I've been posting mainly political stuff lately, so I thought I'd give it a rest today and discuss my other main interest-computers and technology. And much like politics, it can be both an exhilarating and frustrating experience. Lately, mostly frustrating.
About 3 weeks ago, I took my beloved laptop computer in to be repaired, as it had lapsed into a coma back at the end of August. I waited until now to take it in because I just didn't have the money to pay for any repairs that might be required. This week I got the bad news that my poor laptop was truly dead. It seems that the internal fan had quit working and the insides got "fried", as the repairman called it. The entire motherboard would have to be replaced, which would cost more than a new computer. (A moment of silence, please, for the dear departed)
The hard drive was OK and I had it put into an external USB enclosure so I can use it on another computer, at least. No data on it, as I knew there wouldn't be, as I had tried to re-format the drive to re-install Windows back when it first crashed. Since August I have been using an old desktop on which I am now running Ubuntu Linux instead of Windows. Windows ran way too slow, and kept giving me error messages that I could not figure out the cause of. So I ditched Windows in favor of Linux. Yes, I'm a bit of a computer geek, in case you're wondering--what the hell is Ubuntu Linux?
Anyway, the day I picked up my now- deceased laptop, I stopped at a mall nearby the computer repair shop. While there I wandered into Best Buy, just to take a look around. Ended up buying a new 17" widescreen LCD monitor to replace the old 14" CRT monitor I'd been straining my eyes looking at for the past few months. Kind of an impulse buy, but I needed to cheer myself up after the loss of my laptop. It is such a huge improvement over the old monitor! So much brighter and crisper picture--definitely worth the money.
My tech troubles didn't end there, though. Earlier today, after installing a wireless ethernet card and making a few tweaks to the system, I had problems getting back online. Finally got things going again after a frustrating hour or two. The wireless card still isn't working, so I need to do some research to see exactly how to get it working under Linux. I'm not that much of a Linux geek yet, I guess.
Finally after getting the computer working again, I went to unplug my cell phone from the charger, only to find it had gotten a small amount of water on it. Apparently I'd spilled some water while filling my coffee maker and hadn't noticed it due to the problems I was having with the computer. So now the phone is not working! And it wasn't a lot of water--just seemed to be a few drops, which I dried off soon as I saw it. But enough must have leaked inside to cause a problem. Maybe in a day or two it will dry out and start working--who knows? It's not an expensive phone-I can replace it for about $20, but it's still annoying.
So there you have it....my tale of "Trouble in Tech Land". I just hope this story doesn't have a sequel !
Today is SuperBowl Sunday--Tuesday is Super Tuesday, so if you live in a state holding a primary, get out and VOTE ! (Sorry, couldn't resist a little politics)
Ron Paul 2008 !!!
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