Home improvement is getting more tedious. This was supposed to be a simple job. Plaster ceiling to cover the cable that runs from fuse box in the living room go pass my PC room then end up in the kitchen. But lo, no! My wife wants to paint the PC room saying the wall is ugly, I said no, she insisted, and now my PC room is in a big mess too!

PC and computers devices do not run on wireless signals and power. Maybe in the future if the scientist figured out to transmit electricity sufficiently and efficiently via microwave power from source to components and devices without using any wires then perhaps we will have a less crazy complicated network of cables sticking out from behind the computer and peripherals.

Until such time comes where everything is wireless from one device to another from efficient wireless signals and wireless electricity power, the de facto choice for good efficient power source and data signal is still via cables.

And because of that, taking a peek behind the computer you will definitely go tsk tsk at the mass of wires joining from device to another. There is no way you can tidy it up. No matter how I tried to bunched and tie up the cables, eventually a cable here or there need to split up and head off in a different direction. A cacophony network of wires and cables going hither whither.

For simple users who has a simple set up of one computer, display unit, keyboard, mouse, printer, speakers and modem the cabling would still be quite messy. But mine is no simple set up. I have a the usual computer, LCD display unit, speakers, keyboard, mouse, and here is where it gets complicated, one all-in-one printer, one fax, my WD MyBook external hard disk, one network switch, which is connected to computer, to wireless access point for bridging to another network device which connects to my router which in turns connects to my DSL modem, extra network cables for standby connection to other PC or laptop. I have 9 USB cables, some are connected to printer and fax, one to my keyboard which do not support PS/2 (the mouse I still use back PS/2 to free up my USB ports), one to power a mini fan for extra cooling my WD MyBook external hard disk, for connecting to card readers, for connecting to various USB thumb drive. There is a 1394 firewire cable for my WD MyBook external hard disk, HDMI cable for the LCD display unit, extra VGA cable in case in need to plug in other PC for testing. Power cables that attached to a gang rail which has five sockets and still not enough which is plug to a surge and power regulator which has four sockets and all used up as well which finally plugs to another gang rail of three sockets which is also all use up for connecting to the surge/power regulator, cordless phone and fax. Don’t forget the telephone cables to that has multi levels of surge protection and splits to connect to the fax and cordless phone.

Is the above description giving you a headache? Then imagine my chagrin of having to disassemble them rendering all devices in-operational. It takes me about an hour to unplug the devices because I need to remember and label where the wires and cables go, plus I have to pack away this and that on the desk too. Even then, to reassemble them later it would probably take me thrice as much time to put them all back together. My reluctance is well founded and thus I am totally not keen at all for any home improvement in the PC room. Originally the PC room would be untouched only just the casing running through the ceiling which needed covering and some paint. How on earth from that small job ended up as a complete revamp to the PC room is a wonder indeed.

No choice now-ler. This small job is getting bigger and bigger and the mess gets more and more. All just for the sake of a convection microwave oven that needed a 15A socket in the back kitchen. Life is strange indeed.

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