Computron Update 2021

I feel I should note that I got a new laptop this week. For the first time in my memory, I got the new computer without the previous computer being entirely dead. Granted, the old one was in bad shape. The straw that broke it was that its power cord had seemingly frayed to a point where it could no longer charge, but it had enough problems that it justified getting a new computer and not just a new cord. For example, now I’m on a laptop that, when I move it’s screen, the screen doesn’t fall off.

But the thing is, the old laptop isn’t dead. And with the new cord, I can charge it. So I have two laptops, both in (essentially) working order. That means I got a new computer without losing information or files. For a long time, buying a new computer was, for me, an event tinged with sadness because the old one had given out on me. Well, since that role has been taken over by my car situation, I guess I just have a nice pleasant computer transfer now. Looking back on this site, it was 2017 when I got the last one. Worryingly recently. I sure hope that I am able to continue down the two-computer path for years to come.

PDR Update: August Already?

Alright. Let’s see what I need to update us all on:

Most significant is the fact that I had to get a new computer after my last laptop failed on me. It was a fairly gradual death at first, getting slower and slower as it went, so I had backed things up fairly recently. I lost about two weeks of research notes and the bookmarks in my browser. That is such a small amount of loss that I can accept it happily, but I’d sure like to be able to hop back on there long enough to get those notes back…

Anyway, the new laptop is nice and fast and has as much space as my external hard drive (I ought to get a new one of those by this point). I already expect that the problems with this one will be focused around the power charging outlet thing. The little prong inside looks worryingly fragile.

I have not quite had time to really organize things on the new computer yet, but it definitely could be a good computer from what I can see, and could have been a much worse loss of information.

Apart from that, the main detail of the last few weeks is that I twisted my ankle. If anyone wants to see a picture of my bruised foot all swollen up so it looks like a big gross baby foot, I have such a thing. In spite of how much time I have already lost to hospitals this year, I was convinced to have this injury examined by medical professionals. It turns out that I did chip a bone, but it also turns out that the medical advice was basically just rest and cold and elevation and all of that is what I would have done without spending hours in hospital waiting rooms. Oh well.

Okay here we go.

As mentioned in my posts to Twitter, I’ve had something of a troubled couple weeks comptuer-wise. My previous laptop took up the habit of melting the plastic tips of any plugs that I’d put into it (possibly caused by dirt in the plug port thing, but definitely exacerbated by the melted plastic that wound up in there as a result). I’m unable to get the plastic out on my own, so I’m left unable to charge the laptop. I had time enough to transfer files to my external hard drive with the charge that remained, so I haven’t lost anything but time (and the money I’ll have to fork out when I do get it repaired).

Thanks to the generosity of my mother, I’ve got a replacement laptop up and running. With this being the middle of final essay/exam season, I’ve had other things to work on, so I’m behind on SecGov Robots and things, but I’ll remedy that by just finishing the current story all in one week. That should get things back on track.

I hacked my keyboard… to death.

Okay, so, the keyboard on my laptop was looking pretty dirty, as keyboards are wont to do after a time, so I got a brilliant idea into my head: maybe spray some cleaning fluid on there and generally improve things.

So anyway, because of the obvious things that are wrong with that, I’ve not had a functional keyboard for a couple of days. I got by with the onscreen keyboard thing, but it was a hassle, not least because the malfunctioning physical keyboard was spitting out letters. But now I have disconnected the bad keyboard and have a usb keyboard deal to use for the typings. It isn’t the ideal situation I would have had if I had not been an idiot, but it is good to at least be functional again.

New Computer News

I mentioned this in passing last week, but I keep forgetting to go into further detail: I have spent my last pre-student paycheck on a new laptop.

This is the first time that I’ve went and got a new computer before my current one had some kind of catastrophic failure. Sure, my old one (Computron Rex) has plenty of issues, and seems to be getting worse all the time, but it is technically still a functional machine. That means, for the first time, I’ve got two computers on the go. And it is pretty effing sweet.

The new computer, an Asus model of some kind, seems really good. It is very fast compared to its predecessor and it is light enough that it probably will be able to function as a portable option in ways that that one never did. This is, of course, important now that school is happening. Most importantly it prevents me from worrying that my computer will die while I am needing it for school and I’ll be too poor to do anything about it.

I also have my weird computer naming policy that nobody cares about but me. I have to call it Computron Something, but I’m not entirely sure what. In chronological order, the computers I’ve owned were Computron, Computron V, Computron X, and Computron Rex. Where do I go from there? What’s better than Rex? My first thought was Computron Dei. Also, there’s the undead-based nickname that I have to apply as well, out of tradition. But I’m pretty sure I’ve used up all the best kinds of undead creatures. frankensteins, zombies, ghosts, and vampires I have used. So what is this guy? Sure there are options like maybe a lich or skeleton or mummy or something, but in a lot of ways those guys are just tricked-out zombies. As I pondered, my brain immediately started making the case that angels can be undead (in religious theory this is obviously not true, but we’ve all seen movies and stuff where dead folk become angels after death, so those guys would surely qualify).

Notice a pattern? My first thoughts for both of the naming conventions I use on my computers seem to be overselling this laptop to religious proportions. For the time I’m going to not officially name my new computer and we’ll see how well it lives up to my apparent subconscious impressions.

Anyway, now you are all up to date on my computer situation.