Planned Replacements

Well, it finally happened. We have a Toshiba Laptop from which comes the majority of my posts, emails, and other computer stuff. Over a year ago, the computer end of the power supply cord became damaged from twisting and bending -- bare wire was exposed, power supply was inconsistent, and it was frustrating as heck. A new power supply cost more than we wanted to spend right at that moment, so we got out the electrical tape and did our best to patch it up. It looked like hell, but it did work pretty well -- up until this week! Finally, after recurring loss of power for the few days we ordered a new power supply last night. In doing some research, we discovered that we have become the next member of the "replace the Toshiba power supply club." It seems that the way this unit is engineered gives it a life expectancy of one to two years. Instead of having a solid inflexible last inch or two of cord, it is flexible, and the normal movement of the computer over time breaks the wires inside the cord. I really like the computer and the flexibility of the laptop, but this design flaw would put Toshiba down the list a notch or two when it comes time to replace the whole thing. The new cord should be here by the end of the week, so in the meantime Ben and I are sharing the desktop system. It seems to me that the engineers COULD design a unit that would withstand the normal movements over the life of the computer, but as is the case with so many products today, they build in a market for replacement parts. What ever happened to quality engineering? Ah well, let's put that tax check to work. HA HA.