I was asked to come up to camp to repair a printer that stopped functioning. I asked if it was connected to the network. I was told yes. It was not. I’ve done enough posts about outrages over printing and computers so I’ll have one of my periodic compassion-spasms.
Before I left as Assistant Camp Director, Nick Gramiccioni helped me with a project whereby we labeled every damn cable in the camp office. You know that thing you do when you teach a kid to read and label door “door” or if they’re learning Spanish “fantasma bloqueador”, we did the same thing but with computer cables. “USB Cable #6” and “To Network Port 4 from Office Manager PC” tabs were everywhere and for a brief shining week, I could say with confidence I knew where every cable went. The chain of events that lead to breaking a printer spans 2 years and 48 network ports and goes something like:
- Cables in perfect harmony with computers. Druidic ascension reached in terms of network.
- Network equipment put on slightly higher shelf, port assignment rearranged to make cables just barely cover distance.
- Port blows in building, patching now done through second cable, switch added, no labeling.
- Cluster of cables no longer tenable, they form trip traps and garrote wires. In fit of rage, cables rearranged in daring midnight raid.
- Computer removed from network, thoughtful person removes cable marked “2nd Office Computer” is actually printer cable.
- Person sees “OKI printer cable” is plugged in but no printing happens. I get call.
- I see that the cable marked “printer” has different ends on each side.
- I plug in unplugged cable.
- Clouds part
- God reveals self