T'is the season of technical problems. Last time I talked about software issues that held back progress. This time, it's bugs. Real bugs. Ants, to be precise.

Click here to watch the video on Odysee.

I was away for Chinese New Year, when a swarm of little ants decided to build a nest in my computer power supply. It must be nice and toasty in there...

Anyway, they got in via tiny holes that I didn't know existed, and killed the power supply. This rendered my laptop useless once the batteries drained, because I no longer had a way to power it.

With software, you track down and fix bugs. This doesn't work with physical bugs. For starters, in true modern fashion the power supply is designed to be non-user serviceable. You'd need a chisel or knife to cut it open. Simply removing the ants wouldn't fix the damage they'd done, so you'd still need a soldering iron and replacement parts to repair the damage.

Given that the laptop is critical to my work, the only option was to buy a replacement and wait for it to arrive. Zero progress could be done in the meantime. I had a nice relaxing break, though. :-)

The replacement power supply has arrived, so I'm up and running again. Hopefully I'll have some actual progress to share next time...

 

Credits: The video includes screenshots from Cinemaware's "It Came from the Desert." Both the Amiga computer game, and the recent movie based on the game.