Editorial – February 2024: Paper Beats Digital By A Graphic.

Hello everyone,

At the dawn of the digital age and the rise of e-books, many speculated that paper would become obsolete, particularly as part of the effort to preserve trees and combat global warming. However, the trees used for paper are replenished, unlike the irreversible destruction of rainforests in South America, which disregards their crucial role in supporting the world’s ecology—a recovery from this devastation will take years.

Paper, despite being flammable, can withstand a nuclear blast if properly protected, unlike computer technology, which can have its hard drives erased in an instant. Moreover, there’s no guarantee that digital files can be moved out of harm’s way. Of course, paper is also vulnerable to the elements, but it’s arguably safer than storing all your literary treasures in a single digital basket. There might not be anyone left to read them, but paper allows for the possibility of rediscovery.

The appeal of e-books is clear for minimalists and frequent travelers, yet a preference for paper persists as people choose what suits them best. The decline in book sales, especially within our genre, isn’t solely due to a drop in interest but factors like the pandemic and agents steering writers towards more lucrative genres like fantasy. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle, with bookstores ordering fewer new sci-fi titles under the mistaken belief that the audience has vanished.

E-books represent a distinct market, and their impact on paper sales hasn’t been as severe as anticipated. This is likely obscured by the shift towards online purchasing over high-street shopping. The real difference, across any genre, lies in the number of people who buy books because it’s trendy versus those who actually read them—a distinction hard to make when good intentions clash with available time and cannot be measured by donations to charity shops. Nonetheless, paper as a medium remains vibrant, indispensable for illustrated books or graphic novels, where the full page view is essential.

For collectors, the physical presence of books offers a tangible measure of what remains to be read. E-book publishers, however, may not endure forever, posing a risk if your device fails. Yet, if a book isn’t read immediately, does its reason for purchase remain memorable?

Eamonn Murphy, a reviewer and e-book enthusiast, notes the challenge of gauging length digitally, with some books feeling endless. Adjusting text size for readability can make even short works seem daunting. In contrast, the physical heft of a substantial paper book sets clear expectations. Surprisingly, digital formats haven’t made short stories and novelettes more popular, despite their brevity.

For geeks, who often lack unused space at home, a collection of books signifies knowledge in a way digital displays cannot. Our love for collections, driven by a possibly higher incidence of reading compared to non-geeks, underscores the enduring value of physical books.

Computers Need Viable Solutions

This month, I seem to be addressing issues in pairs, particularly in terms of offering different perspectives on the same problem. Let’s delve into the frustrations of computer troubles, especially when seeking solutions online. The challenge isn’t necessarily that all the solutions are incorrect, but rather that some only apply to specific scenarios, or those posing the questions fail to report back on their success. Often, a simple reboot might have been all that was needed.

I operate under the assumption that if I encounter a computer problem, I’m likely not the first to do so. This is a reasonable assumption, considering the vast number of computer users with similar hardware—surely, others have faced similar issues. If the problem stems from software, then logically, the number of affected users would increase. However, if the issue is a combination of hardware and software glitches, then the number of impacted individuals becomes more variable.

Considering most laptops no longer include internal DVD drives due to manufacturers’ push for slimmer designs and the belief that fewer people use them, many of us resort to purchasing an auxiliary or external USB DVD drive. After all, who wants to rely solely on cloud storage?

Here’s where my issue began: my auxiliary DVD drive, which had been functioning well for a long time, suddenly started displaying a message that any DVD disc inserted was full, even before formatting. This issue persisted across several blank DVDs. Online advice suggested that the DVD blanks might be faulty, which seemed plausible. Yet, even after obtaining new DVD blanks, the error message continued, ruling out the discs as the problem.

The next online suggestion was that the DVD drive might be worn out after over five years of use. Accepting this, I acquired a replacement, only to encounter the same error message. I had already checked for driver updates and even uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers without success. It wasn’t until I removed the DVD drive from the device manager and encountered an issue with Windows 11 failing to recognize it for reinstallation that I found a suggested solution: reboot the laptop and allow the BIOS to detect the drive. Thankfully, this approach worked, and the drive reappeared in File Explorer, fully functional once again. However, I’m hesitant to test the old USB DVD drive, not wanting to push my luck, though there’s a good chance it would work fine now.

Still, this experience leaves me puzzled as to the root cause of the problem. While not everyone desires a technical explanation, understanding the conditions to avoid could be invaluable, at least in advising others on the best course of action. Despite Windows 11’s ability to restart malfunctioning software without a full reboot, its troubleshooting capabilities seem limited when it comes to hardware issues, possibly due to a lack of options for recognizing and managing all connected hardware, which one would expect to be a priority.

As previously mentioned, the go-to solution when facing computer issues is the Ctrl, Alt, Delete command to reset or reboot the entire system. The UK TV sitcom ‘The IT Crowd’ humorously portrays its IT office team resorting to this standard action without examining the computer first, understanding that it often resolves the issue, albeit without explaining why. Windows 11 fortunately captures a snapshot of open software, reducing the risk of losing any unsaved work. While the restoration of open websites isn’t flawless, the display of their titles at least provides a clue about what needs to be reopened or closed.

Before reaching for the reboot option, the Task Manager is useful for addressing issues with a specific program. Recently, my encounters with File Manager issues, particularly when recording to the DVD drive, have shown that reloading the program can resolve many problems, including those manifesting as mere lines on the menu bar. However, I doubt this was the root cause of the problem, considering that the operating program resides in RAM and doesn’t retain a memory of such glitches.

This doesn’t pinpoint the cause of the issue, other than the possibility of software corruption within the memory/RAM. One might expect a straightforward software solution by now, one that could compare the program in RAM with its original version on the hard drive and correct any discrepancies without user intervention. Breaking the process into segments could expedite the review of even extensive programs by simply performing a numerical check, assuming each program’s size is linked to a specific numerical value. A discrepancy would signal the need to restore the affected routine. While this idea sounds “simple,” its practicality would need validation across various software applications, ensuring it can replace incorrect routines in the RAM without disrupting other operations and informing users of the exact problem. It’s important to clarify that this doesn’t imply RAM defects but highlights how digital information can erroneously change, with potentially severe outcomes. The reliance on Ctrl, Alt, Delete may persist simply because it is a universally taught and easily remembered solution, despite the potential for more automated fixes in our multifunctional and swift computers.

Yet, this doesn’t fully explain why software may freeze unexpectedly, which could be attributed to numerous factors, primarily coding issues. Continuous faults with hardware, such as a DVD drive, might indicate problems unaddressed by BIOS updates, potentially due to oversight by computer manufacturers rather than the operating systems or software. This suggests a need for better coordination and communication among different aspects of computer design and maintenance. We often assume uniformity among computers, yet they can vary significantly, including how they receive updates or the software installed from day one. This diversity extends to other computing devices as well.

One might question the level of attention given to resolving these faults. Are all issues addressed, or is the focus primarily on those affecting the majority of users? Microsoft could benefit from providing a dedicated page or link where users can access official solutions, even if sourced externally and verified. Such a resource would significantly reduce the time spent navigating through incorrect solutions.

Thank you, take care, good night, and aren’t you relieved I didn’t condense this computer-related observation into a brief paragraph?

Geoff Willmetts

editor: www.SFCrowsnest.info

A Zen thought: The difference between profound and profanity is only a swear word.

What Qualities Does A Geek Have: To really think.

The Reveal: Plot restrictions make for dramatics.

Observation: I scared my anti-shock watch the other day.

Observation: Of all the planetoids they could pick to make better worlds, why would Weyland-Yutani pick LV-426 to make one where a mining starship vanished decades ago? Unless, of course, a planetoid would be faster than to terraform a planet. So how did they hear about it? The first time was someone detecting a signal although you would have to ask whether they were too far away to look or lose their shares. The second team was lost so they must have assumed it was safe without the SOS signal anymore. So how did they know about its primordial atmosphere? Building better worlds might be the slogan but it doesn’t appear they’ve chosen bigger worlds.

Observation: Now here’s a quandary about the ‘Aliens’ film. There were 250 colonists as families. Assuming, according to Van Leuwen, there were 60 or 70 families, that means 4 to a family. We know at least four of them were pre-teens, watch when we first see inside Hadleys Hope (no comma in the film signpost), so how did the kids become hosts? Surely, the egg size would have filled out their gut and kind of give away they were infected?

Observation: Technically, they could do a fifth ‘Aliens’ film with a much older Ripley handing over things to someone younger, providing they don’t kill her off. Better that than some remakes.

Computer Observation: If you’re anything like me, your Internet Favourites (excuse me, American spelling) Favorites have a bunch of sub-directories trying to keep track by subject matter but then have problems alphabetising them. More so when you don’t want to do it to all sub-directories.

I used to remember where it was in the C:/ partition but it’s a lot easier to just type Favorites in the Start Menu location bar and let it find it for you. Tap the ‘Name’ column and put it puts the lot in the right order. Check in the Internet page to see if you’ve got it right and then arrow down. It’s also a quick way to remove obsolete website links as well. Of course, key websites only need a number like ‘0-‘ put in front will always ensure they are at the top of the list.

Computer Observation: Don’t underestimate the printer. If you ever are adding hardware, like a sophisticated hub that needs to update your bios, you can’t leave your instructions on screen. I had two manuals of 25 pages each and needed a couple reboots along the way to the right choices.

Feeling Stressed: After all, you’ve read today, are you surprised. At least there might be some solutions for you in the above.