I feel so secure

I went to Wikipedia.com today for understanding.

"Control-Alt-Delete" it says", "(often abbreviated to Ctrl-Alt-Del) is a computer keyboard command on PC compatible systems that can be used to reboot the computer, and summon the task manager or provide Windows Security in more recent versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system.

It is invoked by pressing the Delete key while holding the Control and Alt keys. These keys are sometimes referred to in computer manuals as interrupt keys, since they are often used to interrupt the operation of a malfunctioning program. (Hmmm. I think I’ll just avoid any commentary regarding a malfunctioning Windows program here. It’s just too easy.)

This keyboard combination was implemented by David Bradley, a designer of the original IBM PC. Bradley designed Control-Alt-Escape to trigger a soft reboot, but he found it was too easy to bump the left side of the keyboard and reboot the computer accidentally. (Really…are you kidding me?)

He switched the key combination to Control-Alt-Delete, because it was a combination that was virtually impossible to press with just one hand. Regarding his brilliant innovation Bradley is quoted as saying. 'I may have invented Control-Alt-Delete, but Bill Gates made it famous'. "

Every morning and several times during the day I enjoy the pleasure of hunting for these three random keys. I then have the wonderful opportunity to regularly execute an arthritis defying maneuver.

The fact that Mr. Bradley felt compelled to design a device of such contortional (yes, I made this word up) significance is frankly awe inspiring. I mean after all, if bumping the side of the computer usually resulted in an accidental reboot then hey, logic and intuition would dictate that the problem must reside with the user. Heaven forbid that any consideration should be made to re-engineer the hardware or the operating system. Rather, (picture a light bulb to the side of his head) doesn’t it make more sense to create some kind of random keystroke pattern for the user to execute, that requires advanced simultaneous visual and digital acuity?

Well the answer is obvious. In fact it is so obvious the one of the smartest men in the world, Bill gates decided to take it a step further. “Let’s write our Windows OS systems to require the user to perform this little gem of a maneuver every time the user tries to log on and every time the screen saver kicks in” He said. (I’m pretty sure I read that on the internet somewhere.)

It took me a while to figure this out, but once again I realize the brilliance is in the complexity. For a long time I was actually frustrated and judgmental about the control-alt-delete requirement, but now I feel liberated by it. I'm mean after all Microsoft made billions by apply complexity to solve relatively simple problems. Liberal socialists use the same kind of thinking all the time to solve our problems.

For more on this see: http://esaanerud.blogspot.com/2008/06/erics-rant.html

You may think I’m being sarcastic, but I’m not, I tell you. Now that I’m firmly entrenched in my fifties, I realize this actually simple-yet-oh-so-beautifully-complex keystroke helps keep the joints of my fingers limber. If I could just figure out how to design a mouse that would require the same kind of arduous physical requirement, I’m confident that age related incapacitation could be effectively avoided. I was looking around my office today pondering this. Think of the possibilities; this could lead to a whole industry of reverse ergonomics.

I should really give up my Mac. I may be contributing to my own demise.