Most computer peripherals these days are connected via USB (universal serial bus) cables, which, as the name implies, are pretty darn universal. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a camera, phone, printer/scanner or external hard drive, just stick a USB cable into it, make sure the other end goes into your PC, and you’re good to go. Best of all, USB is hot-pluggable, which means you can (usually) connect/disconnect stuff while your computer is running, without having to reboot.

USB is so convenient I’ve almost forgotten the bad old days of traditional serial cables and parallel ports.

If only our bodies were that easy to disconnect and reconnect. I used to be a swimmer jock back in school, but in the years since, I thoroughly unjocked (yes, I just invented that word). These days, I’m busy rejocking (yes, another new word) while the good ‘ol metabolism still has a vague memory of healthier days, and hasn’t yet succumbed to Alzheimer’s.