don't you just love when family and friends know you as the hacker?

@DinohScene - this, so much. Most of my close family members ask me for advice, and then we get into a shouting match over it. (My mum almost paid $40 for a cracked copy of MS Office 2016.) And then she yelled at me for not letting her complete the transaction. (Luckily, it was local.)

I've modded 3DSes for friends, and they actually thank me for it. Sometimes I just think people need a good kick in the head.

@astrangeone that reminds me the day I've ran a bat script on my uncle's laptop because he pissed me off. Destroyed all data. Had to reinstall it all. Of course, he was as dumb as a stick, so he assumed that he "accidentally" installed a virus.

Summer 2012, always remember hahaha.

PS: We're in good terms now. It was a day we were fighting for pointless bullshit. Good thing, he earned the lesson of not installing anything.

@Vinscool - this just happened. We were having Internet problems (Bell had an issue with the decaying ground line and we just had to wait until someone actually installed a new ground line/junction box.) and my mum wanted me to check her email on my smartphone for her. I did, but then realized that she'd see my hotmail/google plus avatar (rainbow symbol + the chinese symbol for love) and I actually stopped accessing the Internet on my phone saying that "Sorry, I can't access the Internet either."

It's the case of "be nice" OR the tech guy/gal in the house won't help out with your bullshit.

I've done the "Ooops, sorry, I have to reformat and install stuff on your Windows installation" thing for people who piss me off.

I like being a person that friends and family come to for tech advice. I've always had a thirst for knowledge and still love to learn in my mid 40s. What I learned pretty early on is that the greatest use of knowledge gained is using it to help others.

They only know you can do this stuff because you made them, or someone, aware of it. But I've done the same in the past and paid the same price. It's like having a pickup truck in college -- you're everyone's best friend at the end of the semester (when it's time to pack shit and go home for the summer).

@astrangeone - Yeh, I'm surprised computer illiterate people can still function in this day and age (except for the elderly)
The thing I hate the most about those people is their complete lack of respect for those who fix their stupid shit.
I once reinstalled Windows on a laptop for a family member, set up an AV as well as defrag and cleaning tools.
Left a super simple instruction of what to do once a week in a text file and told him it was done.
Instead of a thank you, I immediately got complaints about his stupid titty wallpaper being gone (I just fucking reinstalled everything you fuck) and his other data being gone (well you gave me permission to delete everything cause you where so stupid enough to download pornography as an exe file)
After that, he yelled at me that I must revert everything (kinda impossible as I bloody wiped your HDD).

I spent an entire evening downloading and installing drivers, making sure everything was speedy and up to date as well as secured and easy to use, and I got that kind of rubbish instead of a fucking thank you!?

Family still doesn't understand why I distance meself from them and don't acknowledge their existence.
Told them many times before that the main issue with them was me being gay (they can't accept it, hell one religious twat even said I should come to church with them cause Jesus would heal me ;')) and they not wanting to accept that.
The other issues where me being treated as rubbish by them all, none would ever fucking ask me "how's you doing?"
Not to mention the shunning of me whenever they see me until they need me.

Fucking profiteers.
Better off without them.

/rant.

Helping seems nice because it strokes your ego, it feels good to be the wise guy everyone asks for an opinion or for assistance, but in truth they come to you because you're frequently right and your services are free. Don't do it to yourself, man - you will never shake them off until a younger tech support guru, like an in-law, enters the picture, shows off one time too many and lets you hang up your spurs. Your time is worth money. DIY is the way to go. You show someone something a million times and the million and first time they'll ask you how to do it. You ask them to just Google it and do it once and they'll remember it for the rest of their lives.

This blog sounds like ''hey look everyone! I can glow too!'' .,you ate a firefly you're cool..i mean you glow.. ..

@Justinde75 It does to people who have absolutely no idea about it.

I'm not one, but what's wrong with ethical hackers?

I like it. It makes me look smarter then I am and more adults respect me.

I fucking love that title. My family calls me the hacker since I know so much. My other nickname was Tech Support...Glad that's over.