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Thursday, September 24, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Computer Fun
The fires are long gone, but that doesn't mean hell has frozen, at least here on the Hill. I am a technology junkie and have been since childhood. I've had professional and person success in that particular industry and even though I've lamented certain practices in the technology realm - in my opinion, computers have primarily been a boon to modern society.
That is, when they work. When they don't, then it's sometimes akin to hell on earth.
Case in point, my four year-old Toshiba Tablet PC suddenly decided it was tired of using its built-in display, forcing me to scramble around on Friday morning until I could hook it up to my external monitor. Meanwhile, I'm trying to decide if I can just live in this split mode or have to break down and get a new laptop).
You may ask if I'm such a techie, why don't I just fix it? Well, I spent several hours on Friday and Saturday adjusting drivers & configuration settings, running diagnostics and fiddling around in general. My conclusion is that this is a hardware issue that can only be fixed by an authorized Toshiba service establishment. It's very unlikely that the cost of repair will make sense in light of the relative low cost of new laptops. And while its replacement won't be a tablet PC (I don't use those features anymore), there are a number of applications I've installed on this one that would be difficult for me to reestablish on a new one. Even if I could find the installation files and the registration codes for the purchased programs, it would take me hours to reconstruct my new environment. Who has that kind of time?
This problematic computer doesn't leave me high and dry, computer-wise. I still have my trusty Aspire One, my primary writing computer (primarily because of its size and battery length) and my MacBook Pro, my latest favorite computer toy. It's just I hate being in a TBD state with my technology. I like fast solutions and none are in the offing.
So, technology challenges are the concern of the day at the Villa in these waning summer days. I'm sure this story will eventually have a happy ending, but until then, I'll remain in computer hell or at least a form of limbo.
Until next time, stay true to your technology!
Michael
That is, when they work. When they don't, then it's sometimes akin to hell on earth.
Case in point, my four year-old Toshiba Tablet PC suddenly decided it was tired of using its built-in display, forcing me to scramble around on Friday morning until I could hook it up to my external monitor. Meanwhile, I'm trying to decide if I can just live in this split mode or have to break down and get a new laptop).
You may ask if I'm such a techie, why don't I just fix it? Well, I spent several hours on Friday and Saturday adjusting drivers & configuration settings, running diagnostics and fiddling around in general. My conclusion is that this is a hardware issue that can only be fixed by an authorized Toshiba service establishment. It's very unlikely that the cost of repair will make sense in light of the relative low cost of new laptops. And while its replacement won't be a tablet PC (I don't use those features anymore), there are a number of applications I've installed on this one that would be difficult for me to reestablish on a new one. Even if I could find the installation files and the registration codes for the purchased programs, it would take me hours to reconstruct my new environment. Who has that kind of time?
This problematic computer doesn't leave me high and dry, computer-wise. I still have my trusty Aspire One, my primary writing computer (primarily because of its size and battery length) and my MacBook Pro, my latest favorite computer toy. It's just I hate being in a TBD state with my technology. I like fast solutions and none are in the offing.
So, technology challenges are the concern of the day at the Villa in these waning summer days. I'm sure this story will eventually have a happy ending, but until then, I'll remain in computer hell or at least a form of limbo.
Until next time, stay true to your technology!
Michael
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