Of Computo Bits, Joinees and Heather McNeil

The Buddhas and the Computo Digger

Apologies for the delay in posting, my computo became ruined after I allowed my brother to 'help' me by loading an update on it that it couldn't handle. At first it just started to crash a lot but a couple of nights ago, I was on the phone to Gorgeous Glenn who was trying to ascertain the problem for me, when a terrible burning smell started to emanate from the back of the machine.

"Unplug it. Unplug all of it. Now." spluttered Glenn down the phone, giggling like a maniac, "Don't worry - it won't catch on fire."

And it didn't. I unplugged the computo and everything electrical positioned vaguely near it, just in case. I did consider taking the batteries out of the remote control on the computer desk, too, but thought I could probably get away with moving it to the other side of the room.

I mention my troubles to TeaBarMan James, over a cafetiere of one of his latest brews.

"I'll come round after work and fix it for you," he smiles.

"I'm not sure it can be fixed, James," I lament, "It was making a terrible smell."

"It's probably the dilithium crystal pack or the telekenesis podcell," he murmured thoughtfully. Or words to that effect that make sense to computo people.

An hour later, James and Glenn are peering into my computo grey box. James starts to pull things out, including a large plastic thingy that resembles the digger of a JCB.

"I love taking things apart," announces James, with a contented grin.

I smile, happy that action is being taken on my defunct technology, even though I have no understanding of what that action may be.

"It's just putting them back together......" he adds, thumping at the back of the grey back box.

My smile disappears.

But, sure as dilithium crystals power a telekinesis podcell, he was true to his word and my pc is back online and I, Gentle Reader, am back with you once more.

As I coo over my pc like a mother reunited with her lost child, James hands me the plastic digger thing. I look at him, then at the digger, then at the pc.

"Forgot to put it back in," he explains cheerily, "It's ok. You don't really need it."

In other news, I've just finished reading Join Me by Danny Wallace (who is fast becoming a major league crush fest for me) and decided that I would do exactly what it said on the cover. When I've written this post, I'm going to take my passport sized photo down to the postbox and cement my fate as a new Joinee. Which I quite like.

Following some of the links on the Join Me website, I come across two other joinees engaged in a bet to get a gorgeous lady called Heather McNeil image in the top ten results of Google searches for her name, by September. Inspired by my newfound Joinee unity, I decide to help them. Halfway through preparing to upload her picture it occurs to me that it is also Friday and that this may qualify as my first official Act of Kindness for Good Friday. Bonus.

So here she is, in all her glory, Heather McNeil.

Although I don't understand such technologic, apparently just the act of posting her here will assist in raising the odds of the bet. Nice one.

Meanwhile, if you want to check out the campaign to help Heather to GoogleFame, you can follow its progress from the blog, here.

Thanks to Rory over at SoylentRed for this clip, too. I think this may be an acquired taste, but I love it. I also love the thought of how much time and energy must have gone into conceptualising this, learning it and making the film.

Thought for the Day - Creative Crazies are Beautiful.