Technological Health

Water-damaged snapshot of New Zealand. I use this picture as an illustration of evolving technology and it's a nice memory.

Every five years I replace my PC, even if it is meeting my needs and doesn't show any outward signs of impending catastrophic failure.

I do this because, like it or not, I now run my life, professional, social, recreational, through this computer and I require a robust system.

Each time I do this I worry all my data will be lost, I'll screw up my contacts, calendar, task lists. And these fears are well-founded. This time around I only mildly screwed up my task lists.

No matter how many times I take a new Windows PC out of the box and install Microsoft Office, I will still be baffled, confused, irritated by the difficulty of the process. The only wisdom I have gained is that now I know this frustration is a certainty and budget extra time and mental calories for it.

The main complaint this time around is that default settings for every conceivable thing are skewed toward Microsoft products and solutions, and it takes research to get things set up the way I want.

After a few days, I can start to relax with the notion I don't have to do this again for another five years. When I cool down from the trauma, I expect I will have a new perspective on how I use the computer as having to change so many settings makes me rethink my choices.

Like everything else, every so often it's good to update the system.