Editing 2083: Laptop Issues

; ''My laptop's battery won't hold a charge.''

: A common problem; as batteries are frequently charged and recharged, their capacity for storing charge deteriorates. However...

 

; ''Tried [replacing the battery]. Now the new ones won't either.''

: ...the problem persisting despite the battery's replacement fails to make any significant sense. It may be a problem with his laptop's charging port, but his comment that the "new ones" now fail to hold a charge seems to imply it is persisting despite the replacement batteries being used elsewhere after attempting to use them for his laptop and failing... Many modern batteries have firmware built in now that reports their charge level. It is possible that his laptop is installing a faulty firmware to any batteries that get connected.

; ''Also, random files get corrupted on the first of every month.''

: Some devices may be scheduled to do a "disk cleanup" on the first of every month. Somehow, this task is corrupting files that should be kept.

; ''Factory reset didn't help.''

: A factory reset of a device deletes all files, undoes all customizations, and generally puts the system back to square one. Under normal circumstances, this is an effective last-resort measure for dealing with glitches, viruses, and malware, so the fact that it doesn't offer any help suggests that the device's factory settings were already corrupt when they were first made or that the problem is hardware-related.

; ''When it's plugged in, I get static shocks from my plumbing.''

: Static charge from a portable device while it's charging is common. Static charge on other items in the building is not. However, plumbing systems on older houses were often used to provide a ground instead of using grounding rods, which are now the accepted norm. This could imply that for Cueball's house is old, and for some reason his laptop is pumping a large amount of charge directly to ground.

; ''And it reboots if someone uses an ARC welder nearby''

: The high power draw of an ARC welder will occasionally cause less devoted power supplies to flicker. Coupled with the bad battery that can not keep the computer running when the power dips, this might cause his laptop to reboot. This could also be just because the ARC welder is causing a large amount of electromagnetic interference.

; ''Transitions® lenses go dark when exposed to the screen''

: Transition lenses in prescription glasses darken when exposed directly to UV rays; this is to avoid the wearer any hassle of needing prescription sunglasses. This seems to indicate that the screen of Cueball's laptop is emitting UV radiation.

; ''and when I open too many tabs, it fogs any nearby photographic film.''

: The screen would have to be emitting X-rays that can pass through the film's container and expose the film.

The sheer incongruity of everything Cueball has reported, in combination with past issues, leads Hairy to report that his manager has authorized Cueball and his laptop be thrown into the ocean. Cueball accepts this without objection. This is a reference to [[1912:_Thermostat|1912: Thermostat]], where Cueball has an issue with their thermostat, and the Tech support employee asks them if they have tried walking into the sea. It seems this suggestion has evolved into forcefully throwing him into the sea, for lack of a better idea. It could also be that this is a reference back to the first of Cueball's many [[:Category:Cueball Computer Problems|computer problems]] which began with [[349: Success]] where he ended up in the ocean.

The title text contains mention of the {{w|Environmental Protection Agency}}, (EPA) a part of the United States government responsible for preventing pollution. In real life, most of a laptop computer's components are considered toxic waste, and the EPA, as part of their mission, would not want it dumped in the ocean. More to the point, it's implied that whatever Cueball did to it renders it far more dangerous than an ordinary laptop, and the EPA ''really'' doesn't want his cursed possessions in the ocean; thus they are sending a {{w|Dangerous goods | hazmat}} team to collect the laptop and safely dispose of it.

:[Cueball is walking past a sign reading "Tech Support," with a right-pointing arrow and carrying a laptop.]

:[Cueball at tech support desk with an open laptop facing Hairy and Ponytail.]

:[Close-up of Cueball]

:Off panel voice #2: ''You weren't kidding.''

:[Close-up of Cueball]

:[Same tableau as second panel except that the laptop is slightly open now.]