I have something to confess. I have taken a step in embracing the new, technologically advanced, completely plugged-in, hive-minded world. Over the last few days/weeks I’ve begun to use things, almost entirely computer related that I would never have considered only a few months ago. Google Calendar, a cellphone, MS OneNote, and soon probably Google Documents and facebook to a small degree.
So what does it all mean? Not so long ago I didn’t like these things because they cluttered my life. Well now I’ve found that without them my life is more cluttered. And I’m asking myself was I against the tools/devices or against the clutter? Microsoft’s cool little product OneNote made me ask these questions. You see I’m writing a thesis for a master’s degree. Before I started using OneNote I had papers and notes everywhere. It was awful. I did the best I could and even succeeded to some extent when I bought a Moleskine notebook. Somehow though, I still ended up with loose, odd-sized pieces of paper, ALL OVER THE PLACE. So I sat down and decided to install OneNote. I had tried it once long ago but found it was just “stupid.” Then it came up when my father told me about it and how clever it is.
In the midst of my unhappiness with all of the floating papers with thesis stuff on them I decided to give OneNote another shot. Now I use it, it’s incredible. Of course after discovering how wonderful it was I immediately sought an alternative to Microsoft, as I don’t like their methods. Not finding any, I continue to use it. The point is I can now free one portion of my life of some clutter. Back in the day I would never have considered having actual notes exclusively on my computer, I always had a paper back up. Well, not anymore. While I don’t throw out any paper notes I make that I transfer to computer, I certainly don’t print out the computer notes to keep just in case.
Google calendar is another example. I used to use a desktop based calendar system. But that had problems with accessibility because it was only on one machine. With the calendar stored on a server somewhere I have access to it from everywhere. It’s quite amazing. Not only that, Google calendar can be sync-ed with mobile devices, a new one of which I’ve been looking at for a few weeks now.
What’s all the hype then? To be honest it’s more of a personal rediscovery, but I’m a technophile, I like being plugged in. Not because I feel some inane social pressure to be but because it makes many things in my life easier. And the easier it is to do something the less time I have to spend on doing it which in turn means I have more time for the people and things I love.
Here’s to the future.