Technology As A Journey, Not a Destination

So I have two Acer AspireOne netbooks that I have tried, unsuccessfully, to auction on ebay.  One is running Windows 7 Home Premium that I upgraded via a USB flash drive.  The other is running Ubuntu Netbook Remix.  The more I use them, I realize that the size of these netbooks is not particularly great.  There was a time when I really enjoyed taking them into bed or sitting on the couch with them for just web browsing.  Before I got a macbook, I always had bulky laptop computers that were just too big to sit comfortably with.  The Macbook changed that, but then made me crave smaller.  The size of the Macbook 13″ is just perfect for portability, but sometimes you need something smaller.

Taking a laptop into bed to read is a hassle and an annoyance for your spouse.  Whether that is a full-size laptop like my Macbook or the Acer Aspire netbook, it’s still a pain.

It had been a while since I even turned on either of the netbooks, so I decided tonight to grab one and try to work on some learning in Moodle that I am woefully behind in finishing.  The Windows 7 machine, for some reason, decides at the most inopportune time to install updates and restart.  Then it decided that it couldn’t  update anyway, but that’s a rant for another time.

As I was working on those, I realized that the size of the screen just wasn’t right for reading the tutorials.  I was forever scrolling and moving and it just irritated me to no end.  So I grab the iPad to see if that would work.  Well, some of the tutorials were in flash format, so that scratched that idea.  However, the size of the iPad was perfect for what I needed.

In the end, I needed to use my Macbook, but I was left annoyed by the fact that the two devices I wanted to use wouldn’t work for me.  And then I realized that this whole iPad type device is still the first of its kind.  As it progresses and people try to outdo each other, I’m sure in about five years these devices will see as archaic as the floppy disk.

So I have noticed this hatred toward the iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad for not supporting flash. I even see these commercials that whatever i don’t, Droid does. This seems, to me, to insinuate that since “I” products don’t do this, the Droid does. In fact, I fully expected it to do flash and to do it with a smile. But no.

There are a lot of things I really like about the Droid, my favorite being the screen resolution. It blows the iPod away in that department. If these two devices could produce a menu and I could custom build features from both, well we would have the device to rule them all.

In fact I am typing this blog post on my Droid. It is a great little device and I like it more all the time. But it’s not perfect and neither are the Apple devices. All of them are very close though. I only wonder who will get there first.

A couple of weeks ago we took a little camping trip, the first one of the season.  It was a little chilly and just a crazy trip from start to finish, but I really enjoyed the disconnect when it finally all came together.   Sure, we used the Droid to check weather, and even e-mail a time or two.  However, as we sat around the fire roasting marshmallows, I realized that the last thing on my mind was e-mail or computers.

In this connected world we live in, I think it’s important to turn off the “stuff” from time to time and just learn to enjoy the world.  There is not much I enjoy more than sitting around a campfire with my family, and enjoying peace from everything.  When you sleep in a tent, on the ground, you connect with the world around you.

All night I heard the sounds of the world – coyotes in the distance, undetermined rustling, and owls just to name a few.  These are things we don’t hear when we’re connected to our iPods and the home theatre is blasting.  Don’t get me wrong, I love those things too.  But I think it’s important to have that balance, of nature and technology.

I know some people that feel uneasy when they’re in nature and apart from the comfort of our homes. One of the things about living in eastern Colorado is the sheer unending horizons.  Out here on the prairie, the world seems to go on forever, and you feel tiny and insignificant in the middle of it all.  For some, that is overwhelming out here.  For me, I find it comforting and helps me re-align myself in the world.

So the next time you’re upset at all the technology and it seem overwhelming.  Go find a state park, pitch a tent and enjoy a campfire with your family or friends.  It’s therapeutic.

The iPad has arrived, in fact on release day.   I’d like to say I’ve been so busy playing with it that I haven’t had a chance to update this blog because of that.  The truth is, I’ve been moving from Blogger to WordPress and that has been an adventure.  That will be the topic of future posts, my WordPress dilemma.

Back to the iPad… At first I was sort of ho-hum about it.  It set in its case for several days before I did much work on it.  I installed a couple of apps and called it good.  My five  year old son, though, is completely in love with it.  I found some cool apps, even paid for a couple.  The color by number app was his favorite.  I took it to work and showed it off, which was a huge hit.

But as I’ve played with it more, I’m seeing a great deal of potential.  I find myself reaching for it when I want to check something on the web, send a quick e-mail, or update Twitter or Facebook.  It’s just a neat little device to take on the go.  The streaming Netflix is the best, though.  It’s not a replacement for my laptop by any stretch.  Typing is just slightly better than on my Droid or an iPod touch.  The full screen keyboard is better, but I am just not as proficient with it as I am with a traditional keyboard.  Could by age, or habit, but either way, I wouldn’t want to type too much on it.

I purchased the iWork suite, and have played with that a bit.  If I could figure out if it’s possible to use it with Mobile Me, I’d be a lot more impressed.  I’m not sure if that’s something I’m missing, but as a whole, it’s just iWork.  I suppose if you’ve never used iWork before, it could be exciting, but I very rarely get excited about word processing, spreadsheets or presentations.  Yawn.  So in all fairness, it would have to be pretty spectacular for me to rave about that.  How the documents actually get off of the iPad is what has bothered me.

If Google Apps would let you edit documents, I’d be a lot more sold.  I don’t know whose deficiency this is, but it irritates me.  Of course, I can’t edit Google Docs on my Droid either, so it’s not like it’s anything with just Apple.  Something is not quite right, and I imagine as it gets more popular this will resolve.  I have seen that fly past in Twitter a few times, so it’s not just me.

I see a lot of potential in this device.  It’s just not quite 100% yet, but it’s certainly light years ahead of anything else out there.  It’s just a very different way of working with a “computer.”  It’s hard to explain  until you’ve tried one.  Give me Google Docs integration and I’ll seriously consider ordering some for student use.