My Stick Story

Well, to add to my collection of gadgets, I finally purchased one of these Internet sticks on Saturday that allows me to access the Internet via the cellular phone network by plugging it into the USB port of my computer. I wanted to get one a few weeks back, but they told me to wait because the new faster sticks that would work on the new 4G network were coming out at the end of March. Well, all you are supposed to do is plug this stick in and voila surf away. Now that is how it is SUPPOSED to work! It worked fine on my mega laptop at home, BUT after 3 hours of trying to get it to work on my little Netbook that I use for travelling I gave up. Now for me with a never give up attitude that was a huge deal. But all is not lost…right…there is an IT department at work that will help me on Monday.

So, I arrive at work around 0700 hrs eager to try this stick on my work laptop. Plug it in and a few minutes later it is working just fine. Now to wait until the friendly IT folks at the U of M Health Sciences Library arrive. After a phone call, I waltz over with my Netbook and stick in hand, and after about an hour sitting on a monitor box watching the IT guy turn on and off every possible setting, it didn’t work, but he had the same CONQUER THE COMPUTER attitude as me…so I left it there…five hours later, I picked it up in the same state as I left it. The only good thing (in my mind) is that he couldn’t fix it either, so I don’t feel so bad about spending 3 hours of my own time.

Fast forward to today, I am now on my shuttle ride from Calgary to Banff (I am presenting at the CACHE conference in Banff on Thursday with my boss), and guess what I AM ON THE INTERNET (on my work computer), BUT not without fussing with the stick for the last hour! So, wish us luck with our presentation and looking forward to my next new gadget, the BlackBerry Playbook that should be out within the next week or so!!

PS: Just entered the mountains...gorgeous as usual!
Brenda