It is the Operator Stupid!

I teach university faculty, staff, students how to use all types of technologies.  Years ago my fellow grad student J. Russet and I toured the science education conference circuit teaching the Internet for Non Nerds. This was back when teachers were sure the World Wide Web was a just a silly fad....... Anyway, after many more lessons to teachers as the Internet caught on  I have learned a lot about teaching technology.

The first thing I say to newbies who are new to a technology or a software is there is a learning curve; get ready for  time and frustration commitment. 

The second thing I say is that "It is the operator, not the software or the computer thingie. (Still keep the non-nerd language in or you are sunk.)  Students, faculty, friends, etc call me and say.  "I tried to do this but it didn't work.  The (insert appropriate thingie) doesn't work. "  Then I say, "Yes, it does.  Close it out, open it up and start again.  It is the operator. Take your time, analyze what you are doing and you might even want to read the directions."

Now, how does this fit to Divas and guns?  My son, Jon Kydd Tharpe, (He hates the middle name but he was born in 1970 so what can he expect?  I didn't call him Rain, Thunder, or Forest and then Kydd.  He should be glad.), sold me his Walther pk380.  I love it.  It is my first ever gun to own all by myself.

I had it shipped to my friendly FFL, Chuck's Gun Shop here in Brownsville, (  He is gorgeous.  Sorry Divas, he is happily married.) and took it over to American Firing Range to shoot.  The first magazine went perfect.  Then it started jamming.  The gun was broken!

I took it home, cleaned it, took out the spring in the magazine, stretched it out, and put everything together.  Took it back to the range.

Checked for limp wrist, flinching when I fired it, held it straight, racked the hell out of the slide......

Nada.  It would not even shoot.  It was for sure  broken.

I called my FFL in Ohio Alan Fomorin (Yes, Divas he is single AND a great cook!) at MetalXWorks and my son Jon, and took it to Chuck's and when I described the problem no one could not figure out what was wrong. 

Well, remember my second saying, "It is the operator, not the thingie".  I was racking the slide so hard I was pushing the safety down.  I though it was a miss fire, waited the appropriate amount of time and when I checked it, the bullets were jammed.  I totally confused the gun.

Now the operator works.  However we will keep this a secret.  This may be something that I will never live down.