Freaky coincidence involving home computer??

Forums: Existentialism, Sentient Computer, Self-Repairing Keyboard, Self-Aware Computer, Existential Computer
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I am in the market for a new laptop. One of the main reasons why is my doddering old Dell is ... well old. Relatively speaking. If my Dell account is accurate, I got it in the middle of 2019 though I that could've been the replacement they shipped me when my previous Dell of the same model was destroyed by accidentally spilling water on it. And me taking advantage of the full-service tech insurance bought ahead of time so they shipped me my current refurbished Inspiron 15 Gaming 7577.

One of the reasons I want or even need a new computer, other than being a techish geek, is that I don't have enough faith in my computer in terms of reliability and any potential remote work I may need to do with my new job at a new firm. Basically speaking ... I've been having problems with my keyboard and more and more keys just stopped working altogether.

P's and 's and ) and ?'s and a couple of others haven't been working for months. For a while, I could pound a particular key and it eventually would type the related character. That brutish technique eventually failed.

Until literally now where I started browsing for new laptops to consider buying. And you might say, hey! Tsarstepan? I see you posting those characters today and several hundred times over the past several months in word games, etc.... I got around those typing obstacles by copying and pasting those other characters from whenever I could find them on a given screen, etc.... Or hoping spell and grammar check help autocorrect a misspelled or mistyped word. What makes this a situation that's a weird freaky coincidence is... during my browsing for a new computer... most of those keys actually started working again.

Does my computer know it has a limited time left being my computer? And it desperately is trying to be useful or relevant? [Thats sarcasm/silliness ... so please don't think I'm legitimately asking that... I've been posting at a2k since 2009 and many regular a2kers still don't understand my weird sense of humor].
The equal key and the plus key still don't work.

Keep in mind, I could use a separate keyboard to bypass this issue but I really want a new computer as I do everything on it at home. Including watching everything I watch (movies, tv, YouTube, etc...) Play games on it. I super rarely use my tv and Bluray player and can honestly say I used it one or two times in the past 3+ years.

I know my computer has already ... um self-healed (not the correct term but give me some leeway) itself in the past. About six months ago, my hard drive started to fatally crash for a week, only to (seems the case) to be fixed by an automatic Microsoft update I didn't ask for, despite the fact my computer is way past its warranty date. ITs never crashed again for that kind of hardware issue.

Has this happened to you? Tech devices somehow reviving themselves in a timely fashion to make them seem more relevant and useful to you in order to keep from being replaced with a much newer, better model?

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I've never had a computer try to fix itself. Never.

There is a myth that Einstein said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result". Personally, I don't believe he really said this, but if he did, he never owned a personal computer.

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Funny that you bring this up, tsar, and that you feel 2019 is old for a computer Smile

My husband just got a used laptop today from his computer guy - his current laptop is 14 years old and just has a few problems with one of his programs, which he needs. Mine is 2015 (a MacBook Air) which is still going strong Smile

Apparently we hang onto things until they die an ignominious death. Or the battery swells and blows up... which they can't replace because they don't make them anymore.

Our gas dryer was installed in this house when it was built in 1979. Works great. lol

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@Mame,

I know I'm spoiled (first world problem) and I want to celebrate my new job with a kickass computer that's future-proof down the line. If I didn't lose my previous long-term job, I still would have wanted to get a new computer and was considering thusly when the pandemic struck and unemployment was a terrifying reality. This is why I was so happy and appreciative of that unsolicited Microsoft update that fixed my fatally glitched hard drive. Why I'm staying with Microsoft and not switching to the more expensive Mac even though my new job has me far more financially stable than I've ever been in my life. (knock on wood that it lasts)

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@tsarstepan,

Tsar! Congrats on the job! Last time we chatted, you were looking, so good on you! Also glad to hear you're more financially stable... at the stage of life you're at, that's comforting.

What will you be doing and do you get benefits (like health, dental, vision)? I ask because I am on the hook for a $4K dental bill (all my fault, sadly) with no dental plan (we're retired). I hope you have benefits and for God's Sake, floss your teeth!!

If you don't want to share your job details here, please pm me. I'd love to hear more about it Smile

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@tsarstepan,

Although I have a fairly recent gaming desktop I am obsessed with things lasting long even when they become obsolete. One of the most annoying things to me is stuff build to get broken all to fast.
Growing old with your stuff in your house is almost impossible these days.
Houses without memory, without a past, and eventually without life...barren and sleek!

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@Albuquerque,

Yeah, we just had to replace our refrigerator after only ten years. The Motherboard went and they can't replace it (don't make it anymore). Same thing happened with our first big screen TV. Both repairmen (yes, I called for repairs) said they were made to go quickly, but also that the technology changes so fast. Maybe I should order a new Motherboard for my fridge? Gah.

You know, I drove a '63 Pontiac for 10 years. I bought it in 1983. It died when it was 30 years old. I loved that car. You could put a bunch of kids in the back and a bunch of bicycles in the trunk and it was only a 6 cyl so didn't take a lot of gas.

I can't get a battery for this Mac, so when it blows up, it's a new one, and the new ones don't have a USB port (it's a new one called Lightning, I believe) so how the hell am I going to print or download photos from my phone? I have to buy a bloody adaptor.

Did you hear that the EU was talking about forcing ALL device makers to use the same cables? It's all about the thrown out cables cluttering up the landfills. They should all be interchangeable.

Irons, lamps, TVs, radios have the same plugs as everything else in your home, so why not have a universal device cable?

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@Mame,

Mame wrote:

Yeah, we just had to replace our refrigerator after only ten years. The Motherboard went and they can't replace it (don't make it anymore). Same thing happened with our first big screen TV. Both repairmen (yes, I called for repairs) said they were made to go quickly, but also that the technology changes so fast.

Sadly, there's a real (not conspiratorial) term for that. Designed or planned obsolescence.

It's funny. I still have a very good working nonHD 32" Sony tv I got back in ... 2008ish. I don't use it these past several years because I prefer the ease and streaming capability/reliability of my laptop. The only time I used it recently was when my home had a weekend of internet trouble. So, I was forced to use my Bluray collection or die of boredom at home. I may have an internet addiction. I'm not saying. Embarrassed

I'll PM you tomorrow about my new job sitch. Very Happy

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@tsarstepan,

" I may have an internet addiction. I'm not saying."

LOL I know you, tsar, and 'may' is not the operative word, lol. Why do you still have that dinosaur of a tv? That's funny! Especially in connection with you, ha ha ha

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@Mame,

Mame wrote:

Why do you still have that dinosaur of a tv? That's funny! Especially in connection with you, ha ha ha

It's never been a priority to replace. My previous long term jobs didn't pay very much and like I said, I'm so hooked to my home computer. I do everything on it. No compulsion to get a new tv. Now that 4k TVs are really cheap? That may change. But not a priority (or really low). I rather get new furniture (bookcases, drawers) to improve my living space/bedroom then get a new tv. My bedroom is a cluttered mess. Now with my new job, that's solvable.

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@tsarstepan,

I'm looking forward to hearing about your new job, so when you tell me, don't stint.

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Tsar, Roger and Mame, three posters targeted by nonce for downthumbing. It's their mo. I have thumbed you allow BTW, but I am only one.

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@izzythepush,

izzythepush wrote:

Tsar, Roger and Mame, three posters targeted by nonce for downthumbing. It's their mo. I have thumbed you allow BTW, but I am only one.

I genuinely appreciate your effort Izzy. Very Happy

1 Reply

@tsarstepan,

Should be all up, not allow,bloody spellcheck.

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@izzythepush,

izzythepush wrote:

Tsar, Roger and Mame, three posters targeted by nonce for downthumbing. It's their mo. I have thumbed you allow BTW, but I am only one.

I did the same thing on several threads.

As far as computers, I gave up on PC's a few years ago, I've never had an issue with my MAC, the only PC I use is my work laptop.

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@jcboy,

I've got a tablet which isn't ideal.

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Freaky coincidence involving home computer??

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