It’s too late. I’ve
named them.
I am attached to my
Windows 7 PC. I am also attached to my Android smartphone.
Am I emotionally attached to them?
I can say, “yes.”
When your
electronic devices help you out in so many ways, you value them like you would
a friend (at least I do). I use my computer for my writing work, including
personal writing projects, as well as typing for this blog and my others, plus
research and some entertainment. My
Android smartphone has saved me a lot of trouble; I checked email in a pinch,
the weather forecast on occasion, and even typed up some documents on it using
the WPS Office Suite app for Android.
I hate to think of
when I may need to replace my phone or my computer.
It’s too late. I’ve
named them. I’ve named my PC and I’ve named my Android phone. Or rather, I’ve
given them nicknames. And once I’ve started doing that, I refer to them in pronouns. Not for my phone so much, but I refer to my
computer as “him” and “he” whenever I mention to a family member that “He’s
scheduled for his weekly scan” or “He needs to update before he shuts down for
the day.”
On May 6th
approximately 3:00pm, my computer experienced the dreaded Blue Screen of Death.
This was first unprovoked one ever in my life (the first one was because my cat
stepped on the power switch and cut off its power without warning).
I was scared for
him. I was scared for my computer. Did I do something wrong? Is there a virus?
What was it? Why is this happening now?
After a bit of time
I realized it was because of something I did after all. While I had him on
Sleep Mode and meant to return to him but didn’t, he would be in Sleep Mode for
hours and hours. For nearly a month, I’d
rarely shut him off. Sometimes when he is on I have several applications open,
or do three tasks within the two hours I’d be able to do research or typing.
Then I’d have to put him on Sleep Mode again when I left my bedroom to take
care of my new dog or eat a meal. I wanted my computer to be ready for me at a
minute’s notice.
And unfortunately,
this may have fried a couple of his circuits.
I took him for
granted. I don’t want to do that anymore. I am now gentle to him by keeping
only two applications open at once, three maximum. If I am on the Internet, I
should close the applications I don’t need open at the time. And, I need to
limit the number of tabs I have on my browser because that might have
overwhelmed him too.
Listen to me.
Saying my computer is overwhelmed. As if he gets stressed out and has feelings.
… Sigh… (◢ะด◣；)
As for my Android smartphone,
I do often worry about if the apps it runs takes up enough of its RAM, and if
battery power is affected by which apps are active at the time. Lately I’ve
been turning my phone off less often, and maybe every 6 to 8 days I turn him
off and charge the battery while he rests (there I go AGAIN, talking like I
should be considerate about its fatigue). I really should schedule that every
two batter charging sessions, (so every third), I need to turn the phone off
and charge the battery that way. I can stand to be without my phone for a few
hours. I’d feel very naked without my
phone in my pocket, though.
Wouldn’t you, though?
***
So how many of you
also give your devices nicknames? It’s
not a crazy thing to do, in my opinion. It can simply mean we value these
devices more than make-up and designer clothes, or pairs of shoes. Who names shoes? A device may be given a
nickname because of the multiple ways it helps humans. It may even discourage from unnecessary
premature replacement. (Here that,
iPhone users?).
So
give it a try. It’s not a crazy thing to do. Others may believe it is silly to think
it’s okay to refer to your phone or computer by name (as long as you don’t call your computer by its identification name!). Well, screw them. As
for me, I’m just showing my high appreciation of the technology that I love. Is
that so wrong?
