Hardware Woes

Both NASA and I are having mechanical problems.

NASA needs to get a new pump up to the space station, in order to fix the toilet so it will function properly. This is not a problem that affects all astronauts equally. As the Associated Press so delicately put it, the "three male residents have temporarily bypassed the problem involving urine collection." It wouldn't have been so easy for Peggy Whitsun, had she still been aboard.

Meanwhile, my Toshiba suddenly started going to sleep every ten minutes or so. I found the right settings to control this and changed them; it made no difference. Finally I did what I always do with such problems, called My Son The Computer Pro. "Turn it off and then back on," he said. This worked. I emailed him, "But why did it work?" He emailed back, "Sometimes you can just solve problems by rebooting computers. Now, if only it worked with people!"

If only. But at least I have a functional toilet.