Disposable data storage
Try not to get too attached to things in this world. Especially to data. Another case, today, of a large hard drive that has failed without warning. No recovery possible (I tried).
This time around, a visit from a former office mate. Accustomed to the sad state of computer parts and the related reliability. Able to move on, and accept that the garbage can beside my desk was the “final resting place” for close to a terabyte of collected wisdom of the world. There’s no place for truisms.
On the bus this morning, I sat with a former student. They don’t remain teenagers forever (thankfully), but it was odd to imagine someone that I knew as a “kid in the hall”, now into a seventh year of marriage, with a small business (getting smaller, due to the state of the economy). No broken dreams, but none realized either. Life, in the slow lane.
I received a parcel this afternoon, sent from New York City. The detail that set this apart is that I ordered the parcel yesterday just before noon, and it was in my hands today, just after noon. Twenty-six hours, including packaging, shipment and customs. For me, a new record in efficient cross-border commerce. Pity that this remains the exception, rather than the rule. If it can happen once, why not all the time?
I’ve just gone through two rounds of “Make Me An Offer” on eBay. Two offers, on my part, both reasonable. Two counter offers, both with exactly the starting point as price. Is there something that one of us doesn’t understand? Is this a case of second language confusion? I’ll be looking elsewhere, or simply trying to build what I want myself. We do have hardware stores that provide “Make It Yourself” alternatives.
