Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2005-10-04 07:01:41 - Graham Ellis
Ever had one of those days when nothing seems to go right? I call them stengthening days, since I seem to come out of them stronger and better able to handle things ... but, my goodness, they're intense while they're happening ...
It all started with the Internet connection going on the blink - LITERALLY. The router was trying to emulate a Christmas tree - lights flashing every few seconds as it tried to go up and down and failed in all sorts of interesting ways ... just as a full class on a course that really requires net access was arriving.
Did I say "full class"? Ah yes ... I should have said "overfull class". Seven places, but eight trainees turned up; careful checking of the paperwork very clearly showed "NOT our error", but at the same time we want to do what we can for the guy who's travelled with his colleague halfway across the country - on Sunday too - to find no room at the Inn - is offered the best solution. At the same time, I'm conscious that we've had to turn business away from this course and that we cannot alienate the customers properly booked by squeezing an "extra" into facilities that can't cope with more than seven.
Then - hey, can I feel sorry for myself, I have this cold that's numbing my responses. And because I'm campaigning to save the train in Melksham, everyone seems to think that I have some control over the current service, signs at the station, and the lack of information at the Tourist Information office on the Santa Specials!
The day concluded with a trip to Swindon - to pick up a new network router. Yes - I KNOW you'll tell me that this was the least likely component to be causing the problem, but by the time er had unplugged all the cables except the power (and we had cycled power too) and it was STILL playing up, I was concluding that it was either corrupt firmware, a dry joint, a power supply problem or something else along those lines, and the economics of it tell me that it makes business sense to chuck the old and start anew. Hey - and I noticed that some boxes state "Up to 8 Mbit WAN support" and ours is just going up to 10; perhaps THAT was the problem.
The extra trainee was offered a couple of options ... and plans to be back on the next Apache Tomcat course. Left on good terms with us; he had seen the room, he realised the problem and that we were suggesting everything sensible that we could. We're on the best of terms there.
And - do you know - having the "ear" and perhaps a bit of admiration from a couple of people on the train issue WILL help to get the message across, and will encourage them to tell other about the issues, put more people in touch, etc.
So I could say it was a grotty day ... but I'm going to say it was a stengthening one instead.