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First a few words from our main timeline page for 2023, then below that is new content for this page:
February 12, 2023 (New Dell – Again)
On February 10th, took the plunge again and ordered a 15″ Dell Inspirion. Let KylerBigfoot7 do all the ordering as we, the sick person, gave the instructions. The purchase goal was to order the least expensive Dell laptop but upgraded $30 for a faster processor. The over-all laptop goal is to have something to use for website updates for our main contributor, the co-owner, when KylerBigfoot7 is powering our high-powered Dell Latitude, for his gaming pursuits.
Hey Insperion, spell-check says you are not a word!
See our new page explaining this whole scenario, pending. (This is that page!)
Who cares about this? People interested in us as the people behind the Bigfoot Eruption sites, and/or if you are also in the early stages of starting your site or small business. Learn from our mistakes.
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Ok, so what led to all this?
2014:
Pre-Bigfoot Eruption, our co-owner and founder had just retired from the Air Force in Tampa Florida, 2014, went to the University of South Florida for a master’s in business, and needed a laptop. What laptop was used before that (?) would be a good question. A relative offered $1000, and so a much too powerful Dell was chosen, for $1,066. A touch screen model, lots of power, lots of speed, and a giant screen.
Dell Inspirion 17 (7000 Series)
In class, not only looking like a geek with a computer too big and powerful, but it would also rev like a jet engine. Smarter students said that this was not normal, which proved to be a true as we lost the new Dell to the local repair shop where they found a fan belt was cutting into the wiring. They proceeded to lose the original cord, and despite saying they ordered one to match, it was never the same.
Four years later Bigfoot Eruption would be born, and this was the computer it would launch with. We call it, “Big Boy.”
It currently resides in KylerBigoot7’s gaming area, where it never moves due to old age, and stays plugged in due to not being able to even keep new batteries charged.
In 2021 “Always Thinking Computers“ said it would die in one year, and to not put money into it, so we are on borrowed time. We are over a year past that, but the charging problem is hampering, and now most of the ports don’t work. Fortunately, the HDMI does work.
2018:
Bigfoot Eruption is born, as we started using Bluehost in April, and officially published the site for viewing on June 19, 2018, Father’s Day, and also the birthday of KylerBigfoot7.
We had moved back to our home state of Oregon in 2016, so we were just hours away from McChord AFB, Joint Base, Tacoma, Washington and the Black Friday Specials there.
Introducing the Acer Chromebook. It became the perfect complement when not wanting to move around the aging “Big Boy.” The other excuse was the idea of writing a Bigfoot novel, on something as convenient as this Chromebook.
It is also currently in the gaming area of KylerBigfoot7 and is connected to a device. In about 2021 it became his as a courtesy. Why? Because our older kids, Trool Master and Kaybay12, were encouraged to have chromebooks in school at that point. The school provided, and we paid. This left KylerBigfoot7 without one, so it was given for his school needs. Goodby Acer Chromebook. Now in 2023, it is connected to a monitor in his gaming area.
Note: Again, these odd names for our kids are pen names or “web personality names” chosen by the creators of Bigfoot Eruption, because we can. Plus, who would care about normal names? While at the same time falsely giving hope to identity privacy. Hey, and it’s cool.
Black Friday Laptops:
Besides the Acer Chromebook, we had purchased Black Friday laptops dating back to our time in Florida. This answers the question as to what laptop our main contributor was using, before Big Boy.
Our first black Friday laptop, by Hewlett-Packard (Hp). We called it “Hp.” Note all of our Black Friday laptops were Hp. Not counting the Acer chromebook.
When the Big Boy arrived in 2014 “Hp” went to a young Trool Master. In fact, the term Trool Master had not been coined yet.
The next year, we did the same, getting the next Black Friday laptop for again for Trool Master, and handing his down to Kaybay12, and we called it, “Kaylie’s Computer.” Note, she was not yet, Kaybay12.
The next year we got another Black Friday laptop, and it goes to Kaybay12, and hers fell to Kyler Bigfoot7.
The next year we got another Black Friday laptop and it went straight to KylerBiger7, because his was dying, of course after being handed down a total of four people.
And this continued. We eventually grew tired of this process. These usually died after three years.
2021:
With Big Boy dying, we called it a business expense, and bought the Dell Latitude (2 in 1). Again, we were done with the Black Friday dream.
Two in one meant the screen could bend around 180 degrees and thus, could lay completely flat or stand as a tent.
It was over $800 but on sale for the mid $500 range.
We bought it as-is because it was a bargain of a deal. We want to say we added power and speed to it, but not sure how that would have been possible since it was already on sale.
So, best deal, and got whatever it came with, which was more speed than we needed, but we don’t say “No” to a good value.
Dell; image, by Chainver-gallery | Pixabay.
Dell; image, by Chainver-gallery | Pixabay.
2022:
The Black Friday specials and hand-me-downs were not working anymore as gamer, KylerBigfoot7, introduced us to the term “Lagging.” This means you can still “game” but there are inconvenient moments of waiting, as it “catches up.” AKA, too slow.
It was time for a gaming computer.
We did not strategize to make Christmas and Birthday money combine to help with this. Why? It was third on his wish list, when it should have been first.
Now the new Latitude, that we call “Little Dell” was getting leached by the Gamer, because one day in borrowing it he notices, it was fast, meaning, no lagging!
2023:
So, choosing the least expensive Dell option, with $30 upgrade had the Gamer wanting to use the new Dell that has been ordered, but he is unsure why.
Will seek out an $80 maintenance check on his even more basic Dell, that he says is “lagging.” We know it is not meant for gaming. Will also inquire if more speed and storage can be added to it.
Note: Even an internet search takes five minutes, so we are looking at some serious virus infiltration.
Lesson:
If we had combined his last birthday giving, with his Christmas, then we could have his actual gaming computer already.
The idea will be to have “Always Thinking Computers” build it for $300, and then we will have them add more speed and storage as we have the money.
If we had done this already, then we would not be ordering a new Dell Inspirion for $330 for us to use when the Gamer is using our website builder, the Dell Latitude, nor would we have the need to have the Gamers basic Dell, serviced. Except, it is probably needing to be cleaned out.
So why didn’t we? Proponents may have said, “He is too young!” Also, the problem of we just messed up, making headphones and Legos the priority.
So why not take from the future birthday and Christmas, but get it done now? We had detractors of that plan. Trying to avoid the look of going around the other “co-owner.”
So instead order another laptop, until June gets here. Wow! Time will tell how dome this looks.
Parenting:
Some would say, too bad, so sad for that kid. But he hates school, and techie stuff is his passion, and that is something to nurture.
Other Bad Options:
Borrow Trool Master’s computer, the one we got him for college. No!
Borrow Kaybay12′ computer? No!
Borrow co-owners chromebook? Maybe, but when she needs it, she needs it, and we are tired of having to remember her password.
Borrow co-owners’ tablet? No, it is forever broken, and at some point, you just want to respect that other people have the right to not get their devices mooched.
Pay for repairs on all the old Black Friday computers? No, always money ahead to just buy new.
Note: We owe kabay12 a nice computer to finish high school, and then tale to college. Believe it our not, she is still using an old Black Friday laptop. Testimony that she takes good care of it.
Conclusion:
We are guessing this will be what happens. We use the incoming Dell as we share the powerful Dell Latitude, until the gaming computer is started in June. Having Kylerbigfoot7’s basic Dell cleaned up is a good idea/swept for junk/viruses, and then the upgrade question.
Paint Splatter (Mess); image, by b0red | Pixabay.
Paint Splatter (Mess); image, by b0red | Pixabay.
