ASK A STUPID QUESTION

Did you know there’s an Ask a Stupid Question Day? Apparently there is in the USA (in September). Here in Australia we don’t celebrate commemorate make a big deal of a singular Ask a Stupid Question day, but that could be a way of leaving our options open … an open-ended get out of jail free card, if you will, for the days when we ask a stupid question and save face with “Oh, but it’s Ask a Stupid Question Day, mate, I was just kiddin’ … ya really think I’m that stupid?”

I think the digital universe saved a whole bunch of Ask a Stupid Question Day questions for me today, as if I was singled out to be the recipient of some bigger-than-me cyber-space prank. Prepare yourself for an onslaught of stupidity.

Ask a Stupid Question Day Scenario 1 – at work

Work web page: Do you wish to save this password for future use? Y or N.

Me:  *clicks NO and waits for access*

Work web page: Do you wish to save this password for future use? Y or N.

Me: *clicks NO again, raises eyebrow and waits for access*

Work web page: Do you wish to save this password for future use? Y or N.

Me:  *clicks NO again, raises both eyebrows, drums fingers and waits for access*

Work web page: Do you wish to save this password for future use? Y or N.

Me: *Mutters slightly naughty word, threatens to come back and sort site out good and proper and closes page, still muttering about lack of (artificial) intelligence on site*

I’m sure website should listen when I say NO. Why ask this question if it’s going to ignore me? Stupid.

Ask a Stupid Question Day Scenario 2 – at work

Event company web page: Enter venue name.

Me:  *does as told and presses NEXT button*

Event company web page: You cannot leave venue name blank.

Me:  *Mutters slightly naughty word followed by an indignant “I did!” (it could have been the other way around) and presses NEXT button again, hoping logic will prevail*

Event company web page: You cannot leave venue name blank.

Me:  *presses CANCEL, deciding to come back later when site is behaving*

Event company web page: (see picture)

Me:  *presses YES (it’s a good idea)*

Event company web page: You cannot leave venue name blank.

Me:  *presses CANCEL again, deciding site is operating in stupid mode*

Event company web page:  Your changes on this page have not been saved. Do you wish to save your changes?

Me:  *oh for goodness sake, YES! And haven’t we already had this discussion?*

Event company web page: You cannot leave venue name blank.

Really? Really? Stupid.

Scenario 3 – At home, discussion with under-the-weather Monkey following school ball (the under-the-weather bit is a whole other story)

Me: When you wake up, have a shower. You reek, Monkey.

Monkey: *eyes shut, lying on bed* I’m not sleeping now. *intonation suggests I’ve made a stupid assumption, despite the evidence*

Me: Well, what do you call what you’re doing then?

Monkey: I’m just having a little nap.

Of course. I did ask a stupid question. I’m not sure it ranks as highly as Blue Eyes’ “Do you think I’m stupid?” to Miss Attitude (doesn’t he know you never ask a kid that?), but apparently it rates. Sadly, it’s not the only stupid question I asked today. The other one I’m admitting to is “Who shut the cafe door?” after I walked into it this morning. Luckily no one was around. My nose still feels a bit tender, but my pride is fine because no one knows I did this.

The stupidity doesn’t end there today. There’s the printer that wouldn’t allow me to select PRINTER PROPERTIES so I could print tickets on landscape orientation no matter how many times I clicked PRINTER PROPERTIES. And earlier today, while preparing another blog post a sentence kept disappearing every time I previewed the post. It was there in the post … press PREVIEW and gone. Tried again. The sentence is still missing- but-not-missing. I asked myself, “Am I blind? Is this sentence really there but in invisible font?” Actually, that was a logical question, not a stupid one, but I know the computer was testing me, asking “Are you sure you’re not just imagining this? Are you sure this missing- but-not-missing scenario is not all in your head?”.

I know what I can see … and can’t see, WordPress – what do you think I am? Don’t you dare answer that!

So, how was your day? Or is that a stupid question?