Wednesday, January 8, 2014

When Death Isn't The End

My old, trusty computer finally died. Well, sort of, I guess. It might as well be dead. I lost power the other day (thank goodness just briefly) during the much-talked about Polar Vortex and my computer would not reboot no matter how much I coaxed it.
 
I can't complain. It was old and well used. And I had even got a good deal on another computer very similar to it a few years ago (gosh, has it really been that long?) and had it packed away. I thought then the end was near for my last computer and was waiting for it to croak. It held on much longer than I expected.
 
So, when my computer finally quit, I thought it would be no big deal to get the other one going.
 
Wrong!
 
Well, first, bear in mind that I'm no tech whiz. Second, when I did get my "new" computer out of its box and hooked everything up, I first had to install AOL so I could get online. Yeah, I'm one of the three percent (or whatever it is) who still has old-fashioned dial-up internet. I plan on changing that when I go to a laptop or tablet next. Someday. Maybe.
 
Anyway, I got my AOL installed and then found, to my dismay, that the browser was old and outdated and wouldn't display much of the internet I use. In fact, I couldn't even get into my blog. Okay, I thought, I would just update my browser. But I found through repeated attempts and failures that the old browser wouldn't support the downloading of an update. There's probably more to it than that, but the help program for that browser was no longer available to assist me. It ceased support a couple of years ago. (I guess buying a computer and keeping it "on hand" isn't such a good idea.)
 
Now, while I was doing all that in trying to get back online and back to my blog, I was also having to work around the hardships the Polar Vortex presented me and my loved ones. So I could only work in spurts.
 
Finally, today I installed Google Chrome (after several false starts) and was able to make it back to my blog. Obviously. Here I am!
 
So Doug's Dribblings is now resurrected in a "new" old computer that is - like with most of my stuff - years behind the times. (I just hate doing away with things that still has "wear" left in them.)
 
Ah, the weather has finally broke and my part of the sunny south has finally made it above freezing after a couple of days below, and one day down to nearly zero. My pipes made it through, my old truck didn't let me down (you can't beat those old Chevys!), my loved ones had some close calls but are fine now. And I'm back to blogging.  Life is good again.
 

And I bet you guys thought I was going to discuss post-mortem survival or near-death experiences, didn't you?

15 comments:

  1. What's dial-up? :)

    Glad you are back on line, even if it is circa 1999. I don't miss the dial-up days. I fondly remember starting a download when I went to bed so it would be finished when I got up the next day.

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    1. Thanks, Bruce. Yeah, it took me a few hours to download the new browser. Ugh! I'm looking at alternatives to dial-up. I don't want to bundle services (I don't have cable or satellite TV, nor do I want them.) I don't care for long term contacts with fines for early cancellation, preferring the flexibility and freedom of month-to-month services. I'll just have to take a good, long look at what's out there and fits into my scheme. By the way, I am open to suggestions from you or any of my readers.

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    2. My hubby also hates contracts, but finally gave in when it came to getting our higher speed net. It is wonderful, though.

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    3. Yeah, Alice, in the end I may have to give in on the contract. But I still don't like the thought of it! LOL.

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  2. I don't know what kind of cell service you have there, but you can get wireless air time without a contract that is 4G. I don't know how expensive that is or how it will work with your new "old" computer.

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    1. I have my trusty by-the-month Cricket phone. I have Mom on my account, too, and it is the basic plan. My lady friend keeps encouraging me to check out their wi-fi service. I don't know if I would have to upgrade my plan to get it. I probably will need to get a new new computer or tablet eventually. I'm always one of the last to upgrade to any new technology!

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  3. I never judge a blog post by its title. UGH, I too an due for a new computer and I too am NOT tech savvy. Glad you made it through the cold.

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    1. I hate picking post titles most of all about blogging. I really should take more care in choosing, but, hey, I'm not a "serious" blogger anyway. Just having a little fun is all.

      That cold snap (thankfully brief) was something else. If I didn't have to worry so much about my elderly mother in these extreme weather situations I wouldn't dread them nearly as much.

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  4. Where's exrelayman? He's the bomb when it comes to computer tech stuff.

    Question? How are you going to dispose of your older old computer? Are you able to wipe/delete the contents clean? You're suppose to do that but I'm wondering how does one do that if the thing kicks the bucket before you do that?

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    1. I haven't heard from exrelayman in a long time. I think about him often and hope he is well. (I suspect he lost interest in my blogging, which is too bad because I miss his input.)

      I've only owned one other computer prior to the one that just died. I used it for eleven or so years. I literally took that one apart and smashed with a sledge hammer most of the pieces. This last one is stored back in the box the new one came out of. I may hold on to it until I die, at which it time it won't matter what anyone finds on the hard drive.

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    2. I miss him too. I haven't been out and about blog land of late. Only a few but haven't seen him there either. I enjoyed his input as well.

      So true about after we die. Weird though thinking of your post here. We die but we also live on through our un-destroyed computer hard drive . . . there is life after death!

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    3. That cyber personality Doug B was "dead" and unable to communicate with his other cyber friends. I wasn't really dead, but in the internet blogosphere I was as good as dead. Then I got closer by putting a new body (computer) to use. But I was still having problems getting through to all of you. Finally I was again able to make contact after much ado in finding a program that worked properly in my new body (computer). And here I am: "back from the dead," "resurrected to a new life, my mind extended through a different medium. LOL!

      I can't help wondering about the deeper questions. Is death for real? Do we ever really die or just change "lifestyle" (change energy forms)? Probably the latter. But does our individual personality, as such, continue after the death of our material bodies? Can the bits of information which make up who we really are live on, besides in memory, books, computer hard drives, pictures and videos? Is time just an illusion? Does the past, present, and future somehow exist simultaneously as a homogeneous whole?

      So many questions, so little time to contemplate all of it.

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    4. ouch . . . I have a headache ;-)

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    5. Sorry 'bout that. Got carried away!

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  5. Man did you bring back memories. I had truly forgotten about AOL...."you've got mail"....

    Now Doug, this was not intended as a put-down, but a welcomed remembrance of times past. You see I have two very, very tech-savy sons who drag Dad, kicking and screaming into the 21st century. So, anytime I have a problem, which happens frequently, I call my youngest, the most techie one, for help. When he sees my caller-ID, he usually answers in his best Indian (India) accent, "Hello, this Bob in Technical Assistance, how may I help you?

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