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Gadgets of the Geek Elite
Jag sent us a link
to a story about
Geeks and Their Gadgest.
Its at the NY Times so ya need to register to read it, but
it includes some esr quotes, as well as just the interesting
commentary on something that I suspect many of us are all
to familiar with. I've gave up cell phones and my
Palm Pilot stays in my drawer. My only real gadget is a Leatherman Wave.
I think I need a VAIO-- if only they had built in knives
and screw drivers.
PS Cmdrtaco, how about mentioning this next time you post an article from the NY Times?
---
Alex Bischoff
HTML/CSS coder for hire
Posted by Mike@ABC:
... am a nerd.
Man, a year and a half ago, I was a wire service hack covering politics. I could barely surf the Web. I hated gadgets.
Now, I'm talking with folks who are developing a single set of code libraries for LSB, I can tear apart my testing box and put it back together (and have it run), I can write stories about hackers and Linux without getting flamed and spammed back to the stone ages...and I love gadgets. I've been reviewing one of those Windows CE Clio devices...clever little thing. This article made me drool.
I had a realization today. An epiphany, if you will. I
Gotta go. My world-view is getting a little shaken up at the moment. I want to go hug a Linux box.
Call me a Luddite if you must but I don't even wear a watch. My computer clock is good enough. And if I'm at the mail and need to know what time it is, I ask someone who's foolish enough to wear a watch.
I own no cell phone. The only reason to have one that I applies to me is for calls to AAA. If I were to buy one I would leave it in the car and forget the phone number so that I could not give it out. Or if I had kids, then it might be necessary to be "available".
I quit a job that tried to give me a pager. There is no way I want to think about work when I am not there. My time is too precious to be wasted with work when I'm not there.
When I'm at work, there is a phone on my desk. If I'm not at my desk, there's an intercomm which can be used to get my attention.
I tell people to contact me by email whenever possible but I'm not one of those people who HAS to answer an email as soon as it arrives. Unless it's something trivial, I prefer to mull it over in my head and think before I respond.
At home, my phones do not have call waiting. I do have an answering machine and I do remember to check it occasionally.
I don't get it. Why do people insist on being reachable at all hours of the day? I prefer my privacy. When I'm in the car, I want to sing along with the radio.
Oh, and I am certainly not a Luddite. I've been using the Internet since 1987. I own 2 VCRs and more electronic musical equipment than I use. Someday I get around good digital recordings of my band and put them up on the web.
Joe
I don't get it. Why do people insist on being reachable at all hours of the day? I prefer my privacy.
Well, that's just it. You have your preferences, others have theirs. I like that my friends are able to get a hold of me when I'm out at bars, and meet me somewhere. I like being able to be contacted in event of an emergency. I like that people don't have to call several different numbers to talk to me.
You control who has your cell number. Sure, it may leak out through friends, but that's usually ok. I'm not sure I'd want it on my business card, but if it's there, *shrug*. You can always let voicemail get it. You don't lose any privacy due to having a cell phone. You may lose some peace of mind due to it ringing...but you can turn the ringer off.
I just reread your post. I think the main reason you don't understand why people like having cell phones, pagers, etc., is that you don't have a clear idea of what it is like to lead a lifestyle other than your own. I am simply not at home that much. If I want to see my friends other than at planned meetings, I need to be reachable.
For me (and many others) cell phones are a godsend. For you, a curse. To each his own.
Okay; I've got a PalmPilot, but it's too big to carry in my hand, and it's too fragile to carry in my pocket. If I can't carry it in my pocket, I don't carry it. End of story. I don't have a pager, because having a pager implies that I have to respond when someone pages me. I don't have a cell phone for the same reason. I've got voice mail at the office, which has taken three calls since I began working here in November, two of which being my mom. I have a single phone line at home, with Call Waiting ID (and 99% of the calls I get are "UNAVAILABLE"). I've had to use the Call Waiting feature exactly twice, both times when I was talking long distance with my Mom. The absolute only thing I carry around with me that I feel naked without (barring clothes) is my Leatherman. Ol' Tim Leatherman's first tool is absolutely indispensible. I used to carry a Victorinox ("Swiss Army") pocket knife, but it didn't have a Phillips screwdriver, nor workable pliers.
Now, if I could get a PDA that folds up to be less than 2cm by 5cm, full color LCD screen, 56k cell modem, accepts pages, cell calls, and can surf the web, I'd be all over that like white on rice. Until that device comes out, I'll look at public clocks for the time, write down appointments on my hand, and wait until I get home to check my answering machine. If I have to call someone when I'm not at home, I've got a pocket full of quarters.
I don't even have a microwave!
-The Cheese
I do not know how he is doing it, but tell all your friends in Europe. John Sculley's Nokia 6120 has worldwide roaming capabilities according to this article. This is impressive considering the 6120 is a TDMA phone and the rest of the world uses GSM (on different radio frequencies as well).
The people mentioned in the NYT article would also have much easier lives if they would RTFM. The Nokia 61xx family is fully capable of sending and recieving email, eliminating the need for a pager. Additionally it has an address book, calendar, and games, eliminating the need for a Pilot. Just buy the vibrating battery and nobody but you knows it is ringing.
(you can buy them there too.)
http://www.photonlight.com/
Love the different colours. (Red for keeping your night vision intact etc.)