Yes, I love technology
But not as much as you, you see
But I still love technology
Always and forever
– Kip’s Wedding Song (Napoleon Dynamite)
My laptop is unreliable. The sound is cutting out intermittently. This is super frustrating when I am trying to watch SciShow on the YouTubes. We’ve tried about a hundred things to correct the problem, and as Mr. Edison might say, we’ve discovered about a hundred ways how not to fix the sound on the laptop. Let’s just say we’re, um, zeroing in on the problem.
At work, we’ve made the changeover to Windows 365 and got a new server at the same time. Every one of our desktop machines has had some sort of issue. I started to feel really bad about the fifth time I went to my IT friend to say, “Um, sorry, but my computer, she is not working again…” It got fixed quickly and with a good attitude every time. While I was sitting around waiting, though, it got me thinking about our reliance on technology, and how it’s grown.
On the Enterprise (pick one, nerd – Wait. I’m the nerd. Sorry, got confused), it’s clear that the crew fly around in a giant computer. The presumably huge engineering team works every day to keep the entire thing humming along. Compare that to Firefly. The ship has a computer, but it is not a needy whining mess about to break down if you look at it wrong. Serenity gets treated more like a car, pretty much exactly like a car, and there’s one sweet, grease covered mechanic who deals with the engine, and she seems to have a lot of free time. It’s like the ship is just a big space Winnebago (Spaceballs reference woooo!). Only real problem is they need a compression coil real bad, Cap’n.
If my life is any indication, and why shouldn’t it be, I’m afraid the Enterprise view is more realistic. If you are going to live dependent on a computer, you are going to spend a lot of time and energy to maintain it. Or else, despite the banged together look of the ship, the firefly is by far the superior technology, able to maintain oxygen, air pressure, temperature, humidity, water treatment, gravity, engine cooling, hull pressure, and on and on without human attention for a very long time.
Though I’d like to think Scotty, Geordi, Kaylee, and Keiko’s husband, what’s his name, (I’m kidding. I’d never forget Miles Edward O’Brian) would thoroughly enjoy having a beer together, sharing stories of engine foulups. Throw Chewie in there, too, just for fun.
All this space talk reminds me: check out www.howmanypeopleareinspacerightnow.com. It will always tell you. Scroll down, and you can see who they are. There are no secrets in space. Or maybe there are. How would I know?
Speaking of websites that answer important questions, I also really like www.isitchristmas.com. I check it periodically, just to be sure. I mean, I’d hate to miss Christmas.
PS: We plugged an external speaker into my laptop. Problem sidestepped. Back to writing and stuff.
Remember, readers make better DIYers!
Random picture of the day
