Sunday, March 29, 2009

My Life With Cables

My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netCables: Don’t like ‘em.
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netYou can precipitate my problems with cables by simply calling me. There is a 50 percent chance that you will be greeted by the sound of my desk set banging against a radiator, because the spiral cord of my phone keeps tangling and assembling itself into a compact ball. Why? Am I unconsciously rotating or dancing while talking on the phone?
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netBut my real troubles with cables occur out of sight.
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netOver the years I have made multiple attempts to tame this mess. All my strategies share one fatal drawback: replacing a single cable means I have to untie the entire arrangement.
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netI don’t even want to get started about the endless varieties of cables, chargers and adapters out there. My biggest frustration stems from a much simpler problem: I use a lot of extension cords with multiple sockets. Although these cords are obviously designed to power six cables, I can barely squeeze in three, since most electronic equipment nowadays seems to sport absurdly large plugs. This reminds me of some very inconsiderate folks one so often encounters on the subway.
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netAdding to the insult: those Frankencables are immorally expensive. I have a habit of losing power adapters when traveling, and spend a small fortune on replacements. When I close my eyes, I can see Mr. Radio and Mrs. Shack living on an island made of solid gold.
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netI don’t want to complain, though — I am just a designer.
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netI am aware that I could reduce the number of cables in my life if I took advantage of all the advancements in wireless technology. The problem: if it’s not attached to a cable, I will lose it.
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netThe most venomous of all cables are headphones. The combination of thin wires and stubborn earplug hooks is an endless source of gordian frustration (notably amplified when combined with seat belts on an airplane).
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netThe true malice of headphones, however, is revealed when they are allowed to mingle with other cables.
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netUpon our arrival in Berlin, I realized that there were some extremely important cables woven into miles of headphones and other junk. Untangling this mess was impossible, unless I cut some evil $3 headphones. Then I realized that a crucial cellphone charger had an identically thin black cable: a situation that required steady hands and a bold heart.
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netThe storage issue has been resolved: In a dark corner of our basement I have attached to the wall an eight-foot plank spiked with long nails, and all my cables now hang untangled in neat lines.
My Life With Cables Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.netI am sure that a generation from now, all our hassles with cables will be long forgotten. But I pledge to keep history alive, and look forward to telling my grandkids stories of SCSI cables, unpolarized NEMA 1-15 sockets and DVI plugs.