The Irony of Technology
Wed Oct 24, 07 11:33 pm
For those of you who are not geeks, you might be surprised at the relative simplicity of technology.
Take my laptop for example. (oh irony of irony, as i typed this, i took off the keyboard and am currently typing on a partially-disassembled laptop (what ho to stray keyboards)--never fear, before going on i shall screw the keyboard back in. 
)
I just upgraded the memory in my laptop from 256mb to 2gb. However, when I installed the memory chip under the keyboard (thus the removal of the keyboard), the laptop didn't recognize the memory. Small wonder, perhaps, that when I got the laptop, it didn't have any memory in that slot, eh?
Anyhow, I chatted with a Dell tech about the problem, who kindly informed me that he really didn't give a hoot about whether my laptop worked or not, and that if I had any questions, I should go speak with Herod, since I was in his jurisdiction. Oh, I meant speak with the memory chip manufacturer. Of course. And through this sweet dismissal was I left at a loss as to what to do about me problem. Common sense advised dumping the laptop in the nearest dumpster, but due to the lack of various things (common cents, gray matter, et cetera), I got a grip on things (meaning, of course, the laptop). “So much for Dell techs,” said I with no little disgust.
The only dirt my research dug up was the sweet injunction to “make sure you really pushed the chip in good enough, you know, 20-30 pounds of pressure.” Since I work out every day, this dirt didn't seem quite relevant to my situation.
Until I wondered just what they meant about pressure. Which direction did they mean by pressure? Pressure can be applied in various directions. I figured they meant to make sure the chip was well-seated in the socket. I went back and read the “dirt” and wondered if perhaps they meant DOWN instead of IN. Or both, as the case may be. So, I took apart my laptop yet again (for those of you who would be interested in these sorts of things, I'm thinking about using my stopwatch next time I take my laptop apart because when it comes to taking my laptop apart, lightning just isn't fast enough of an adjective to describe it). With my laptop disassembled, I applied down-pressure to the chip and powered up the 'top.
Voila.
So. Now I knew my problem. My socket isn't quite in the most remarkable shape, and is, in fact, not working properly. What I needed to do was somehow rig my laptop so that down-pressure would be applied to the chip at all times.
Pizza is great, but when it comes to fixing laptops, pizza boxes just plain can't be beat. Yes, that's right, folks. I used a pizza box to fix my laptop. I used a piece of the box as a shim, and then screwed my laptop up—err, I mean together. And the question of the month is, of course, “did it work?”
Indeed so, sir. I am verily impressed with modern technology. It really is simple, really. I mean, sheesh, I fix laptops with pizza boxes.
MEET MR. CHEAPO
I work part-time at a thrift store. In the electronics department. Today, I sold a used desktop computer, and put together two more computers from spare parts. I find it amusing to compare the specs on these beasts to my laptop. One of the computers I put together today featured all of 32mb of ram, a 2gb hard-drive, running, of all things, on Windows 95. Compare that my laptop with 2gb of ram, a 40gb hard-drive (with another 40gbs in an external drive), and Windows XP Pro. Ah well.
I also test media players (aka dvd players, vhs players, and radio/cassette/cd players), and other various electronics such as a wireless router that we got in today.
IN OTHER NEWS
Uhhh... is there any other news? I'm working overtime at my job, working at the thrift store, trying to work on my motorcycle whenever I can (i've rebuilt all 4 carburetors and cleaned the grease and dirt off the carb assembly and the head), working out at the gym, reading, writing an article, and on occasion, I try to remember what exactly beds are used for. Most of the time, I can't remember.
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