An almost funny thing happened to me yesterday: I discovered that we no longer have a working printer. That is not the funny part. I only discovered this when I was enabling some two-factor security and one of the steps required me to print a code. Yes, actually required me to print something that was equivalent to a password. Passwords are not supposed to be written down. That defeats the whole purpose of passwords.
We actually have two functioning printers. How do I know? Because I just bought cartridges for both of them to make them work. A couple weeks ago, I upgraded my PC to Windows 10 from Windows 7. Did it tell me then that the printer I had attached was not going to work? Nope. Didn't tell me anything until I tried to print to it from my Mac. Yes, the Mac speaks to that printer, but only when it can do so through another computer. That other computer, my PC, no longer speaks to that printer. The other printer worked with Windows XP and worked somewhat with my Mac. But when I went to try it, it decided that printing only some of the colors on the page was appropriate. Specifically, the color for the border and the color for the text saying you should keep this paper in a safe place. Forget anything else that was needed.
Both printer manufacturers have refused to build new drivers for the printers, despite the fact that both still sell new cartridges. Being a software developer, I wonder why it is not just someone needs to push a button to compile a new driver. Perhaps do a couple tweaks to meet new Windows or OS X demands. How much more complicated can printer driver technology get? Oh, Apple is releasing a new color, which means all the existing color printers won't work. Microsoft will shortly be scrabbling to make a faux color of the same color to keep up. Microsoft being Microsoft will make 10 shades of it that only a lithographer can see the difference between.
This all got me to thinking: 50 years ago, we were not going to need paper any more in 10 years and all the paper trees were going to be gone anyway. Maybe it was 40 years ago in 15 years. No, that does not make sense. Perhaps it was 30 years ago in 20 years. Well, shoot, so much for predicting the past. In the 1980s, computers actually caused us to use more paper than ever before.
After doing some research, I have discovered that the Paper Manufacturers have Lobbyists. Yes, Paper Pushers Pushing Paper. Apparently it is a misconception as to what the Paper Pushing Lobbyists do. It is not fighting to allow Paper Production Plants to Produce Pollution. It actually is to get congress to create a Anti Paperless Economy Society or APES for short. APES forces computer hardware and software manufacturers to perpetuate the requirement for paper. The U.S. Post Office exists only to deliver paper in various varieties. Packages wrapped in paper. Paper charging you for paper. Paper to convince you to buy more paper. Our landfills are overflowing with PAPER! Oh, yes, that is right, you recycle paper. You know what happens to recycled paper? Straight to the dump. Think of all the paperless children in China with nothing to draw on.
Meh.
Maze Pseudo has passed the App Store review, but releasing it on Spring Fools Day seems wrong. Perhaps I will remember to do it tomorrow. Does mean that I will wrap my current old project up for a couple weeks while I go back to Maze Pseudo for Apple TV next week. That and buy a new printer and new paper, since I doubt a new printer works with old paper. Can't teach Old Paper New Tricks.
