It used to take awhile to become outdated. Now it seems obsolescence isn’t just planned, it’s in a hurry. Joan Tornow has this Perspective.
Last week, my computer froze solid, displaying an alarming pattern of a zillion rectangles. The pattern had its charms – resembling something one might see at a museum of modern art. But this colorful array eclipsed all the icons, rendering the computer inoperable except for the off switch.
When I phoned the support line, the agent said it sounded like the graphics card was failing, so she referred me to a service center. Okay! Relieved that a cure was in sight, I dialed the service center. But when the clerk looked up the serial number, there was an ominous silence. My anxiety grew when she announced there was a problem.
Gazing dolefully at my frozen screen, I braced myself for bad news.
She proceeded to inform me that they no longer service vintage computers. Vintage? The word ‘vintage’ struck me as a hippie word, applied to long, patterned dresses with oversized buttons. I myself sail right past vintage shops en route to those sleek futuristic silver-and-white computer stores. I pride myself on keeping up with the times.