Ain’t technology grand?

Technology is a wonderful thing we often take for granted in our everyday lives. In fact, we don’t even think about how much we rely on it.

That is until you don’t have it. Kaput! Gone! Somewhere but who knows where.

Let me give you an example. I got up early on Monday to write my column and my worst nightmare come true.

I couldn’t Google myself, let alone you, or anything at all actually. This may not sound like an emergency to you but to me, as someone who relies on modern technology, it was a disaster.

I could not finish the column I had started on Sunday because I did not have access to the remaining information needed to finish it. It was jammed somewhere along the information highway — obviously in a pile-up.

I started to understand the seriousness of the matter when not only could I not Google, but I couldn’t check my email, Recon, Facebook or any one of the numerous other sites I access on a regular basis.

I shook my housemate out of his peaceful slumber. “Can I use your laptop?” I begged.

Usually such an action would be met with disdain, but when I explained that I thought the problem stemmed from his piggy-backing all the heaters onto power decks and double adapters, well he was less incensed.

So, password cleared, I start typing my column on the flatmate’s laptop. All is going well for exactly three minutes when the laptop starts blinking. “Please save your work or switch to an alternate power source.” The expletives began to flow freely.

So my column was delivered late — though not too late as you can see.

And I learned a valuable lesson about technology and the need to not take it for granted.

By ANTHONY LOWE