Moving from Los Angeles to Houston has introduced a series of technology related difficulties at our house. Of course, there were the expected service outages– no telephone (thank God for mobile phones), no internet connection, no satellite TV, no video game console. Telephone and DSL were restored relatively quickly after we moved in but required about a week from the order date. The game console was unpacked within a few days but unused prior to establishing my internet lifeline. Our DirecTV install is the most surprising delay. In LA, I never waited more than 3 days for an installer to arrive. Our inital call to DirecTV in Houston gained us a 9 day wait prior to install. To make it worse, the installer never showed up. A few calls later and I received the next available install date–another 5 days of waiting. The install is scheduled for tomorrow. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
We have also seen a rash of hardware failures in our computers. The first I noticed was the DVD-R drive in our desktop computer has failed and no longer reads disks. It had been acting up prior to the move but seems to have failed completely now. Likewise, our computer monitor which has been problematic for more than a year is showing serious screen distortions. It has now been replaced with a new LCD flat panel monitor, a Samsung Multisync 730B for those who care. The desktop system is due for a complete upgrade but these things seem to hasten the process. Luckily, Megan and I both have laptops to rely on. Finally, and worst of all, the primary hard drive of our media/PVR PC has failed requiring a new drive and complete software and OS reinstall.
These issues have prompted at least two major conclusions: 1) life with no internet connection, PVR, or gaming was not as bad as I anticipated since my work-a-holic schedule prior to my thesis defense essentially weened me off the technology milk. I even enjoyed reading more and going to sleep earlier. 2) The convenience and enjoyment of an internet connection, PVR and other electronic doo-dads is worth paying for.
Life can be enjoyed with or without toys.
Interesting conclusion. I am afraid that I am in a period of life that is ruled by extremes. Either I walk to school and cook dinner over a fire in the backyard, or enjoy playing several hours of video games while cooking my dinner in the microwave. I still haven’t formulated an ultimate decision upon the utilization of modern technologies. Perhaps there is a healthy balance between the two extremes…
You know, I lived for 50 years or so perfectly content without internet, satellite TV, or PVR. I never had to exist without telephone, although I also made it those 50 years without cell phone. However, I have to admit that once you’ve had all of those, it would be a shock to the system to be without them. I know I could adjust and would probably spend my time more wisely. I know I read less now that I’ve installed all of the technological things. (Can you believe it?) But I really enjoy the technology. Glad you’re getting yours back – just remember to keep the priorities straight.