This is a weird time of year. Here in Berkeley it's a gorgeous day, sunny, though chilly. The magnolias are already blooming. It's not spring yet, not even winter. The looming New Year makes a guy think about transitions, the passage of time, new stuff—the usual. The numeral 2005 sounds new—shiny and pristine, just out of the box, wheareas 2004 sounds (already), old, scratched, a little battered, like my camera cellphone (which I bought in 2004).
This blog is one of the transitions for the new year. I've started it This is a weird time of year. Here in Berkeley it's a gorgeous day, sunny, though chilly. The magnolias are already blooming. It's not spring yet, not even winter. The looming New Year makes a guy think about transitions, the passage of time, new stuff—the usual. The numeral 2005 sounds new—shiny and pristine, just out of the box, wheareas 2004 sounds (already), old, scratched, a little battered, like my camera cellphone (which I bought in 2004).
This blog is one This is a weird time of year. Here in Berkeley it's a gorgeous day, sunny, though chilly. The magnolias are already blooming. It's not spring yet, not even winter. The looming New Year makes a guy think about transitions, the passage of time, new stuff—the usual. The numeral 2005 sounds new—shiny and pristine, just out of the box, wheareas 2004 sounds (already), old, scratched, a little battered, like my camera This is a weird time of year. Here in Berkeley it's a gorgeous day, sunny, though chilly. The magnolias are already blooming. It's not spring yet, not even winter. The looming New Year makes a guy think about transitions, the passage of time, new stuff—the usual. The numeral 2005 sounds new—shiny and pristine, just out of the box, wheareas 2004
8:01 PM Tuesday, November 28, 2006
[Dead-time use of high-tech gadgets.]
The routine of life is full of much "dead time"—seconds, minutes, or even hours or days when one feels like time is being wasted and lost: nooks and crannies in the flow of the day. Dead time is different from dolce far niente, when the pleasure of laying back and being idle can be savored and relished. Dead time feels like a waste, and is annoying. Examples of dead time include waiting for a traffic light to change or stalled traffic to start moving again, waiting in a dentist or doctor's waiting room, waiting for a plane to board, waiting for the plane to reach its destination, waiting for a scheduled event to start, etc., etc.
The gadgetry, paraphernalia, and widgetry of the high-tech life make it possible to use dead time for something which is, or feels productive. Probably the most useful gadget for that purpose is the mobile phone. There is always one more phone call to be made, SMS to be sent, or (if the phone is a cameraphone) a photo, audio message, or video to make and send. Context is king: it is obviously unsafe or at least rude to key in an SMS text message while driving or make a phone call during a chamber music concert.
The third most useful dead time gadget is probably the laptop, which has its own limitations: you can't use one if you don't have one, when your hands are busy, or when you're walking down the street; and if there's no wireless connection (as during a plane flight), it can be frustrating and much less information is available. So what's the second most useful dead time gadget? The iPod and its ilk of course. That's why the gods (or was it Dave Winer?) created the podcast. Anything audio, whatever and whenever, through headphones or car speakers, and maybe even a little video.
As for me, I find that dead-time use of my high-tech gadgets has taught me to use lower tech tools during dead time too. Of course, there are Moleskines, cocktail napkins, and the backs of business cards for taking notes. My latest innovation is using the backs of faxes and other paper which would otherwise be thrown away, folded in half and stored on a mini clipboard, which I keep in my car. I cam make the resulting notes high-tech by faxing them to my email. I even use them for art projects, as the Photoshoppery shown above will attest.
More links: Notes SMS Moleskine iPod
More images: Moleskine Moleskinerie
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