Subscribe to RSS 2.0WWRD?
Rob thinking
He really is a genius, that Rob. Honestly, you can ask him anything and he'll either know the answer or, more cleverly, know how to go about getting the answer.
So this morning I absolutely had to get the printer working. I had done something stupid to it last week and hadn't got round to fixing it - but today I need to print three books out to meet a prize entry deadline. I spent from 7.30 to 9am trying it my way. I think I uninstalled some drivers (turns out I just deleted the shortcut); I swapped the cables for fresh ones and researched the problem on't interweb. Still it didn't work.
So I gave up and phoned Rob, who, in three minutes flat, had given me a three-step plan to follow. And, of course, it worked. (Uninstall the printer and drivers from Add/ remove programs; restart; reinstall from disc.) Thing is, I could have asked him, to which I would have received a well-thought-through and accurate answer, whether a particularly complicated bit of prose was parsed correctly. Or what to do if my dishwasher was broken. Or how soon after exercise I should eat for optimal insulin levels. Or how to set up the new Waterstone's central distribution centre without melting the company down for six months.
So in honour of him saving the day once again, and for being a super pal, I am initiating a new occasional strand to this blog, called WWRD? (What Would Rob Do?) Feel free to send in your questions, queries and puzzles on anything from IT to strategy, grammar to DIY. He doesn't know this yet, but I'm sure he'll be delighted to answer your questions.
Comments: 6
O Rob, fount of wisdom,
How do I go about becoming a polymath? Please don't tell me it just takes age and experience, because that's the answer for everything.
Posted by: KatharineC on September 13, 2007 01:46 PM
So how do you get Pandora to work without a US zip code?
Posted by: JonathanM on September 13, 2007 04:34 PM
Rob,
How do we avoid getting eaten by Tiger sharks in Hawai'i?
We're in Hawai'i, obviously.
And we would like to go in the water, obviously.
David and Claire.
Posted by: david and claire cahill on September 14, 2007 06:26 AM
So, Katherine, bearing in mind you're asking a tongue-in-cheek question responding to a tongue-in-cheek blog post, I could still tell you what I know. I was never any good at school because I was studying what other people told me to study. As soon as I started studying whatever interested me whenever it interested me, I found I went from having no recall to having lots. I think people should pamper and indulge any intellectual curiosity they possess. Feeding that curiosity becomes fun and it grows big and strong as a result.
And Jonathan: I visit Anna in Minneapolis from time to time, so I fed Pandora Anna's zip code instead of my non-existent UK one. And it seemed happy after that. Also, there are hacks on the interweb if you look. Haven't tested them though.
And to the Mr and Mrs Cahills: Congratulations! I've got a few comedy answers to your question but I'm afraid if I say them and you guys get eaten I'll feel terrible. So to be on the safe side, only go in the water when there are plenty of slower swimmers around.
Posted by: Rob on September 14, 2007 07:28 AM
J, whenever I need a US zip code I use the only one I know - Beverly Hills 90210. Those wasted teenage years were good for something.
Posted by: Em on September 14, 2007 07:47 AM
Emma, I laughed out loud at your post. I never would have thought of that.
I offer up my zip code for use if anyone wants it: 20716.
Rob, thank you. It's actually a very helpful answer, because I presumed that polymaths all set out vigorously to learn stuff instead of just wandering around the library a lot looking for stuff to be interested in. My memory cells all seem to be used up remembering who worked with whom and who was married to whom in Hollywood (example: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., son of Douglas Fairbanks but NOT of Mary Pickford, was married to Joan Crawford for a few years [God bless him], and his nickname for her was Billie), but if I ever forget any of that stuff I'll try to indulge my interests in carpentry and Russian history.
Posted by: KatharineC on September 14, 2007 01:34 PM