Most of us are familiar with the abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. Can’t remember exactly when but the concept mostly started because the printer parallel port was becoming outdated.

Engineers had figured a way to run non printer devices off the parallel port but it was a slow cluge. Not only that. The printers were getting faster and sometimes had to wait while the printer port caught up.

In addition, they were starting to feel the limits of devices on the PC. 2 serial and one parallel port was very limiting to many. For a while they held on, but once the USB technology came along, it all but eliminated both the serial and parallel ports. Moreover, even the mouse and keyboard connections are disappearing.

I do find it odd, but this revolution has dramatically changed other things too, I suspect without plan or expectations. It started with cell phones. Every cell I’ve had after my first, was and is charged by USB. Now, it seems everything is charged by USB cable. I have cameras, flashlights and a GPS that must occasionally be connected to a USB cable from time to time. I’m sure it is only the beginning of charging everything but our auto off the system.

The odd thing is that the USB is no longer universal. I have one for my phone, one for my external disk drives and still another for my printer. Nowadays, when you go into a computer store and ask for a USB cable it is akin to asking for a turkey sandwich at Subway. Six or twelve inch length bread. Italian, wheat, cheese, etc. Just as there are many types of bread, there are many types of non-Universal Serial Buses as well as various lengths.

Here’s a hint. When in search for a USB cable, be sure which one you need.

On the other hand, if you have a new printer as mine, you don’t need a printer cable of any kind. The computer communicates via radio waves. Maybe they are going to attempt to do away with USBs. ??Maybe?? Then the cables would just be used for charging things. Wonder how long it woult take to charge an EV with one.