How About A Little Thunder?
Well then.
I bought a new computer a short while ago. It is lovely and I like it a lot. The devices I need to hook it up to, however, seem to be a little surly. Or is it the other way around?
Do my old devices not like this fresh-faced interloper and its new ways of doing things? Or does my fancy new laptop think it is too good for all of my old electro-mechanical friends? Between recalcitrant software, a difficult scanner and networking issues it has been a rather difficult week and nobody is speaking to each other. Electronically, anyway.
I had hoped to get these issues sorted out in time to bang out the kind of original content you are used to seeing here. But . . . yeah.
I am sorry that my world travels have gotten in the way of my blogging. I have been to India at least three times today alone. I think I was in New Jersey for a bit as well. The kinds of trips you take for telephone tech support, anyhow. The food and the scenery are not as good with this kind of trip, but there is at least no jet lag.
Fortunately I finished a piece over on Curbside Classic for this week on a delightful 1957 Ford Thunderbird that I stumbled across one recent evening. In addition to giving you a little backstory on the car’s development I conclude that it is the most perfectly styled car of its decade. Perhaps you will agree? Not everyone over there does, so I guess I failed at staying away from controversial subjects.
I normally give you all first priority when time gets tight, but the best laid plans and all . . .
Anyhow, I hope you click on the link and jump over to CC for a chance to luxuriate over one of the most beloved cars of its decade, and one that turned out to be quite important in ways that nobody really understood then.
So now I have some counseling sessions to attend in an effort to build a little teamwork among my gadgets. The therapist will soon be calling. From India. Cheers.
Curbside Classic: 1957 Ford Thunderbird – The Most Perfectly Styled American Car Of The 1950s?
J. P.'s Blog 
The scariness of a new computer. Sitting here typing this on a 7+ year old iMac does create some consternation. Everything works well together. For now. It won’t be much longer due to a number of programs saying they need a Whatever operating system for which this current machine is incapable of digesting.
You aren’t alone with the frustration.
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Yes, I have decided that what the tech industry really wants is for me to buy a completely new setup every three years. It is like going into a clothing store because you need a new suit only to find that while you were there a store employee went into your house and cut up all of your shirts and ties.
The alternative is to do what I have been doing. Need a new computer? All of your software and peripherals are obsolete. But then you buy new software and peripherals and find out that your computer requires an upgrade to run them. I think they are laughing at us.
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I’m still technical enough that I can force my old peripherals to work with new hardware. Just this week I dragged out my ancient old scanner and made it work with Margaret’s much newer laptop. This is the one way in which I can still run with the kids.
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I envy that skillset. I will admit that some of my peripherals are a little, well, experienced. But when you download drivers that then send a test page (actually dozens of pages of gibberish symbols) out of a *different* printer than the one you are trying to make work, well this is frustrating. I am more advanced on this stuff than the average bear, but that can be a curse because I try way too long to figure it out on my own. The most frustrating is that I know it can be done.
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That was LOL funny, esp the bit about no one speaking to each other and the trips to India. I feel for you, but I much prefer Romania when I am forced to take an electronics trip, as we can chat about the weather while things are reinstalling. I did check out the car blog – and enjoyed the old ads. It really was a more elegant time for cars and women’s fashions.
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Thank you. I am in complete agreement with you on the fashions. I, for example, have never understood why there is a need to change the design of mens’ suits. A nice medium lapel, two or three buttons, cuff or no cuff – that ought to cover the entire spectrum of style other than fabric. As for the ladies’ outfits, I am open to the argument that today’s styles are more comfortable but I love the classic look of that time period.
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” I think I was in New Jersey for a bit as well.” Ha ha! But glad to hear you’re back safely, and settling back into daily life with a trusty new computer, JP.
PS: I’m not much of a car person, but I’ve got to agree with your that there is something downright magical about the 1957 Ford Thunderbird. Or at least really iconic.
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You will be happy to know that Friday’s counselling session was successful and my e-friends are on the road to a happy and productive relationship. And after my telephonic travels around the world it was nearby Louisville that eventually solved the problem.
It is funny on that Thunderbird, it has been so iconic for so long that I had not really looked at it with fresh eyes. Looking at one (that was not surrounded by other old cars and was not from a picture) as I photographed it I was sucked into its unique spell. (Can one be sucked into a spell?) I only wish I had been accompanied with someone with the photographic skills of you or Jim Grey who might have done it even more justice.
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Yes, I do believe one can be sucked into a spell — or at least that’s the perfect description of what’s happened to me once or twice, haha. I also wish Jim had been with you for this particular escapade, because he can turn old cars into sheer poetry with his photos. But you did a mighty fine job of it too, so don’t sell yourself short on the photography skills. 🙂
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Good to make your frustration into a joy ride for the rest of us—even before we go to your T-Bird opus.
I quite agree with you about the three-year IT plans. I recently had to upgrade my iPhone because my otherwise fine model rebelled against my perfectly reasonable desire that it open all my apps and demanded more storage space. The new one, amazingly, uses the same charger as the older one. But, less amazingly, it requires a new adapter gizmo if one chooses to charge phone while also using earbuds. Not a large expense, but annoying nevertheless.
Good luck in achieving harmony in your new IT
environment.
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Oh, don’t get me started on phones. I am making do with a relatively old Android model with a badly cracked screen because I have been putting off the pain of transition to a new one. And there will be pain.
And as I reported in my response to Heidi, the issues that stole my week were solved on Friday. I was so happy that I shut everything down and spent the afternoon doing other things that did not involve computers.
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I replaced my phone a few weeks ago. The cracked screen was one thing, but then bits of glass started coming loose and falling out. The new one is noticeably faster, has a lot more memory and the camera is a lot better, so it was probably worth the hassle of upgrading. Probably.
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My “good” phone died an early and ugly death after its warranty but before it was paid for. My old phone (with its cracked screen) was re-activated as a short term fix but I soon re-acclimated to it. The cracks have expanded but there have been no other issues with it. When I finally decide to upgrade I’m sure the 4+ year time jump will wow me. But it will not be painless.
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