My trusty Acer laptop recently died. It's been going out for awhile, gradually staying on for less and less time. We'd turn it on, it would work for awhile, and than decide it was time for a rest and turn itself off. Well last week it decided that about 2 minutes of on time was about all that was really necessary. We spent several frustrating days trying to fix it. It's strange how urgent the need to fix a broken computer feels, as this comic from http://xkcd.com illustrates:
Luckily my work has been generous enough to loan us one of the many unused desktops at my work. There are actually 15 unused computers at Ewha, five in the teacher's offices, and ten more in the computer lab. Before they would let us take a computer home, I had to have this slightly absurd conversation with my boss Bruce:
Ben: So the laptop that we brought to Korea has broken.
Bruce: Oh?
Ben: Yes, it has stopped turning on.
Bruce: (very puzzled) Okay...
Ben: It is what we use to talk to our families back in America, and to watch movies on since Kyle (the previous teacher) broke the TV. So we were wondering if we could borrow one of the unused Ewha computers.
Bruce: (looking very alarmed) One of the computers? But I think that we need them for running the school.
Ben: Don't we have some unused ones? (looking in in the direction of the three unused computers within five feet of Bruce's desk)
Bruce: (looking around the office and counting computers) Oh, that is true, we do have more computers than teachers, but I think these are kind of public computers for the teachers to share. We well have to take a sort of poll to see if everyone will be okay with losing one of them. (pause) Oh! Wait! I have just had a sort of great idea! There are many unused computers in the computer lab! You could take one of those!
Ben: Oh! Yes that is a good idea!
So we now have a "new" computer.
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