My Tech Support War Story

I've known people who were... not exactly computer literate.

One day at work, I heard a cranky old engineer over the cubicle wall. "Blank blank blank blankety blank!"

(Pause....)

"Blank blank blank blankety blank!"

(Pause....)

"Blank blank blank blankety blank!"

He asked his neighbor for the number for tech support. It was "2-HELP."

"Blank blank blank blankety blank!"

"Hello? I'm having a problem with my computer...."

I listened for a while and grew increasingly amused. Tech support couldn't figure it out, either. SLAM went the telephone. "Blank blank blank blankety blank!"

I walked around Cubicle Island and approached him. "Hey Del. Can I help you with something?" By now, I was about to bust a gut, but not from laughing; rather, from holding back the laughter.

"Blank blank! I don't think so. Even the Help Desk couldn't figure it out. They said they'd have to send somebody to look at my computer."

"Well, since I have eyes on the situation (and, I didn't mention, since I know you), why don't you tell me your problem?" I already knew the problem, but this was too fun not to drag out.

"Every time I type something, what was already there disappears! Blank blank computers!"

I said, "Del, on the right side of your keyboard, above the arrow keys, you will see a key that says, 'Ins.' That is your Insert key. Tap it one time and then try typing again."

Sure enough, that fixed the problem.