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[-] superkret@feddit.org 49 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

If you ask a computer expert to fix the weird thing Outlook just did, or explain why Excel is suddenly writing Gibberish into your tables –
Even if we wanted to explain it to you, we can't. No human being alive on earth knows the reason and how to fix it.
Some of us are really good at poking it till it behaves again.
Others are brave enough to venture into the dark lands of learn.microsoft.com .
But what awaits us there are articles written by Copilot about how it worked before Microsoft changed it again for no reason.

[-] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 24 points 1 month ago

learn.microsoft.com

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and AI generated answers.

[-] Toes@ani.social 8 points 1 month ago

Seems like everyone's solution there is to reinstall Windows first before troubleshooting.

[-] PP_BOY_@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago
[-] kurcatovium@lemm.ee 3 points 1 month ago

Nice try, but still bunch of losers compared to MS...

[-] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 month ago

answers

answers dot microsoft dot com

[-] dingus@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago

First, I do NOT work in IT or anything like that. But I seem to be the most tech savvy of all my coworkers. Occasionally one of them will ask for help and I'll fix something for them. Sometimes one of them will comment that I am good with computers or something. Honestly, I figure things out just by clicking on everything. I think sometimes people are too afraid to click too many things for fear of breaking stuff, but there's not a whole lot that can go catastrophically wrong imo. I tend to just click shit until I figure out what to do.

[-] superkret@feddit.org 17 points 1 month ago

I do work in IT and make six figures clicking on shit till I figure it out.

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[-] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Speaking of Excel, here’s a fun little experiment into the nature of binary numbers and rounding errors.

Start with some number and add a fraction like =A1+(1/3) to it. In the cell below, add that same fraction to the previous one. Copy this formula downwards and watch the numbers grow. After about 50 rows, you’ll have a number that looks like something specific, such as 71, but it isn’t exactly. There’s a sneaky rounding error hidden in there. The actual number is very close to the one displayed, but not exactly what you think it is.

If you’re using IF statements or XLOOKUP with numbers like this, you’ll run into some perplexing errors. If I recall correctly, you can even test the number with =A50=71, which will return TRUE but the xlookup still fails. It’s been a while since I tested this one, but I remember it being really weird in all sorts of unexpected ways. It’s weekend, so I’m not touching my work computer today.

You just need to know that a long series of fractions causes weird binary rounding errors to happen behind the scenes. Adding a series of whole numbers and neat decimal numbers was perfectly ok though.

Also, trying to explain this to some coworkers won’t be worth the effort.

[-] BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 39 points 1 month ago

The better you get at coding, the less you'll probably write code. This is for two reasons: you can't fuck up code that isn't written and you need people that understand the bigger picture to focus on making that picture clearer. This unfortunately leads to junior and mid-level developers writing most of the code. But it's not like things would be 10x better if senior devs wrote everything, because even for someone experienced coding well is fucking hard.

[-] Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

Coding: expert level fitting a square peg into a round hole. Every now and then you find a square or rectangle hole.

[-] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 39 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

When I worked in local television news, people would probably be shocked about how frank and open newscasters often were during commercial breaks. We got direct satellite feeds of the national newscasts, and they didn't mute the mics or turn off cameras during breaks. We got to still see and hear them while local commercials ran.

I remember Katie Couric going off about a bunch of dumb shit during commercial breaks. I especially remember her being a demented cheerleader for the War on Terror, especially behind the scenes.

There used to be a video of her cutting a Native American historian from a special on Columbus Day and saying "what does he know about Columbus anyway?" after chiding him for having negative things to say about Columbus. Since they were short on time, they made the decision to cut him from the program. I'm having trouble finding it now.

The 1995 film Spin is made entirely from direct satellite feeds from between commercial breaks. It was specifically about the 1992 election and how both Republicans and Democrats "massaged the message" with the news media, but watching it you'll get an idea of how it works, because a lot of the clips are from commercial breaks. (The video I mentioned about Couric and the historian might even be in this film, it's been a while since I've seen it).

Mediaburn has a copy of the film to watch on their website.

https://mediaburn.org/video/spin/

[-] RBWells@lemmy.world 37 points 1 month ago

I'm in accounting and considering what I read in the news, it was surprising to me how honest it is in real, regular, non public companies. We get real audits that are trying to validate our records, we give them our real work to look at, try so hard to figure out the real cost and revenue each month and year, to allocate things correctly, nobody is pushing for some fake result, only for a clear picture.

Those companies with fraud? A lot of things have to go wrong, and someone has to be really trying hard to defraud, and needs to convince others to go along with that. Most companies hire accounting because they actually want to have a good picture of what's going on financially.

[-] thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org 36 points 1 month ago

In IT the first problem/question should always this:

Is it a people problem or a technology problem?

IT can fix technology problems, managers need to fix people problems

if someone gives an IT person a people problem and they try to fix it, it will probably not go very well

same if you give a manager a technology problem and ask them to fix it

this is the most important lesson that leaders needs to understand

[-] Triasha@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

My supervisors will try to fix it for 3 minutes and post a question in the chat.

If that doesn't't make it work, it's an it problem.

[-] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 30 points 1 month ago

Working with electricity is actually quite simple in a lot of respects, and I make a lot of money mainly because people are afraid of it (and rightfully so, me too). But many of the small things like changing plugs/switches out and hanging fixtures can be done easily by anyone with a basic knowledge hand tool use and basic rules like a) turn off the main if you don't know which breaker you're working with, b) check that it's off with a meter or hot stick, c) even then, don't directly touch the shiny parts, and d) match your colors exactly as you found them (take pictures to be safe). Granted I've been doing this for 10+ years, but even a layman can save themselves a service call with a couple basics and YouTube is a great resource for such things.

[-] WhatsHerBucket@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

This. I just recently hung a ceiling fan with the help of YouTube and it’s still on the ceiling.

[-] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 4 points 1 month ago

Hope the box you mounted it to was rated for a ceiling fan :D

[-] shalafi@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

My favorite electrical tip is swapping the capacitor in your AC when it stops working. $12 on Amazon. $175 for a service call. I keep a spare.

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[-] PP_BOY_@lemmy.world 28 points 1 month ago

I don't work in a kitchen anymore but the amount of single-use plastic used in chain restaraunts is soul crushing. Most folks have no idea

[-] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I don’t work in a microbiology lab any more, but OMG the amount of plastic waste was unbelievable. Keeping everything sterile (as in germ free and DNA free) does not come cheap! If it’s small and cheap enough, it’s going in the trash. If it’s small but expensive, you’ll autoclave it. If it’s big, you’ll squirt lots of ethanol on it and hope it doesn’t ruin your day.

SpoilerSooner or later it will.

[-] jewbacca117@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

Oh you think that's bad, don't look at the medical field

[-] Rhaedas@fedia.io 8 points 1 month ago

Going through hospice with my parents I saw this first hand even in that brief time, and imagined how it must be going on constantly in every hospital and facility everywhere. And the thing is, it's necessary in most cases because going back to how it was done before would be a nightmare just from the aspect of things being sterile.

[-] Norin@lemmy.world 26 points 1 month ago

Academia, USA.

You’re getting the exact same quality of education for introductory classes at a community college, state school, and private school.

I know because I teach the same suite of classes at all 3 as an adjunct. Same book, same syllabus, same schedule, same assignments. The only difference is the price tag, and I’m hardly alone in that.

Actually, scratch that. You’re getting a better education at the community college because the people in charge there bother to remember that I exist and treat me as an equal.

[-] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I got degrees from both a community college and a major research university. The two don't share instructors, but on average, the quality is much better at the community college.

Community college instructors are there to teach. They go to continuing education classes to learn how to do it better. Some classes at a research university are taught by similar, dedicated instructors, but some are taught by the professor who drew the metaphorical short straw that semester, and who'd rather be focusing on her research. She will put in her best effort, don't get me wrong, but her first priority is research.

That is to say, for anyone thinking about a degree, don't overlook the value of community college.

(ETA: I work at a research university now; the research professors who also teach are some of my co-workers.)

[-] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 24 points 1 month ago

Your house is insanely easy to break into unless it's built with special materials or has steel bars over all openings.

Disregarding the fact that windows break, pretty much every residential door (both interior and exterior) can be busted down by anyone with a decent body weight or with a framing hammer. Hammer thru the door skin, or claw pry on the jamb to force the latch to release, or even just bodyslamming it can be enough to separate the lock block and stiles and the doors will simply fall apart from there.

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

Half of security is just making them be noisy enough to get worried someone will check

[-] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 month ago

You reminded me of this old film from the 1980's:

https://youtu.be/F2GK9xZJhvQ

B & E from A to Z: How to Get In Anywhere, Anytime

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[-] BertramDitore@lemm.ee 23 points 1 month ago

The drinking water systems in the United States are so precarious and vulnerable, that I’m genuinely shocked we haven’t had more widespread issues with the water supply. The systems are made up of thousands of locally-managed interconnected intakes and outflows, and oversight is spotty and combative.

Please use a water filter. And thank your local utilities and maintenance people for their hard work keeping us alive.

[-] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 month ago

I saw a survey of small town watertowers in the US. There were a terrifying amount of dead birds in there, and living birds shitting.

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[-] Rhaedas@fedia.io 21 points 1 month ago

This is common knowledge by now I think, and yet evidence shows common doesn't mean people remember. If you ship anything, fragile or not, be sure to pack it like it's going to be thrown, dropped, get wet, and stepped on. It's not even that workers in shipping do this (most damage is usually either bad packaging or mechanical damage in the automated parts), but things happen between point A and point B, many of them unavoidable. And I see SO MANY packages that consist of just some thin cardboard with a few pieces of tape, or a plastic bag that's easily torn, or documents/letters that are smaller than the label we put on them(??? That won't get lost :/ )

Pack things like you want to to make it there. Just look at packages you get successfully, and I guarantee on many you'll see marks of the war zone they went through. Now imagine if they had been sent with an old worn out box you found in the garage and threw some tape on and didn't bother putting any protective packing inside because "it'll be fine if it bounces around a bit".

[-] kSPvhmTOlwvMd7Y7E@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago

All big banks run on horrendous excel spreadsheets ridden with errors

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[-] callouscomic@lemm.ee 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Millions of government employees work hard every day on so much shit you'll never see or understand that does in fact make your life so much nicer than you deserve when you complain about government workers.

And I'm NOT talking about the cultic worshipped military. I'm talking civilian civil servants at all levels of government.

SOME people are really gonna wonder why everything's getting shittier and never make the connection that their idiotic notions about government led to it.

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[-] fakir@lemm.ee 16 points 1 month ago

That business is just constant problem solving one after another and going through as many to-dos as you can day after day, while still maintaining sanity. That is persistence.

That business is always a house of cards that can fall apart anytime and so you must always keep your eyes on it. That is exhausting worry.

That business is so hard, you'll be tempted to quit everyday. To overcome that urge to quit you'll need a much bigger purpose or mission that drives you. Purpose brings determination.

That business really is about value creation for the entire ecosystem (customers, employees, vendors) and that a business is not above that ecosystem. Wall St & American capitalism is short sighted because it demands you pass lesser and lesser value to that ecosystem quarter after quarter, and that is like a slow axe to your own foot.

That most modern economic theory taught in business schools and used by execs in the biggest companies worldwide is all flawed because it fully relies on capturing and optimizing all sorts of business data, but the truth is that it is impossible to capture real world in data.

[-] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 14 points 1 month ago

How to read well and closely as well as how nonsense academia can be. A recent work I read had multiple minor claims that were not factual while maintaining their main point. It made me realize how it’s hard to have everything right in a work but also how academia and research in general is like a tower of dominos, unless one person questions it the field will continue to build on bs claims.

[-] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I am glad Cory Doctorow has come a long way, but man, this was a major gripe from me about him when he was first getting popular in the blogosphere. He made some outright false statements about the history of Napster in the early 2000's, and it made me furious. I remember being like "motherfucker, you lived through this how did you get it so wrong?" He's been a lot more consistent for about a decade or more now.

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[-] TabbsTheBat@pawb.social 12 points 1 month ago

Don't think there are any particular quirks of logistics that are super hidden.. maybe the most surprising thing for me was the amount of plastic waste? But even then I feel like that wouldn't surprise most people

[-] jewbacca117@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago

I fear that no amount of plastic saving by the general population will even come close to the amount of plastic wasted at the industrial scale.

[-] TabbsTheBat@pawb.social 9 points 1 month ago

Real, unfortunately.. like the amount of plastic I recycle at home in a month is probably less than we go through at my warehouse in ~30 minutes.. not even accounting all the plastic in the other stages of shipping.. having worked one step down the line from my current job, we used thrice as much there basically.. and of course the stuff we get at the warehouse is also all wrapped in plastic by the previous guys

[-] lucg@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Where does all that stuff go after it's used? I can't imagine it's all recycled properly (let alone reused) but also not really that the bulk is not separated out at such volumes

[-] TabbsTheBat@pawb.social 5 points 1 month ago

We do separate out plastic, cardboard etc. At my current job but im not sure if it went to recycling or if it was just dumped somewhere with other trash, that's a bit beyond the scope of my work.

The last one we really didn't, so im certain that's all going straight to the landfill

[-] stinky@redlemmy.com 12 points 1 month ago

I'm a software developer making big bucks and I'm lazy and stupid

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[-] Wazowski@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

It’s often really fucking stupid to get a phd.

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[-] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 6 points 1 month ago

Lotta boring crap about PLUs, SKUs, UPCs, TPRs, and such. Stores have dedicated pricing staff for a reason. One trick that might be interesting, but not surprising, is the way stores hide price increases by putting a product "on sale" this week, so it's cheaper than last week, but raising the regular price, so it costs more when the sale price ends.

[-] Nemo@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 month ago

Brazil nuts aren't nuts! They're fruit seeds. The fruit is the size of a cannonball.

[-] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago

Most cannonballs were quite small, the really big ones, the 32 pounders, have a 16cm diameter.

[-] VinesNFluff@pawb.social 5 points 1 month ago

Horoscopes on radio shows? Made up on the spot or stolen from google. And I'm willing to bet the ones on newspapers and websites are too.

I wonder how many astrology girlies would have their hearts broken by this.

Learned this when I interned at a radio station. (My field is communications; Journalism + Marketing.)

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[-] BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

There is a branch of medicine called functional neurology, where people get symptoms that present like seizures, tremors, or even paraplegia, but they have no physical cause, they're usually a sign of pretty difficult trauma history. It's honestly awful and I feel so bad for them, you end up in ER thinking you have epilepsy and some ignorant ER doctor treats you like you're malingering but you absolutely are not, the symptoms are very real and compelling, and sometimes you can't tell if it's epileptic or not and it requires a lot of testing. Some people have both epileptic and nonepileptic seizures. It's really tough and there's very little treatment available. They are not harmful to you physically at all, but they're quite distressing and I feel terrible for people who have them.

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this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2025
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