Earlier, Whatsit the Youngest was crawling contentedly around the living room floor as he does, when my shiny laptop caught his eye. He came over and pulled himself up and then, quick like bunny, glommed onto the back and started slurping away.
I pulled him away as quick as I could, but in the meantime a dialog box had popped up on my laptop informing me that a new USB device had been detected, and would I like to install it?
I expect USB Baby to show up on Gizmodo any minute now.
(And just in case anyone was concerned, Whatsit the Youngest is no worse for the wear.)
USB ports carry a small amount of power (harmlessly small, don’t worry), that can make certain devices self-powered: think “flash drives” or those little LED lights on a cable that you buy if you’ve been drinking too much before hanging out in Office Max (what?).
USB Baby managed to close the circuit on this power link.
The USB “device detection” protocol is, to use the technical term, astoundingly stupid with regard to what it considers a new device. It would figure it out pretty quick when no driver was available for diaper changes, but something closed it’s loop, and by golly that needs attention, now!
What? No it isn’t. It’s a formerly-well-behaved app that starts to mess with devices, monopolise communications resources, and take liberties with the system config. Update it with the Job series of expansion packs, though, and it settles down.
Make sure you monitor USB Teen[sub]female[/sub]. If it is allowed too much unmonitored time with USB Teen[sub]male[/sub] it can acquire its own expansion pack copy of USB Baby.
I’m pretty sure that the Job software is a virus protection suite. Quarantines Teen most of the day and keeps it from infecting other systems like Back Alley and Crackhouse.
Of course, if you get a really persistent version of Teen you may want to consider Boot Camp…
Make sure you monitor USB Teen[sub]male[/sub]. If it is allowed too much unmonitored time with USB Teen[sub]female[/sub] it will infect USB Teen[sub]female[/sub] with the Baby virus.
I had this happen a few months ago, I think ours was the same age. I felt so silly at first and how could I let my child do that? They’re so quick! I had already told my husband, so at lunch the next day we retold the story to some friends who were electrical engineers and also with kids about the same age. They all got a kick out of it too! Of course, being engineers I got to find out how much electricity actually flows in the device.
Everyone seemed to get a kick out of the story, and it didn’t seem like it bothered her.
I must also add that after my daughter did it, I had to do it just to make sure it wasn’t anything overly harmful. No worse than trying to eat a 9v battery? Ah also, the connectors will corrode too if they’re particularly drooly. We’ve lost 2 devices like this already, fortunately she has no interest in this past time now!
Ah also, the connectors will corrode too if they’re particularly drooly. We’ve lost 2 devices like this already, fortunately she has no interest in this past time now!