When I was a young lad not that many years ago, my parents used to advise me at times that inanimate objects were benign and possessed no life of their own. A number of these lectures came while I was dealing with a then modern Royal Typewriter that kept making mistakes. That may have been true back then. My parents and theirs and way back in the past did not have to deal with some of the modern objects of today.
In this case I am referring to the demon or demons that live in a new computer. I have been puttering along for several years with a computer with a Vista soul. We had a great understanding with very few problems. Apparently, there was still a small demon in it that objected to its use by the Blond in the house. I heard many a lament that the computer was out of date, would freeze on her, and in general gave her a hard time.
As you can imagine we now have a new computer with a demonic 8.1 soul. It is obvious that it is testing my good nature. The first thing I found out was that it stuck its tongue out at Windows Live Mail which we had been using for many a moon. In trying to use my e-mail, I found that nothing would happen – either incoming or outgoing. I checked with my e-mail provider and was told that their system did not work with 8.1 and Windows Live Mail as the latter used “pop”, and I now needed “iMap”.
OK, so I was still able to get to my mail by going through Google Chrome. A small victory over the evil computer. Another common use of the computer for me is to go to Amazon Prime and watch all sorts of TV programs and movies. Very simple with my old Vista computer! This time young 8.1 told me that I had to download Windows Silver or I could not watch anything. So I did! Then I clicked on what I wanted to watch and was told that my browser Windows Internet Explorer would not permit the use of Silver.
So now I have two Windows programs in a death struggle with me as the victim. So I went to Google again, and now I can watch. Geez! My next project was to install Windows Office which I use to type these musings. I did! I typed something as a test and attempted to attach it to a e-mail. Naturally it took me to Windows Live Mail which obviously I cannot use. It obstinately refuses to go anywhere else. I can’t even use good old Google. I will now have to copy and paste – if it lets me.
The 8.1 demon may think that it has won, but I do not give up easy and will fight until someday in the future when I am forced to turn this computer in for one with a 12 soul. This whole mess has given me an idea though. I am not certain whether my dermatologist has a demon in him or not, but he keeps freezing, cutting, hitting me with radioactive beams and what not.
So I have decided to ask the Blond in the house to talk to his wife and get her to have him purchase an 8.1 computer. Let him deal with that demon for a while. Ha!
Barry Evans is a Villager.