Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Life and Death Among Computers

Laptops, for me, seem to last about three or four years – sometimes even less. I’ve always thought that Detroit was guilty of “built-in obsolescence,” but I think the computer industry could be just as guilty.

About two weeks ago, my previous laptop began showing signs of what appeared to be pests and a day or two later simply wouldn’t complete the boot. Fortunately it at least came on, and so I figured the Geeks could do some surgical repair and revive it.

After four days in intensive Geek care, I got the death call. The machine was in a coma and it was just a matter of time. They could remove all the important internal organs, and if I acted quickly in buying a new instrument, they could preserve the body parts long enough for a successful transplant.

Within hours a new laptop (pic above) was ready for the implants and a day later was up and running (with nice upgrades, to boot).

It’s funny how quickly the emotional ties disappear – even from an old buddy. How quickly we lose attachments that no longer serve us. In fact, there will not even be a memorial of any kind. Sounds cold, I know.

But the truth is that the new laptop is already a friendly, functional companion, and the old data and pics have gained their lifelike qualities once again.

Rest in peace, former buddy. Someday, somewhere, there is a chance you might be resurrected.

2 comments:

Vikki said...

Seven years ago I bought a top of the line desktop computer. It has served me well all these years but suffers from the harsh signs of aging. It just cannot keep up with my demands for speed and my need to multitask. After hearing about the death of your laptop I took a long look at my desktop...tired and breathless it complained anytime I asked it to do several things at once. I visited the Dell site and was instantly captivated by another top of the line machine. With a few clicks of my mouse, I made the new computer mine. It will be here in a few days. I may miss the old machine. Together we produced textbooks, manuals, and countless other projects. However, getting rid of it will finally force me to do something I haven't done in years...clean my desk!

Roger Koskela said...

I'm totally happy if I've had any part in anything that results in a clean desk! However, I've never had one. :)