Monday, January 04, 2010

salted (micro) chips


Harry Chapin is softly serenading from the grave.

It seems I've been here before;
I can't remember when;
But I have this funny feeling,
That we'll all be together again.
Well. I remember when.


I am sitting in the library of my house in Salem looking out at my rather ragged back yard. But it is a familiar scene. This has been my writing perch for several years. This -- and the hot tub.


The last time I sat here writing was April 2009. Just nine months ago.


I had just purchased a snazzy new Sony notebook -- my designated writing tool for my move to Mexico. I knew then that I would be putting it in great danger by living near the sea -- with its salty mortality. (a new star in the firmament
)


And you all know how that tale of woe went. Within two months, the briny air was having its way with the computer. In December, it simply died.


I now sit in the same spot in my library composing on a computer.


Now, I know that most of you may not be interested in the specifics. But several of you have asked what I bought as a replacement.


It is an HP Pavilion dv6-1375dx.


Is it just me or do computer model names simply lack any sex appeal? Cars once had names that reflected their personalities: Imperial, Viper, Phaeton.


But dv6-1375dx? It sounds like the part number for industrial shelving.


Notwithstanding the moniker, it is a nice computer.
The processor is an Intel Core 2 duo with 6GB of DDR3 memory. Fast. Really fast.


It is two pounds heavier and nowhere as handsome as my deceased Sony. Had I taken the time to research what I really wanted, I probably would not have bought this machine. But the quick buy gave me the opportunity to get back on line for my infrequent posts on this trip.


On Saturday, I will fly back to Melaque and my adventure in Mexico. After all, the effervescent Babs is in town.


It is time for another spin on the circle that is my life.


6 comments:

Tancho said...

So the Vaio is still under warantee?
Sony is pretty good about their products, so I hope you brought it back to send to them?
I have friends that have had much better luck, and living in the coast, so I think it may have been possibly something else fritzed out....
Send it back and if they fix it you will have a spare....can never have too many computers....

Michael Dickson said...

So how long do you think the new one will last? Recall the phrase: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Buena suerte!

sparks_mex said...

I think I told you this before but I had the same experience living a block away from Steve ... but worse.

My desktop died while I was there, my laptop will only boot when warm. My computer tech here in Chapala said both were oxidized (rust) beyond repair.

And two Sony cameras. One died totally and the other won't zoom. There is a Sony service center in Guad.

Every tool I have is rust red.

It's the coast !!

Unknown said...

Steve - lean out the Summer Street window and wave before you head back to the sunny clime!

Adrienne on E Street

Rick said...

Steve, those salty chips look good but they don't last long either (at least around me).
If you are staying at the beach you might need a military type laptop (mucho bucks) or else just buy extended warranties and boomerang them as Tancho suggests.

Steve Cotton said...

Tancho -- I gave it to my brother to part out. He had to open it to extract the data from the hard drive.

Felipe -- I hope for longer than the four months I will be there.


El Jubilado -- The odds do not look good.

Adrienne -- I should stop by. There is a chance I will not leave until the 16th.

Rick -- I suspect the salt on the Mexican coast could eat through titanium.