Oh, technology, how you play with my heart.
You make speaking with our husbands while they are deployed to a combat zone in the middle of nowhere, an easy peasy process.
But last week when I had to rename a file, and failed to notice I used the same name of an existing file, kaboom. All was lost. File gone. The words filtered into the air like they never existed.
And of course, it was the story that is supposed to go live tomorrow. And of course, email is down so my co-worker and I are discussing the logistics of this mini-crisis over Facebook messaging. And of course, it is happening at the end of a very long day which makes it all the more fun.
But it seems that I'm not the only person having a bad day due to computer glitches.
In August, 2013, a series of botched trades were made by Goldman Sachs' internal computer, costing the company upwards of $100 million.
Then, in November, 2013, a glitch in Walmart computers listed pricey electronics worth hundreds of dollars for just $8.85.
And, weeks later, on the day after Christmas, a computer glitch on the Delta Airline website sold flights normally priced at $400 or higher for much less, some as low as just $25.05.
Workers seem to have a love/hate relationship with their technology.
A 2012 study by TrackVia claims computer glitches are the second biggest time-waster at the office and estimates employees spend 11 percent of their day fruitlessly arguing with their computers. This is second only to talking with co-workers, which is estimated to waste 14 percent of an employee's day.
So, my friends, you are reading the blog I furiously wrote after realizing that my own computer glitch has erased the blog that was slated to appear today.
I'm not happy about it. And I'm pretty aggravated at the computer that I adore when it makes my days easy. But hey, it could have been worse as other employees at Goldman, Walmart and Delta have learned.
Technology, you can't live without it, but you can unplug it. Have a great, glitch-free weekend!