lethargicI've got two computers sitting on my desk at home. There's my big old dinosaur Mac, now mostly ignored, and my new Mac Mini. I would love to get rid of Old Dinosaur, but can't quite do that yet, because he has a lot of important files inside him. He lost internet capability in late 2003 and I didn't get around to replacing him until Oct. of 2005. Unfortunately my two Macs can't communicate with each other. Old Dinosaur can't get on the internet so I can't just email my files to myself. Mac Mini does not deal with floppies, so I can't transfer info that way, either. The only thing they have in common is that they can both read CDs. However, Old Dinosaur can't BURN CDs. I took Old Dinosaur's box to a computer place and they burned his info onto a new disc, which I inserted hopefully into Mac Mini, only to find that Mac Mini can't open most of the files. Was I surprised? Well, no. I guess the next step is to take Mac Mini's box back to the computer place, along with the burned CD and ask them to make it work. They'll probably say it can't work because of lots of technical-sounding reasons, which I will listen to with fatalism oozing from every pore. I have been avoiding taking Mac Mini to them because they'll probably keep her for a few days. As I am totally addicted to her, this is going to be a problem for me. I know I have to do it, though. Maybe next Saturday. Maybe. As a last resort, I may have to pay someone to install some kind of old but still working internet software onto Old Dinosaur that will get me on the internet long enough to mail all my files to myself. Bet Mac Mini won't be able to open the attachments, though. I'm not sure why. Most of my old files were done on Claris Works, and Mac Mini comes with Apple Works, its successor. She couldn't open them from my professionally burned CD and for once I know it's not just me being dorky. I had a Mac programmer here a few weeks ago, and HE couldn't make them open either. If worst comes to worst, I suppose I could spend hour upon hour printing from Old Dinosaur and scanning into Mac Mini. Not that I know how to use my scanner/printer/copier, which is still in the box, and which, as I have been informed by a reliable source, is actually a piece of junk. No wonder they threw it in free with my computer package!
Hey, those angsty Dee and Ryo fanfiction stories have nothing on me and my angsty computer love triangle.
The moral of this story is, "Never wait too long to replace your old computer because technology marches on and stuff gets obsolete and then you have to waste lots of time and energy that you'd rather spend researching anime and manga." Surely I'm not the only person in North America who figured this out too late. I'm sure LOTS of other hapless people out there are having the same problem, dammit.
