From The New Yorker

As we all know, Murphy’s Law states that “anything than can go wrong will go wrong.”  Most of us who survive into adulthood have had experience with that particular law.

I propose that there should be a similar law that deals specifically with new-age technology problems.  It should state that “everything that can go wrong will go wrong at the wrong time and in the wrong place.”         It might be called the Berners-Lee Law.

Tim Berners-Lee is credited with inventing the World Wide Web in 1989, twenty years after the establishment of what we know as the “internet.”  So, in my mind, if Dr. Tim gets the credit, he also should be honored when it’s time to place blame.  And if you’ve ever had a major computer melt-down (and who hasn’t?) you know that “operator error” just doesn’t cut it.  It is absolutely necessary to place blame!

From The New Yorker

My current situation is a perfect example.  I am on a mini-vacation four hours (and sometimes five) away from home staying at a very spiffy (and totally expensive) hotel with the latest in Ethernet connectivity etc. etc. ad nauseum.  But on Saturday morning, I could not post my blog. I was “Forbidden” (yes that’s what the message said and still says today, Sunday) from entering my log-in site.  (I would like to mention here that, as many of my fans and FaceBook friends noted, I could get onto my blog site.  It was the “back forty” – the part that allows me to edit and post my blogs – that I could not enter.)

As noted it was Saturday and chances of reaching my webmaster were slim to none.  Nevertheless, I put out a help message on FaceBook (which, it should be noted, is one of the things that can indirectly be put on the credit side of the Berners-Lee ledger.)  After some time, my webmaster did, indeed, reach me and let me know that she was far, far away on a much needed vacation of her own.

From The New Yorker

And, she asked, didn’t I get the memo last week concerning this very problem and telling me what to do about it?    (Short answer:  No.)  She kindly took enough time from her holiday to send (or maybe resend) the memo which was all about a “Denial of Service Attack” that was happening to servers all over the country and what to do if  I found myself in the victims category.  I followed the instructions carefully,  but… to no avail.

More communication between me-the-vacationing-client and my webmaster-also-vacationing-or-trying-to. The possibilities seemed overwhelming.  Maybe, I was being frozen out because of too many tries to enter.  Maybe it was the Ethernet connection at above-mentioned spiffy hotel.  Maybe…

I’m happy to blame Dr. Tim and the Berners-Lee Law.  Meanwhile, I’m taking the philosophical high road:  Shit happens.