Technology Blackhole

Saturday I wasted most of my evening messing around with computers , my time sucked into a tech black hole. I hope my alternate universe self had fun, I certainly didn't.
Now I know why I procrastinated so long to switch computers.
My son has a laptop and no longer needs his desktop . Since it has double the RAM of my computer, I thought I would switch and keep my old one as a back up or give it away.
The current set up is the cable modem is in my son's room and I connect to the internet with a wireless adapter.He can also connect wireless with his laptop. The adapter never has worked that great, although the one in the laptop is fantastic, very reliable.
My original plan yesterday was to move the modem downstairs close to my desk. We set about moving the computers which involved lots of dusting, including the inside of the computers . I think I'm a good house keeper till I move something and then seen a pile of dust bunnies .

My son went to work , his usual weekend afternoon shift . I carried on setting up my "new" work space. Well what do you know !The cable company has the modem fixed so that you can't move it ! There's a big metal clamp on the cable wire and a yellow warning label " not to be moved". As I'm not one much for obeying rules I did try unsuccessfully, to undo it . Nope it wouldn't budge.
O.K. on to plan B . I took my old computer and hooked it up to the wireless router, making it the "fixed" computer . I tested it and it worked fine. Next, I hooked up the new computer and installed the wireless adapter and software. Everything was great, working fine , until I tried to connect to the internet. The computer insisted there was no connection even though the wireless program said there was. I played around with it, did the usual defrag, reboot , routine . Still wouldn't work. Frustrated, I decided to call the tech service for the wireless. I've always found them very helpful , even though their product is garbage. Never, ever, again, will I fall for that line "just plug it in, install, and 1-2-3- your'e ready to enjoy you're new ------- " ( fill in with any computer add on) .

Call up the tech people and this very cheerful guy in Bangalore said yeah no problem we'd have it resolved in no time. No time in the tech world turns out to be four hours. You can't believe the stuff this guy had me doing. Finally he gave up and took remote access of the computer which I thought was pretty cool. I watched him do the same fiddling he had me doing for the past two hours and no luck,which at least gave me the satisfaction of knowing that I'm not such a twit. Time is passing, my energy reserves are waning, and still no connection.
Finally around 10 p.m. the tech guy says " Oh this is a 64 bit computer" "The adapter is not made for a 64 bit computer and we don't have any that are made for a 64 bit computer" " So sorry " !!!!!!

So here I am today no further ahead and my precious weekend hours frittered away thanks to the cable company, which is stupid to not allow the modem to be moved, and the stupid wireless company ,that will eventually go out of business because " they don't make adapters for 64 bit computers"
Now I must get get my pumpkin pie and brownies out of the oven. Baking is so much nicer than technology.

8 Things. Do You Do Them ?

Here's an article from the Independent about 8 things Britons don't do any more.

I do some and have pretty good excuses for not doing others.

1. Peeling- Orange sales are down because people don't like peeling them.

During the winter I eat lots of oranges but I don't peel them. I cut them into quarters and add a light sprinkle of salt, a taste I picked up from my Dad. He says it's an Italian thing , but I don't know any other Italians who do it although they are very partial to salt, citrus , and bitter tastes, which I love too. Nothing like a salad of dark greens, lemon dressing , salt and pepper.
I can have salt thanks to my low blood pressure.

2. Lunching

People don't relax and go out for lunch, instead they grab a quick bite at their desk and carry on working.

I have a quick lunch at my desk so I can use my break time to go for a walk. At least that's a healthy reason.

3. Car Washing . Most people use the drive through car wash (what a waste of water and energy) instead of doing it themselves.

I don't have a car . I do remember my Dad enjoying washing his car by hand and polishing it.

4. Writing. Everybody uses Email and IM, rarely writing a snail mail letter.

I don't write letters by hand as my writing is so horrible. I will type a letter in a fancy font and put it in a card.

5. Shaving .
I think modern shavers are better and safer soI don't think giving up the old fashion shave is a great loss.

6. Reading
Is it true people read less ? I don't know because my family and friends are all big readers.

7. Strolling
Nobody has time to go for a leisurely walk.
I walk everyday(no car remember) , strolling ? well depends how much time I have

8. Tea Making

Britons don't have time to make tea ? What is the world coming to ?
I love tea and take the time everyday to make it in a proper tea pot . I like to try different kinds of flavoured black teas and green teas. No bag in a cup for me.

Other than that I think it's redundant for me to mention my MS.

Right now I'm stuffing my face with candy from Finland. One of the side benefits of my post card hobby.