We take in broken computers every day at The Little Laptop Shop. The customers who bring them are stressed out, and understandably so. Increasingly we rely on these fragile machines to manage our personal and professional lives. After Hurricane Sandy, I was curious how many computers we would take in for repairs due directly to the storm. Only a few blocks from the shop, streets and homes were flooded. A week later power had not yet been fully restored to many local residents. To my surprise, we received only a handful of storm-related repairs, a few had been soaked by water and others sustained damage from the power outage.

Wanting to help out, I volunteered with GOLES yesterday, a Lower East Side relief organization. It quickly dawned on me why we were not seeing more sandy related repairs.  The people I came across had much bigger problems than not being able to check their email or the loss of family pictures.  They are living in apartments that have been ravaged by floods, without heat or running water. The flood may have receded, but they will be sorting out the damage and disruption to their lives for a long time to come. 

Computer problems are a nuisance, but they are not life threatening. As the storm fades into memory and the little everyday dramas become normal again, as they are bound to, it’s good to remember events like Sandy to keep life’s ups and downs in perspective.

Whenever you have the a major computer failure, the most important thing is to make sure any important information is transferred off. Even if the computer won't start, it is often possible to save your files. 

Four steps for dealing with water damaged computers:
1- Unplug computer
2- Remove battery (if possible)
3- Transfer out your files, everything can be replaced except your files, photos etc
4- Dry and/or repair

If you are not sure how to do these, get help from a techie friend or a professional.  Good luck!

I really hope the subway cars don't run on the same system

Best Buy - you make it hard to buy a computer! 
I am not a "Mac Guy" - Macs are fine computers, I prefer a PC. But I like buying computers at the Apple Store. Why? It's not because the glass stairs are pretty or because a salesdude with stringy hair and a colorful t-shirt tells me about the awesomeness of the new Mac Air.  I like buying at the Apple Store because it is fast and easy. I walk up to an employee, tell them what I want, they get it for me and ring me up. Yes, they will ask if I want the AppleCare extended warranty, but they ask once and then move on. 
Buying at Best Buy is an exercise in pushy incompetence. I went into a Best Buy to purchase the Lenovo Yoga I've been coveting for some time. [It may seem odd that the owner of a computer store buys his computers at Best Buy, but the irony of this industry is that I can sometimes get computers cheapest at a big-box store when they are having big sales.] They were offering 8.8% off as a special promotion for the launch of Windows 8. I knew exactly what I wanted. One computer, no extras. 
Best Buy has received a lot of criticism in recent years for providing a poor customer experience. You can see their attempt to remedy that. Now when you walk into a store someone approaches you to say "Need help finding anything?" But that is where the good times end. Consistently Incorrect product information is bad, but the checkout experience makes you want to lose your mind. Their attempts at misdirection and deception are at a minimum dishonest and possibly illegal. They tried to tell me I would get the "extended warranty for free" what that meant was that since the computer is being discounted, if I purchase the extended warranty, it will bring it back to the original, undiscounted price. I had to ask FIVE different times to skip the warranty and give me the full discount. It then took the cashier a full 15 minutes to ring up a single item and apply the discount. 
I know how challenging the computer business is, and that both manufacturers and retailers make most of the money from the extended warranties. But alienating and infuriating customer is the best way to reduce traffic in your store over time. From there the math is easy, less traffic = less sales. 
Best Buy - You don't have to copy the Apple Store "cool vibe" by letting customers order pizzas to the store to make it a great experience. Just treat customers like you want want your mother to be treated.

Today is launch day... for Windows 8 and this blog! Not a coincidence. I have been waiting to upgrade my laptop until today. I went to Best Buy (yikes!) to buy a computer- more on the Best Buy experience here. Starting a blog has been on my to-do list for a long time, so I am using the opportunity to use my new computer, a Lenovo Yoga 13, with its new operating system to create my new blog. Time to end entry #1. No one really cares, and let's get to some content.