What scanner?

In order to get the iPad, I had to upgrade my operating system. The one available was 10.6 and I am now running on it. One of the perks was its built-in ability to recognize my printer and therefore, I didn't have to install drivers, etc.

Well, I have rocked along for about a month like this and everything has been peachy. Then I wanted to scan a new postcard and my computer suddenly cannot find my scanner.

Hmmm. Same place it's always been: built into the printer.

"Help" is no help, either the printer's or the computer's. I go to the printer manufacturer site and start digging through the scan problems. Long story short, while the new OS installs the printer drivers, it doesn't install the scan software. Want to scan? Uninstall, reinstall the real version. Or, there's the workarounds.

Now we're talking. I don't want to uninstall/install. I want to scan a postcard.

Workaround number one involves the Mac's Print Preview application. Who knew? Worked like a charm.

Then the site wanted to know if its info was helpful. Certainly, but here's my comment: Why not put this as an "alert" on the front page next to the Vista alert about the same problem?

Of course, they don't answer comments, but maybe they do read them. As for me, I printed off the workaround and tucked it away. Now if I can just find it the next time I need to scan... Oh--hold it! It'll be on the website troubleshooting front page. I just know it will.

The Fortune-less Fortune Cookie

In a word: bummer.

At the mall to update and upgrade my MacBook from OS Tiger to OS Snow Leopard, and afraid to do it on my own, I'd spent nearly three hours semi-occupying a young man's time while the computer did all the work. I played with the iPad, the reason for doing this update, and studied its accessories. The fact that one cannot have an iPad on a Mac unless one is running OS 10.5 somewhat irked me, but I bit the bullet and laid down my money, and that was that. Now the fact that I don't have an iPad because they're out of them is annoying.

Take a deep breath. Get back to the subject line.

So I eat at the Food Court. I've had the quickie Chinese entries before and they're adequate and I was hungry. And there was a fortune cookie on top!

Except when I opened it, no fortune. I felt a bit like the characters on Flash Forward, the ABC show where if you didn't have a vision during the worldwide blackout, you didn't have a future. Did I not have a fortune?

I was tempted to go ask for another, but really, what if it were empty too? So I crunched my cookie and was confident that it had far fewer calories than the offerings of the ice cream place behind me. Nothing like a little righteous indignation to set one on the dietary track.