So recently I've been a bit loose with my wallet, although not
cripplingly so, and I ordered a Thinkpad T450s after ordering a USB
Thinkpad keyboard. Why? Well, I'd say it's because I really, really
like the Trackpoint and 3-button setup that apparently only Lenovo/IBM
ever had. I guess HP has some sort of pointing stick, too, but I can't
find a keyboard-only solution: it has to be embedded into an HP laptop
that probably isn't produced anymore. Maybe it is, I don't really
care.

Part of the reason I went on this little spree is because my previous
USB Thinkpad keyboard was broken badly due to a little design flaw
called the micro USB port. It's garbage. It was already worn so that
you had to fiddle with the USB cable's angle and couldn't even use the
OEM A-to-micro cable. But when it fell it broke the contact port. I
thought I could take it apart and maybe just get a male USB A cable
coming out, no detaching by that shitty micro USB port, but yeah, that
wasn't going to happen without some knowledge of soldering.

As much as I hated the onboard USB port, it wasn't the worst thing
about the keyboard: the worst thing was the adhesive that could stop a
damn tank in its tracks. It is the strongest adhesive I have ever seen
and I felt like I was breaking the USB port board trying to pry it up.
I got the keys out after bending and using a pry tool, but it's
ingeniously the same exact part as the laptop keyboard that you'd use
to replace it. It was all held together with that adhesive and it
sucked. I took out a grand total of 0 screws. Awful design, IMO. Even
proprietary screws or hex screws would be better than that. But alas,
I'm addicted now to that damned amazing Trackpoint.

I ordered the same keyboard direct from Lenovo, but with the virus
they say it would take more than 5 weeks to ship, so I went ahead and
bought an A-to-Z dot com renewed T450s. I'm really hopeful and
excited. That should come in about 2 weeks. 

Oh, and I kind of broke the NIC connection in my Asus TP200SA. It's a
craptop, but it was a 2-in-1, so I liked it. One of the antenna cables
just absolutely refused to be connected well with the NIC. I'm going
to go ahead and blame the idiots at SquareTrade who replaced my broken
screen because the WiFi wouldn't stay connected after they got their
hands on it iff the screen was adjusted. Also the screen doesn't fit
quite right so the screen bulges out of the clips. I should note that
the WiFi problems are the reason I finally took it apart, and it's now
the reason the TP200SA is now just a screen with some storage behind
it and no network connectivity.

So anyway, that's what's happened recently with me. I miss that damn
keyboard setup and I really wish more companies manufactured those
pointing stick keyboards, because right now those keyboards are
expensive and rare. I saw an older one on A-to-Z for sale for $399.
Yikes.