Techmama’s Imponderables

I was in carpool lane waiting to pick up my son so I thought I would take a look at my email. I recieve RSS feeds for some of my tech news favorites to my BlackBerry. Today’s email for the New York Times Circuit Section was from one of my favorite columnists David Pogue. He wrote an article called "Pogue’s Imponderables" that had me laughing so hard I am sure the other moms thought I was nuts. Two of my favorites were:

• Laptops, cameras and cellphones have improved by a thousand percent in the last ten years. Why not their batteries?
• (and as a mom of three boys) Why don’t public sinks have foot pedals?

I thought I would add some of my own during the couple minutes I have free before dinnertime. For my list, I am using a regular PC as an example because I don’t have a MAC. But if I did, I would second the question on why MAC operating systems don’t get viruses.

Techmama’s Imponderables:

• Why is it that 90% of computer problems magically disappear by shutting down then starting up the computer again?
• Why is it that 90% of smartphone problems magically disappear by shutting down then starting up the phone again (or resending "service packs")?
• Why is it that 90% of wireless router and DSL modem problems magically disappear by shutting down then starting up the computer again?
• With all the advances we have made with PC’s, why can’t computers just start up quickly? Why oh why??
• Why does the blue screen of death haunt so many?
• Why do you have to buy software anymore? I dig getting all of this free software online… Even if I have to look at some ads….
• On the other hand, why is it that I am happy to pay big money for good graphics software?
• Why does my "t" key always fall off my computer after a year?
• Why do printer cartridges always run out of ink so quickly? And does that happen to be linked to the fact that my son sneaks in and makes copies of his pokemon cards on our printer/copier.
• Why do some women use their husbands email address as their own, putting women’s rights back years. You know, you can get email for FREE using your own name…
• When I send the beautiful Microsoft excel spreadsheets out to class parents, why do some of them tell me "they can’t open spreadsheets".
• Why do people send those misspelled emails saying they are some prince of something and that I have won some money…EVERYONE DELETES THOSE MESSAGES, SO STOP SENDING THEM. Whoops, David Pogue asked who the morons are that respond to spam so I guess they are still out there.
• How do you really make money from online ads?
• Why are handwritten notes so much nicer then emails?
• Why is it that I would rather keep writing this post then cook dinner?

What are yours? I know I will think of more later….