The GGA Project -- Day #124 "Stumbling, Fumbling Geek Squad"

Last night I had a brilliant idea.  I've been watching Glee with the folks, and we got to the last episode we had on DVD (midway through season 2).  There are some recent episodes recorded on the DVR, but in between those there are a few episodes we'd have to watch on Hulu to get caught up.  Snag: I don't have a USB cord to plug into the T.V.  The flash of brilliance came in suggesting we finally activate the Wii's wifi capability so we could start streaming Netflix.  Maybe some of the episodes were available there (?)


So it was that I began down a rabbit hole that would suck my Dad in as well, keeping both of us occupied and frustrated for the remainder of the evening, ultimately forcing us both to go to bed having successfully done nothing (oh wait, I did manage, in attempting to change our wireless router's password through the router company's online interface, to cause the network to disappear entirely from the list of wireless network choices on both my Mom's and my computers.  I guess I did do *something* in the course of my messing around).


See, the whole problem started because our wireless network password (automatically generated) has always been hard to decipher (between capital letters, numbers, and dashes or no dashes)...it's taken everybody who's used it multiple trials and errors, and nobody ever thought to write down the winning combo, once and for all.  Enter my attempt to change the password after multiple attempts to get the Wii online failed.


This morning I woke up newly resolved to solve the problem, which involved reseting and reinstalling the router, a call to India for tech support, ethernet cables going every which way, and my Dad and I uttering our ideas for the cause of the problem in sentences that I couldn't help but think would have made my I.T.-savvy friends cringe/snort with laughter to hear.


In the end, not only did we get everybody back online, my Dad finally got my laptop to recognize the wireless printer he'd bought a few months back, and then, after a few simple clicks...dun dun dun dahhhhhh:


Today's New Activity: Enabling Movies on Demand

Whoop, whoop!


There have been few downsides to moving in with my parents last year, all of them being ultimately inconsequential, especially when considered in relation to all the overwhelming upsides.  One of those inconsequentials, however, is being at the mercy of their Netflix queue.


The thing is, it's not just me who's at the mercy, it's them too.  They rarely remember what they've added to the list or when or why.  So while we do generally receive all the interesting new releases and Oscar nominees at some point, the rest of the queue is peppered with a near equal-parts mixture of my Mom's romantic comedy choices and my Dad's ridONKulous action/adventures.  Sometimes there will be a whole string that you can tell came as the result of somebody (though neither of them will ever own up to it) following Netflix's suggestions based on a single movie added to the queue, resulting in 5-in-a-row Denzel Washington flicks or the motherload of Sandra Bullock mishap comedies.  Yes, I exaggerate, but not by much.


I recognize that at any point I could have gone out and rented a movie on my own, but the truth is that I'm not that into watching movies at home (I usually fall asleep).  I just like to tease them :P


Still, there are times when I would like to check out something I heard about that isn't likely to ever land on the folks' list of what's to come in the mail, so I'm super excited to now be able to explore all the streaming options for whenever the fancy strikes.


Three cheers for two-day troubleshooting efforts and their well-worth-it outcomes!