If you are a computer nerd like me or an engineering geek, you likely have a pile of vintage computing gear stacked up somewhere in your home. I’m talking old laptops, desktop machines that have long ago retired, old keyboards, mice, routers, switches, and perhaps mass storage devices that have fallen into obsolescence. I have them all. Oh, and did I mention cables? Yes, a shitload of those too.
A couple of days ago, writing a blog post, I realized that the spacebar on my keyboard was sticking. Of course, the “A” key’s label is also unreadable, and one of the two “feet” that help tilt the keyboard to an angle easier on the wrists had been broken long ago.
It seems that there is only so much white wine that one can spill on a keyboard over the course of five years before some keys get sticky. That’s especially true with Pinot Grigio which is sweeter than Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. It was time to replace the keyboard. I looked at keyboards on Amazon, but ultimately decided on going to the Office Depot down the street where I could actually touch the keyboards. Buying this kind of hardware online without having actually tried it out is a bit like marrying a partner whom you have never bedded. Yes, I know that many people would have it no other way; I’m not now nor have ever been one of those. So, I went to the Office Depot.
I came home with a $30 Logitech MK320 wireless keyboard and mouse. Over the years, I have bought a lot of Logitech gear, and I have found all of it to be reliable, durable, and easy to maintain. Installation was a total no-brainer. The keyboard is responsive, quiet and thus far has not developed an alcohol use disorder. The mouse is a standard two-button “soap-bar” device with a scroll wheel and optical movement sensor. Both devices are Wi-Fi enabled, and I like them both. I can see that in my future, if I am sufficiently lucky to survive them, both of these devices will join my pile of now obsolete electronic components. Alas!