Gadget’s ‘wear and tear’

By Alex P. Vidal

 

“People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.”—Alan Kay

I’M having a problem with my Microsoft 365 subscription for several days now, and it was compounded by the mysterious malfunctioning of the keyboard connected via Bluetooth to my iPad Pro, which I have been using to write my articles since December 2019.

When I decided to take the “special offer” to purchase the software from the Best Buy store in Brooklyn sometime in December 2019, I was promised a “one convenient subscription that includes AI-powered apps, 1 TB of cloud storage, and advanced security” for all my devices.

It included the following premium apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access (PC only), and Publisher (PC only).

It also included the following premium value: OneDrive, Skype, and Microsoft Editor.

After more than a year, I started to experience the software program’s apparent “wear and tear” and was caught flat-footed; I didn’t realize it would give me hell in as far as my regular writing activity was concerned for several days now.

The keyboard of my gadget was another nightmare.

Although it operated accurately through the Bluetooth for over a year now, it suddenly refused to function normally even if fully charged.

If I hit the letter “g”, for instance, seven asterisks appear on my gadget’s screen.

The more I insisted it would be back to normal by ignoring the anomaly and continuing to pound the keys, the more I became disillusioned and frustrated.

It simply didn’t work well and cooperate. I don’t have the illusion yet to throw it to the junkyard unless I can find a replacement that is worth less than $165, its original price.

 

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LET’S TIME OUR NAP AFTER LUNCH. Research shows that naps, especially “power naps” of 20 to 30 minutes, help ward off fatigue.

To maximize the benefits, let’s try taking a siesta after lunch, when our energy levels are particularly low. Let us limit rest to less than 30 minutes, or stretch it out to 60 to 90 minutes to avoid grogginess that results from waking up in the middle of deep sleep. (Source: Prevention)

Also, let’s learn to reenergize with exercise early evening. Even though we’re tired, forcing ourselves to do aerobic exercise will energize us for a couple of hours and make it easier to fall asleep at night.

Our body temperature naturally falls at night, shortly before bedtime, so the natural dip in temperature that happens about two hours after a workout can help us get to bed at a decent hour and wake up refreshed the next morning.

 

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)