Tip #129 Weighted Wonders; Technology vortex

Warning: this is a very long post, but I got so good at ranting about the technological roller coaster I couldn't help myself! 


vor·tex (vôrtks)

n. pl. vor·tex·es or vor·ti·ces (-t-sz)

1. A spiral motion of fluid within a limited area, especially a whirling mass of water or air that sucks everything near it toward its center.

2. A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it: "As happened with so many theater actors, he was swept up in the vortex of Hollywood"(New York Times).

     I think my house is a vortex for technology - the vortex in definition 2 above could have it's example read this way "As happened with so many of the efficient and effective technological devices, they were swept up in the vortex of her living room." Don't get me wrong, I can't say enough good things about technology - truly. It has changed the face of recovery in ways previously unthinkable - unimaginable really. But it also has the ability to drive one crazy. By "one," I really mean me. You too? Lets see if you can relate.
     Now, I know it sounds overly dramatic, but I am (mostly) not kidding about living in some sort of technical vortex! The proof? Let's talk about internet: I live on a farm, yes, but I don't live in the 1800's and I am not so far out of town as to be considered off-the-beaten-path. Why is that relevant? Cause I'm too far out for cable, and bell says that I am 0.2 km (218 yards for our southern friends) too far from their magic boundary line, so no high speed internet from them either! Note too, that for one of those two companies, when we called about seeing if we could get internet where we live - you might want to sit down to hear this - the company could not check to see if they could provide us with internet because their internet was down! No, really not kidding about that! How's that for convincing you to use their services? But I digress.... So, until recently, I had satellite internet - very expensive, very slow, and very unreliable; at least that was my experience. Then again, only one company was accessible out where I live (which really is only 20 minutes away from the University of Waterloo - certainly not in the boonies!).
     Hallelujah. What? Yep, hallelujah, Bell came out with a turbo hub and I can get internet out here (high speed) via Bell. Yay! no more slow satellite, and cheaper too. Nope, not cheaper after all, but faster, well that's great! Get it set up, and imagine this - it's not working. Get someone to drive back to town, and switch the new one out for a newer one. Hmmm, this one is working, but not very well. Had to go through 3 units before one worked well here. Got a TV to use as a monitor so I could actually see what I am writing/reading when I am using the internet (vision affected by meds). This took 2 installations to work, and now - the remote doesn't work with it! And, the HDMI cable that attaches the computer to the TV so I can use the TV as the monitor - was on back order. The store told me I didn't need one, then I found out we did, then it was on back order, and then finally it was there. Just then, the external hard drive started giving me grief.... Oh, and when the installers were here for the TV, they kept saying that the satellite (TV also satellite since no cable here) was not registering in most of the living room. No signal. So, the receiver can only go in one spot, and heaven forbid if it is moved a bit when someone dusts... And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's more!
     You can talk on the cell phone in the living room if you use one carrier, but only in the study if you use another, and out on the porch for one other yet. The pharmacist nearby wanted to give me some info from her mobile device (which had a specific pharmacist-program re drug interactions), but she has to stand outside of the building to do it, and therefore could not do it while on the phone with me. My iPhone works anywhere in the house (I love my iPhone). But, others come with other devices and other carriers, and they have a host of issues... With one carrier they can only make their devices work if they are on the front porch, but not in the driveway...
    And the easier types of technology? Like, say, an all-in-one printer/fax/copier/scanner/frying pan. Okay, not a frying pan, but it does seem to do just about everything. What a wonderful device! So, we order a new all-in-one printer so that I can get wireless printing on the go (when typing from bed, not overly handy to have to have the printer beside you). We also have to fax daily, so nice to have one device, not a device for each thing we do (i.e. had to haul out the fax machine to send a fax, put it away and put the printer back to print, put it away and use the scanner..... Since I am the only technological person (and when I say I am the only technological person, I am sort of comparing my self to a m'aitre d who is asked to be the chef) in the house, it is a tricky thing to fix. Not only do I not have tons of understanding of the tech stuff, I can't actually stand at the printer to see it's buttons or messages/lights flashing, so I continually have to ask someone to go to the printer and tell me what they see. Kinda funny actually.
     Where were we? Oh ya, so we decided to buy a wireless all-in-one. We got it, and it is only web based, not wireless (who knew there was a difference? Not me!). Nearly swear at it trying to get it to work. Exchange it for another one... yep, wireless, but not good at being controlled by conflicting operating systems (mac (me) vs. PC (hubby). So, hubby prints wirelessly, and it works. I try on my mac, it doesn't work. Get it all set and reinstalled for me, and then won't work wirelessly for hubby. Decide that a new one is worth the hassle, since the hassle is less than the hassle we are already experiencing. Order a new one, send the other back. New one is accidentally the wrong one (close to right model, but off by one number). Send it back, and get the "right" new one. Ah, lovely lovely device. Perfect. Easy. Low maintenance. But lately, when you photocopy anything with our wonderful (and it really is wonderful) all-in-one printer, there is a thick black line all the way down the paper. If you scan or print, the line is not there, If you photocopy or fax, the line is there. Doesn't make sense, and the tech people we called think we're crazy. We are, but that has nothing to do with the printer. Oh wait - maybe it does - it's the technology that's driving us mad!
     Although I have been like most Joe's on the technical highway - proficient enough to do what I need to, and smart enough to ask for help when necessary - I still could not imagine the recovery process without this device, or most of the others. Whoa, what? Did I really just say that? Yes. The running joke around here is that our house really is a technological vortex. It is a powerful drug in the world of technology; it sucks devices in, and messes with their heads, and then they mess with mine. That's never good! Ug. But you know what? I have learned one very important thing despite/in spite of/ because of the vortex issues: It's worth it. Really really worth it. Why? For example, these are just a few things we do using the internet, the all-in-one (copier/fax/printer etc), and the computer that make our lives infinitely easier (in no particular order)...

• This blog. It helps me stay sane, makes me feel productive
• The internet re entertainment, and as a window into the world outside
• The internet re information/journals/medical stuff (note, only use trusted sites - more on that in another post)
• Faxing the pharmacy and medical supply company. Ordering is now easy as pie each week and much less time consuming too (and fewer errors)
• Faxing the doctor. When we have questions or updates between appointments nothing is lost in translation by trying to explain things to whoever answers the phone there... And he can fax back when he has a moment, not when I am calling... etc.

     Again, that's a VERY small list of what we use all the tech stuff for. And until we got things working so efficiently, things were chaotic here, which is not very conducive to recovering. Not at all. Nope. Nada. Nowadays, so much here works like a well oiled machine that it cuts down on time, stress, energy spent, mistakes (errors on our end and on that of others we deal with too, as the proof is in the pudding, er, or, I mean writing), and so much more!
     And, I do have to say this too - I know not everyone agrees, but I say that if you are considering purchasing devices for use in recovering from traumatic illness and/or injury, buy an apple if at all possible. I know I have written about the iPhone and the iPad a few times, and that they are handy for recovery in a plethora of ways. However, there is one "hidden" amazing perk too: Apple Care Plan.  
     The Apple Care plan is easy to ignore, just like most don't want to pay for the "extra warranty" option when buying large ticket items like dishwashers. BUT, if you do buy this option, you have access to apple every minute of every day for a few years. And, unlike most companies I have dealt with, their knowledge, service, and response time (immediate, no waiting) is outstanding. I call them regularly, and they teach me how to do all sorts of things. No, it's not just outstanding service, it's mind-blowing outstanding service. This is really really great when you want to save your energy for recovering, not for figuring out how to do something that isn't working the way you want it to. Okay, my aside is over.
     Boy am I long-winded! Okay, almost done... I'd like to leave you with a quote I heard on Criminal Minds, one of my favourite shows: "I urge you not to abandon reason." Well, I must confess that the technological vortex sometimes makes me want to abandon all reason. But, since the technology itself makes recovering more "survivable" on so many levels, well,  I think I'm actually able to hold on to the small amount of reason I still possess during the recovery process because of technology. How ironic is that? So, when you are weighing which (if any) technological wonders you are ready or able to use, maybe pause and ask yourself this: are the glitches are worth it?  I say yes. Most days:) But that's just me. Until next time....

Happy abandoning un-abandoning reason and technology!