Technology Moments…

“We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works.”
~ Douglas Adams

Stuff always happens all at once.

My iPhone started having a moment, every so often. I hoped it would sort itself out, but no. Instead the moments became minutes. And my plan needs upgrading!

My work laptop is dying. And now my small laptop I use for writing is also on the blink.

We live in a rural remote area, which means I can only choose from certain phone handsets or I will have no service. My choice of phone will dictate my choice of laptops. It’s an integration thing. And a ‘can I even get this serviced or access accessories and help in my part of the world?’ thing. Of course, I can’t buy the laptops and phones I need in my local area either.

So, I’ve spent the past two days in the city (TWO DAYS!!!) going from our service provider’s store to the Apple Store. And then another Apple store on the other side of town. And two more service provider’s stores. And a few non-Apple stores.

Every single one of them told me a different story. None of which were reassuring.

Finally at 5.28pm yesterday, as the last store was closing, a helpful man told me everything I knew or had been told was wrong, and proved it. But by then it was too late to get a new phone, or to choose new laptops. Anyway, I also now needed a signed hard-copy letter of authorisation, on letterhead, from me to myself, to go on record at the service provider to say that as the CEO of my company I authorised myself to have a new phone plan. Awesome.

So today I get to go from one side of town to the other, again, to get my hardware sorted for the coming year. Note to self: DO NOT FORGET IMPORTANT LETTER!

I grumbled wearily to my PA last night and she just laughed. Apparently this is the technology ritual that everyone goes through. It’s a rite of passage. A given. It is supposed to take stupid amounts of time and stuffing around, which apparently can be made much more pleasant by side-trips for coffee, shopping and lunch, while endlessly waiting for the technology to become available, and more importantly, mine.

Fingers crossed that by tonight I will have everything happily sorted. Wish me luck!