My beloved toughbook died today.

She was a panasonic CF-53. 

She had a middling cpu, meh ram, and a decent ssd. 

Her display was awful, it could hardly fit a basic webpage. 

She didn't run, ever.  She walked, like a bulldozer. 

She never did anything fast, but by God nothing slowed her down. 

She survived 3 years in the corporate world before I adopted her. 
With me, she lasted 7 years.

I was so rough on her, and she took it like a champ.

My cats regularly napped on her keyboard. 

I accidentally fed her too many volts from the wrong power supply over an entire weekend. No problem. That was 5 years ago. 

She was always ready for a trip. Just toss in a random bag, no babying required. 

She’s been dropped hundreds of times. 

She’s had 5 operating systems, at least. 

Every one of her ports worked like a champ, to her last day. 


She was there for my marriage, the birth of my children, the founding of my business, and several moves across country.


Other computers, gaming systems, cell phones, and tablets have come and gone. My toughbook remained, rock steady through it all. It never wanted repair, never need coddling, and never broke down. 

She was always there, always faithful, always ready. 

All good things come to an end. 

My toughbook passed silently and peacefully on my desk. I don’t know why her board died, and I don’t care. She’s earned her rest. I’ve donated her remains to a local repair shop. Hopefully her parts can be harvested to give life to another ailing toughbook. 

Thank you for the years, the memories, and for putting up with me. 

You’re already missed. 


- B