My Computer
My index finger depresses the
crescent-shaped button on the front of the box. For a moment the only
indication of life is a soft whine. Then a beep, the lights on the front flash
and blink, and the soft whine rises to a steady hum. A slight pause and then
the monitor springs to life, accentuated by a clicking noise.
The image on the screen spreads out
from the center and snaps into place. White letters decorate the black
background. After a few seconds, another beep, and the image changes. A grey
box filled with more lettering replaces the black background.
The life spreads to the smooth
silver box next to the monitor. Its lights flash. Clicks and whirs emanate
from inside. A piece of paper from the vertical tray slides into place, ready
to be printed on.
Meanwhile, the image on the monitor
changes again. A bright, multicolored logo fills the screen, advertising the
operating system running. The hum has changed to a whir, accompanied by clicks
and taps. A soft vibration runs through the desk and into the keyboard.
More lights are given the spark of
life. The buttons on the joystick begin to glow orange, and a bank of status
indicators lights up along the router above the computer.
Once again the screen changes. This
time the image is a blue background, covered by five small pictures with names
next to them. Move the mouse, and the white cursor on the screen moves with it,
over to one of the pictures. A small window pops up. Taps run across the
keyboard, and asterisks appear in the small window. A final tap, and the image
changes for the final time.
Now the background is a colorful
array of pixels that form the image of a World War 2 plane flying above Russia.
A dozen little pictures, icons underlined by short text descriptions, partially
obscure the left side of the image. A thin gray bar with a button on the far
left appears at the bottom of the screen. Across from this, on the bottom
right, several other colored icons decorate the space next to the current time.
A spinning hourglass has appeared next to the cursor. A short piece of music
plays, exactly as it has a million times before.
Finally, the hourglass disappears,
the music stops, and the whir and vibration both reduce slightly.
This is the place where I feel most
at home. This is the place where I am happy and comfortable. This is my
computer.