I'd like to congratulate myself for arranging perfect weather for the grandkids' visit, but that kind of hubris is bound to backfire. I'm the kind of person who feels the need to apologize when weather ruins a family outing, but that doesn't mean I'll allow myself to take credit when the weather turns out well. But there it is: sunny and 70s, not a storm cloud in sight. Let the grandchildren arrive!
Recent storms did, however, leave behind some lingering effects, and I'm not just talking about the two throw rugs that were hanging outside to dry in bright sunshine when the sky suddenly opened and drenched them thoroughly. Two days later they're still not dry, but never mind that: the bigger problem is that my home internet connection has been totally out of service since the big storm on Monday, and the rain caused the usual excess of static on the landline, and since there's no cell-phone access at my house, I'm left with no reliable way to contact the outside world. I'll be so busy enjoying the grandkids that I'm unlikely to care about the outside world, but still: anyone who tries to reach me for the next couple of days is going to be greeted by either silence or static, neither one particularly helpful.
And then there's another knottier telecom issue arising next week: our campus is moving to two-factor authentication for campus email, which at first looked like it would make it impossible for me to check my campus email from home since I don't have cell-phone access. But now they're providing a landline option, which means that if I want to check my campus email from home, all I need to do is make sure both my internet connection and my landline are functioning at the same time. The people who set up this system clearly have no clue what it's like to live in a holler in Appalachia. It might be easier just to sell my house and move into town.
But not today. Today I've got fresh peaches in the kitchen, bright sunshine overhead, wood thrushes singing and kingfishers cackling, and grandkids arriving soon. Let the outside world do what it wants; I'm heading into grandkid-land and I'm not coming out until I have to.
3 comments:
Does their dual factor not allow for an internet checking option? We have a system where if you have internet, you can set it up to give you a code to put into the app's authentification instead of them sending a push notification to approve on the cell. (I have multiple methods set up at home because I often misplace my cell phone).
For $$ here you can also buy a usb stick to put into your computer that somehow automatically approves dual factor.
These are solved problems and your uni needs to get with the times!
If it is Microsoft MultiFactorAuthentication (MFA), you can link and use the Microsoft Authenticator app on your phone. As long as the phone and the laptop have internet you'll be good to go!
Thanks for the suggestions. It's good to know that these problems have solutions, but whenever I try to talk to our IT people about any of this, I get the feeling that I'm the problem. If only I would be reasonable and move to civilization, their lives would be so much easier!
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