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Computers: a Love/Hate Relationship
(Published in Key West the News 6/16/06)
 For almost 30 years I have had an ongoing love/hate relationship with personal computers, their software, and attachments. Nothing else has lasted longer in my life other than my son and an old yellow shirt from back in the day when I was on the inspection crew at the Michigan Hot Rod Association Drag Strip. I will never fit into that shirt again! On a more positive note, I have no doubt that my last and final marriage will beat that 30 year computer record.
I have changed computers, portable or desktop, about every 3 or 4 years. I purchased my first system because I was, and still am, a very crappy speller and an even worse typist. I was hooked by the idea of having a spell checker and a way to correct letters without having to throw out page after page of mistakes. That was before the internet, E-mail, video editing, web hosting, music downloads, digital photography, and so many other computing advances, that I now, at times, feel a longing for the simplicity of computing in the early days.
Pat, the aforementioned marriage partner, has often told me that my best bet is to buy a new system, add just the few programs and NEVER CHANGE IT AGAIN UNTIL IT DIES! Of course, I have never listened to her advice and, therefore, have had continued system failures, software glitches, blue screens of death, and hard drive failures. Several times I lost entire sixteen page newsletters into cyberspace after working for 3 days to complete them. Pat has seen me walk from the office to the living room looking sickly pale after several such instances. She just shakes her head and repeats the NEVER CHANGE IT mantra mentioned above.
I will never change my ways. I have too much curiosity so I continue to try new versions of old standbys, attempt to review marginal software programs that are promoted as “The next best thing. Don’t miss this time saver.” and so on. Of course they almost always screw up my computer and spoil my day or, at times, my week. By the way, people who work in support at these companies call these difficulties “ISSUES” instead of calling them “PROBLEMS.” I will not mention what I call them.
Why do I put myself through this? There is no easy answer. It is like any addiction: Food, Alcohol, Smoking or Computers. (Did I mention I have problems with two of those addictions? See the fitting-into-the-old-shirt mentioned above to get a hint as to which one other than computers.) There are days I will do anything to put off attempting REAL WORK. (Read “Maybe having another problem.”) I will start the day reading E-mails and news articles on the web, and then move onto a half an hour of Solitaire. After that maybe a little blackjack in my Hoyle gaming program. From there I move back to the internet to look at the early stock results. I move to the living room and read for an hour or more. Later on I play a little Texas Hold ‘em on the Internet. I do manage to fit a trip to the gym in most days. Much of the time Pat tolerates this “retirement” schedule but other days she will either drag me along for a walk or point out some of the promises I have made that include real work on the computer.
I do complete many tasks. I host and design web sites for non profits, friends, and family members as well as write reviews for my own web site at www.reviews4you.com . I also do marketing and web hosting and design for The Key West Players, Inc. I tinker with video editing and digital slide shows.
I wish computer related companies could produce software that worked well on ALL computers the first time out of the box. I will never stop trying new products. I have four or five of them on my desk waiting for me "to boldly go where no one has gone before." I guess I will always be in a state of anxiety. So be it!
The rest of the world really should follow Pat’s advice.
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