Daily Archives: June 13, 2011

GeekWorld

Not Too Plugged In

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Beltane                                                                Waxing Garlic Moon

A new printer, a laserjet.  Cheaper to operate than the color printers, necessary for producing manuscripts.  I bought one.  I spent a good while setting it up with no luck on the final leg, my print command to the printer.  Frustrated, I let it set for a month or so.  Today I decided to go at it again.

I tried to print something.  Nothing happened.  I expected that.  Went to the HP website and had a bad moment when I wondered if I’d bought a printer that simply couldn’t connect to a Windows 7 operating system.  After a bit of stumbling around, I found that no, I had not done that and that this printer could be made to work with Windows 7.  Which left me back at the original problem.

Instead of calling HP right away, I decided to give the troubleshooting guides one more try.  I put in my printers product number and sure enough, there was a fix for the very problem I’d encountered.  I followed the instructions to change the point and print setting (whatever that is) to disable and tried again.  No joy.

Tired of the process I called HP.  Surprisingly, I got through to tech support with little trouble.  When the nice man from India had walked me through the process for him taking control of my computer to check the problem, he asked me, “What does the printer say right now?”

“Let me look.”  I looked.

That’s odd.  Doesn’t say anything.  Could it be turned off?  No, the on button was pushed in but it had no light.  Hmmm.

Ooops.  I checked the plug.  Not plugged in.  I’d unplugged it before I went to Nebraska a week ago today.  So, I plugged it in, not saying anything to India yet.

It turned on and, sure enough, chugged to life and spit out the test matter I’d sent through it right after I ran the troubleshooter tips.

“Oh,” I said, “Gee.  I didn’t have it turned on and I tried a fix from your website.  Look’s like it worked.”  Chagrin.

Politics, US History

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies – Thomas Jefferson

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Beltane                                                                                    Waxing Garlic Moon

“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered… I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies… The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.” – Thomas Jefferson

Now, Tom Jefferson and I don’t always see eye to eye, but I really liked that part about a revolution every twenty years or so he mentioned in that Declaration of his.  Now ours.

I’m not sure what the point of this quote is exactly but I sure agree with it.  I mean, who wouldn’t understand that banks and corporations have grown up depriving the people of all property while their children wake homeless.  Just ask any of those of folks with a foreclosure in front of the house they thought was theirs until Wells Fargo or JP Morgan or Bank of America decided they couldn’t have it anymore.

Jefferson also grew lots of stuff at that house he built, Monti-cello, and we try the same thing here, though not quite as scientific, I suppose.  He sent out those two good boys, Lewis and who was that other one?  Clark.  Yep.  Clark.  They wandered a long way from home.

I also like that line, banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.  Amen.  My boy’s in the Air Force and I trust his thinkin’ a lot more’n I do those guys behind mahogany doors and deep plush carpets.

So, the next time you send in your mortgage or car payment why not stick Tom’s message in along with it.  Hell, can’t hurt.