Friday, January 11, 2013

A Respite

The PC's blood pressure is up.

So, let's take tonight to chill out and ignore the mind boggling amount of bug fuckery going on in the world today, and allow The Blog to indulge in a bit of pointless rambling...

According to numerous sources, the average working life span of a home computer is four years.






Last month, my first generation Mac G5 turned ten years old.

That is ancient in tech years.

The first gen G5 was made with the old Motorola processor. Later models replaced the Motorola processor with an Intel processor. For that reason, Apple's newer operating systems, (Leopard, Snow Leopard, or whatever the fuck jungle cat that latest version of OSX is called,) can't be used on my old warhorse.

And, for that reason, about a year ago, certain out of date programs (or "apps" as the kids call them) could no longer be updated on my machine.

Out of date web browser plug-ins cannot be updated.

The two, new printers that replaced the two that crapped out last year have some serious communication failures that have required The Blog to deploy some ingenuity to come up with work-arounds to force the printers to, well, print.


                                                            "What we have, here, is a failure to communicate."


(Sure, The Blog could have used a different still from "Cool Hand Luke." But, why would he?)

But, the old Mac plugs away, still.

Around this last Thanksgiving, The Blog noticed a loud, random "tick" sound coming from somewhere near the top of his computer tower.

Couldn't pinpoint the source of the tick, but The PC knows that clicking sounds usually signal the imminent death of a hard drive.

So, he has been backing-up files like a madman.

Tonight, the ticking was especially pronounced.

"Shit!" Thought The Blog.

"On top of every other unplanned expense, (car troubles, Mrs. Blog's medical bills, a neighbor threatening to sue if The Blog doesn't hire a tree service to remove the branches of his majestic bay laurel tree that are intruding onto his property, because the falling leaves are fucking up his pool filter system. [The PC would like to tell neighbor to "buy a fucking pool cover, asshole," or "The branches are over your property. You have every right to cut them, yourself. You're a fucking lawyer, so surely you know that!" Or, "At least, since you didn't have any late night pool parties last summer, we were spared that noise every God damned weekend, not to mention your wife's hyena cackle." But, I did not say that.])

Wait... What was I talking about?

I wanted to keep this post "anger free," But, I lost it for a minute.

Sorry.

Oh, right!

Picking up where I left off...

"Now I have to fix/replace a computer?!?!"

That's just fucking great!

And then, it happened.

The Blog's ear focused in on the ticking noise.

Like Jamie "Bionic Woman" Sommers.

                                                                         "Doot, doot, doot, doot, doot."

The ticking noise is coming from the halogen desk lamp that sits on top of the computer tower.

The PC keeps his den a bit colder than the rest of the house. The better to keep his ancient computer working semi-efficiently.

When the light is turned on, the glass lens heats up and the contraction is the source of the ticking sound.

*Whew!*

Some welcome good news for The PC, for a change.

The PC's Mac keeps on keeping on.

And, The PC breathes a sigh of relief.

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