1. Big Technology, Small World
Big Technology, Small World
My younger brother who’s in high school lives with me, and whenever I go off to my night shift work, he
uses my computer for whatever it is kids his age are into these days; and when he’s off at school and I
come home, it’s vice versa.
Because of this near-continuous use of my PC, my LCD
monitor finally broke down the other day after two years of
abuse. Most people’s initial solution would be to sell
broken electronics for cash and replace them with new
ones. I almost did, but current financial constraints made
me reconsider my options. Buying a new LCD monitor
would set me back hundreds of dollars, and having the
broken monitor repaired would still cost me a lot. Instead, I
thought of making the repair a DIY project.
I first looked up possible reasons an LCD monitor can go
wonky. It turns out that a good majority of failures are
caused by damaged capacitors. After researching a bit on how capacitors work and some such (just to get
a basic understanding of the thing I was venturing into), I finally searched for tutorials on how to identify
and replace damaged capacitors in LCD monitors.
I then bought a couple of capacitors from an electronics shop and borrowed a set of tools from my
neighbor, and finally set to work on the monitor. In the end, turning the repair into a DIY project turned
out to be more financially sound for me than selling old electronics ever have; the whole ordeal cost me
just a little under two bucks.
It made me realize just how much the world has progressed and, in an ironic but amusing turn, gotten
smaller. That is, the advent of the internet is a huge leap technology-wise, to be sure, and because of its
worldwide scope of information dissemination, nothing seems so foreign, strange, or complicated
anymore; at least, not as much as before. Everything can now be pseudo-experienced and shared at
literally a touch of a button. Looking to soup-up your tired old Mitsuyota? QuickAndLunatic.com can
give you tips on how to upgrade your sedan to a rocket-powered coffin. Wondering what’s happening
right now on the other side of the world? The websites of news corporations like ABCBSNN will be sure
to keep you updated. And yes: Trying to fix broken household stuff? YouVids will provide you with all
the tutorials you could ever need.
And of course, if you’d rather still sell your broken gadgets, you can also look up where to sell electronics
for the most cash.
There used to be a time when it was okay not to know certain things because we didn’t really have the
means to know all about them unless we spent copious hours in the library and away from social
activities. Nowadays, there really is no longer a reason to be ignorant. Information is readily available,
and can be attained either through comprehensive online dissertations, or easily-digestible just-the-basics
articles. The world has come a long way indeed.