I used to be at tech support. It is a difficult, frustrating and often futile task that tests the limits of your patience. But it can also be fun when you fix what seems impossible to the user.
Some technical issues have simple fixes that you can try on your own. Tap or click here for five easy solutions to everyday tech problems.
Like most professionals, IT professionals have their own language. Here are 10 insider words you might hear describing you:
1. EEOC
The IT professional fully understands smartphones, computers, networks, tablets, routers, Wi-Fi, operating systems, firewalls, Bluetooth, accessories, updates, security, and many additional devices and technologies.
If an IT professional in front of you says, “I’d like to help, but it’s an EEOC issue,” they’re secretly making fun of you. And they think you’ll never be able to use any device you contacted them about.
EEOC is an acronym for Equipment Beyond Operator Capabilities.
2. This
This verbal short code is similar to EEOC but stands for “Equipment Smarter Than Operator”.
If you hear someone say that about you, try not to get too hurt. Neither EEOC nor ESTO will sting like the following password.
3.ID10T Error
When you hear an IT pro say, “I’ve seen this problem before. It’s an ID10T error,” it doesn’t sound bad.
Below is an example of the ID10T error. Let’s say your mouse is not working, so call your IT department and ask them for help. Within a second, the culprit is clear. Bluetooth is turned off on your computer.
It is pronounced ID-10-T. Read these messages as letters with 10 in the middle. And yes, it sure sounds like the word idiot.
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4. Code 18
How about a guide to what this IT secret code means? 18 indicates inches.
Let’s use it in a sentence. An IT pro might say to a co-worker, “I’ve reset Jim’s Gmail filters five times, given him dozens of lessons, and still get code 18.”
Code 18 means that the problem is located 18 inches from the screen.
5. PICNIC
You might think that this is a nice way of saying, “I should have taken a picnic basket because solving this problem was so easy!” Unfortunately, when an IT professional says PICNIC in the context of helping you, that’s not their frame of mind.
They use an acronym for “a problem with the chair, not the computer.”
6. Bibcak
People use the terms gearhead, geek, technocrat, and technophile interchangeably. IT professionals do the same with PICNIC and PEBKAC.
Sometimes sroblem Hxists Bcome to the Keyeboard asecond abbreviation cHair or PEBKAC. Yes, they say you caused your technical problems.
7. The Eighth Layer Problem
You may not get this if you don’t understand the OSI model of networking. Computers connected over a network use a complex architecture. There are seven layers in the OSI model of networks.
So, the eighth layer has nothing to do with hardware. It is about human interaction with a computer system. In other words, “Layer 8” refers to you!
8. Short between headphones
Think of a pair of headphones. When you wear a headset, that’s your mind.
You might hear an IT pro say, “She’s usually pretty good at this, but she’s short on headphones. There was no paper in the printer.”
9. IBM . error
This term has nothing to do with the computer company. But when you learn what this acronym means, you may wish that was the case. IBM stands for “Idiot Behind Machine”.
It is another acronym that refers to human error. Your device is not at fault. Your problems are caused by yourself, according to the person who said this.
If you hear this about yourself, you have a plan. Say, “I know what that means, so ‘I’ doesn’t apply!”
10. Biological interface error
There is nothing biological in a computer. It is a machine. Again, we’re talking about a human being.
“Yeah, I couldn’t fix it. It’s a biological error in the interface.”
Pro tip: When you need help with your technology, our team of experts is on standby. Ask a question in the Commando community. We promise not to contact you with any of these terms.
Audio notation: Moon Wi-Fi, Russian cyberattacks, and advice from Google to save gas money
Did you know that Wi-Fi is coming to the moon? Yes really. In this episode of Kim Komando Today, I’ll teach you how to find an airline seat with the most legroom, save gas money and some other tech tips you’ll use over and over again. I also have a business plan that you can use to protect yourself from Russian cyberattacks.
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