I did something this last Sunday that I haven't done for quite some time now; I went to the church of the Best Buy. Now if you're anything like me, Best Buy isn't one of your favorite places to be. Sure, there are tons of fun gadgets to go and gawk at, but when you know you're not going to buy any of them it doesn't seem quite as enjoyable. I also usually don't care for the people there, customers and employees alike, especially the "Geek Squad"( referred to from now on as the "Idiot Squad" - there is a distinct difference between 'geek' and 'idiot'). Ok, so maybe I'm going a little over the top by bagging on the customers, but in my book they're barely a step above the stereotypical Wal*Mart shopper, though this is a topic for another rant altogether.
Anyway, getting back on track here, my disdain for this place was reinforced by my last visit. I went with a neighbor of mine who admittedly knows a bare minimum about computers, so he hired me to consult him on what to buy and then to set it up for him. The second we stepped into the showcase area, we were attacked by the first salesman. We were lucky, because this one was apparently lower on the food chain and was easily persuaded to leave us in peace. The second one was a bit more assertive and I did end up asking him what the chances were of buying a computer with Window$ XP in place of Vi$ta. He proceeded to tell me with a very stern face that it wasn't a very good idea at all to replace Vi$ta with XP, and that the manufacturer (we were looking at an HP) would probably have AT MOST (he stressed this) about 40% of the hardware drivers, so the machine would "run really bad". In fact, he told me that I could even ask an "Agent" from the "Idiot Squad" if I liked. I do have to agree that there is a good chance that HP's support site may not have very many of the drivers, but I can guarantee that you'll have a better chance finding the drivers on the website of each individual component manufacturer - which he either didn't feel like telling me or just didn't know. My guess is that he didn't know. He also lost any credibility with me when he referenced the "Idiot Squad" as a definitive source of knowledge.
I should mention here that I work as network support for my university, and I've recently rebuilt two (2) Vi$ta machines with XP. All I'll really say about that is that we haven't switched to Vi$ta yet because of security and support reasons. Here's one good reason. Here's another one. I could go on, or you could google it yourself.
After I hinted that I've already done what he just finished advising me against, he changed his tune a bit, but not in the direction you'd think someone would naturally take. Instead of realizing he was dealing with someone who knows a bit about what they were talking about, he proceeded with an alternate tactic to bleed more cash out of a potential sucker; he actually tried to sell me on the idea that such a dangerous stunt could be delegated to the "Idiot Squad" for a couple hundred bucks. Yeah, that's just what I want to do, spend more money for a bunch of hacks to do something I can do myself. No thanks. The funniest part is when we ended up at the counter and an "Agent" was ringing us in. Installing XP was mentioned again, and this guy flat out told me that it can't be done.
Yes, continuity and general communication are apparently not a strong points with these people, much less a firm grasp of factual information - but this is something that I learned a long time ago. I was hired at the very same Best Buy and quit within two weeks. Reason #1; I don't like being a high-pressure salesperson, and they spent more time drilling you on what makes Best Buy the most profit and how to sell it rather than training people on learning about the product and helping people actually find what they need. It's something along the lines of "sell them what you want them to buy, unless they hold out and actually buy what they want". Reason #2; management couldn't tell the difference between their asses and a hole in the ground. Let's put it this way, when I'm expected to remember mundane details about dialup service providers that no one ever buys, I'd like to think that they could keep my hours of availability straight. Hell, the last day I was there I watched him write my hours down, but I was scheduled during my classes regardless. Morons. Anyway, I'm tempted to document my progress and present it to them as proof of their incompetence. That may be over the top, but we'll see.
I guess it doesn't help that I'm grumpy because Val's been gone since early June and doesn't get back from Europe for another twelve days. I suppose the busier I am, the quicker time will pass. I also talked to one of my friends, Duke, who's leaving for grad school in Georgia in a couple weeks. One good way to keep busy until Val gets back is to party with Duke to see him off. I should pass on this link that Duke showed me the other day. This is to a few videos from a New Zealand duo called Flight of the Conchords, and they seem to be like a Kiwi version of Tenacious D. If nothing else, check out Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros and The Humans Are Dead.
Ok, I need to get going and try to accomplish something constructive before bed. Ooo, an episode of MST3K might be just what the doctor ordered...
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