Technology Terror Stories
I admit, I'm addicted to my electronics. Even when they're ticking me off (another blue screen of death!?!?!), I know I don't want to live without them. I really don't.
So, picture this situation. I was at the airport for my last trip to Des Moines to see Jimmy Buffett. Phred Parrot and I were at the bar having breakfast beers (OK, one beer and it was just for me) when I decided I needed to get his picture.
Except I couldn't find my phone.
Panic immediately ensued. I had switched to my travel purse and frantically went through it several times then searched my backpack in the off chance that I'd put my camera in there. The more I searched, the more this line of thought developed.
"I'll just have to buy a new camera right when I get there."
Did I need a new camera? No. Was I willing to go without one for one weekend? No. Would I have been happy with just a cheap digital to get me through the weekend? No.
I saved myself several hundred bucks by finally checking the one pocket in my purse where I never put my camera and there it was! I almost kissed it, I was so happy.
When I got to Des Moines, I told a couple of people the story and they, too, couldn't imagine me without a camera in hand. It's that inconceivable.
This past Sunday, we were driving back from Laughlin and my MacBook Pro was in a duffel bag in the back of my friend's Jeep Liberty. It was piled in with suitcases, a box of booze, coolers and other bags.
At our lunch stop, the driver opened the back to see that one of the coolers had a loose lid and was splashing water all over. My duffel looked like it was fine but, when we got home, I saw that it was soaked. As was my suitcase and, terrifyingly, the soft case on my Mac.
I took the Mac out of the case right away and it was moist.
Uh oh.
I opened it up and hit the power button and it looked like it was going to boot but then it froze.
Uh oh, part deux.
I closed it up, wiped it down and prayed to the technology gods that it would all be OK. I was too sick at heart to even try it again that night. I was having visions of having to explain why my work machine got wrecked by cooler water in Nevada. That wasn't going to be a happy conversation. I was also mentally cataloging all of the stuff I had on the machine that wasn't in the clouds and hoping that if it were wrecked, at least the hard drive could be saved.
When I got in to work in the morning, I plugged it in to its power cord, the monitor, keyboard and mouse, hit the power button and continued the prayers.
It took forever (minutes) to boot up but it finally did. The relief was immense. Even though all seems to be working well but I've been flinching at every little thing that appears to be odd because life without it would be so very, very sad.
Clearly, I would never make it as a Luddite.
So, picture this situation. I was at the airport for my last trip to Des Moines to see Jimmy Buffett. Phred Parrot and I were at the bar having breakfast beers (OK, one beer and it was just for me) when I decided I needed to get his picture.
Except I couldn't find my phone.
Panic immediately ensued. I had switched to my travel purse and frantically went through it several times then searched my backpack in the off chance that I'd put my camera in there. The more I searched, the more this line of thought developed.
"I'll just have to buy a new camera right when I get there."
Did I need a new camera? No. Was I willing to go without one for one weekend? No. Would I have been happy with just a cheap digital to get me through the weekend? No.
I saved myself several hundred bucks by finally checking the one pocket in my purse where I never put my camera and there it was! I almost kissed it, I was so happy.
When I got to Des Moines, I told a couple of people the story and they, too, couldn't imagine me without a camera in hand. It's that inconceivable.
This past Sunday, we were driving back from Laughlin and my MacBook Pro was in a duffel bag in the back of my friend's Jeep Liberty. It was piled in with suitcases, a box of booze, coolers and other bags.
At our lunch stop, the driver opened the back to see that one of the coolers had a loose lid and was splashing water all over. My duffel looked like it was fine but, when we got home, I saw that it was soaked. As was my suitcase and, terrifyingly, the soft case on my Mac.
I took the Mac out of the case right away and it was moist.
Uh oh.
I opened it up and hit the power button and it looked like it was going to boot but then it froze.
Uh oh, part deux.
I closed it up, wiped it down and prayed to the technology gods that it would all be OK. I was too sick at heart to even try it again that night. I was having visions of having to explain why my work machine got wrecked by cooler water in Nevada. That wasn't going to be a happy conversation. I was also mentally cataloging all of the stuff I had on the machine that wasn't in the clouds and hoping that if it were wrecked, at least the hard drive could be saved.
When I got in to work in the morning, I plugged it in to its power cord, the monitor, keyboard and mouse, hit the power button and continued the prayers.
It took forever (minutes) to boot up but it finally did. The relief was immense. Even though all seems to be working well but I've been flinching at every little thing that appears to be odd because life without it would be so very, very sad.
Clearly, I would never make it as a Luddite.
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