My new iPhone has a different cable connection than the phone it replaced (of course). I needed different cables to connect it to my car and my chargers. As I inventoried the cables in my house, I found two which work for my new phone and iPad. I also realized I have a dozen cables that I no longer need.
I had pared my cable collection down several times in recent years, so it surprised when I made a detailed inspection of each cable to find:
- A dozen mini and USB cables to use with digital cameras, Motorola devices, Android phones and other devices which I do not own.
- 7 lightning cables to use with my old phone which I just recycled.
- Multiple cables for printing and ethernet networking most of which I have never used.
A few of the cables I bought when I was troubleshooting a network problem or printing problem before realizing I already owned an identical cable.
A few of the cables came as part of my Tacoma “technology bundle” to enable me to connect devices to the truck that I sold 4 years ago.
I thought perhaps I should keep a few spares in case a visitor to my home or passenger in my car ever needs one.
Then I thought, what visitor? What passenger?I haven’t had either in years and don’t anticipate that when I do, they’ll need to charge some ancient device.
I tossed out the shabby looking cable and will drop the ones in mint condition off at the thrift shop. Maybe some shopper with an android or old device can use them.
This story is so boring, I’m bored writing it. However there is a lesson I’ve learned here. Junk creeps up on everyone, even me. It only took me 15 minutes to eliminate it.
The next time I find myself rooting through a ziplock bag or drawer of miscellaneous items trying the find “the right one” I’m going to take the time to get rid of all the wrong ones right then.