Shiny, candy-like button!

[jazzmasterson.livejournal.com]

Problem: computer-controlled industrial equipment does not function. Rebooting machine, controller PC, and in-betweener equipment does not solve issue.

Diagnosis: office cleaning lady's idiot spawn pushed Big Red Cutoff Button on equipment.

Solution: Unclick button, reboot PC, have idiot spawn sterilized, possibly with the well-tested, physician-recommended, coat-hanger-and-hydrochloric-acid method.

Moral: Regardless of anything else, always check Big Red Buttons, as they are magnets for dumb.

You laugh, but that call is buying me groceries this week.

Comments

[reynardo.livejournal.com]

You need a pair of cutoff buttons like they used to have for the missiles, too far apart to be hit by one person at once.

well-tested, physician-recommended, coat-hanger-and-hydrochloric-acid method.

Or there's always a trained ferret on a piece of string...

(Gross, I know - a friend recommended it once.)

[zercool.livejournal.com]

Big Red Buttons [...] are magnets for [the] dumb

Not just for the dumb. I cannot count the number of server rooms I've been in with Big Red Buttons that just scream my name...

on the flip side, the un-dumb (I think I qualify) know better than to push the Big Red Button.

Obvious solution..

[morningside.livejournal.com]

There's an easy way to fix this. Someone should manufacture 'population control' devices - which are essentially big red buttons that you plug into any mains socket. THen when someone depresses them, despite there being a warning on the button not to do so, zzzzk - the global IQ goes up.

[achernow.livejournal.com]

Ok.. Where I used to work, they were doing regular maintinence to the server room fire alarm system (for some reason the server room had it's own, seperate from the rest of the building as the server room didn't go off during the weekly test on the building's system) and the guy doing it hit a big red button I think he assumed was part of the system... Unfortunately, it was the emergency power cut-off for the room. Took down every fucking server (including the help desk Remedy system). We got flooded with calls for "why can't we get onto system x" and couldn't log ANYTHING (the boss wanted every call logged, even if it was just a simple "is the system down" question).

That day was ALMOST as bad as when our e-mail server AND back-up e-mail server crashed, at the same time. No e-mail or calendar (they were on the same system (not Exchange, though)) for 2 weeks is HELL.

-A

[kalidor.livejournal.com]

mmmm
big-red-button syndrom

of course .. every once in while you need to push them.

We had the power go out in our plant a few years back. Powersubstation was too old to handle everyone's AC unit on the south side of town. Anyhow the power came back, everyone could access the files, but no email was coming in. Went back to the Comms room, no lights, no buzzing, no loud Atmospheric conditioner, and no uplink to HQ. I start poking around ... have a hunch. Found a big red circuit reset button, under the raised floor, under the atmospheric conditioner. You really have to wonder who designs some of these things.