I have recently written, rather pointedly, about the way technology tends to keep us disconnected – that is, out of touch with each other on a human level – more than ever before. Today I have yet another example of this. To wit, I have recently been on a very frustrating technological mission: one that totally consumed me over the course of an entire weekend.

The story starts ten days ago when I took delivery on my new laptop computer.

(Yes, in addition to my new camera body, I have indulged myself in still another updated piece of technology. And one with a certain, defined learning curve associated with it, of course.)

After spending a few days loading software onto the new machine, and generally trying to acquaint myself with some of the features, I decided I wanted to put together a home network. No sweat, right? Microsoft boasts about how easy this is, and, it seems, everyone is doing it. Plus, I had already purchased a wireless router and installed it (so my laptop could access the internet): my network was practically complete! (Or at least I thought – and was so informed by a techie friend of mine).

Not. Quite. So.

Consider this: I now have two Windows computers, each with a different operating system (the new one has Vista Ultimate installed; of course, the older one has XP Pro), and a different version of Norton Internet Security (the popular firewall and anti-virus software). It just so happens that the way that one sets up a network within these two operating-system environments is totally unique, so one has to learn two ways of doing things…and to deal with the inevitable incompatibility issues (but it’s all Microsoft software! …what’s the problemo?).

Well, let me tell you, there are LOTS of issues here. I spent an entire lost weekend trying to put this all together. During the last two days, I only took time out to eat, sleep, and watch the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. And it was only just tonight that I finally have a fully functioning home network.

All of this activity kept me in the house, out of touch, and totally frazzled for the days just past. I didn’t even write my usual weekend blog entry yesterday! For the entire time, I gave up both human contact as well as virtual contact – for the sake of technology?

What have I been thinking!?!?