Broken Computer
If when opening your laptop you hear a popping noise, and it’s not opening as easily as it usually does, I’m sorry. Sunday night at about 10 I sat down to check my email before going to bed. As I lifted up the monitor the case started popping open, and I couldn’t lift it all the way up. That’s odd, I thought. I set about taking the cover off to figure out what was wrong. After getting the cover off I could see that the hinge had snapped on one side.
After the initial frustration I realized how lucky I am to have a tablet PC. Once I got the damaged portion out I was able to flip the screen and use it as a tablet. The monitor won’t move, but at least I can still use it. How aweful it would have been if I had a regular laptop and couldn’t use it at all. Being about 95% finished with the second draft of my Masters Thesis, it would have been very difficult to get that done.
I’m grateful that I’m not afraid to tear things apart and try to fix them. At about 11:30 Sunday night Laurie looked over to see what I was up to and said I was weird. Most people wouldn’t tear their computer apart.
On Monday morning after finding a parts supplier and ordering a new hinge assembly I was looking around to see how much it would have cost me to get it fixed. The parts dealer/authorized repair facility for Toshiba would have charged me $290 in labor. That, the shipping, and the part would have come close to $500 dollars. I could buy a new computer for little more than half that.
While I may be “weird”, and not “most people,” being weird saved me $400, and the inside part of the screen that was so dusty and dirty is now clean. Perhaps the best part is I don’t have to be without a computer while it’s getting fixed.
When the hinge gets here I’ll take pictures, computer guts are pretty neat.
Weather
I think the last few days there have been more clouds than all the days in June combined for all of history. It hasn’t been hotter than 95 since last friday, and isn’t supposed to be until saturday. Even then it isn’t supposed to be above 100 until next week. Isn’t June the month of 115 degree weather?? If there is such a thing as global warming there must also be local cooling. I can take it. I can take 90’s in June anyday. Apparently we may even see rain tomorrow, rain in June, imagine that. I looked outside and I haven’t seen any flying pigs. Maybe tomorrow…
