Friday, January 31, 2014

technically speaking

We all depend on technology, even though we really shouldn't.  We all know how fickle and unreliable it is.  We even joke: "Technology is great--when it works!"

Given that difficulties are just the nature of the technological beast, I usually laugh them off.  A quick eye roll, a message to Nelson if I can't fix it myself--no big deal.  

But the past 24 hours have piled frustration on top of frustration.  I am about to the point of chucking every last piece of tech we own right out the door.  

It started with school yesterday morning.  The printer wouldn't print Natalie's activity.  First it just sat silently.  Then it made grinding noises.  But nothing actually printed.

Still, it turned out there was just paper jammed in it, so--no big deal, right? 

Then one of Sarah's school lessons was on a website that used Java.  The most recent Java update apparently has the interwebs in full freak out mode.  Firefox wouldn't let the plug-in work--at all.  We tried I.E. (and I haven't used I.E. in years)--still no go.  Finally we managed to get I.E. to make an exception and run the plug-in for that website.  Fine.  Until the same problem arose on another website in a later lesson.  I.E. had a fit again.

Grumble, grumble. 

Then I sat down to write last night--and my laptop died completely.  Either the power cord or the power socket has given up the ghost.  

My phone needed more minutes, so Nelson said he would add them to my account for me.  But when I turned on my phone this morning, it still showed no minutes.  Figuring that maybe Nelson had just forgotten, I went to the website to take care of it myself.  But the website wouldn't let me, and it showed that my account HAD been updated with new minutes.  I tried resetting the phone again--nope, still nothing.  Back to the website--still showing minutes.   

Are you kidding me?  

To top things off, Natalie dropped the iPad on my nose this morning.  It hurts.

I'm thinking I might become a Luddite.