These Are the Days of Computers

  We use computers all the time.  ALL the time.  And lately, I've felt like we could use at least one more computer to facilitate homeschooling.  The older 6 children all have some schoolwork that has to be done on a computer. We have 4 desktops and 2 laptops, but one desktop is ancient, as is one laptop.  Some of the homeschooling programs are memory and internet intensive.

  So we looked at the budget, and thought things over, and Kevin decided to buy the parts to build a new computer.

  Kevin is a "computer guy".  He is really good at figuring out how to put computers together, plus he can battle them into submission when they refuse to work.  I pity the computer that goes up against Kevin!

  I'm not like that at all.  Computers are mostly black boxes to me. I just want them to work, and I get frustrated and bewildered when they don't work.

  Naomi takes after Kevin.  From an early age, she showed an interest in computers.  A lot of it is mindset; for example, when I am learning how to use a new computer program, I'm just annoyed with the whole process. I  want to learn what I need to know, and am not interested in understanding all the subtle nuances of a program. Naomi, like Kevin, is interested in the whole picture.  She is my "go to girl" when I have a problem with a computer program and Kevin isn't around. I OFTEN ask her to fix things for her siblings and me because I just can't do it :-).  I'm so thankful for her (not just because of her computer prowess, of course, but I do appreciate her computer savvy.)

 So this week, Kevin and Naomi spent hours and hours putting the new computer together.  I cringe when I see a computer open with all those naked electronic parts hanging out.  It looks so bewildering and complicated.  But Naomi, with Kevin coaching her, dove right in.

  Last night, Kevin spent hours battling the new computer to get it functioning properly.  He was moving hard drives around in a process he described as follows:

Imagine that you have a chicken, and you get a new chicken.  You like the brain of the old chicken, so you move the brain of the old chicken into the new chicken.  The old brain isn't sure about the new body, and sometimes gets cranky.

As analogies go, I'm not sure it is great but it surely is funny!  Kevin had to battle the computer because of the need to deal with drivers and settings and stuff I don't understand.  It took hours, but
he finally got it working.  Now we need to find a home for the new computer.

  So one computer is exciting enough, but to our surprise we are now the proud owners of an older Mac computer!  A neighbor asked if we could use one that she no longer needs.  Kevin decided yes, it would be very useful for the kids to have access to an Apple computer so they could learn about a different operating system. We need a home for that Mac too. We need to acquire some furniture :-).