My System Tray

When I was a kid I read comic books, which were filled with great colorful fantasy adventures.  And the comics even had some great ads, usually for x-ray glasses and other cool things from places like Edmunds Scientific.  I don't remember if it was in the Edmunds collection or it if was another ad, but one day I started lusting after the Sea Monkeys.  The picture suggested that one could raise hoards of these cute little creatures in a small water filled container.  The damn things even had crowns on their heads.  The ones in the pictures, that is.  The ones I got were just brine shrimp that wriggled around the water.  They were mildly interesting for a couple of days, but then they died and got poured into the toilet along with all of the other failed Frankenstein-like experiments that I periodically conducted.

Sometimes I pine away for those days where I could experiment with budding life forms.  Kids today don't do this sort of thing.  They don't have petri dishes or send away for real life forms.  They have Tamagotchi's and virtual pets like Sony Aibo's or whatever.  Recently, I found myself intrigued by the idea of virtual life forms.  I was wondering what sort I might cultivate, but also struggling with whether I really wanted to learn a whole new way of psuedo-experimenting.  Then the other day I noticed my system tray on my computer screen.  Hmmm, what's this?

There was a little flashing blue light.  It seemed to be calling out to me, in need of attention.  Lo, and behold, it was a creature called RealPlayer.  And it wanted to be "updated" for some reason.  It reminded me a little of the Sea Monkees, which, I seem to recall, needed not only companionship, but also nutrients.  Okay little RealPlayer, I thought, you need something from your Mothership?  Well then go forth and be "updated."  It did, and that seemed to make the little guy happy, and he stopped blinking. 

For awhile.

Every couple of weeks RealPlayer would demand my attention.  More blinking.   More updating.  This wasn't so cute anymore.  Then Windows operating system wanted to be updated too (perhaps out of jealousy, I don't know).  Soon other programs wanted to be updated.  Things were getting out of control. 

I've got a real wife and real kids to take care of, and I don't need these damn virtual pets bothering me all the time.  I use my computer to escape from the real commitments of everyday life, not to acquire more commitments.  So a few minutes ago I looked the system tray, teaming with colored icons.  Looks like decision time.  Some of the life forms were clearly going to have to go.  I obviously couldn't get rid of Windows because then my computer wouldn't work at all.  But RealPlayer?  With its incessant needy blinking?  What a pain in the ass.  I pulled up the old Add/Remove Programs feature, pounded the "Remove" button and flushed that baby down the virtual toilet.  Christ, what was I thinking? I'm too old for these little experiments.  And I don't read comic books anymore either.

Last update: 6/5/2003; 10:08:24 PM.