The big computer hidden under the desk emitted a strange electrical noise yesterday morning, before switching off and filling the room with an acrid smell of burning. I pulled the plug out immediately. At the moment I have no idea what happened to it - but guessed at the power supply unit. A new one is on order, and should arrive tomorrow morning. It remains to be seen if the sound I heard was just the power supply, or the entire computer ending it’s own life. If any sort of surge hit the motherboard or CPU, it’s going to be “goodbye computer”.
I’m writing this blog post though, so you would be correct in thinking “he found a way”. I resurrected an old laptop, installed it with a shiny copy of Ubuntu Linux, and wired it up to the monitor, mouse, and keyboard on the desk in the junk room. A working computer. Yes, it’s slow, and yes, it’s a bit clunky - but it works. If the other computer really is dead, this will be the only computer around for months - if not years. There’s no way we can afford to replace it (it was handed down in the first place - my Dad gave it us when he upgraded).
It’s funny really - that I work in IT, but don’t have any sort of cutting edge hardware at home. I guess I have three daughters instead - and there’s not much left in the pot after providing for them each month. I sometimes think back to our life before children with a smile, and wish I had appreciated how much disposable income we once had.