Can you love a computer do death? I think it is a valid question. And yes, I think it is possible. Let me tell you why. I bought a HP Pavilion laptop about five years ago, and after formatting it to fit my needs, I used it all of the time. It practically became my desktop computer and my mobile computer and my anything else I needed computer. In fact the best part about it was that it was mobile, and boy did it travel around with me. Up the stairs, down the stairs, at the kitchen table, on the countertop, on the bed, at my desk, on the coffee table – there were few places it didn’t go. My only complaint was that it only had a couple of hours of “battery life”. But since there are multiple electrical outlets just about any where I go, the cord was mobile too.
And then it happened - about two years after its birth in my home. One day the poor thing just wouldn’t turn on. I didn’t even get the “blue screen of death”… I only got death. It was hopelessly gone. And then my worries started. I wondered if my data could be recovered because I had two novels saved on my hard drive that I tried to faithfully back up, but knew that I should have been better at. So that is when it comes in handy to know a computer guy – conveniently one of which lived in my own home – and alas, my data was safe and secure.
But since we cannot live without technology nowadays, I was soon shopping for a replacement laptop. My computer guy, who just happens to be my husband, suggested that I look at a new netbook, or ultra portable "mini" laptop computer. It actually made sense to me, especially since mobility seemed to be the key for me – so about four stores later we found one. An Acer Aspire One. And fortunately, it was love at first sight! First of all, it came in the color red. Second of all, it was small and compact enough to be even more mobile than my last one. Third of all, the battery life was a whopping EIGHT hours. And did I say it had a fabulous battery life? I was sold. Of course my computer guy made sure that I would have enough memory, and all of that other good stuff, but this was it. It doesn’t get any better than this, right?
So herein lies the current problem, as I occasionally evaluate my love affair with my new computer… how do I prevent myself from loving it to death?
