It's been a tough week for me and technology. It goes like that, some good days and some bad days. A lot of my technology failures arise directly from my loss of arm strength. I've managed to break the touch screen on my tablet, there is some sort of problem with the joystick on my power wheelchair, and this morning my HCA spilled the smallest drop of water you can imagine on my laptop keyboard causing one of the keys to stick.
The tablet problem was pure and simple ALS. I was in bed and wanted to watch something on Netflix. So, as I have habitually done for a few years now, I shifted sideways on my bed as much as I could, then reached out to grab my tablet. It was a reach too far for my weakened left arm. I grabbed my tablet, which promptly slipped from my left hand, tumbling to the floor. There was nothing I could do. I left it there until the next morning when my HCA picked it up for me. I opened it to discover the touch screen was broken. Interestingly enough, the keyboard and mouse are fine, but my touch screen no longer responds to touch.
Next came the joystick on my power wheelchair. For no discernable reason the joystick goes into an error mode, wherein it stops working completely. Fortunately I discovered this on a work day while I was at home. The service technician showed up in about 30 minutes with a replacement joystick module. Alas, the same thing happened a few days later. Once again it was a work day. Once agaain the technician showed up very quickly, this time with a computer module to test various parts and pieces.
The interesting thing in both these cases was that the error would come and go, seemingly randomly, seemingly with no apparent cause. Then it happened this morning, not a weekday, not a workday. There I was stuck in my chair at my kitchen table. I sent the appropriate SOS to my ALS Society case worker. Then I remembered my Dad's advice. If at first you don't succeed, use force. I smacked the joystick module on the side, rather like Fonzi smacking the juke box on Happy Days. It worked!
Alas the situation with my laptop is not so fortunate. The drip of water on the keyboard seems to have shorted one key such that it is on all the time. This key repeats endlessly, right in the log in box for Windows. Thus I cannot log in to my laptop. I hit all the keys with a moderate degree of force, hoping Fonzi would once again appear in spirit. This time he let me down.
So here I am, writing this blog post on my non-touch screen tiny tablet, contemplating the costs of repairing both this table and my laptop. I thing I will forget about the tablet. I can use it the way it is. I will take my laptop to a local computer store early next week, depending on timing, and use this tablet all week for blog posts. That is, as long as the Fonzi approach continues to keep my joystick working.
Post the cost of the laptop repair. I'll cover it. Or email me.
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