 5 year old. Use short sentences, small words, as much detail as possible in short doses.
This is becoming rather problematic. Our house phone (yes, we still have a land line) is set to ring four times before going to voicemail. All the kids rush to the phone, look at the caller ID, then..... nothing. They don't answer it. My children, especially my two oldest, simply don't know the basics of answering a phone, saying hello, finding out who the caller is and asking if they can take a message.
When I was a teen, we had a special class in school called Skills For Living. Very simple. Little material. Lots of exercises. Such as: Conversations: looking people in the eye and not screwing around when they are speaking to you. Responding to statements and questions with more than just "MmHmm" and "Yeah". Shaking hands firmly and making people feel welcome - even if it is just your old mum coming home from work. It seems very simple to you and me. After all, it's just common courtesy, right? Why is that so hard for kids to understand. And it's not just my kids, I know this crudeness and disrespect is world-wide.
I love and use technology just as much as the next person. And I don't see that changing any time soon. But I do know when to "unplug" and actually use my God given vocal chords to speak to living, breathing people. Although... my mother may disagree.... (hmmm.... vicious circle? naaaw, it can't be.)
Who has a teenager with a cell phone? Facebook? Twitter? Their own blog(s)?
And how do you feel about that?
The direction I'd like to take this evening is along the lines of The Deterioration of the Art of Communication. Now it's dawning on you. The dead stare you get from your child. The one-sided conversation met with silence on the other end of the phone. You know exactly what I'm talking about.
It's really mind boggling if you think about it. We want our children to be socially accepted and socially acclimated. We also want them to be smart and get jobs. More and more businesses are moving forward in the tech-age. Applications are easily accessible online. Interviews are done by Skype. Resumes are sent via email. All quite acceptable.
However... ! (my index finger is pointing in the air) The world has not quite made the move to 100% automation. We do not yet have chips in our brains to send thought communications to a receiving party whom we can just dial up by clicking our tongue against a specific tooth. We still rely on our mouths and voices (and hopefully our brains) to let those around us know how we feel and what we want.
There is a lot of aggravation on my part when I attempt to converse with my child. I've gotten over the acronyms: lol, b.t.dubs, fyi, etc. In fact, I sometimes use them myself. I suppose I'm disgruntled with the fact that she can sit at her laptop for hours and carry on six different "convos" on FB while texting to half the high school population and Skyping to at least two persons with whom she is doing homework with.
At first, I thought that was pretty awesome. My daughter is little miss social butterfly and she gets good grades. But now.... I'm not so sure. I believe she lives in a bubble world. I picture this "bubble" to be a clear cube around her head. She can't comprehend things, no matter how simple, when you speak to her. She can plug in her earbuds to listen to her tunes, but unfortunately, Mom doesn't know how to record a podcast for her to hear. So when I talk to her and ask her questions, it's very reminiscent of talking with a 5 year old. Use short sentences, small words, as much detail as possible in short doses.
This is becoming rather problematic. Our house phone (yes, we still have a land line) is set to ring four times before going to voicemail. All the kids rush to the phone, look at the caller ID, then..... nothing. They don't answer it. My children, especially my two oldest, simply don't know the basics of answering a phone, saying hello, finding out who the caller is and asking if they can take a message.
When I was a teen, we had a special class in school called Skills For Living. Very simple. Little material. Lots of exercises. Such as: Conversations: looking people in the eye and not screwing around when they are speaking to you. Responding to statements and questions with more than just "MmHmm" and "Yeah". Shaking hands firmly and making people feel welcome - even if it is just your old mum coming home from work. It seems very simple to you and me. After all, it's just common courtesy, right? Why is that so hard for kids to understand. And it's not just my kids, I know this crudeness and disrespect is world-wide.
I love and use technology just as much as the next person. And I don't see that changing any time soon. But I do know when to "unplug" and actually use my God given vocal chords to speak to living, breathing people. Although... my mother may disagree.... (hmmm.... vicious circle? naaaw, it can't be.)
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