Doom averted by magical gnome powers.

[featherynscale]

kittenpants' laptop was temporarily unable to communicate with the network today. Luckily, I was able to fix it with my patented Computer Fixing Process:

1. Open everything that looks relevant.
2. Push shiny red candy-like buttons!
3. Close everything.
4. Reboot some things.
5. Get a screwdriver.
6. Wave it menacingly at the machine.
7. Push some more buttons.
8. Grin maniacally.
9. All fixed!

Seriously, I'm not sure if it's worse when something should work, but doesn't, or when it shouldn't work, but does.

Comments

damn, you patented it

[rfunk.livejournal.com]

Does that mean I owe you royalties?

Often (not this week) I can skip to step 6, or even just watch while someone shows me the problem, and it's magically fixed. Even the new guy at work is occasionally spooked by this power.

Re: damn, you patented it

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Nah, there's actually prior art on this one -- the Mongoose Publishing Complete Book of Gnomes or whatnot includes a prestige class for gnomish mechanics, and at the highest level of this class, the gnome can brandish an implement at a broken machine and curse it arcanely, and the thing will begin to work again out of fear. This is the first experience I've had in which I was looking at something in a gaming book and gone, "Hey! That's a feat I can do in Real Life!". :)

And I also am apparently advanced enough to take part in the ability to make things work simply by stepping into the room in which things are malfunctioning and asking to be shown the problem. It's fun.