Uhhh.. because I have a lot of USB stuff?

1) Kindle. To charge it or put books into it, I need USB.
2) Vantec. That's the dock for one of my two external hard drives.
3) Fan. That's a little USB cooling fan for the external HD in the Vantec.
4) Olympus. That's how we download pictures from my wife's camera.
5) Panasonic. That's how we download pictures from my camera.
6) Std. USB. Sometimes I need to connect something, like an empeg.
7) iPod. The only way a Shuffle can charge is through USB.
8) Printer. It was easier to network the printer with USB instead of Ethernet.
9) iPhone. Sometimes SWMBO wants to charge her iPhone at my desk.
10) Webcam. What can I say? My webcam is a USB device.
11) My second external HD. (All my SATA ports are used by my four internal hard drives plus the DVD burner.)
12) USB Hub. It was easier to daisy-chain the second hub than direct connect it.
13) Mouse. Are there any optical mice that are not USB?
14) Scanner. I don't know how to connect it other than USB. (There is a 10-pin round connector that I don't know what it is for.)

I guess not all of the devices need to be plugged in all the time, but it's easier not to have to dig through drawers to find the right cords and fumble around behind the monitor to plug them in when I need them. The six cords that are used intermittently are all ready to plug into the appropriate device at a moment's notice. The remaining eight pretty much need to be connected all the time.

tanstaafl.