Ruthlessly calculated failure

Far too many devices break down soon after their warranty expired. Read on to learn why there may be a sinister strategy involved.

One day, my printer acted up. With my blood pressure spiking, I went on Google and quickly discovered that I had just been the victim of what is considered a classic error that would appear roughly after two years on the dot.
I phoned the hotline and spent about 30 minutes in hold music limbo until I finally reached a noticeably tired support agent. In these moments, I like to remind myself not to blow my top but to stay calm and explain my situation with facts. Maybe it was because she was so tired but she was surprisingly blunt and honest. "The error occured in the warranty period? *That's not supposed to happen!*"

One day, my printer acted up. With my blood pressure spiking, I went on Google and quickly discovered that I had just been the victim of what is considered a classic error that would appear roughly after two years on the dot.
I phoned the hotline and spent about 30 minutes in hold music limbo until I finally reached a noticeably tired support agent. In these moments, I like to remind myself not to blow my top but to stay calm and explain my situation with facts. Maybe it was because she was so tired but she was surprisingly blunt and honest. &quot;The error occured in the warranty period? That's not supposed to happen!&quot;


A face only a mother can love

Photo editing is cosmetic surgery without scars which makes it especially enticing. Read on to learn how to find out when you've gone too far!

Do you consider yourself vain? I don't. We're supposed to age gracefully, live in harmony with ourselves and not be vain as that would be foolish we're taught from early on.
But looking at profile pictures in social networks I can't help but wonder how all of these people can look so pretty darn perfect. How can my neighbor that rather resembles Martin Luther suddenly ooze *the glamor of Sharon Stone*? What happened to the impressing double chin of my former work mate? And where did the wrinkles of my former training supervisor go? Looking at my own pictures I get the distinct feeling that something has changed.

Do you consider yourself vain? I don't. We're supposed to age gracefully, live in harmony with ourselves and not be vain as that would be foolish we're taught from early on.
But looking at profile pictures in social networks I can't help but wonder how all of these people can look so pretty darn perfect. How can my neighbor that rather resembles Martin Luther suddenly ooze the glamor of Sharon Stone? What happened to the impressing double chin of my former work mate? And where did the wrinkles of my former training supervisor go? Looking at my own pictures I get the distinct feeling that something has changed.


No good deed goes unpunished

Helping others with PC issues is a noble thing to do but there's a downside.

I recently saw a woman get interviewed on TV about her son-in-law. What kind of a person he was, if they were getting along and whether she approved of her daughter's choice. After an agonizingly long pause she remarked:**"Well, he knows his way around computers. That can come in handy."** That's the good thing about knowing your way around computers. At least *you can make yourself useful* every once in a while, forget about character. Computer specialists are the unsung heroes even if all they do is reboot a machine, terminate a process or perform a Flash update. Savor these moments because there's a (incredibly annoying) downside to all of this!

I recently saw a woman get interviewed on TV about her son-in-law. What kind of a person he was, if they were getting along and whether she approved of her daughter's choice. After an agonizingly long pause she remarked:&quot;Well, he knows his way around computers. That can come in handy.&quot; That's the good thing about knowing your way around computers. At least you can make yourself useful every once in a while, forget about character. Computer specialists are the unsung heroes even if all they do is reboot a machine, terminate a process or perform a Flash update. Savor these moments because there's a (incredibly annoying) downside to all of this!


Print with champagne and save money

Nowaways, Scrooge McDuck would be bathing in printing ink to demonstrate his wealth.

Some business models never cease to amaze me. In Japan, it's possible to book vacation trips for your stuffed animals, vacation photos included. And "Hangover Helpers" in the US will help you get back into shape and clean up your place after a night of partying. And you can rent a tank as taxi in St. Petersburg for maximum side-impact protection. Here's an even crazier idea, why not **make cars incredibly cheap and charge premium prices for gasoline?** Agreed, *that's preposterous, or is it?*

Some business models never cease to amaze me. In Japan, it's possible to book vacation trips for your stuffed animals, vacation photos included. And &quot;Hangover Helpers&quot; in the US will help you get back into shape and clean up your place after a night of partying. And you can rent a tank as taxi in St. Petersburg for maximum side-impact protection. Here's an even crazier idea, why not make cars incredibly cheap and charge premium prices for gasoline? Agreed, that's preposterous, or is it?


S.M.A.R.T. - Outsmarted by hard disks

For the longest time I was unware that my hard disk talks to me. Now I can finally understand it.

I break out a sweat whenever one of those warning lights comes on in my car. How about you? Even if it was only signaling a *loose ashtray* it'd still drive me mad. But these lights are supposed to warn us of imminent danger. And it worked, I knew with absolute certainty that my ancient BMW *was done*. But that's another story, this one's about computers. 

I break out a sweat whenever one of those warning lights comes on in my car. How about you? Even if it was only signaling a loose ashtray it'd still drive me mad. But these lights are supposed to warn us of imminent danger. And it worked, I knew with absolute certainty that my ancient BMW was done. But that's another story, this one's about computers.


2 minute tech: Cookies

*You too have cookies!* Don't panic. Learn more about the role cookies play on your machine here.

You too have cookies! Don't panic. Learn more about the role cookies play on your machine here.


The biodiversity of social networks

It's quite easy to figure out what type of person you're dealing with!

*Do you like humans?* Every human? Kudos to anyone who can answer yes to both questions! A friend of mine postulated that 50% of humanity is made up of disgruntled individuals, an extreme view, admittedly. But it's feasible, especially when you take a closer look at social networks. What was originally a meeting place for nerds has become a representative cross-section of our society, pros and cons notwithstanding. Still, it's quite easy to figure out what type of person you're dealing with....

Do you like humans? Every human? Kudos to anyone who can answer yes to both questions! A friend of mine postulated that 50% of humanity is made up of disgruntled individuals, an extreme view, admittedly. But it's feasible, especially when you take a closer look at social networks. What was originally a meeting place for nerds has become a representative cross-section of our society, pros and cons notwithstanding. Still, it's quite easy to figure out what type of person you're dealing with....


Amazon - the truth behind the ads

Often, the more an offer is advertised the less clear it becomes what it is all about. With Amazon Prime, it is even more difficult as the name is used for a bundle of different services. What’s in it for you?

Often, the more an offer is advertised *the less clear it becomes what it is all about*. With Amazon Prime, it is even more difficult as the name is used for a bundle of different services. Amazon is bundling products that originally were meant to be separate. "Prime Instant Video" and free premium shipping seem to be the two most important aspects. But what exactly do they mean and is Amazon Prime really worth $99 a year?

Often, the more an offer is advertised the less clear it becomes what it is all about. With Amazon Prime, it is even more difficult as the name is used for a bundle of different services. Amazon is bundling products that originally were meant to be separate. &quot;Prime Instant Video&quot; and free premium shipping seem to be the two most important aspects. But what exactly do they mean and is Amazon Prime really worth $99 a year?


Now what, Facebook?

Life’s not all fun and games with Facebook. Find out what drives even experienced Internet veterans nuts here.

I do like Facebook. You stay in touch with nice people, share in their lives, meet long lost school mates and learn all the latest gossip about your town. Yes, there are embarrassing extroverts in gruesome poses but, in all honesty: *There's an element of comedy even in their crude displays.* Things take a turn for the worse when not so nice guys use Facebook to go off about anything that doesn't fit into their concept of the world. To prevent this and put an early stop to virtual mobs, Facebook has come up with community guidelines. They basically state that we should all be nice to each other and (important!) should not show too much naked skin. Too bad that doesn't work.

I do like Facebook. You stay in touch with nice people, share in their lives, meet long lost school mates and learn all the latest gossip about your town. Yes, there are embarrassing extroverts in gruesome poses but, in all honesty: There's an element of comedy even in their crude displays. Things take a turn for the worse when not so nice guys use Facebook to go off about anything that doesn't fit into their concept of the world. To prevent this and put an early stop to virtual mobs, Facebook has come up with community guidelines. They basically state that we should all be nice to each other and (important!) should not show too much naked skin. Too bad that doesn't work.


Windows 10: A familiar new friend

Windows 10 has arrived! I have bravely made the switch and would like to report my impressions, insights and confessions.

Does this sound familiar? With a good friend, you can stay separated for several weeks or months without feeling disassociation. As soon as you meet again, you feel like you have just had a barbecue the other day. It's nearly the same with Windows 10. Never before has Microsoft provided so many users with a reliable beta version of their operating system. When I installed it on my machine on June 29, it immediately felt familiar.

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