SquishWorx USB Power Blocker

It was a cold and stormy night, I was sitting behind my desk, the sea monkeys restlessly sleeping the night away.   I poked at their mini-aquarium, to see if any were awake, alas, none came over to cavort for me.   The harsh glow of the Prusa MK3S+ display panel cast a bright glow around the otherwise tranquil room.  I worried that searchlight intensity would interfere with the peaceful sea monkeys diurnal sleep schedule.

A soft, hesitant knock at the office door, and then she walked in.

She was no ordinary girl.  Bright blue hair (Or was it the blue glow from the Prusa?) built like a geek teens fantasy.

“Am I in the right office?”  she whispered, her ruby red lips glossy in the night air.

“I don’t know what you are selling, but you are definitely in the right office,” I said enthusiastically, trying not to spook this waif like creature.

She cast her eyes around and settled on the Prusa, a small nod of her head, yes, she knew she was in the right office.

“I think, well, I hope, I have the solution to your problem,” She said.

“I’m sure you do,” I said, trying my best to realize that her eyes were on the top of her head.    Glowing jade green eyes, eyes that caught the light of the Prusa and danced like the fire in a ruby.    I was mesmerized.

With her head she nodded towards the silent printer, “That’s bothersome to you, isn’t it?”

“What’s bothersome?”

“The light, the infernal light.  The never closing eye, the beacon from hell,” She was wound up and I didn’t know if she could stop.

She paused to take a breath, “Yes, yes the light is a stain on otherwise perfect dark silence,” I hoped that would appease her, and get her in to a topic more conducive to blue haired hotties.

“Well,” Holding out her hand and opening it palm face up, her perfect blood red nails curling back and out of sight,” I sighed.

“This will be the answer to your agonies.”

In her palm, resting nestled against her life line, was small rectangular box, bright orange, easily seen by the light cast by the prusa.  I looked over at my sea monkeys and it would appear that even they had taken an interest, I could see the king and queen sea monkey, pressed up against the wall of the aquarium, intently watching and I was pretty sure listening as well.

“May I?” She again nodded towards the printer.

“You had me at me at Bothersome!” I said, a little to fast, maybe a touch to  eager, I was watching her eyes for any tell-tale look of disdain, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw none.

“A quick unplugging, here,” She said as she gently eased the usb cable out of the printer.

“And an equally quick plugging in, and we are all done!”

And we were cast into darkness, the printer light out, my eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness.

“Did you break my printer?” Almost willing to hear an affirmative, as it meant more time together, and a certain sense of debt on her part.

“No, silly, I just made it better, MUCH BETTER!”

“Explain this magic to me,” I pleaded, hoping she did not hear in my voice the weakness I was feeling, that light had been a constant companion for the year or so I have had the printer.  Could she have saved me from the insanity brought on by no light / darkness cycles?

“That little orange gizmo plugs between your Octoprint system and your printer, it allows all  your precious data to travel from the Octoprint computer, feeding the gcode interpreter on your printer, but cuts out the backfeed of power to the light.  It really is quite ingenious!”  She did say so herself.

“Does it work with any printer?” I was amazed.

“Sure does,” She said, “Enjoy the blissful darkness” she moved backwards, she became one with the doorway and suddenly disappeared.

“I sat in stunned disbelief, not sure if it was the suddenly unfamiliar terrain of my darkened office, or the realization that my Tall, Pale and Mysterious stranger had evaporated from my life, as fast as the problem of blazing printer display lights had left.

I looked around again, and the sliver of  moonlight that fell on my desk lit up the solitary King and Queen sea monkey as they did a slow, majestic dance, they too were suddenly happy with the darkness and showed it in the only way they knew how.

Peace had returned to my otherwise much too bright world.  My eyes felt relief.  They also felt heavy.  Sleep was now no longer a forgotten dream.

My head nodded, perchance, to dream.