The Voodoo of Technology

It is a slightly blustery and overcast day. The world feels cold; distant. You find yourself contemplating the afterlife and what happens to computers that die. You feel depressed and let down, defeated, and helpless. You also happen to be experiencing the voodoo of technology.


Blustery Day

I couldn't find the discussion post, but someone suggested that the solution to fixing a particular bug in an NLE was to spin around three times on your left foot. Forums are peppered with people who talk about the erratic behavior of computers and programs. It often just doesn't make sense.

The most common solution to computer problems is the suggestion that you restart your computer. Sometimes this makes sense, like if your computer's resources are used up and your need to reset them. Sometimes it doesn't, like when your software not longer works or your hard drive just vanished.

What is so frustrating about technology that simply and suddenly does not work is that you have no real course of action to take. If you installed something and the computer tanked, then there was something wrong with what you installed. If you put a big hole through it, it would make sense that some features would no longer function as before. But that is rarely the case when it comes to computer issues for me.

The internet has been spotty at best over the past three days. I couldn't even get my blog to load when I first went to start writing this post. After restarting I was able to start writing. How odd is that?

The lesson from this post is basically this: Troubles with technology are pretty common amongst us mere mortals. Even if you feel alone, you aren't.

The bigger issue that I do not have an answer for is: What do we do about it? I've seen many posts on some of the best forums go unanswered because people scratch their heads and say, "Odd, it works for me."

May the light of the sun break through the clouds of your computer woes today.

~Luke Holzmann
Your Media Production Mentor