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CHIRP

IT issues are funny when happening to other people, and this story is no exception. I was on a business trip with a senior colleague who insisted on using his laptop to project a document to review with the client. Knowing he routinely experienced IT issues, I offered to use my laptop. He continued to insist and so I figured it would be best to let him try. As you might expect, it wasn’t such a great idea after all. 
He began by powering on his laptop and attempting to insert his login credentials. With each keystroke, the computer emitted an error beep (the kind of startling system error beep your computer makes when it’s about to implode). He tried to type in his password, or shall I say “beeped” in his password, over and over again until I offered to use my laptop again. No such luck. He restarted it and managed to log in, and shortly thereafter his laptop started making bird sounds and loudly chirping. Initially, I thought it might have been a ringtone or serious jet lag on my part, but I noticed that it happened as his computer connected and reconnected to the network. Who knew a laptop could chirp?
The client was confused yet sympathetic given his senior status, but things got worse. Once the chirping subsided as the connection became stable, he managed to project the document from his laptop to the meeting room screen. Except that he rotated his screen 90 degrees so nobody could make sense of the document. Again, I offered to use my computer or help him troubleshoot, but he refused. He struggled in vain to rotate the screen to be upright, while I pretended to rifle through my bag for a notebook and covertly laugh. After these IT issues continued for the entire duration of the scheduled meeting, the client had to leave for their next meetings. My colleague was furious and exclaimed that we hadn’t even had a chance to get started. Little did he know, we all got our daily dose of entertainment with the beeping, rotating screens and chirping!