I ventured out on Thursday to buy my brand new laptop. I had waited for post-Christmas sales and sure enough, the one I wanted had dropped $100. Needless to say I am excited and feeling good to go pick this shiny new notebook up at the shiny new computer store. I get it home and the first thing is connectivity problems with the wireless network. Then it's restarting after errors at boot. Then it's a problem with Windows XP SP2 and a couple of my favorite programs. Sure enough, they report compatibility problems. Then it's realizing that almost half (half!) of my 100GB hard drive is taken up by two separate partitions. One for the manufacturers "recovery files," and another for "data files," associated with the proprietary manufacturer software.
Ten deep breaths, Mike. Count to 100 before proceeding at each frustrating glitch and surprise. None of that works this time. I'll try later, but by this time I was plenty angry and "calm," was not a part of my vocabulary.
I start telling myself I could subscribe to daily delivery of The New York Times. I could get my info fix with subscriptions to Time, Newsweek, The Week, Sports Illustrated, the New Yorker, a few others - and throw the technology out the window! I could write Paper Notes In A Digital World from a public terminal at the library - or something easy like WebTV. Okay, I'm kidding about that part...but the library would work!
In all honesty, my Moleskine has never been more loved than it is tonight. No compatibility problems - ever. No patches for security threats. Half the notebook isn't taken up by the manufacturer. I love my Moleskine. I hate my new laptop. For now. I'll be fine though and make peace with the fact that new computers require a certain learning curve and adjustment period. I'm actually beginning to calm down tonight and come to terms with all of this. I accept that the "In A Digital World," part of the name of this blog means I probably need to settle in and just figure it all out. But, for tonight (or actually late into the morning hours), I am reminded again why I love paper so much.
Here we go, one more time before bedtime Mike, let's try this again: ten deep breaths. One, two, three........Oh! I didn't tell you about the overheating! It started...(deep breath)...four, five, six........
I would really love to comfort you. To tell you that you're not the only one. But I can't. I bought a PowerBook.
Posted by: P. Andersen | January 06, 2006 at 04:50 AM
OH NO!!!!!!!!!
I know you were looking forward to this!!!!!!!!!! I am so sorry!
Posted by: Stacie | January 06, 2006 at 03:19 PM
oh oh...that's the most horrible thing! You know, if all else fails, you could trade it in for a Macintosh.
Posted by: kisane | January 07, 2006 at 08:45 AM
Mike, I'm sorry for the agony you went through with your new laptop. I remember those days...but they're only a memory ever since I bought an iBook. Macs are definitely the way to go. It is too late to return it or trade it?
Posted by: Rummikirby | January 08, 2006 at 05:08 AM