poltergeists

Over the past few months, my car radio has taken to spontaneously changing stations, changing the volume settings, or both. Over the past few weeks, the automatic garage door has developed a problem closing: it will sometimes close partway, then reopen (we left it that way for over a day once, without realizing).

I'd blame this on poltergeists, if I believed in such things, but there's a more likely explanation. I suspect that the radio has to do with the dodgy bluetooth connection with my phone, or some such (there's also the possibility of a conflict between the stereo controls on the dash, which are intermittently unresponsive, and the controls on the steering wheel, which are more reliable). As for the garage door, I took it off the automatic closer and moved it up and down, and there is an increased resistance at two points of the travel. I increased the force of the motor, and it seems to be OK now.

It's a relief to live in a world that responds to science, investigation, and laws. But it's also a bit of a disappointment: sometimes it would be more romantic to live in a Harry-Potter-esque world of magic, enchantment, and fantasy. Of course, as I remember, the magicians had no idea how an airplane works.

Technology is technology, whether it's wifi or oculus reparo.