I wrote you a while ago about the difficulties involved in keeping up with changing technology (http://boomerbroadcast.net/2013/12/04/dear-mr-gates-and-the-rest-of-you-bds/#more-1029). While I love all the new advances we’re making, it’s getting  harder and harder for me to cope. And I do not see why you cannot make things better.

Here’s what I would like you to do. When I buy a new electronic gadget, I don’t think I’m being unreasonable in asking that when I plug it in and fire it up, it recognizes all my previous data without me having to transfer, download, install new software and insert a thread of my DNA into the USB port. Maybe that’s the answer. I’d even be willing to slice off a piece of my flesh and have the DNA validated, just so I wouldn’t have to go through all the pain I experienced with getting my two new laptops to do what they should.

Santa kindly brought me and my honey new laptops for Christmas. Now that I’m blogging, my 10″ screen just wasn’t doing the job, so I wrote Santa and asked him for a new laptop with a 17″ screen. And my guy was constantly whining about getting my hand-me-downs that always seemed second-best to him. You would think I’d have learned by now that such changes automatically come with hours of frustration, consuming reams of  paper for recording new passwords and a tsunami of blue air. And you didn’t disappoint.

I also recently signed up for a free trial month of NetFlix, not realizing the hours involved, again, in installing new software and reconfiguring my entire digital footprint just so I could watch a movie from my computer. It was suggested that I buy an inexpensive but effective little gadget called “Chromecast” which would eliminate the need for HDMI cables and lord knows what else. Sounded pretty simple. Needless to say, it WASN’T. I’m still working on that one. I did manage to watch one movie the other day but I don’t remember what sequence of mouse clicks I employed and I’m not optimistic I can duplicate this achievement again. And I’m too scared to try.

Please Mr. Gates, when you introduce new products and software, make the transition easy. Is that asking too much?If you would design for me – probably your lowest common denominator – you would make millions of people happy. I can’t take much more of this.

Your friend (but not for long),

Lynda