Today we took a trip to Central Chonburi in order to address the problem of my dead monitor. There is a shop there that has access to a little man that fixes Apple gear for a reasonable price. Sadly, the shop was gone; so instead we went to the iStudio outlet which actually had a service counter. I handed over my monitor and they said they would have a look.
An hour or so later we returned and it was sat glowing on the counter, connected to a laptop. What had they done to fix it? Nothing, it had just worked.
There then followed a question and answer session, moderated and translated by she who must be obeyed. The default position was that the technician was convinced that I was an idiot, and my wife knows nothing about these things so I suspect was not fully translating my excellent points made with extreme clarity.
Maybe there is a problem with your power cable (I had not brought it with me). I know my power cable works because the mouse and keyboard are plugged into the Cinema Display and they work on the second display when the Cinema Display is plugged in and they don’t when it is unplugged (I have no idea how this was translated, but the technician looked unconvinced).
Maybe your computer is faulty. I have tried two different graphics cards in the Mac Pro, both of which work with the second display. I have also plugged the Cinema Display into an iMac. It doesn’t work with any of them. (I have no idea how this was translated, but the technician looked unconvinced).
You need to bring in your computer so we can test them together. I just told him that it can’t be my computer…… never mind.
We thanked the technician for looking and he gave me back my monitor with a look of pity. Stupid farang.
Brought the thing all the way home and I placed it on the floor and plugged it in. Nothing. I tried a different power cable. It worked! Suitable enthused, I put the monitor back on the computer table and connected everything the way it had been a few moments before. Nothing.
I moved the computer and monitor to a separate table, opened up the computer and changed the graphics card for an older model. I worked! I removed the old graphics card and put back the newer version. It still worked! I closed up the case and checked one more time. Nothing. This continued for a while until I finally managed to have it working with the case closed and everything screwed down tight. I then moved everything back to my computer table and turned it on again. It worked!
I am now convinced there is an intermittent fault somewhere in output of the signal from the monitor to the computer; most probably in the cable itself which is conveniently hard-wired into the monitor so it is impossible to easily replace it.
Now I don’t know what to do. If I take it back to the technician it will definitely work and he will just pity me again. I can’t tell him what to fix if it won’t fail for him. In the meantime I will keep the computer turned on all the time in the hope that the connection continues to work; or fails completely.
Waste of a day.
Comments 🔗
2013-08-16| Kim Jong Un saysOur program who art in memory, Hello be thy name; thy Operating System come, thy Commands be done, on the Printer as they are on the Screen. Give us this day our daily Data, and forgive us our I/O Errors, as we forgive those whose Logic Circuits are faulty; and lead us not into frustration, but deliver us from Power Surges; for Thine is the Algorithm, and the Application, and the Solution, looping for ever and ever. Return." Blessed be the Gates and all his Apostles. Amen
2013-08-16| Spike saysPersonally I prefer the Book of Job(s)
2013-08-17| Pete saysAn ongoing theme in which is “Why do the righteous suffer?” Perhaps you’re on to something there.
2013-08-17| Spike saysI assumed the theme would be “buy more shiny things you don’t need”.
2013-08-24| Clive saysI’m pretty sure that anyone who has traveled will have experienced something similar at one time or another. What’s interesting - though perhaps inevitable - is the step change that occurs when the visitor does not speak the native language of the country they are visiting - this seems to “empower” anyone inclined to be intolerant to do so…
My experience of Thailand (and I’ve only traveled between Phuket and the Myanmar border) is that by and large the Thai people are all relaxed, friendly and welcoming. As opposed to say aspects of Beijing, where I encountered some real hostility, or San Francisco, where the arrogant expectation of “You will tip me because I said hello to you” is rife.
Depending on how the “sense of humour” in Pattaya works, you could always try and get a couple of T-shirts printed up with,
“Look, I’m just a stupid farang. Get over it, OK?”
in Thai… You never know, a bit of self-deprecating humour might crack the ice a bit…
2013-08-31| Spike saysThings that fail to work at home and then work perfectly at service centres are a worldwide issue I have no problem dealing with Thai people; they are almost universally charming. I do have trouble with technology that fails to fail when I require it to. Luckily, it has since played dead in the presence of the Apple technician so face is now restored.