The fail burns my eyes.

[teyla]

I'm quite a forgiving person. I love discussions, but I don't like fighting or bearing grudges. But the more I think about what people got up to today, the more I feel like setting the uni on fire and watching it burn to the fucking ground.


I've got two group presentations to get done. One's due tomorrow at 10 a.m., the other one is due next Tuesday. I've always made the experience that group presentations are tiring, but this is taking it to a whole new level.

My Thursday presentation group wanted to meet up at 1 p.m. today. I was there at 1:15. The next person to show up did so at 2:30. No one else turned up. We didn't get anything done, because the girl who did turn up hadn't typed her shit up - she'd written it all out on paper. Yeah, that helps a lot, thank you very much. I totally feel like wading through three pages of illegible scribblings so I can type up your keypoints for our presentation.

She then left to work on some audio editing with her other presentation group. A minute later I get a phone call that I should tell them how to hook the audio recorder up to the computer. I had the same problem, sitting there not knowing how to do that. I downloaded the manual from the internet. But I guess that was too much to ask from three media students.

So I go hook up the recorder, and then I sit down to do some rping - because there was fuck all else to do. Ten minutes later one of the girls asks me if she can check her email on my computer. I say sure, alright, and she goes ahead and checks her email. Then she checks facebook, and her her bank account, and then she goes Christmas shopping on fucking Amazon.

We then all go and have our studio class, which should have been going on till 9. We were done by 7, though. I needed to talk to three people about presentation things, but they were all so quick to get out of there, I didn't really get a hold of them. One of them needed to give me his stuff for the Thursday presentation, and while I was booting up my laptop to put it from his stick onto my computer, I was trying to get a hold of the other guys. I turn back around, and the guy is touching my motherfucking laptop. Seriously, does he have a death wish?

Anyway, turns out he saved his file in a .docx format, which I can't open without a converter, but he was out of there so quickly, I couldn't tell him to please send it to me again as a .txt or .rtf. So I downloaded the converter, and it turns out that his file are 100 fucking words copypasta'ed from Wikipedia.

The second guy I was trying to get to give his stuff to me hadn't done it yet and told me he'd send it to me tomorrow morning - when our presentation's at ten. I was like, fuck no you won't, so he's sending it tonight, but he hasn't yet (it's 11 p.m.).

The third guy I needed to talk to I managed to catch on my way back home. He was pissed at me because the third person in our group, stupid girl, never manages to make our meetings and decided going home for five days is more important than getting together our presentation. I got a little pissy with him, but we settled on meeting up tomorrow and doing all the work stupid girl and other girl in our group haven't done. And now I'm sitting here waiting for all those fucking idiots to send me their shit and will probably be busy with this all night when I really would have other, more interesting things to do.



And this is what the Master has to say to this:

Comments

[kiwi-from-hell.livejournal.com]

I do sympathize. I do everything I can to get out of group work. EVERYTHING. Doing the work of five people is seriously so much easier than trying to get five people together to do the damn work.

I have a presentation and lab report for next Wednesday that relies on group data. Half the fucking group can't even download the software to input their stuff (and apparently it's too hard to go to a computer lab, where all the necessary software is already installed). I sympathize greatly with your ranting.

[teyla]

Yeah. Sadly this course is pretty much based on course group work. Blech. On the other hand, no exams. Yay! ;)

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

Unless I'm actually assigned to a group in a, "this is a non-negotiable requirement" sort of way, my M.O. in classes is just to make sure I have an assignment sheet and just start on it myself. If I get assigned a partner or something later on, at least I've already started the work. Even in high school chem classes, I got my own equipment and did all the labs myself.

Because I (and t_eyla and obviously you as well) are always the people who are going to get stuck doing everyone else's work ANYWAY. Why wait until the last minute?

[mikes-grrl.livejournal.com]

That...is FAIL.

Wow. I wish there was some way you could do the presentation that would make the non-performers look like idiots. You know, have one of the stupid girls play Vanna White or something.

...why yes, I do believe in public humiliation as a suitable punishment for stupidity. Yes, I do. The Master agrees with me.

[teyla]

Well, I am going to make damn sure that it's obvious that I put together the slide show, and I didn't even have to do anything to make my part sound better than the others. "I Love Lucy is a show about a funny woman." Oh, that's nice.

The Master sort of agrees with you, but he's still for killing stupid people right away. Saves you a lot of grief later on.

[callmeliterator.livejournal.com]

Now, now; if stupidity were a crime punishable by death, how would the world keep moving? I sure as hell ain't gonna start flipping burgers or butchering cattle in the near future. You?

[teyla]

Hey, this is not my opinion. It's the Master you're talking to. He's a fancy Time Lord person, he presumably has robots or something like that to have them flip him some burgers. Or he'll just kidnap the Doctor and chain him to the stove.

[callmeliterator.livejournal.com]

I can picture his face if that happened. Hee. "What? Whatwhatwhat what? You want me to WHAT?"

[teyla]

And then, 'Oh. ... oh, alright.' *proceeds to burn down kitchen*

[callmeliterator.livejournal.com]

Ugh... I totally empathize here. I learned a long time ago never to rely on the "group" part of group projects, but sometimes it's unavoidable due to the way the project is assigned or whatever.

Anyway, give it a couple of weeks and I can guarantee nobody will touch your computer ever again. My Obsidian is $1800 + custom built HP with sexy graphics and self-upgraded ram and soon to be upgraded HDD, and later probably I'll buy a tablet with better everything. (by later I mean after I join the Air Force and make money for sitting in a classroom learning how to build networks.)

I quickly got the reputation for being a "Crazy Laptop Chick" because I literally punched a guy for checking his email while I was backing up my harddrive.

Another good way to dissuade the "really quick check my email it'll only be five seconds!" is use a non-traditional OS with a non-traditional web browser. I am currently using Ubuntu with Seamonkey, though, really, any KDE linux using Konqueror would work just as well.

And if you need those fancy media programs, (as I suspect you do) you could always dual boot! I do!

ANyway... :D

[teyla]

My computer isn't anywhere near as fancy, but still - You Do Not Touch Other People's Laptop. That's just not on. Especially not when there's so much gay porn on it like there is on mine.

Oh, I still want to try Red Hat. But I'm too lazy, and meh dual boot. I'm not unhappy with XP, really. I will just have to glare and hiss at anyone who comes too close to my computer.

[callmeliterator.livejournal.com]

Once you go opensource, you don't go back, and I'm a Vista lover.

Heh, you think I don't have gay porn out the ears on my baby? I have alternate user accounts on both builds though, just in case I have someone around who needs computer access that I can't say no too. For instance, my humanities instructor has taken to grading papers in the student lounge where I hang out. Saying no to her is just not smart. (I also find that it helps smooth things between roommates. Especially once you get the reputation of Crazy Laptop Chick. My roommate was really pleased she could tell people she was allowed to use MY baby whenever she needed to. And she guarded the pass to that account like a precious treasure. But this is only if you feel up to playing the horrific game of dorm politics. And fixing their computers.)

There's no one saying you have to give those alternate accounts ANY privileges beyond child-level internet access.

[teyla]

I hate having to lock anything down on my computer. My computer doesn't even have a password. If people go snooping, it's their own fault if they find all the trailers I ripped from gay s&m porn sites. And luckily, I don't have a room mate. I am so immensely glad about that. I think I would stab her eyes out after no more than a week.

But this means that the computer should just not be touched. By anyone. Ever. Not without permission, and certainly not without my supervision.

[callmeliterator.livejournal.com]

Oh, definitely yes. I agree with you, I'm just saying, thee might be a need to compromise. Although, really? no password? My computer is like, UBER password protected. And then some! Though I had a slightly different upbringing than you, so that may be part of it.

[callmeliterator.livejournal.com]

Heh, just realized the irony of using the calqu "uber" in this post and lmao. Probably I should sleep. Or eat. Maybe that'll tone down the hilarity.

[teyla]

Hee. I'm not a paranoid person, and I don't really give a shit what most people think of me. If people go snooping in the folders where I keep my gay porn, they have no right to claim the moral high ground anyway. So I'm pretty meh whatever about people finding my porn. The bigger problem would be the saved passwords, but I don't save passwords for anything actually important and money-related.

[chaoskir.livejournal.com]

I do sympathize too and I know there is nothing what you can do. Human beings! They are so weird.

[teyla]

They are! And why am I still up while you are coming online already?

[aryshtin.livejournal.com]

I also sympathize. Very much so. Also about the computer touching. Seriously, you still need those hands? Keep them away from my laptop!

And, you know, I love you for those rants, seriously. I was beginning to think that I was merely an arrogant bitch because I couldn't believe that you could be as stupid as people at this uni are, but reading what you're going through there... It gives me my belief in humanity back. Hang in there! :-)

[teyla]

No, people really are all this stupid. It's terrifying, if you stop to think about it, but as long as you don't, it's quite hilarious, too. I laughed about people about as much yesterday as I was annoyed at them. xD

[nemesishamartia.livejournal.com]

Last time I did a group project, I never got data from 1 of the members, and 2 of them didn't show up to class.

So, b/w me and the guy that was left, we had to do the whole thing.

And surprise, surprise, I was the only one completely and utterly prepared.

Okay, okay, that one was cheating -- I was talking about FTMs.

The project I did before that... didn't get the stuff until late, and it was like four slides.

Heh, when we did the presentation, it became totally obvious I had actually WORKED. I even showed a short little clip from House.

God, universities shouldn't let these morons in. Honestly.

[teyla]

If my uni didn't let the morons in, they wouldn't have any students.

It's sad, really.

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

I had the same problem, sitting there not knowing how to do that. I downloaded the manual from the internet. But I guess that was too much to ask from three media students.

Despite knowing perfectly well that it might not occur to me to look up the manual online either (then again, it might - I did figure out how to use our washing machine that way when my mother was in Paris), that sentence was terribly lulzy.

I'm just sort of picturing everyone sitting around helplessly before going, "Um, get t_eyla!" Don't you LOVE being the go-to guy/girl/being every time someone can't find the power button?

Anyway, turns out he saved his file in a .docx format, which I can't open without a converter, but he was out of there so quickly, I couldn't tell him to please send it to me again as a .txt or .rtf. So I downloaded the converter, and it turns out that his file are 100 fucking words copypasta'ed from Wikipedia.

Ew, sounds like what somebody pulled on me five years ago (http://beandelphiki.livejournal.com/164296.html) for a group astronomy project. (Yes, I remember it THAT clearly. You'd think you'd forget, but no, the memory still BURNS.)

Also, Word 2007 is suck. Well, I mean, it's not suck in that it IS better. But not being fully compatible with all previous versions of Word sucks, and having everything in that mystifying "ribbon" sucks until you eventually get used to it. I just about had a heart attack the first time I opened Word 2007 and realised there wasn't a menu bar anymore. You can't just spring that sort of thing on me!

[teyla]

Don't you LOVE being the go-to guy/girl/being every time someone can't find the power button?
Oh, yes. It's just wonderful. I have a friend who likes to do that via ICQ, and she's a real technophobe and has the tendency not to do things exactly the way you tell her to even if she doesn't know what she's doing at all. I've spent hours and hours trying to explain to her via IM how to split files using winrar or how to convert audio files. *grrr*

Oh, that just sucks. The post you linked to I mean. Gah. No, it wasn't so bad with this presentation, because everybody pretty much faked their stuff - all I did was summarize the Wiki article. But he didn't even put any effort into faking it so it looked good, which he should know by now how to do. Gah. How did he get through college?

Ech, I saw Office '07 and ran. I've been using MS Word for almost fifteen years, it'll take more than just a new version to make me get used to what you called the mystifying ribbon. I'm turning into one of those people who insist on using old versions of programs because they just can't get used to the newer ones, but I'm with Firefox I'm using the excuse that Unplug won't work with v3. With MS Office it's just that - 07? No thanks. ;)

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's some serious FAIL. But it's always like that when you have to do stuff with other people. Other people suck. And fail. A lot.