The mouse pad gave out. Nothing lasts forever. We live in an era of programmed obsolescence. Use a mouse pad on a laptop too much and it stops working. Not the pad, the switches. Switch the switches, but they still wear out.

So, I bought a replacement mouse. Its lifespan was a couple years and then it gave up the ghost and died. Not, the mouse, the cord.

Plus, the USB plug-ins on the laptop are right next to the power connection. They interfere and the monitor flashes every time the laptop switches from AC to battery. Bummer!

Now, I have a wireless mouse. Its USB plug interferes with the power input even more. Flash! Flash! Flash! The system can