Our lab, like many labs, do not synthesize our own DNA in-house. However, we do use a lot of synthetic DNA – mostly in the form of primers or oligos for cloning, making siRNA, and sequencing. For our purposes, we have set up an account with Integrated DNA Technologies, or, IDT. It has been my experience that this website is incredibly slow. At first I thought that it was simply this computer, from which I order oligos 86% of the time (14% of the time I order them from home).  Another possibility is that the internet connection at work and at home is slow.  But I have tested these hypotheses carefully and the data suggests that it is in fact the IDT website. Here’s what I have for data:

1. All other websites on this computer and the one at home are not noticeably slow.

2. This website regularly crashes or is unbearably slow on the two computers I’ve tested in a neighboring lab. This also holds true for all 3 of the computers in the library, mine at home, and the one at the house of a friend (yes, I have a friend).

3. Even as I type this, that website is still loading so I can copy the url here for the link I am going to put above.

So today I had a new adventure. There is an adorable little box in the top right corner of the order page that has been tempting me since I started ordering oligos when I was two. It looks like this:

Well, I finally gave in.  I must admit that I was ambivalent about it.  On the one hand, I have a rough history with this website, so I knew my expectations should be hovering around zero, but on the other hand, look at that face!  I was hoping, I suppose, for high-definition video chat with real-time expert help for any of the oligo-ordering concerns I could come up with.

So, folks, here we go.  After a pop-up window indicated that I was in the first position in line for help, I was hopeful.  4 minutes later, with my undergrad sitting next to me, both of us with bated breath, ‘Ross’ opens a chat window and asks us what our problem is.  Our problem was complex, interesting, and I was hoping that after spending a total of about 15 minutes getting in touch with ‘Ross’ and explaining what was going on that he would do some fancy manipulations on the back end of the website and recover what was apparently saved yesterday but inaccesible today.  Alas, we were disappointed.  Instructions to clear our browser history and re-enter our order was a let-down I was expecting, but my undergrad was let down as well.

“Poor Lissy” has become a mantra in the lab that I hope will not persist.  “Lissy” is not her actual name, but we’ll call her that for now.  Fortunately it’s kind of a joke, but it’s also kind of not.  However, she has a good sense of humor so far, and I hope we won’t break her too soon.  But, more on that later.