Technology challenged

[pbray]

My ancient inkjet printer has been slowly dying--at first it was misfeeding paper and then it developed a tendency toward spitting out ink. I changed inkjet cartridges (twice), but while there was a brief improvement, the smearing ink came back. As did a new symptom, where random lines appeared much lighter than the text above and below them. I tentatively diagnosed a problem with the track mechanism--as it travels back and forth the cartridge is either too close to the paper (smearing) or too far (light print).

So on Saturday I went over to Staples to see what they had in stock, and found a printer that looked good, with a 30% off rebate. But since I hadn't made up my mind, I decided to check a couple of other places to see what they had on offer.

Somehow I missed the fine print that the rebate offer was only good for one week. When I returned Sunday, the printer was back to its regular price.

Grr. Argh. Now I'm stuck waiting to see if that printer goes back on sale, or trying to find something else at a comparable price. And in the meantime, my HP knows it's about to be replaced and is misprinting with wild enthusiasm.

Comments

[pbray.livejournal.com]

They are tricksy creatures indeed.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

I keep saying, to myself and to other people, that technology is the new magic. We depend on it to work, but we don't really understand how it works; we are most of us powerless to fix it when it breaks, and again depend on rarefied magician-types (such as yourself) to help us; it performs miracles when it feels like it, but when not, not; we perform superstitious rituals that (again) we don't really understand in the persistent belief that they will make some difference to the outcome ...

I was reading Susanna Clarke's The Ladies of Grace Adieu & Other Stories this weekend, and I kept thinking about computers. :P

[pbray.livejournal.com]

It's very much a game of shake the rattles, sacrifice the chickens and pray to the gods of chaos.

Plus, even when you can identify the problem, repairs are often far more expensive than replacing the failing item. That's the part that gets me.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

And also the chicken-sacrificing just makes such a mess ;^)

Planned obsolescence is a pet peeve of mine as well.