Monday, June 01, 2015

the end of an era

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Once upon a time, many moons ago, computers had to be connected to the telephone lines, in order to talk to the outside world.

When we got a second computer, we put our older one in our daughter's room, about 50' away from the study.  Our bedroom is next to hers, and our bedroom was wired for the telephone, so we ran telephone wire from our room into hers, so the computer in her room could talk to the web.

Then, some time after that, we got DSL.  At some point, we got a router, and then we ran ethernet cable from the study to her room.

That wire lay on the floor, across three doorways, and got stepped on.  A lot.  For years and years.

We were sort of thinking we ought to do something about its state of decrepitude, and then our internet service provider decided we were upgrading our service.


Now our inside-the-house "connections" are wireless.


I didn't pick up that long coil of wire immediately.  I don't do change well.

Then I tripped on the wire (for maybe the second time, ever?), and decided to pick it up.

I've heard of "twisted pairs" and I bet if you'd asked me where twisted pairs were, I might have said "in ethernet cable".........

They look kinda cool, don't they?  I think it's cool that the white ones have a very thin stripe of whatever color they're paired with.  Just in case anyone ever needs to know who to pair up with whom...............


There's still a computer in our daughter's room.  It's the third oldest of the six computers in the house (not counting the phones or ipods).

Before you start laughing at me for all of those old computers, I will note that the old desktops are the perfect height for me to put my feet on.  When I'm using a computer, I'm either sitting cross-legged, or with my feet forward and resting on something.  Those big old desktops are perfect footrests.

Anyway.  The third oldest is an XP machine, with no wireless capability of its own.  It still plays some games that some of us like to play, and it can still surf the web (though without as much protection against bad guys as could be wished).

That is -- it *could* surf the web, if it were connected.  Our new modem/router came with an ethernet cable.  If the old computer were taken downstairs and plugged into the new ethernet cable, it could play games and surf the web.  And the newer computer, which came with wireless capability, could move upstairs to the uncabled room and be happy as a clam.  With one of the ancient desktops underneath for my feet, that will make an excellent computer-using spot......

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2 comments:

clayt666 said...

The new house didn't provide any convenient way to wire my old office computer. I was able to find a USB device for it though, so I am happily computing from the library while the router is down the hall in the guest room (the only room wired to the outside world at this point).

Both other computers already supported wireless, so they weren't an issue.

Something you might want to look in to if you don't want to change your computer set up.

I need orange said...

Thanks for the suggestion.

I was pretty sure such devices existed, and, in fact, the ATT guy gave us one for the study computer (which is also old enough to not do wifi on its own).

Our downstairs setup is on a very small (though attractive) desk against the wall away from the doorway into the kitchen, between the LR and the FR. This space is dark, cold in winter, and the desk is so small I can't get my legs under it to sit cross-legged. Let alone rest my feet on an ancient desktop. :-) :-) And I can't reach to hold the mouse without having my shoulder uncomfortably extended.

We mean to make a much-more-comfortable second workspace upstairs in the recently-emptied room (we don't know what to call it, yet...........). And bring the third-oldest computer downstairs for persons who are too lazy to walk upstairs to look something up. :-)

Speaking of which rearrangment of things, I was thinking I might go to the U's property disposition today to see what they have in the way of two-drawer filing cabinets. We find a hollow-core door on two two-drawer filing cabinets makes a very comfortable (and spacious ;-) ) workspace.