SouthSideFlash's Subconscious

I’m not sure exactly where this comes from, but someone shared something with me today that I must repeat in its entirety.  Read it; it’s really hilarious.

Today a representative of the DirecTV Corporation explained to me that my DVR has not been playing video back correctly for the last 6 weeks because it is snowing out today.  When I expressed skepticism that snow today could cause problems for the six weeks before today, she said I’d be surprised what snow could do.

Internally, this caused me to wonder, can snow on a satellite receiver somehow reverberate through time?  If as she suggested, clearing any snow from my dish would solve the problem, would it solve the problem now, or would removing the snow actually solve the problem for the last six weeks, causing my DVR to have always worked correctly?  Wouldn’t that create a paradox, because then I would never have called and learned that I needed to remove the snow?  Perhaps removing the snow would create a new reality where my DVR had always functioned.  I wanted to pursue this further, but I doubted she had the needed understanding of quantum physics.  So I asked to speak to her supervisor.

Her supervisor, however, simply said that no, snow on my dish had not echoed back in time and cuased six weeks of problems.  But for a brief moment, my universe had been full of wonder and mystery at the magical possibilities of snow on a satellite dish.  Or maybe I was just kind of annoyed.  Get a better script for your call center, DirecTV.

[Update: this came from here.]

So today, I had to experience absolutely useless attempt at “advice.”  You will notice here that I am <netninja>, and the user known as <jetchisel> is attempting to help me, but then later goes completely back on what he says.  Here was the transpiration of what happened:

00:17 -!- Irssi: Join to #vbox was synced in 0 secs
00:18 < netninja> I’m using Ubuntu 11.10 host and Windows7 in vbox, and no matter what I try to do, when I connect a USB device and then select it inside the windows vbox, it won’t install/work.  I’ve added myself to the vboxusers and installed the Utilities I’m supposed to… any thoughts?
00:19 < Jetchisel> extension packa installed?
00:19 < netninja> yes, sorry, that was what I meant by Utilities.  badly worded.
00:20 < mr-rich> I was going to suggues the vboxusers thing … that’s what worked for me …
00:20 < netninja> and I’m hesitent to try and install it again, because I always end up fighting with the video portion of extensions pack to allow it to go into seamless mode afterwards.
00:20 < netninja> yeah, added to vboxusers (even when I did this initially it kept failing, I had to fight that too)
00:20 < mr-rich> did you install guest additions?
00:21 < netninja> is there a difference between the extension pack and guest additions?
00:21 < netninja> I loaded the ISO as a virtual drive.  I have the vbox icon in my windows notification area.  that’s to what you’re referring?
00:21 < mr-rich> you install guest addions on the guest …
00:21 < netninja> for things like USB, video, etc.
00:21 < netninja> yes
00:22 < Jetchisel> netninja: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VirtualBox/USB
00:22 < mr-rich> Click on Devices->Install Guest Additions …
00:22 < netninja> Jetchisel: the only thing on that page relevant to my install is adding myself to vboxusers as I’ve said I already did.
00:22 < netninja> For Oneiric Ocelot 11.10
00:22 < netninja> Add yourself to the user group vboxusers, then log out and back in, to make use of available USB devices. To do this via the graphical interface, click System Settings/Users and Groups/Manage Groups.
00:23 < netninja> mr-rich: again, I’ve already done this.
00:23 < Jetchisel> which version of virutalbox and where did you get that package?
00:24 < netninja> from the virtualbox.org website
00:24 < netninja> um, 4.1.2 I believe
00:25  * netninja checks
00:26 < netninja> Virtualbox4.1.2_Ubuntu38459
00:26 < netninja> thanks to everyone that’s helping btw
00:29 < Jetchisel> vbox website has virtualbox-4.1_4.1.8-75467~Ubuntu~oneiric_
00:30 < netninja> I remember I had some problems on install
00:30 < netninja> perhaps I had gotten it from Ubuntu Software updater
00:30 < Jetchisel> netninja: your package prolly is from the your distro package
00:30 < netninja> perhaps
00:33 < netninja> however, I would have thought that, if that is the case that I did use my distro’s version, wouldn’t that have better support for my distro?
00:33 < Jetchisel> !editions
00:33 < erstazi> Jetchisel: Editions – http://virtualbox.org/wiki/Editions
00:33 < Jetchisel> see editions for that matter
00:35 < netninja> ok, well, that page doesn’t really tell me anything
00:35 < netninja> does that mean that this is a problem with my edition?
00:35 < Jetchisel> yup it eas change
00:35 < netninja> “eas change?”
00:35 < Jetchisel> i cant help with ubuntu specially if it is package by your distro
00:36 < Jetchisel> you can try the vbox website package and see if usb works
00:36 < Jetchisel> its change*
00:37 < Jetchisel> for example in opensuse the distro package does not allow usb to work by default you will have to edit some udev files from vbox itself to enable usb support and without the extension pack it is only usb 1,
00:38 < Jetchisel> dunno about *buntu but alot of folks here is using your distro maybe some of them are awake ^^
00:39 < netninja> I see
00:39 < netninja> would you recommend that I uninstall and then reinstall from the website, keeping my vhds?
00:39 < Jetchisel> yes the vdi is not remove
00:40 < netninja> but I mean, do you recommend that I reinstall the program to correct this?
00:40 < Jetchisel> yes remove the distro package and use package from vbox website
00:42 < netninja> ok, I guess I’ll try that
00:42 < netninja> thanks much for all your guidance
00:42 < netninja> I’m sure I’ll be back when/if this assplodes :P
00:43 < Jetchisel> good luck
00:43 < netninja> thanks :)

[short break while netninja reinstalls]

01:43 < netninja> Jetchisel: still having exactly the same problem
01:44 < netninja> with 4.1.8
01:44 < netninja> no usb sticks working, no usb printers working, no iphone working (when selected from Devices)
01:44 < netninja> just epic fail every time
01:46 < Jetchisel> sorry you have to wait for some folks that uses your distro
01:46 < netninja> I’ve googled this problem, and every instance of the problem I seem to find has “add user to vboxusers” or whatever and that’s not it
01:46 < netninja> but I’m not using that distro now
01:46 < netninja> why do I have to wait for said “folks” when I’m not using the Software Center distro, I’m using the one from the virtualbox.org website?
01:47 < netninja> I mean, is this still assumed to be a distro problem, now that I’m not on the newer (unsupported) distro?
01:47 < Jetchisel> i dont use ubuntu so i cannot trouble shoot your issue ^^
01:48 < netninja> ok
01:48 < netninja> well, thanks for trying
01:49 < Jetchisel> mostly europe is sleeping right now and its a week end ^^
01:49 < netninja> so it *IS* still a distro problem despite the fact I used the version from the website?
01:50 < Jetchisel> as i said i im not an ubuntu user sorry
01:50 < Curly_Q> Is there a way to disable write protect from a Guest OS install?
01:50 < netninja> I’m not trying to be an asshole, but you’re not answering my question
01:51 < netninja> I’m not asking if you’re a ubuntu user, I’m asking if you’re still considering this a distro problem when before you said it was a distro problem because I installed an unsupported/unofficial version from Ubuntu’s Software Center and *NOW* I have a version installed straight off the website
01:52 < Jetchisel> i did not say anything about unsupported/unofficial, in only said that for some distro specific version you have to edit some things manually.
01:53 < netninja> um, yes you did:
01:53 < netninja> 00:40 < Jetchisel> yes remove the distro package and use package from vbox website
01:54 < Jetchisel> and? is ther anything there that unsupported/unoffical?
01:54 < netninja> you said that I should uninstall the version which was not the official version on the website, which I had gotten through Ubuntu
01:54 < netninja> now I’m on the version which you recommended
01:55 < netninja> I totally get it that you can’t help with this, and that’s fine, but I’m confused why you appear to be saying you didn’t say what you said
01:55 < Jetchisel> <Jetchisel> you can try the vbox website package and see if usb works
01:55 < netninja> riiiiight… which is what I did
01:56 < Jetchisel> there is no unsupported/unoffical in there so get it straight
01:56 < netninja> my understanding was that, in using the Ubuntu version, I had installed a distro-specific/non-official release
01:56 < netninja> so, I installed from the website
01:56 < netninja> exactly like you said
01:57 < netninja> and now I’m confused because you’re saying I have the same problem I had before, when I already corrected what you said to correct
01:58 < netninja> the version I’m NOW running is straight off the website, and not the software center (remember my previous version was NEWER than what was on the website?)
01:58 < netninja> I’m also amazed that you would say “get it straight” when I’m asking YOU to clarify
01:58 < Jetchisel> righ, good luck with your issue
01:59 < netninja> thanks

Hopefully, I’ll be able to solve this problem.