Are you ready?

May 18, 2000

There it sits on the floor, my personal home desktop system.

Since it crashed a couple of days ago, I have had plenty of time to think while I attempt to restore it to working order. No ordinary crash this one, two of the three hard disks became cyber toast, and now I am attempting to reformat, reload, and get on with life.

Funny thing these computers, so full of promise at times, and then you see that case there, sometimes they suck either time or money, right out of you.

While my son and I were on vacation in Colorado a TV advertisement caught our imagination, and in essence, became the "theme song" of our trip. The ad was made for Cisco Systems, and it touted how soon, everything (or so it seemed) would be done on the INTERNET. Around the globe we were taken, from group to group, as the faced the question and asked; "Are you ready?" The final question was asked by a group of Orientals, and it was their accent and question which we adopted.

So are we ready? And if we are, for what?

As we rode up the ski lifts, son and I kept yelling to each other, "Are you READY?

ARE YOU READY??

Soon we be doing everything on de internet, ski on de internet, bike on de internet, drive cars on de internet, take bath on da INTERNET.

Well, so are we? Ready?

I'm ready to bag some of this "electronic world."

Maybe it's just that I am a bit frustrated with the seemingly endless hours spent loading and reloading software, all in the name of making life, among other things, easier.

Easier?

Did someone say easier? Anyone asked a forest lately, just how ready it is to be chopped down and sent to the mill, just to become Laser or Paint Jet fodder on its way to the wastebasket.

We are wired and connected and emailed and and...

And we don't have time to do anything any more.

Have your office fax to my office, no have it faxed to my new laptop with a built in cell phone so I won't miss a second of anything. NOT ONE SECOND, WITHOUT DELAY!

Meanwhile, that pile of electrodes and solder and circuit boards sits and mocks me. Go ahead it says, install that soundboard. See if I give an IRQ whether or not it will work. I frown, and try again and again and again. Mrs. NSR sat and watched for a few minutes last night, and said, "I can't believe you keep working on that so calmly, no swearing, no throwing things.

I didn't tell her that the whole thing would become a boat anchor, if it crashes one more time.

It's been about 4 years since this one has been upgraded, and I even went so far as to call motherboard express, to price out a new motherboard. I swore however, the last time I rebuilt one of these machines, that it would be the last time.

So what's this all about anyway? A whine and gripe session?

Nah, I just figure it will be humorous one day, when the kids are grown, and the grandkids look at this picture and say.. "That was a computer?"

Are you ready?

I'm not so sure I am.

But you know what? I kind of kept that promise to myself, and ordered a rebuilt machine from DELL today. I figure someone else can fight with the IRQ's, while I go outside and plant some flowers.