Updates and Upgrades

Updates and security patches are coming out all the time for the operating systems of our devices. Our computers prompt us to update Windows, restart our machines, accept new terms of service, etc. While these are designed to keep our systems safe and humming along, sometimes the features change, icons move, and the cool stuff we liked about the old version goes away.

Recently I was at a Rotary meeting here at church and the toolbar on the bottom of the computer screen was empty of icons. The icons are a handy way to quickly access certain programs and refer immediately to open applications. After doing a brief internet search of forums to try to troubleshoot, I felt restarting the computer might be worth a try, even though the Rotary tech assistant for the meeting had already queued up several applications. After restarting the computer, the toolbar was again filled with the correct icons for frequently used programs and the meeting proceeded as usual. It’s amazing how often a restart or reset will fix wonky things we see on computers and cell phones. Perhaps there’s a metaphor for life somewhere in there, but at least consider a restart one of your tools next time something goes awry with your computer or phone.