Free Nerd and the Marine by D.R. Grady

for
you. Actually I built it, so no worries about cost or my stealing
secrets or anything. This was actually a lot easier than I'd
suspected, and even more fun than I'd anticipated.
    The building proved every
bit as challenging as I'd hoped, and the solutions I arrived at
will be useful for a few other projects I'm working on. I didn't
even need to order any parts. I had them all on hand.
    Please don't ask - you may
not want to know why. A smiley face
followed the sentence. Grinning, he kept reading.
    I'd love to know how this
performs in an actual desert, or whatever where you're living is
called. This computer is designed to withstand high temperatures
and sand. I'm not certain if it will still work if you get it wet,
so avoid water. I'll have to think about that...
    Anyway, I hope you enjoy
the computer and I look forward to hearing what you think. Please
be honest. I can't make adjustments if I don't have some feedback.
You're my guinea pig with this machine. Thanks. Another smiley face.
    It should be ready to go.
You might need to charge the battery, but the computer should be
functional. (BTW - the battery is being assigned a patent number,
too, so this gave me an additional application. They integrated
well, and now I have another market to sell my newest battery to,
yay!)
    I'll appreciate any
opinions, advice, and concerns you have as to what will make this
laptop better, easier to use, lighter, etc. Anything!
    Yours,
    Lainy
    Mitch sat for a few moments
and stared at this new laptop in awe. She hadn't purchased this
computer, she built it. Using a battery she'd already designed. This woman went
beyond phenomenal. She was almost downright scary.
    Eagerly, he hit the power button and
wondered if she sent an instruction booklet. Peering into the box,
he discovered more baseball cards, comic books and the like, but no
instruction manual. He watched mutely as the laptop powered up in a
scant amount of time. This little machine already made his previous
one look bad.
    In only a few moments, the
icons all appeared and the arrow blinked in readiness for him to
begin. He tapped into programs with enthusiasm and found an icon
that said, Help .
Clicking it, he discovered the owner’s manual, if it could be
called that.
    She included frequently asked
questions, and wondered how on earth she'd designed, built, and
sent him the laptop in such a short time. Beginning to wonder
exactly what Lainy Morrison did all day, Mitch closed the program
and selected a few more.
    Wondering if this was the first
computer she'd ever built, but doubting it as he glanced at her
note, he reached for another cookie. She said she'd had all the
materials on hand, which meant she had a keyboard and the mouse
components in her inventory. He doubted an electronics expert would
have such items on hand if she didn't plan to produce a computer,
or had indeed produced one or ten. Course, he could be wrong, since
he liked using electronics, but didn’t know much about their
composition.
    He cleared the computer with security
and added the necessary base software and was soon back at his
quarters. Mitch located the e-mail icon and clicked. When the
program downloaded, he found Lainy in the address book, as well as
most of her relatives. He'd transfer the other addresses he'd need
later but for now selected her’s. He needed to thank
her.
     
    To:
[email protected]
    From:
[email protected]
    Subject: I got the
computer!
    Dear Lainy,
    I found a very unexpected,
but very welcome package in the mail from you today. This computer
is amazing! How you managed to build one so quickly and what
appears to be effortlessly, is beyond me. I suspect you have built
others? I'm using it now to send you this message, so you'll have
to let me know if you had any trouble downloading it.
    I've never seen any
computer this durable. (We have some here meant for tough
environments.) I've seen some built to resist less than favorable
conditions but nothing this sturdy. I'm