Day: June 12, 2016

Technological Time-Suck

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Any organization whose primary business goal is to be everything to everyone and who requires that you create a fully portable profile.

I’m looking at you, Microsoft… particularly when it comes to XBox profiles.

Hey, any parents out there thinking about converting your kid’s local XBox 360 profile into a full-fledged Microsoft Gamertag with the ability to actually, you know, download game updates, join online games, and such: not possible.

After finding out that you can’t create the account on the Xbox, but have to use a computer. Then after finding out that the standard troubleshooting is “clear cache and reboot”. Then seeing that it’s just Microsoft’s blatant hatred for Macs. Then… then I finally stumbled across this little gem while searching the MS sites for more help with converting local profiles to full-fledged gamer accounts: “Note This feature is currently unavailable for child accounts. We are currently working on a solution. Please check back.”

And, a bit more frustrating is that I saw some forum posts from waaay back in 2012 that described the problem (and frustration with it). 2012. Four years ago.

Still. Not. Fixed.

Oh, by the way, if you’re thinking that you’ll just instead try to create a brand new account for your kid on the XBox.com site through their official process, then figure you’ll just add it to your XBox. Doesn’t work that way, my friend. “That account already belongs to a different profile. Please select another.”

You know what? Just give your kid an iPad and an allowance in the App Store. At least it actually works as advertised and as expected.

Repair Facilities are for Repairs

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Parked safe and sound after 11 long hours next to I95 plus another 2 hours to rig up a solution to get us off the Highway and away from the swaying influence of traffic.

Those 2 hours included the 16 mile trek to the Auto Tow and Repair shop at 10-15 miles an hour. Thankfully only a mile of that was to the closest exit but the rest were on surface streets through small coastal towns in Connecticut with a yellow light flashing escort at “last call” on a Saturday night. More than one group of people on the side of the road partying stopped to gawk.

The angle the fifth wheel was sitting at on the side of the road was nerve racking, a bit nauseating and frankly a bit scary to me. It is one thing to have a flat, you just change the tire and be on your way, but to have all the wheel studs sheer off… Challenging.

We’re parked. Safe. We can be here till the parts are able to be procured. We don’t have much water onboard and I will have to get some more paper plates, bowls and cups to limit use. We have our own beds, food in the fridge and we will go exploring in a bit.