2008 Woodie Awards
Printers have meltdowns too, not just overworked students
Commentary
Laura Baumgartner
Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: Editorial
Commentary by
Laura Baumgartner
The Observer
(U-WIRE) SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Like many people today, I feel like I spend my life at a computer. Most likely it's because I do, and I think it's starting to catch up with me.
It all started to go downhill last year. I was sitting in my room on a warm and sunny afternoon enjoying the breeze drifting in through my open window. I had just finished typing a paper and proofreading. I was ready to print.
Disaster.
My printer would not print.
Fifteen minutes later I had unplugged, plugged-in, shut-down, restarted, jiggled and wiggled my way into a frenzy. The stupid hunk of plastic was obviously not going to fulfill its one purpose of existence.
I thought to myself, 'Well I'll just e-mail it and print it out at the library later.'
For the moment, I had more important things to attend to.
I had new photos from the weekend rotting on my digital camera, and they needed to be uploaded STAT.
But as I started to plug my camera in, catastrophe.
Turns out my USB ports were on a level 5 meltdown.
No printing.
No uploading.
One year later, I have learned to live without.
The printer was one less thing to pack to come to college.
I'm saving money on ink and paper, and I can make a quick stop at Walgreens to have my photos put on a CD for about $2.
Overall, my programs were still functioning, and at least my hard drive hadn't crashed.
My computer and I were at peace.
Until today, that is.
Today, I come home from class and sit down to check my e-mail. I gently push the power button to wake my machine from sleep mode and am greeted by the most horrendous sound I have ever heard.
My computer sounds like a garbage disposal with a spoon stuck in it intermingled with almost peaceful moments of a high-pitched whine somewhat similar to a table saw ripping through a two-by-four.
Apocalypse.
Approaching its fourth birthday, my PC is well beyond the years of warranty coverage, and I am almost certain all signs of functioning are about to cease.
As I sit here and compose what could be my last Word document on the old boy, I can not help but remember the good times.
There were the late nights at the library, the warm sunny days by the lake or on the quad (Noise update: It now sounds like a percolating-coffee-pot-and-shoelace-stuck-in-a-vacuum-cleaner hybrid) ... I can still remember when I brought him home from Best Buy.
Maybe a little well-deserved rest will help him.
Forget sleep mode, I need a button for drug-induced coma mode.
Laura Baumgartner
The Observer
(U-WIRE) SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Like many people today, I feel like I spend my life at a computer. Most likely it's because I do, and I think it's starting to catch up with me.
It all started to go downhill last year. I was sitting in my room on a warm and sunny afternoon enjoying the breeze drifting in through my open window. I had just finished typing a paper and proofreading. I was ready to print.
Disaster.
My printer would not print.
Fifteen minutes later I had unplugged, plugged-in, shut-down, restarted, jiggled and wiggled my way into a frenzy. The stupid hunk of plastic was obviously not going to fulfill its one purpose of existence.
I thought to myself, 'Well I'll just e-mail it and print it out at the library later.'
For the moment, I had more important things to attend to.
I had new photos from the weekend rotting on my digital camera, and they needed to be uploaded STAT.
But as I started to plug my camera in, catastrophe.
Turns out my USB ports were on a level 5 meltdown.
No printing.
No uploading.
One year later, I have learned to live without.
The printer was one less thing to pack to come to college.
I'm saving money on ink and paper, and I can make a quick stop at Walgreens to have my photos put on a CD for about $2.
Overall, my programs were still functioning, and at least my hard drive hadn't crashed.
My computer and I were at peace.
Until today, that is.
Today, I come home from class and sit down to check my e-mail. I gently push the power button to wake my machine from sleep mode and am greeted by the most horrendous sound I have ever heard.
My computer sounds like a garbage disposal with a spoon stuck in it intermingled with almost peaceful moments of a high-pitched whine somewhat similar to a table saw ripping through a two-by-four.
Apocalypse.
Approaching its fourth birthday, my PC is well beyond the years of warranty coverage, and I am almost certain all signs of functioning are about to cease.
As I sit here and compose what could be my last Word document on the old boy, I can not help but remember the good times.
There were the late nights at the library, the warm sunny days by the lake or on the quad (Noise update: It now sounds like a percolating-coffee-pot-and-shoelace-stuck-in-a-vacuum-cleaner hybrid) ... I can still remember when I brought him home from Best Buy.
Maybe a little well-deserved rest will help him.
Forget sleep mode, I need a button for drug-induced coma mode.
