I spent yesterday messing around with computers and realized they are a lot like goats. They will eat any garbage fed to them, have a strong tendency towards orneriness, and they don't like to be pushed. Goats also urinate on themselves to impress a potential mate, but that doesn't really translate to the computer comparison. It's just disgusting.
You buy a computer and it's all shiny and new and super cooperative. But after what seems like a ridiculously short time it starts to slow down and exhibit anti-social behavior. I'm pretty sure that defrag thing you are supposed to do to clean up files makes the operator feel like she is accomplishing something but has little real value. There is one area where goats and computers differ, however. Unlike a goat's lifespan of about 15 years, a computer can be expected to last approximately three years if it's never connected to the Internet and rarely sees the light of day.
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we create a computer that is more resilient, longer lasting and cooperative?
People my age love to say "if we can put a man on the moon, why can't we fix *insert annoying problem*. In 1969 we sat in front of our black and white televisions and stared transfixed as men actually did walk on the moon - a feat so impressive and unfathomable that it became the symbol for the impossible made possible.
What recent event has been so impressive, so paradigm shifting, that it will be used as a benchmark for generations to come? I'll have to think about that one.
In the mean time, jump over to one of my favorite Generation X blogs where I'm a guest contributor today.
1 comment:
I think it's called a Mac.
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