Several weeks ago, we ordered a package of three 1 GB RAM sticks from Crucial.com. To be precise, that package of RAM set out on its voyage on July 8th, 2008. It reached Trenton, NJ, on July 10th, 2008. That was the last time our package was ever heard from…

Join us, as we retrace that long and perilous journey, which many have embarked upon, but few have lived to tell the tale.

The good ship S.S. “UPS Shipping Innovations” had been commissioned to safeguard our precious cargo, on its way from Boise, Idaho to Princeton, New Jersey. The first few days of the voyage were uneventful, from what we can gather of the captain’s log/online tracking information. It reached the intermediate port of Trenton, whereupon the RAM package was offloaded and transferred to another carrier, the S.S. “US Postal Service.” That was 22 days ago. Nary a soul has seen or heard from that ship, its crew, or our cargo since then.

Fearing the worst, we mournfully abandoned our vigil, and alerted Crucial to the plight of our RAM. They responded quickly, and another replacement package was promptly sent out. However, nothing could replace the hole in our hearts, as we continue to pray for the eventual safe passage of that first RAM package.

In the meantime, our second, replacement package set out on its own little journey just a few days ago. Despite the urgency of our need for RAM in order to upgrade our computers, UPS this time decided to treat our second package to a little tour of the great State of New Jersey. Two days and 130 extra miles later, our RAM had gotten to see most of the sights of the Garden State, and headed for home…

After nearly a month of waiting on the edge of our collective seats, it is finally here. And our computers have finally exited the dark days of running on 256 MB of main memory, rushing forward into the glorious 1.25 GB RAM-era.

(Copyright note: the sea monster in that picture is taken from a 1591 map entitled Islandia by A. Ortelius).