Technological Challenges

 

Image courtesy of spiceworks.com

Don't you love technology?  Around here it is a love-hate relationship.  

For example, Captain's smart phone crapped out on him yesterday and he had to get a new one.  This created great angst for him because he doesn't like to spend money in any way, shape, or form. First he thought he could just go to Walmart and buy a cheap smart phone and take it to our cell phone carrier to have it activated.

Walmart soon disabused him of this notion...observe my shocked face.

Since he was right across the street from the actual Verizon store, he zipped over there to just buy a dang phone.  

However...

He started out with "I need a new phone, and I want a cheap one."  The seriously uninterested representative working the floor was most unhelpful and simply replied, "We don't have any sales or deals going on right now, so I can't help you."

So home came my crabby husband to cite the whole sad story to me, and got absolutely no sympathy.  

Fast forward to evening when I get a call from Captain who is sitting in the line at CHS Kasson to dump a semi load of soybeans.  He said there was going to be a 90-minute wait before he could dump the beans so could I come and get him and take him to the Verizon store down the street.  

Sure.

It was easy to find him in the line of trucks given that his Freightliner is a deep red and everybody else was driving white or blue trucks.  He hopped from the semi into my van and we sped off to Verizon.  

There was a very nice young man working the floor who only raised his eyebrows when I just said "He needs a phone that's cheap but I'm overriding that and asking for a mid range phone instead."  After much discussion on the pros and cons of various phones plus accessories, we walked out with a new phone for Captain.  Thank goodness because he was getting withdrawal symptoms from not having his phone!

Now, fast forward to this morning when Captain comes tearing into my office where I was doing homework before my day job shift started.

"We have a problem!  I can't charge my phone!"  

Let me back up.  This new Samsung device uses a USB-C to USB-C charging cord which--of course--required the purchase of a special adapter for wall charging.  

Okay, so this morning he can't get the USB-C cord to plug into his phone.  I tell him it isn't rocket science and it can't be that hard.  

Except I am not able to plug the charger cord into the phone either as the visible slot is wider and shorter than the plug in.  

Honestly, I would have loved to help him figure it out and did try through the use of YouTube videos and customer review websites, but that day job thing reared its ugly head and I had to abandon him for the paying gig. 

He stomped off to his office to--what's a nicer word than pout?--contemplate his next steps.  

However, sometimes all the stars line up right for us earthlings, and pretty soon he came skipping into my office with a smile on his face because he found the charging port.  

It was hidden behind a flippy thing on the OtterBox phone case!!  

I laughed and laughed at how complicated we both made something so simple.  

It's like "childproof caps" on medicine bottles that only children can open.  I am quite certain had Cubby been here, she would have solved the issue in seconds for us.  

So, with all of the glitches solved, I must ask...Can You Hear Me Now?!