TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

"The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do."
Burrhus Frederic Skinner "Contingencies of Reiforcement" 1969

Gah! I have just spent the most frustrating day! Hours of it wasted trying to sort out this damn machine. First, my printer keeps shutting down claiming to have a paper jam (it doesn't). I happen to be one of those writers who needs to have hard copy in front of me in order to efficiently edit. I was to start writing a new part of my novel today but wanted to read through what I've been working on before I begin. Of course, I can read off the screen, but I prefer to have it in front of me, red pen in hand ready to edit. Grrr! After numerous tries with very little success I gave up on it and shut the printer down for awhile. I'll sort it out later.

Meanwhile, I then decided to adjust the settings of colour on my screen. I tinkered around awhile, got the colour looking good but suddenly all my print and icons are tiny including on my Word pages. The pages are coming up with wide borders on each edge, printed sort of book-size. Annoying. And hard on the eyes too. So I spent another while trying to figure out what I did wrong, and couldn't, so I just had to continue the way it is.

I am definitely so not technically savvy. My techie guy happens to be in London England at the moment. I dread the thought of having to wait til he returns before I get this damn thing figured out. Shit! I found it much more efficient in the days I worked on a simple word processor. I had a good one, a Canon Star-Writer, with the printer inside. I worked for a few years on that, quite happily, prefering it over a computer, even lugged it to Greece on a number of occasions. It never let me down. I will admit there are great advantages to the computer. For one thing I adore the cut & paste and certain other features. And the internet access is great. But it can also be a major distraction. And, as today proved, a big pain in the arse.

So I finally gave up tinkering around with the Monster and decided to do some written notes and more research on the political situation leading to the Macedonian civil war. (Namely what was going on in Athens while Polyperchon, the new Regent, was tripping the light fantastic around Pella taking his new role far too lightly). Interesting going back to Plutarch. I love reading him.

So here I am, the day is almost over and I have accomplished very little except to get a stiff back and feel all achy and sore from tension. Rats! And I had hoped to have the whole day to write. Instead I wasted most of it fiddling with this #%@*# stupid machine!

"He who would not be frustrate of his hope to write well hereafter in laudable things might himelf to be a true poem" John Milton "Apology for Smectymnuus" 1642

"Technology...the knack of so arranging the world that we don't have to experience it."
Max Frisch "Homo Faber" 1957