Bringing back the dead
by Christine Kling
Tonight I’m going to write about an old flame. We all know in our heads that life is not eternal, but in our hearts it’s a different story. When it comes to love, sometimes it’s hard to let go. What made him so special was the way he made me feel, the way he brought out emotions I’d never felt before. It was like he saw in me a creative side I never knew existed. When they told me he was too old, there was no chance, it was his brain that was gone, I could hardly believe it.
Surely, I said, there must be something you can do. Please -
No, the guy at the Genius Bar said, we no longer do logic board repairs on Macs that are more than five years old.
He was working fine right up until I hooked him up to the GPS in Green Turtle Cay last July and he acted a bit sluggish. Then in the middle of the Gulf Stream, he gasped his last gasp.
So, I brought him home from the Genius Bar and put him to rest under a towel in the quarter berth. I thought about donating some of his organs, but that laptop was the one I used for the five years I during which I lost my way, decided I couldn’t write anymore, then started Circle of Bones. That laptop changed my life. I couldn’t just throw him away. I thought, maybe next time I go sailing I’ll conduct a burial at sea?
Four months later, I finally found myself with a few extra moments of time, and I made my decision. I would try to raise the dead. It was time for surgery and some serious organ transplantation.
There were guts everywhere
I went to one of my favorite websites www.iFixit.com, and I ordered a new logic board and heat sink for about $350. Tonight I undertook the big repair. I cut up little sheets of paper and made piles of tiny screws on each numbered paper for each step of the process. I unplugged all the teenie tiny little wires for speakers, microphones, batteries and fan. It took me almost two hours.
When he was finally all put back together, it was time for the smoke test. I plugged it in, pushed the power button and heard that magic chime.
He’s back! My lovely little zombie Frankencomputer.
Fair winds!
Christine
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