Do Not Read This Title

I was trying to find a working keyboard this morning when I discovered three things about my computer:

1. every time I fiddled with or changed the cable that was in the keyboard socket, the computer would reboot

2. the modem and case under it were live (as in, I got a major shock)

3. when I hit power button, the lights come on but that's all (no beeps, nothing on the screen)

These are all things that can be considered unusual computer behaviour, even by my computer's standards.

So, I pulled out the hard drives and shoved them into the newer (4 year old) computer that I was supposed to be setting up as a replacement computer. And spent the next 6 hours getting the OS and hardware talking to each other. Until I gave up. And I got hit on the head by a speaker.

I still have no sound and no USB thingy, and a slightly flickering screen.

But I do have 1024 x 768 resolution, and brighter colours, and more RAM and a younger computer that is hopefully more stable.

I also still have a spacebar that doesn't work most of the time.

Essay has to be printed out and posted today. All ready to do.

Except, printer is printing blank pages no matter what I do to it.

So, I'll take it in somewhere and have it printed out.

Except, floppy disks have all disappeared.

No matter. I have a pile of CD-Rs.

Except in the middle of writing a CD, the DVD-Writer spits it and now just wants to sit in the corner and make weird noises.

*sigh*

But I found some floppies in the bottom of a desk drawer. From this century too. So I copied my PDF file onto two of them and went into Officeworks.

Officeworks' Printworks computers no longer have floppy drives.

All right, I have to pick up something from Regal Press (printing company) around the corner, maybe they can print them out. They're happy to and take one of my foppy disks upstairs.

And can't read the file. They try emailing it themsevles with no luck. The second floppy doesn't work either.

But there is one more thing to try. I go into one of the new computer shops that advertised Internet access and ask if I can download a PDF from the Internet and print it out. Yes, I put a copy of this file on my website and emailed it myself, at two different addresses.

The guy at the counter says "Sure." And my essay finally gets printed out. Without any page numbers. :)






I am reminded of a computing assignment from years ago, which I was printing on our C64 at home. I had just 5 pieces of paper left, which was one more than I needed. Then the cat came along, threw two of those pieces of paper into the air and stuck her claws through them.