Six years is a fair amount of time to be with one person. It’s been a tough decision; but, over the last two or three months I made the choice to leave and find my own place. Like most other people who move or end a relationship, the last thing on anyone’s mind is connecting internet or cable.
Last night was my first evening in my new apartment. With the aid of six other people I managed to haul two large moving vans worth of tools, computer parts, furniture and personal belongings into both a storage unit and apartment.
After the arduous process of moving and unpacking it would have been nice to finally sit down and watch a movie or flip through the television channels. Unfortunately for me there was nothing because neither cable nor internet had been connected. I had to think outside the box.
Hulu is a way to watch free television shows shortly after they have aired on regular television. Not all shows are viewable on Hulu; however, there are many shows that can be played. That would be great if I had a live internet connection. The problem I’m faced with now is connecting my computer to the internet to harness this wonderful website.
I spent ten minutes wondering around my apartment searching for an unprotected website to which I could steal internet from one of my new neighbors. My apartment is within eye site of the local police department so I had feelings of guilt as I was scanning. Luckily for my guilty conscience, I wasn’t able to find an open hotspot.
Brainstorming, I came up with the novel idea of using my Android based phone as a hotspot and connecting to it with my laptop. It took less than five minutes to download and configure the software so the two would communicate. Although the internet speeds aren’t as fast as what I’m used to, I am still able to stream Hulu.com.
My eyes started straining after fifteen minutes of flipping through Hulu channels so I became creative about ways of watching TV on my actual TV instead of a 10” netbook screen. The answer lied in connecting the laptop to my TV.
I was surprised how easy it was to connect the TV to the computer. Basically, I dug through and found a VGA cable (the standard cable used for monitors) as well as a length of cable with 1/8” speaker jacks. It was a relatively quick task to connect the TV up as a monitor and run the cable for sound.
Had my netbook been equipped with an HDMI output, I would have been able to run one cable from the computer to the TV. No matter, it took a few minutes to rig everything so I could have some basic entertainment. For now I decided to leave the TV connected as a monitor because the picture quality and size is amazing.
Years ago the word survival had an entirely different meaning. Rubbing sticks together seems pretty archaic compared to what I’m going through. I have jokingly likened last evening to the survival skills I learned when I was in Boy Scouts years ago. I feel like I’m crazily trying to tether my talents to thwart off a mental breakdown caused form the trauma of relocating.
If this is the worst kind of survival I have to deal with to get a little rest than I guess I’m not doing too badly. I have to look at the bright side: I’m on my own, have little fear of the future, and can hold my head high that I made the right decision for myself. As far as the internet and TV is concerned: I have my Swiss Army knife of basic stuff that when used properly will offer a failsafe suite of basic alternatives. If all else fails at least I have sticks in my backyard that I can rub together!
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him at (978) 413-2840 or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)