I had a computer blow up the other day. The only way out was to do a total reset which of course lost all my data. Now I had fragmented back up here and there, but bookmarks were gone, and a lot of passwords. My stories and other data was safe — but starting over is a pain.
There are programs and apps which I take for granted (FTP, Server Log in, Firefox, etc) and use automatically daily. Each had to be downloaded (and some paid for) and then configured the way I like them. Outlook was the worst — I did have my email files on a separate drive, but getting Verizon to work was hell. I finally gave up and set up another gmail account. Verizon seems to work for phones and internet, but not email.
There were probably a hundred internet bookmarks in my old PC. They were everything from Costco to Amazon to blogs I like to read. I’m recreating them, but find that I actually visited very few of the sites. They are gone — meh. As for passwords, no problem there — just ask the site and it will tell you what the password is assuming you know your mothers maiden name or the name of your first pet. It is so easy it is scary.
Losing all that stuff from time to time is not a bad thing. A lot of clutter just goes away. Its like spring cleaning. If it was important, I could with a little effort recreate it, if not,so be it.
I have friends who remember everything. Every nuance, every word, every event, everything, just like the computer. It seems to me to be emotionally draining. Someone says something, and an issue you had with them in college pops up. Damn. There are a lot of things I just don’t want to remember.
Flew to Vegas the other day to tend to some last minute IPI booth stuff. The captain stepped back into the cabin and told us that Mary Smith, the first officer, would be in command of the plane over to Sin City. He noted that it would be bumpy over the desert but it always is this time of year. We were on final approach to McCarran Airport, about 200 feet off the ground, when the engines cranked up and we went around. Five minutes later we landed on a different runway. Mary did a great job but we were all curious as to why we got an extra bit of flying time. My guess, wind shift. Oh well, they say any landing you walk away from is a good one.
I would like to blame the sparse blogging on the computer and email hell I have been through, but that’s not the real reason. I have just been a bit lazy, and stressed a tad about Parking Technology Today. As is always the case, the next issue is just fine, and in this case, has a ton of great articles you will want to read. We cover EMV, PCI, and lots of technology. It will be on line by July 1 and in you mailbox shortly after.
If you are going to the IPI, bring your swim suit — it was 104 in Las Vegas yesterday. Marcy tells me that she is looking forward to it. It was 112 in Phoenix…but is a dry heat.
We are going to the IPI show in Shifts this year – Marcy, Astrid and I will be there for the entire show, Eric comes in on Tuesday, Joyce for the day on Wednesday. Drop by and sit a while. We have comfortable chairs, good conversation, and a bit of entertainment to distract you from the rigors of parking.
JVH
