Tombs of Technology

I went through a lot of technology during my first 12 years years of PC ownership, where I iterated through computers every two years and constantly updated our voice and network connectivity. In 1995 we moved into our first house; after two years we had a basement full of accumulated techno-crap, which I cleaned up and out. I re-organized all the spare gear I kept in the dungeon into four storage tubs:

• Computer cards and peripherals
• A/C cords extension, and assorted gizmos like suicide strips 
• Telephone and Ethernet supplies
• Audio and Video

They labeled were with a sequence number and year, as in:

I thought I would be at adding them in the following years.  That didn't happen, which is a good thing. The reasons are subtle, but obvious in hindsight:

• I had moved four times in the ten years of and after my first computer, but after 1995:
• We lived in Stoneham 12 years, and 
• We have been here in Kenmore for 15 years (and counting). 
• We now call professionals to run new phone, network, and video drops.
• Technology has stabilized and better packaged:
• Our two year upgrade cycle of computers is now six+.
• The gigabit Ethernet network I installed in 2007 is still running.
• External connectivity via USB, HDMI, WiFi, and BT are (mostly) past their teething problems, and (usually) just work.

So I've still got the four cartons, but things go in and out of them far less often.  This may be first I've reached in that box for a coax cable since we moved here.

Of course, my office closet is several times the size of the one in Stoneham, and has everything from backup drives to (many) flavors of USB and other cables. Now if I could get it cleaned & organized …

… maybe there is a fifth tomb, the size of a small room.  Sigh.