The lesson of todays sermon is never to to take anything for granted. My worry is that this will sound more like an exercise in paranoia. Nonetheless, the events have occured, and behind it all lurks a reason. Let me explain.

I make no secret of my predeliction for using computers. They're versatile tools and sources of entertainment. But as with all complex machines, sometimes they go wrong. The ebb and flow of my computers reliability has inspired various posts on this blog already. At least once I thought my personal files were gone for good. Certainly you should make regular backups and so forth, but the reality is that the sheer volume of data on modern hard disks is all but impossible to safeguard entirely.

Last night I finished reading and decided to fire up the PC and carry on producing some artwork for a flight simulator I was busy with. On the other hand, let's catch up with the news.... Click on TV.... Ahhh, here we go, the familiar scrolling messages telling me about whichever disaster has occured somewhere in the world, and a guy behind a desk shuffling papers and telling us their weatherman has interesting news....

POP! (Fade to black)

Huh? Oh no, not again! The screen went dead, the hard disk gently coming to a stop with a declining whir. Oh billiant, the fuse has gone. Well, now that I'm electrically aware, courtesy of Swindon College (though they still haven't sent me the certificate), I checked the circuit breakers downstairs. Everything okay there. So I dug out a spare fuse, fitted it to the plug, and replaced the power lead into the back of my PC....

BANG!

The fireworks were impressive. Instantly the cable came close to the metal prongs at the back of my PC, it arced spectacularly. The whole ring main went dead, kitchen and all. The unpleasant smell of burning became apparent. That was close. Another inch, literally that close, and I would have suffered burns or a significant and potentially lethal electric shock.

Later that evening I persuaded the letting agent to send an electrician to check out the mains supply at my home. He quickly asserted the supply was fine. He merely shrugged at my insistence of safety. Clearly a man who laughs at danger, I ventured.

"Occupational hazard." He replied. I'm starting to think I really don't want to be an electrician. But that all very well. I now have a truly dead computer again, this time electrically suspect and dangerous. I hold out hope that the hard drive has survived the trauma. After all, the thought of losing all my project files and eight years of work is a lot to cope with.

I must now deal with the reasons why that PC failed in that manner. The first possibility, and probably the more likely, is that it was a shoddy build in the first place. For that I can only blame the PC repair shop. The second, and more alarming possibility, is that the equipment was sabotaged deliberately. I told you this was going to sound paranoid.

Prophecy of the Week

Six years ago, more or less, a man in the street yelled "Your love of the machine has to end."

We do get the occaisional wierdo in Britain. Then again, is the love of machinery so bad? Technology and egineering are part of modern life and essential for our success and well-being. In the last five years, two cars belonging to me have been completely ruined by persons unknown. Now two computers have been effectively ruined.

If all this was part of some plot to recreate my character, all I can say is that ending a love affair with spite or greed is not a better choice.