Another daunting task that most of us, especially engineers, have to face everyday is untangling a mass of wires (read communication channels) which includes:-

1) A Laptop Charger

2) A Mobile phone charger

3) Headphones/Earphones

4) Mouse

5) In some cases, extension boards

6) LAN, in case of a hostel

7) USB wires

8) VGA cables

Not to mention if someone accidentally steps on any wire, he receives a shock…not from the wires, from the concerned owner of that wire.

Untangling them is not an easy task. It requires a lot of patience. Each wire has to be extracted separately, with the plug at the end threatening to be pulled off if you dare to apply force. And you require a 10x cooler head, if you’re doing the same for your friend.

Wires get tangled in other places too. Some wires have to be passed under the doors, through windows (not MS Windows, the ones the local carpenter made), under the table/chair, over the bed. So much so that even if you wish to move from your position, you have to twist yourself through the non-wire space, jump across the room, & land in the empty space on the floor. And if you fail to see a wire, the entire system is thrown into a disarray. Putting it back in place is no less than a challenge. Groans like “Abey bola tha tujhse, idhar mat rakh, kursi pe rakh, ab dekh kya ho gaya…” and sometimes, “Kidhar baith gaya re, tere gubbare jaise pichwade ke niche mere laptop ka charger hai, tujhe pata nahi chala ?” fly all over. And God forbid, if, your leg happens to be trapped in the mains, and you pull off the wire with your step, especially while watching a movie, all your friends will be kicking your backside, not caring for your apologies.

When we pack our bags, we nicely roll up the wires and place them in the bag. On the way, as soon as we pull out the mobile charger, a wired chain is formed. The mobile charger pulls out the USB, then the mouse wire, then the laptop charger, and all other wires including the old ones, if any. In a bid to charge the mobile quickly, which has already beeped a 1% battery charge, about 10 times, we start pulling out the tangled wires. Result: At least one wire is sure to be stretched beyond limit. And then, when we switch on our laptop and try to open CS/NFS/a movie, a question pops, “Yeh mouse kaam kyun nahi kar raha hai?” We know why.

Still, we don’t cultivate the habit of keeping our wires free from each other, unless Mom or Dad tells us to do so. And we take liberty in instructing our younger bros and sisters to be careful while handling these wires. Remember: Tangle-free wires are a sign of organised working. Tangled wires are sure to cause damage to our equipment and money.