germanix
October 11th, 2008, 10:12 AM
I think I may just found the perfect solution to many computer/software problems. By pure chance I have discovered a method by which you can change the behaviour of your machine, by using what I would call “computer psychology”.
This is how a stumbled on possibly a “cure for all” problems. A few days ago I had a problem with my machine. I posted this problem in the forums. This was what I had posted:
“Normally when I shut-down Ubuntu, it makes a very elegant exit. The Ubuntu Logo appears, remains a few seconds, and the computer switches off. Now all of a sudden, without me having changed anything, the following happens:
On shut down the Ubuntu Logo appears, then I get a black screen with the cursor blinking in the top left corner, after some time the screen fills with text about "Network manager Bus connection failed" and only then it switches off. I tried a couple of re-boots getting the same effect. Any ideas what this could be and how I can correct it? I know it is maybe not that serious but its very nervy.”
Unfortunately I got no help or advice how to fix this problem.
I gave this matter some thought and remembered something from my youth. This is what I remembered:
Many years ago now, whilst I was living in South Africa, I listened to a radio broadcast by the SABC (South African Broadcasting Company). A marriage couple was being interviewed by the presenter of the program. This couple had been married for 75 years, and the wife claimed, that in all of that time she had argued with her husband only one time. The presenter could not believe this, and asked the wife to explain how this was possible.
She told him the following story:
Before* they got married, she and her husband were both living on a farm. On the day of their marriage, she and her husband to be, travelled to the church in town on a horse drawn buggy. After the ceremony they returned to her husbands farm where they now planned to live together. They were about halfway to the farm, when the horse stopped in his tracks, and would walk no further.
Her husband then calmly stepped down from the buggy, walked over to the horse and looked him in the eye. He then spoke to the horse and said “this is now your first chance” after which he returned to his seat and they moved on. A few miles further on, the horse stopped again, and again her husband went to the horse and now said: “this is now your second chance”. They were only a few hundred meters from the farmhouse when the horse stopped for a third time. This time her husband got down from his seat, went to the back of the buggy and returned carrying a rifle. He went directly to the horse and without saying a word, shot and killed the animal.
The first nine months of their marriage went smooth she said, but then for the first time she got into an argument with her husband. She was shouting and complaining when he walked up to her, looked her in the eye and said:
“This is now your first chance”
After that she said, there was never an argument again.
What has this got to do with my pc problem, you might ask?
Well, this brought me to an idea. I opened the terminal and typed this story that I had just told, word for word into the terminal. Computers are supposed to be clever, right? I wanted my pc to know this story, to then use his intelligence to make his own conclusions. I pressed enter, closed the terminal, then shut down. The problem was off course still there, as I expected. I then booted again, opened the terminal and typed:
“root to pc- this is now your first chance!”
I then closed the terminal and shut the computer down, waiting to see his reaction. Well this was the most elegant shut-down you have ever seen. Meek as a lamb, the pc shut down quicker than ever before, no error messages, no delays.
How is that for computer psychology?
Freud will be proud!
This is how a stumbled on possibly a “cure for all” problems. A few days ago I had a problem with my machine. I posted this problem in the forums. This was what I had posted:
“Normally when I shut-down Ubuntu, it makes a very elegant exit. The Ubuntu Logo appears, remains a few seconds, and the computer switches off. Now all of a sudden, without me having changed anything, the following happens:
On shut down the Ubuntu Logo appears, then I get a black screen with the cursor blinking in the top left corner, after some time the screen fills with text about "Network manager Bus connection failed" and only then it switches off. I tried a couple of re-boots getting the same effect. Any ideas what this could be and how I can correct it? I know it is maybe not that serious but its very nervy.”
Unfortunately I got no help or advice how to fix this problem.
I gave this matter some thought and remembered something from my youth. This is what I remembered:
Many years ago now, whilst I was living in South Africa, I listened to a radio broadcast by the SABC (South African Broadcasting Company). A marriage couple was being interviewed by the presenter of the program. This couple had been married for 75 years, and the wife claimed, that in all of that time she had argued with her husband only one time. The presenter could not believe this, and asked the wife to explain how this was possible.
She told him the following story:
Before* they got married, she and her husband were both living on a farm. On the day of their marriage, she and her husband to be, travelled to the church in town on a horse drawn buggy. After the ceremony they returned to her husbands farm where they now planned to live together. They were about halfway to the farm, when the horse stopped in his tracks, and would walk no further.
Her husband then calmly stepped down from the buggy, walked over to the horse and looked him in the eye. He then spoke to the horse and said “this is now your first chance” after which he returned to his seat and they moved on. A few miles further on, the horse stopped again, and again her husband went to the horse and now said: “this is now your second chance”. They were only a few hundred meters from the farmhouse when the horse stopped for a third time. This time her husband got down from his seat, went to the back of the buggy and returned carrying a rifle. He went directly to the horse and without saying a word, shot and killed the animal.
The first nine months of their marriage went smooth she said, but then for the first time she got into an argument with her husband. She was shouting and complaining when he walked up to her, looked her in the eye and said:
“This is now your first chance”
After that she said, there was never an argument again.
What has this got to do with my pc problem, you might ask?
Well, this brought me to an idea. I opened the terminal and typed this story that I had just told, word for word into the terminal. Computers are supposed to be clever, right? I wanted my pc to know this story, to then use his intelligence to make his own conclusions. I pressed enter, closed the terminal, then shut down. The problem was off course still there, as I expected. I then booted again, opened the terminal and typed:
“root to pc- this is now your first chance!”
I then closed the terminal and shut the computer down, waiting to see his reaction. Well this was the most elegant shut-down you have ever seen. Meek as a lamb, the pc shut down quicker than ever before, no error messages, no delays.
How is that for computer psychology?
Freud will be proud!