What Wireless?

OK, I didn't buy the desk after all, because I couldn't get in on the no-interest deal they're offering. Orifice Depot wouldn't even take my credit card application because I don't carry a 'major' credit card.

How stupid of them. I HATE that double bind. Since I do everything I can to stay debt-free, including NOT having a 'major' credit card, I'm penalized by not 'qualifying' for offers like this since I can't flash around an expensive piece of plastic. I did have one I wasn't using, but I cancelled it when I decided to buy the house so I'd get a better credit score. Now I wish I hadn't.

(Later)

Applied for the CitiBank UPromise card. It looks like I'll get it. And AFTER I get it I'll go buy the desk. That desk, which I saw as a luxe item earlier today, is a REQUIRED purchase late this evening. I'm currently typing on a kitchen table (too tall) while perched sideways in a very hard kitchen chair, with my feet resting on gallon cans of latex paint. You would not believe how sore I am.

Anyway, back to the wireless stuff. I was going to write about wireless earlier, as my last headline promised, but was distracted (as usual) by furniture. Part of the ongoing furniture dilemma is that I need easy access to a BUNCH of computer gadgets, including memory reader, USB hard drive, scanner, printer, Wacom tablet, and more. My current desk is a tangle of wires. All these devices are stored in a small hutch under the desk. The new desk doesn't have such a hutch, and I don't really want it to. So I need a way to satisfy my electronic longings AND my sense of style.

I thought for sure that some whiz company somewhere would have made a Bluetooth or WiFi USB hub, so I could just plug all my USB devices into the hub, and have them talk to the hub, which in turn talks to the PC across the airways. No wires! My desk could be practically empty, and all my devices could be in a cabinet behind a door!

It soulds like a totally obvious solution, huh? NO ONE seems to make this "obvious" device. Well, that's not totally true. Several companies have made such a device for USB printers, but not for hubs.

But all this gets me thinking -- what's the difference between one USB device and another? If that thingy works on a USB printer, shoudn't it work on a USB disk drive, too? Seems to me all the device would do is "wrap" the original information inside a Bluetooth-flavored packet. The PC would unwrap the packet, and then deal with the information.

So can I buy a printer adapter, and stick it to mu hub??

THRIFT: Today's thrifty move was to start using ice trays again. I need to buy a few more.

I also went to the DAV. I bought a microwave popcorn popper by Litton, an artifact from the early 80s. It proclaimed it was "self-buttering", which made it sound better than me beloved Back to Basics popcorn popper. Alas, I was disappointed. The popcorn didn't taste buttery at all, and it took longer to pop than the Back to Basics bowl. Three dollars down the tube.

Tomorrow I'm going back to the DAV. They had a foot rest for $10, and I've been wanting one for my computer setup. I hadn't checked prices, so I wasn't sure if it was a good deal. Tonight I discovered the cheapest one I can find online is an amazing $18.00. Plus the DAV's is HEATED, so it's worth even more, about $60.00.