Laptop and Shoe Shopping
Aug. 20, 2014

There are 2 things I feel I should like:

Shoe Shopping Computer Shopping

I hate both of these things in equal measure. Even if I don't buy anything, I still quite enjoy normal shopping. Possibly due to the "looking at nice things" aspect. I just really hate shopping for shoes. This might be because I have small but wide feet, like a duck, or a delicate plate set. So shoes never fit me and it makes me upset. My friend Anna has an extra standard footsize. I am firmly of the belief that when deciding on a standard, they plastercasted her foot and used it. Hence why she can go into absolutely any shop and buy perfectly fitting shoes.

The second thing I hate is computer shopping. Sometimes people assume I'll be interested in this, because I work in a technical field and use a computer a lot. But there's a lot of information about computers out there, and if you learn it all today it will definitely be outdated by tomorrow. So I have a computer for say, 5 years, and then the fan starts going so fast I think it's going to take off and everything grinds to a halt and the screen melts. I consider things for a moment, fanning the flames down to a more manageable level while checking if the fire extinguisher is suitable for electrical fires. Yes, I nod at the crumbled sizzling mass of melted plastic, I probably need a new laptop. I make a feeble attempt at reinstalling the operating system, but I can no longer figure out where the on button is because it's all just one fused solid lump now. We had a good run HP620.

I have a vague idea of what I need, spec-wise. This is a good starting point. But apparently there are 4 million brands of laptops out there and each of your friends owns a different one. The absolute worst thing you can do when trying to buy a laptop is to ask a group of people for advice. "Definitely Dell. I had a Dell. Lasted 20 years and if you're using Windows 8.1 you can make toast with it." "You idiot, Dell are the worst. My brother had a Dell and it developed its own intelligence system. Tried to strangle him in his sleep. What you want is an iPad." "An iPad? Why, so you can seamlessly glide through a photoalbum all day and do absolutely nothing else? The newest iPad costs 400,000 euro. And sure you can get a Samsung tablet for 25c now. Does all the same stuff."

So you're left even more upset and confused than when you first decided to buy a laptop.

From my own experience, I've had a Dell and a HP. Both lasted several years because I know how not to break delicate electronics. My friend and fellow engineer Richie gave me the soundest advice so far: "Sure the only difference is the outer shell. It's all Intel inside. What you want to look for is their customer service. Dell's customer service is so terribly disorganised that they brought a brand new replacement for my faulty laptop and forgot to collect the old one, so now I have two."

Dell it is.

Leave a Comment:

On Aug. 20, 2014  Arthur Middleton wrote:

So true. Unfortunately.


On Aug. 21, 2014  Laura Russell wrote:

Ahh, so true. I'll keep this in mind for when I next buy a laptop. Also, I plan on buying approximately 10 pairs of shoes at Christmas. They will all be Converse,only slightly different colours.