technology update

The latest bout of incommunicado was brought forth by a serious need for a technology update. You see, when I got my full time job last year, I also got a very nice, top of the line Dell computer...and I do most of my computing throughout the semester at my office. I've gotten spoiled by high network connection and a very solid machine.

When I started working at home this summer, I knew that I would have to put up with dial-up...it costs $9 a month, as opposed to $35 a month for DSL (the cheapest price I could find)...so I knew I would suffer some drop in performance.

What I didn't realize is that my machine had turned to crap. It was a nice computuer, but it was built in 11/99...and yes, that's a good, long time for technology, but its day was up. Whenever I would try to do anything, it would freeze. Moving from one open window to another took 30 seconds. It had no USB 2.0, so I couldn't use a thumb drive or hook up my camera.

After shopping at a local computer store, a friend suggested I try TigerDirect.com, and I managed to order an awesome eMachines system. It came in two days, but it gave me some nightmares by refusing to install my printer and making Word repeatedly crash after thirty seconds. My friend came over and solved the problem by installing a new printer driver, something that I tried to do for two days...and he did it a way that I tried (and which failed for me).

So the last day or two have been spent getting the computer loaded with all my files and software, properly configured, and all that. I feel much more tech savvy now, though. I even went out and bought my first thumb drive and mp3 player. I have sworn to buy a digital camera phone eventually and start mobloging. A Flickr and Snapfish page are not far behind.

I'm not trying to be a tech overlord or anything, but it is nice that people won't still laugh when they hear what I have. Plus my computer is now nicer than my parent's machine again! I just want supremacy in some small way...