CDS - and why I suffer bad !

Post by **neil** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:37 pm

CDS - not sure if you've heard of the syndrome. Computer Dependency Syndrome

Last Friday night my trusty laptop crashed very badly and with it my life (well not really but at times it's felt like it !). For various reasons it took until Thursday night (yesterday) to fix it and I am still in the process of rebuilding my life.

It's amazing how dependant I am on the machine - I have other laptops and a perfectly adequate desktop but they're not set up in the same way or haven't had all the hours spent on them making them just right - the right programs, links, files etc.

The sites have suffered too as its felt like i've been trying to run them with one hand behind my back ! You've probably not noticed this but sufffice to say I'll be ensuring I have a backup machine on hand in case it happens again.

On a plus side whilst the machine crashed badly I lost no data which I guess is a bonus. I just now need to tweak it back to the state it was before the crash - which should take until Xmas !

maybe I've really got SBS - sad b'strd syndrome - you tell me

Chas · Post by **Chas** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 4:24 pm

I'd say SBS is more appropriate

Despite the fact that we are relatively young and probably used computers at school, I've made a conscious decision not to become too dependent on the darn things as I know they have a limited shelf life. A TV used to be good for 15-20 years, if you could put up with limited features. Now you are lucky to get 5 years from most electronic equipment. Our BluRay has packed up after 10 months and we've only used it infrequently. Computers are obsolete after three years as they clog up with all the RAM being used by ever more memory-hungry programs.

I've avoided a Blackberry because I don't want it to rule my life. In some companies it's a status symbol, like "Ghia" used to be in the car pool. That's a shame. I don't measure my importance by the ability to pick up emails whilst I'm having a dump. If something is really urgent, there is a device called a phone. Heck, it's only in the last 15 years or so that we've all had our own mobile version of such a device; now they are given to 6-year-olds.

We are clearly losing the art of social interaction on a massive scale. Literacy is being replaced with SMS speak. I've seen CVs and job applications from 20-year-olds which use the terms "b4" and "u" for Gods sake. English was never my subject at school, and grammer even less so, but I fully understand why the older generation talk about dumbing down.

Sorry Neil, I've gone a bit off topic and started a rant of my own but I'll pull it together with an relevant analogy. The modern BMWs are so acomplished and so packed full of computing power that we risk becoming too reliant on them and miss the drive. Electronics which tell us if we've fallen asleep and start drifting lanes are only required for cars which make us fall asleep in the first place. It's a sobering thought that the E32 I've been driving for the last week was considered to be so technologically advanced when it was launched. Now it's a bit of a dinosaur.

God help us if someone develops an EM pulse weapon which knocks out computers. We'll be back to bows and arrows but no-one will know how to use them.

B10BRW · Post by **B10BRW** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 1:01 am

Chas wrote:

English was never my subject at school, and grammer even less so,

Spelling isn't so hot either

ALPB1033 · Post by **ALPB1033** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 3:44 am

Chas completely agreed with you. There will be less causalty for any world conflict if we don't know how to use bows and arrows.

Post by **Charles** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 12:47 pm

I've got a proper bow which, when wound up to full power, will still go straight through a body at about 1/4 mile

I'm ready

Ikule · Post by **Ikule** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:48 pm

Charles wrote:I've got a proper bow which, when wound up to full power, will still go straight through a body at about 1/4 mile

I'm ready

Rambo Lovibond

Chas · Post by **Chas** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 10:23 pm

B10BRW wrote:
Chas wrote:English was never my subject at school, and grammer even less so,
Spelling isn't so hot either

My spelling isn't too bad Brian, it's my typing skills that are in need of polishing

I could pretent it was a deliberate attempt at irony but I don't think you'd be convinced!

Joe · Post by **Joe** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:24 pm

pretent

I think this proves it was likely to be a typo...

nealpina · Post by **nealpina** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:33 pm

My iPhone is now an essential piece of kit because on Wednesday one of my servers went down. I remotely logged onto my network via the iPhone and restarted the server. My main desktop and laptop are also an essential piece of kit but because of the iPhone I donâ€™t need to take my laptop everywhere. Blackberryâ€™s can also do remote logins but imo it is not as good as the iPhone. I think it is all swings and roundabouts with regards to e-mail phones because sales staff need them to make the essential deal, and also for emergency but at the same time they shouldnâ€™t take over someoneâ€™s life

I used to image my computers but when I used to restore them. I spent a fair amount of time upgrading the software as some of them were out of date. I now just backup the files and then reload the Operating Systems.

Richy_Boy · Post by **Richy_Boy** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 3:27 pm

Without this getting into a full-scale debate

I used to suffer crashes here and there, but since switching to Ubuntu Linux at home, all is well *touch wood*. I do have a Netgear ReadyNAS for storing data though!

Hmm haven't tried RDP'ing to one of our servers from my SE X1 phone.. being Windows based, it's bound to be incompatiable!

Rich

Ikule · Post by **Ikule** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 5:45 pm

Richy_Boy wrote:
Hmm haven't tried RDP'ing to one of our servers from my SE X1 phone.. being Windows based, it's bound to be incompatiable!

Rich

Damn Babelfish is playing up....... it's not translating this Alien language

nealpina · Post by **nealpina** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 7:43 pm

Ikule wrote:
Richy_Boy wrote:
Hmm haven't tried RDP'ing to one of our servers from my SE X1 phone.. being Windows based, it's bound to be incompatiable!

Rich
Damn Babelfish is playing up....... it's not translating this Alien language

Hope no one minds and Rich hope you donâ€™t also mind

Remote Desktop Protocol is a protocol (as an example http is a protocol therefore http(://www.thealpinaregister.com)). There are applications that can use RDP protocol to connect to another computer (in the http protocol example Internet Explorer is an application). As an example of RDP you can connect to your computer downstairs to the one upstairs via the downstairs computer and vice versa but you will see the screen of the other computer. It is mainly used to connect to a computer at one site to another site. SE X1 is Richy_Boyâ€™s mobile phone that runs Windows mobile

Sorry Rich couldnâ€™t resist the Mobile Window joke

Rich or anyone can you please explain better

Richy_Boy · Post by **Richy_Boy** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:13 pm

Yep, sorry, talking gibberish.. Sony Ericsson X1 phone...

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/product ... verview/x1

Complete rubbish, until you put Windows Mobile 6.5 on it...

Rich

Ikule · Post by **Ikule** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:57 pm

Ok thanks chaps, mud clearing, brain hurting..... but for everything there is Nurofen!

nealpina · Post by **nealpina** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 1:28 am

Richy_Boy wrote:Hmm haven't tried RDP'ing to one of our servers from my SE X1 phone.. being Windows based, it's bound to be incompatiable!

Rich

Seriously VNC should work fine