Glenda and Buster: Learn to Read the Signs

The Story

There were some obvious signs that "Glenda the Good Fish" needed a larger home. First we noticed a few missing scales on her side. Glenda had apparently been scraping up against the plants and her rock sculpture as she swam back and forth. Then came some mysterious disease of her tail and fin.  Those proved a bit challenging to diagnose and cure, but finally she was on the mend. And then there was just the plain and obvious fact that Glenda was at least twice the size she'd been when we purchased her as our first family pet. I hesitated in purchasing a new tank for Glenda  "Did she really need a bigger tank?"I asked myself.

"Glenda the Good Fish" in her new home

Being mainly responsible for maintaining Glenda's watery environment, I had instituted a regular monthly schedule of tank cleaning. Because her tank was smaller, just 5 gallons, I often shunned the traditional wisdom of vacuuming and water change, moving the entire setup to the sink for deep cleaning.

One evening, in a bit of a hurry to prepare for an out of town trip, Glenda's tank slipped in my wet hands. The side tapped the edge of the kitchen sink, cracking slightly on the corner. I sighed, somewhat disappointed and frustrated by this new challenge to my already tight schedule.  I relaxed my shoulders and took a few deep breaths. Then I fetched Glenda's original bowl - way too small anything other than a temporary home. Early the next morning I headed out to the local aquarium shop for a new tank. Soon Glenda was ensconced in her new home, a much larger and better illuminated 10 gallon tank!

The Technology

This summer I noticed that my iMac "Buster" was running a bit slowly. At nearly 6 years old, he would sometimes freeze on the spinning pinwheel, forcing me to restart the computer manually. Having worked with computers for so many years I knew the tell-tale signs that Buster was aging and would soon need to be upgraded.

Working to ease the strains on Buster, I eliminated many of the no longer utilized programs, freeing up memory.  I carefully backed up important documents on an external hard drive, again creating more room for Buster to do his processing.  When the day came that Buster finally stopped working, I was disappointed but not surprised.  I was as prepared as I could be to handle the possible end of his life cycle.

"a newer refurbished laptop"

A trip to the Mac store did not clearly diagnose the issues with Buster's hard drive so I took him to MacOutfitters, a repair service and certified reseller in my area, for a second opinion. I left Buster for several days. It was determined that it was not the hard drive, but rather that the graphics card that had failed. The cost for replacement parts and the labor to fix Buster would be more than purchasing a refurbished unit. After taking another day to think through options, I chose to remove Buster's hard drive (for security purposes), have him recycled, and to bring home a newer refurbished laptop. With a solid backup of the work I'd done stored on an external hard drive, I have now moved on to a simpler laptop workspace. However, I haven't brought all of that old work backed-up over to the new computer's hard drive - I've chosen to start fresh, only fetching the old work files when they are needed.

Connections

It seems to me that these two stories run parallel, pointing to the importance of recognizing the signs that it is time to move on, time to upgrade, time to change the way things are done.  In so many places in our lives, technological and otherwise, we can often sense that something has changed or should change.  Sometimes we can fix the item or situation, and other times it just makes sense to move on. Knowing when to make the move and being prepared is key.

In the case of Glenda, the signs were clear that she needed a larger tank - yet I waited until I was forced to purchase her a new one.  In the case of Buster, while I was prepared to make an upgrade, I also held off until it was absolutely necessary.  In both cases the choice to bring in the new was mindful: including a careful purchase and had a plan for recycling of the old equipment.

"clearly recognize the warning signs"

I think the lessons to be learned in waiting to upgrade technology are many.  First, the discipline teaches us to recognize warning signs and be prepared.  With our technologies, we can no longer assume that they will last.  With the notion of "planned obsolescence"  a key element in the creation of consumer goods, its important to work cleanly, carefully, keeping backups of critical items.  Planning ahead also helps to avoid the potential drama that can accompany a computer failure during a key times - such as during writing a dissertation, taking an online exam, or during cycles when taxes or invoicing  are due.  In our current throw away economy, recognizing the warning signs, having a plan, and waiting, also benefits the planet in keeping yet one more piece of equipment from the landfill. So does purchasing a refurbished computer.  I recycled Buster, so what will I do with Glenda's cracked tank? I've heard that old tanks make a great terrariums!  Have another great recycling or "reading the signs" story to tell - please share your ideas in the comments section below.

Warning sign image courtesy of Pixabay: http://pixabay.com