Re: Can static electricity kill your mouse?

On Mon, 17 Feb 2025 09:40:23 +0000, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

One of the nice things I've found about getting old is that my purchases
have become far more about what I actually need and not just because I
can. My younger self got a Gameboy Advanced pretty much on a whim and
I've only ever played it maybe three hours. I also managed to buy
another portable Minidisc player even though my current one was less
than six months old.
>

I was fortunately embued with the ideal that, when purchasing, that I
should buy the best I could afford rather than just because it's on
sale... even if it means I need to put off the purchase a little while
because I needed to save up first.

     [Nobody point out the obvious hypocrisy of my buying every
      game on the market just because it's in the bargain bin.
      I'm talking about REAL purcahses and not merely filling my
      religious obligations to The all-holy Number ;-)]

Not only does this result in my acquisitions lasting longer and
working better than the usual cheapo Temu crap that's flooding the
market, but it insulates me a lot from FOMO tactics. You know, the
"Buy this gewgaw now for $599.99, a 75% saving... but order now
because the offer ends on Sunday!" marketing schtick. It also means I
have more time to do research, and because it takes so long I make
fewer purchases than otherwise. And because I buy better products, I
actually spend LESS. Buy a pair of Temu boots for $40 and they'll last
three months. Buy $150 boots from a reputable brand and they'll last
three years.*

Of course, I'm lucky enough that right now I'm in a position that I
can AFFORD those expenses (one of the way poor people are kept poor is
that they CAN'T wait to make a good purchase and are stuck repeatedly
buying boots that they know will turn to cardboard before the season's
end)... but that attitude may be one of the reasons I'm where I am
anyway.

But too often, even people who can afford better just go with the
cheapest items on the block... and then wonder why they have
six-figure credit-card bills.








* it's actually been so long since the last time I had to buy a new
pair of hiking boots I don't even know what a good pair costs anymore.
Is $150 ridiculously low these days?  ;-)