Blogger Blues aka Technology Turns Traitor.

Your life has been made so much easier with technology or has it?

It was supposed to have been a simple break to visit family and friends. You can write anywhere, can’t you?
I mean the net is worldwide and if you can connect then location doesn’t matter.
However, being on first name terms with Murphy, I took certain precautions.

First of all, you don’t take things for granted in Africa because reality is different from what’s advertised.
I checked that my service provider had coverage where I was going and I took a backup system in case Murphy had other plans.

My computer had picked up a bad habit of showing me a blue screen, telling me it didn’t like certain pieces of hardware like my mouse and my mobile phone.
This set my alarm bells ringing.
Little changed; despite diligently searching for solutions from the manufacturer and the net.

I strongly suspected that Murphy was involved and I took the necessary precautions of routine maintenance and backups.

I arrived at my destination to find there was no coverage.
No problem, I was prepared – only to find Murphy’s hidden hand.
My mobile’s USB cable was nowhere to be found. I’d packed the wrong cable.
In Africa, you must always be prepared to make a plan so I wasn’t too bothered although a bit frustrated.

The following day I went to three different suppliers who all told me the same story – no stock.
My frustration levels began to rise when they said their new orders would arrive within a few days. I wasn’t impressed.

I went to another supplier and found the cable I was looking for, but the price made me wonder if they’d made it out of gold or some other precious metal.
As I walked through the mall, a thought struck me. Why not use Bluetooth?

I’m a farm boy when it comes to understanding the intimate life of a computer, but I can work out a few of the basic problems.
I’d never used Bluetooth before to connect to the net but it was worth a try.

Full of newfound hope, I tried out my idea but once again discovered the hidden hand.
No matter what I tried, my computer refused to acknowledge that Bluetooth existed. I knew it was lying because I’d used it before.

I tried the usual routines of clearing out the cache and the registry but nothing happened. I then made the fatal mistake of listening to the on-screen instructions and rebooting.
My computer went on strike and insulted me continuously with blue screens filled with jargon that I never knew existed.

Suffice it to say, I spent a number of hours resurrecting my machine which time could’ve been used far more profitably.

I am convinced that computers and technology were designed to encourage man to accept there are hidden forces at work in the universe.
I’ve even heard a few non-believers pray when their computers have crashed.

Points to ponder.

• • Why isn’t technology designed to be compatible?
  • Why is the hardware so different?
    Is it to make the product unique or to make you buy more accessories?
  • Why is software not universal so that all systems can operate together?
  • How many hours have you wasted due to technology failure or because of the above?
  • What steps would you take to prevent a scenario like the above from happening again?

It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are.
Clive James