The Curious Case of the Foot-Fueled Computer Crash: A Factory Tale from Tech Support
Picture this: You’re a machine setup tech in a bustling factory, the sort of place where logic and common sense can get trampled under a steel-toed boot. The decision-makers have just left for the day, all smiles and empty promises, and you’re left to keep the gears turning. Suddenly, your radio crackles—another “computer emergency.” But this isn’t an IT job. In fact, it’s not even supposed to be your problem. Yet fate (and one supervisor’s wandering foot) has other plans.
Welcome to the hilarious world of r/TalesFromTechSupport, where today’s star is a micro PC, a clueless supervisor, and the humble shelf that brought them together—and apart—over and over again.
When Tech Support Isn’t Supposed to Be Your Job
Let’s set the stage: Our storyteller, u/Linda_Lissen, is a setup technician, not a member of the IT or maintenance crew. Yet, thanks to a reputation for actually solving problems, every minor hiccup in the department lands right on their lap. The cell leader, whose main skill seems to be “monitor staring,” calls in a panic: “My computer doesn’t work.”
The diagnosis? Well, it’s not rocket science. The micro PC—one of those Next Unit of Computing (NUC) boxes—won’t power up. A quick inspection reveals the culprit: the power cord isn’t plugged in. But why?
Turns out, the cell leader has a habit of resting his foot on the same shelf where the NUC lives—sometimes jostling, sometimes outright kicking it off. Each time the PC plummets, the power cord pops out. Each time, the “emergency” repeats. The supervisor’s solution? Repeatedly hammering the monitor’s power button as if it’s a slot machine. (Spoiler: It never paid out.)
Fixing the User, Not the Computer
Here’s where the tale takes a turn from tech troubleshooting to something more…human. As u/Equivalent-Salary357 wryly observed in the comments, this is a classic case of “fixing the user, not the computer.” The real bug wasn’t in the hardware—it was in the operator’s oblivious foot placement.
Our tech hero, recognizing that logic wasn’t going to solve the problem, got creative. Instead of another fruitless lecture about power cords, they sourced a sturdy block for the supervisor to rest his foot on. “To reduce the vibrations on the shelf,” they explained, with the sort of tact only years in a factory can teach. Problem solved—at least as far as the PC (and the power cable) were concerned.
The solution was so elegant that it became legend on the shop floor. The first and third shift cell leaders shared the tale, and the next day, our tech received a congratulatory handshake for their “IT fix”—wink included.
A Community of NUC-kleheads (and Their Laughs)
The r/TalesFromTechSupport community couldn’t resist piling on with their own insights and puns. As u/djdaedalus42 pointed out, the mini PC in question is called a NUC (Next Unit of Computing), making the supervisor, in their words, a true “NUCklehead.” It’s the kind of groan-worthy pun that only tech support veterans can fully appreciate, and it quickly became the top comment.
Meanwhile, u/Aln76467 chimed in, grateful for the technical explanation: “Oh so that’s what NUC means.” Because even in a story about clueless supervisors, we’re all learning something new.
And the consensus? The community loved the “people fix” almost as much as the punchline itself. There’s a quiet heroism in recognizing when you can’t change the system—or the user—but you can change the circumstances. Sometimes, the best tech support isn’t about knowing every detail of the hardware. It’s about knowing how to keep someone’s foot out of the problem.
Lessons from the Factory Floor
What’s the moral of this story? Maybe it’s that you can’t always teach common sense, but you can sometimes outmaneuver it. Maybe it’s that sometimes being the “Happy Helper” means finding a workaround, not a fix. Or maybe it’s just that, in the wild world of tech support, nothing is ever as simple—or as ridiculous—as it seems.
As our narrator’s story makes clear, the best tech support professionals aren’t just troubleshooters. They’re diplomats, improvisers, and, occasionally, interior designers. When the user won’t change, sometimes the environment must.
So next time your computer mysteriously “breaks,” check your feet first. And if you ever find yourself with a NUC-klehead on your shift, remember: Sometimes, it takes a block of wood to build a bridge to understanding.
Your Turn: Share Your “Foot-in-the-PC” Moments!
Have you ever solved a tech problem by “fixing” the user instead of the gear? Do you have a favorite tale of workplace absurdity, NUC-kleheads, or feet in the wrong place? Drop your stories in the comments below, or let us know how you’d have handled this factory foot fiasco. In the end, it’s these stories that keep us all just a little bit saner—and a lot more entertained.
Original Reddit Post: Just don't put your foot there