Power to the People

A few weeks ago I wrote about what was being relegated to the Technotrash box (for recycling).  One of the things not going in was the backup power supply cord for the backup laptop.  Calling that a keeper seemed a bit excessive even at the time that I wrote that, but there it is.

Meanwhile, at work I have a project that requires use of a particular program, installed on a particular laptop.  At my office, I can set up the laptop on my desk, and have threaded the cord through the openings at the back of the desk to keep them out of the way.  But that is a bit of a pain to fish around and crawl under the desk to do, and I need the laptop to be mobile, as I want to be able to work on the project at home, and use it for demos.  I needed another power cord.  I thought, huh, this is a Dell, just like my backup laptop at home.  I wonder if the power supply is compatible?  Well, it is, so I can use the cord I already have at home while working there.  (If you are wondering why I don't ask my IT department for an extra cord, that because I try to save my requests for favors for important things, like last-minute access to the projector).

The point here is not that I should keep everything just in case, but that for the things I do chose to keep, they are a lot more likely to be useful when I can actually find them.  In this situation, because I had already gotten rid of so many cords and cables, I'd been able to put all the rest in one drawer, so when I went looking I only had to look in one place.  And this item was labeled, making it even easier to find.  If I can't find what I am looking for, I might just as well not have it.  Anyway, I am counting this as a win.