Hi everyone, colleagues, adventurers and friends,

I hope you’ve all had a good start to the new year. Mine was a bit of a mixed bag — nothing major, mind you, but for one thing my trusty laptop suddenly expired. Grrr…. do I have a backup laptop/ PC?! No way! I like to live on the edge, remember?

Well, to be honest, the loud humming sound (approaching airplane ?) probably was somewhat of a warning sign — which I repeatedly ignored. I later learned that the fan was clogged and overheating and that it should have been cleaned. Apparently there are these special air blowers/ vaccuums for just such a thing….

Here is my question, though: Who came up with the brilliant idea to place the fan on the bottom instead of the back/ side in the first place? And why are these things only built to last 3-4 years? (Because we would rather spend our money on new technology than fun trips around the world?)

Fortunately, the data could be rescued and transferred! Major sigh of relief! The computer guy who helped do that shared his favourite three tips about laptop computers with me: backup, backup, backup… ha, ha!

So I decided to buy a used business model laptop with a new hybrid hard drive instead of a new model. A bit risky, I know, but I figured since these things have such a short lifespan, no point in spending too much in the hopes of getting quality. I also chose to go for a “business model” instead of the “personal” model, whatever that means.

It does seem a lot sturdier (and not as “fancy”) and actually has the fan located at the back of the unit. Let’s see, how it holds up. I’ll keep you posted.

Safe travels and happy translating!

Your Traveling Translator