Wednesday 27 February 2008

Before Computers

How can I describe it? It’s long, about six feet although I’ve seen them less than that. Sometimes they’re not long, but vertical and again, approximately six feet but with some variations. They come in different colours; the basic ones being brown, pinkish-orange and yellow although this description is too reductive because the varying hues in between are infinite. Their texture is also varied. Some are warm and sticky to touch, others cold and rough, depending on where you find them. Under the outer shell are a series of blue wires, occasionally visible in some places and constantly so in others. There are bits of wire sticking out at one end and randomly spread elsewhere and these too are different shades. On the older models, the wires have come disconnected from the shell. Some of them appear to have optional extras, add-ons not apparently factory-installed.

If you’re going to get one, make sure you do your research. There’s no point having one that’s going to just sit in the corner of the living room. It may even be advisable to take lessons in order to get the most out of your purchase. Reliability is a key issue as is capacity for handling data and the speed at which it can be processed. If you get one that’s unreliable or faulty, the manufacturer just won’t want to know and it can be really difficult to get it fixed. They’re very sensitive and one tiny component not operating to its full potential can have untold ramifications on the rest of its system.

Don’t let me put you off altogether. I’ve had one for some time and would thoroughly recommend it but I have heard some real horror stories. It’s hard to imagine how life was before we had people computers isn’t it?

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