No, this is not a thoughtful analysis of societal dependencies on technology. That’s a topic more suited to the Science and Technology Studies class that I took at RPI. A course, which, despite its name and its host institution, was basically a tech-slighting course taught by leftists who would have blended in better at a Vietnam protest than an engineering school. One positive out of the course was a decent book called Selling Science… which taught me how to spot BS in any advertising within a four-mile radius.
No, this is not a thoughtful analysis of the social ineptitude revealed in the behavior of the brain-wiped and their addiction to online chatrooms, forums, bulletin boards, MMPORGs, etc. It is not a critique of the decay relationships experience when someone decides to engross themselves in a false realm because the fourteen straight hours of running online errands (killing the rogue dwarf, returning the wizard’s staff, cleaning the online stables, etc.) to finally get that coveted pearl helm (that so many other worthy adventurers are wearing these days) were more important than eating dinner with your family, sleeping with your wife, showering, making your child’s lunch, and going to work.
Yes, this is a tempered rant revolving around the events leading up to my eventual ninth attempt at setting up my new hard drive… along with the excessive time to make a ninth attempt at copying the old hard drive to a partition on the new one… excessive enough to necessitate my typing this post on a laptop backup ‘puter. And I wonder how successful could a ninth attempt be? I wonder if the upper partition limit of 137GB for Windows XP was a factor? I wonder why the hard drive setup utility from Maxtor looks identical to the one Western Digital offers? I wonder if this metal box is just whirring as a cunning attempt to deceive… a ruse of sorts to simulate productive activity when in actuality it is toying with me… making me wonder if it is a friend… or foe?
I'm a Christ-follower, compelled by my faith toward reason, which points directly toward conservatism. This world's daily onslaught of lunacy offends my intellect and senses, so this is my venue to blow off steam.
I like it! thanks…..:))
Even though you put it hilariously, I empathize with you. My friend said to me the other day that computers solve many of the problems that we would not have had it not been for the existence of computers. Hope you get it worked out.
Mike :: Thanks for your co-lamenting.
We can rend our clothes together. This is funny… just today I, at one point, unplugged my older HD from the computer… but then when I went into the BIOS the motherboard was still detecting it!? I told the motherboard to check again… and it said it found it again?!?! Can you say… possessed? 
I fully agree with the distraction trait which must also include surfing in lieu of working. One thing not touched upon in this article is the actual effects of the computer environment on our brains and minds and how we think. I have recently gone back to pen and paper for first drafts. My mind feels free and thoughts seem to come from a different place. Nice to feel productive and not chained to a bit of hardwear. There is some thing to be said of the effect of hard drives and their electromagnetic fields and WIFI atmosphere in both the work place and at our home stations. Lots of controversy, yet anyone heard of the electrical whispering effect of human cells let alone the more subtle effects on the aura?
Manish Kapoor
can i ask to define computer is a friend or a foe!! after 6pm