Saturday, February 10, 2007

Revenge of the Electronics

The following is the blog I drafted, but did not publish, this morning. I just turned the tv on and the movie is playing. Is this just a coincidence? Or maybe something else.

This past week I've been reminded of the movie "2001, A Space Odyssey" and Hal.

Early in the week my cordless phone stopped working. Thinking the battery needed charging I left it in the cradle for a few days. Then I discovered that that phone didn't ring when I got a call.

Two days later, the alarm clock/radio in my bedroom stopped showing the time and did not shut off unless I pulled the plug.

Yesterday, my e-mails were not being received on my computer. After I turned it off and restarted, everything seemed normal. Unfortunately, as my mother used to say, "It's as slow as molasses in January going up a hill". When I want to delete, I click on "delete", then pour a cup of coffee at the other end of the house and maybe the command is done by the time I get back.

I can type about 75 wpm, and now I type about five or six words before they show on the screen.

My phone is now working, but the radio is not. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all these strange things. Maybe it's sunspots, the cold. Maybe it's ....Hal.

Hal, what have you done? Hal, release my electronics.

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