Technotardia

 *Disclaimer for generalisations and stereotypes in this post.

I think I'm a fairly techno-savvy person. I can work an iPhone and a laptop and my Sky+ and most electrical devices that I have in my household. (If you have pervy comments at this point - keep them to yourself please!!)

For a woman, I think I am quite a typical "bloke" with this kind of stuff though, I have to admit. In that I'll get something out of its box and plough on in there without reading instructions first, usually because I'm excited about my new appliance and I just want to get it working! There, however, is where the similarity ends.

If said appliance is not working how it is supposed to, I will put it down and read the instructions at this point, rather than keep pressing buttons /touching screens until it appears to be working. Because, you know, a guy can make it work. Whereas I don't want to fuck it up. (Although I am one of those people who keeps frantically clicking the mouse when my computer crashes, as if I think that will help. I know. I'm a paradox.)

But see here's the thing. I do need instructions for that. I'm not Rain Man. I can't be expected to just look at something and know how it works if I've never seen it before.

The reason for this post is that S brought me home a spare projector from work yesterday for me to use in my meeting on Monday. He said it was in a store cupboard (In hindsight, that should have been my first warning) and he was just holding it and a kettle wire in his hands. No box. No instructions. Nothing.

I have been trying unsuccessfully for over an hour to make it connect with my laptop. I've had my own little technical helpline going on on Twitter and Facebook, to no avail. It's driving me crazy.

Update: as I type, my darling husband has just sent me a text saying I'm using the wrong wire, even though I did check with him last night.

Now I have the right wire and BINGO. Le sigh.