Tantrums of logging on.

It was a normal day when I was doing my usual work at office. A known tune started ringing on my cell phone. Without even checking the number/name flashing on the phone I knew it was from home - [Ring tone is set to the song "masakkali masakkali"]

Dad on the other end wanted step by step procedure to logon to my laptop and then he needed to logon to gmail. We've (Sis and me)been telling him to learn this bit from quite some time now. Not that he is unaware of the keys,he does have first hand experience working with Url's and other computer basics while he was in his tenure. But this techie stuff is something that doesn't get onto his heads now at this age within a go. I proudly admire his attempt to learn and excel it.

Now, it was a day when sis was still in Australia and Dad wanted to catch her online. Why now? Can we do it tomorrow.- Asked I. No we have some relatives at home, so it would be nice if we can get her online now - came the respone. (Some relatives who had come from a rural village would definitely be wondering on seeing the technology that has grown so wide.Now you know the intention behind this exercise :) ).

Here goes the lines between the two of us:


Dad: Hey Ashwini, I have switched on the power button and the Windows has come up asking your password? What's it?

Me : Okay Type in Caps(X)then rest in xxxxxx [of course encrypted here guys]

Dad: It did not accept. Tell me the password again.

Me : Appa[I address him this way] , did you make sure you have only the first letter in Caps and the rest in small notes.

Dad: Oh maybe the Capslock was on for the entire password. Let me try....... [second hit it let him in] .Now your photo is appearing. Nice one it is.

Me: Ok so you logged on. [I not stop my smile]. Next hit on the Start button at the left bottom on the screen.

Dad: There is no start button. only one windows circle is what I see.

Me: Ok appa, click on that only, that is the start.

[Now came the problem of using the inbuilt laptop mouse for clicking. It was fun explaining him how to find the right and left click buttons on the laptop. I almost jumped in joy when he said he successfully managed to click]

If you are not able to click on that , you can hit second key left of the spacebar on the keyboard and that will bring up the start menu.

Dad: Yes I that came up now. I found the IE and was able to click on it.

Me : Good appa. Now on the URL type - gmail.com and hit enter.

Dad: how to delete the existing URL[this was a little challenging for him as the delete button was not in its usual place and to backspace the characters the cursor was at the start of the URL. Finally with a little adventure he was able to figure out the way to type in]

Me : Now go and enter the user id and password.

Dad: okay. [By now he had mastered the clicking and he was pretty fast.]

While he was doing this I somehow guessed that battery might be dying out and asked him to plug in the power chord. Whoa that was yet a lovely discovery. Getting him pick the right adaptor from a heap of wires and asking him to plug it to the correct point.

Me : Now do you see "Compose mail", "Inbox", ... "Chat" on the left hand side.

Dad: Wait it says still loading.

Me : hmmm ...

Dad: Yes I see Chat and under it your name is there , below that it says "you are invisible"

Me : Okay that is fine, now click on it and make is "available"

Dad: I did it.

Me : Oh god you got it done right. Now scroll down a bit and do you see "Archana"'s name ?

Dad: Hey there is one other name something - xxx.sssd , if I delete that then I will be able to see her name I think?

[He had missed the scroll bar on the right and by the time he realized it, the network at home had taken a toll.I got to know about it as I see my name go invisible again - I was logged on to another gmail account from my desk. Clever me :) ]

Dad had got in right after taking all those troubles and when he was almost there it was all gone. I can guess how he might have felt. Then he said "Leave it Ashwini. Ask her to call up now. Lets check this out in the evening".

I instant messaged Sis to make a call on the telephone. I was actually messaging her on the otherside of how I am teaching appa to login. We were having some fun and smileys exchanged

So that night after I reached home first thing I showed Dad was the right scroll bar and how one can find names of people who are online. He learnt a new thing being an obedient student. 3 cheers for the success - Logging on to the laptop on his own.

PS: Please check the new page for the Url of my photoblog - Unveil the colors - a short colorful journey of my captures. Also have a flash version of it.