Thought this would be an interesting thought-provoker.

How much do you use technology?

As a Computer-Science major...in college, my computer is pretty much everything. I listen to all of my music on my computer. I read at least half of my textbooks on the computer. All of my assignments are on the computer. All of my assignments are assigned somewhere online. I have tons of Movies and TV's on my computer. My job I can do from my computer.

I can be programming, watching a TV show, and messaging people or checking forums all in the same instant.

Information overload? Sometimes it can feel a bit empty when there is a lack of information that fails to keep streaming in. Your favorite forum thread goes dead. An IM conversation just dies. Etc.

How much of your lives do you have your mobile phone or computer dictating what you do? How do you prioritize the stockpile of information? Do you prioritize this information?

Thought this would be an interesting conversation, especially on a forum. I've been feeling overwhelmed and chained to technology lately. It's almost as if I have to deal with way more information than I should have to.

Just wait till you are implanted with your first crackberry so that you can be connected to work 24/7 no matter where in the world you are.

Technology can be a very effective business and personal tool, but too often it becomes a ball and chain. I dropped out of that world 10 years ago. I suffered withdrawal (the feeling that I was no longer part of the technology/power elite) for a little while, but all in all I am quite happy to be disconnected when I want.

Personally I feel that the laptop and cell phone have become another tool to extract more work out of you for the same wage.

Unfortunately, technology has taken over a lot of children's lives as well. I'm sure many on the forums remember playing sports with local kids after school or exploring down by the local creek or riding their bikes to the other side of the neighbourhood ect. There's a ravine and a creek down the back of the neighbourhood here with bike paths and trails for people to use, yet the only people I see on it are generally older hikers or cyclists...rarely any kids. This area would have been THE place to play when I was a child, but it would seem Xbox is much more fun, or texting instead of riding a bike to a friends house and playing street hockey or baseball.

I think it's pretty apparent I spend a lot of time online. It's a fairly even split between my computer and my home theater when I'm at home. I'm fairly lost in my technology, but for some reason I've never owned a portable MP3 player or a cellphone. I suppose I'm not much of a phone person, and anything else you can do on a phone these days, you can do better on a computer. Since I'm not always on the go, I don't need this link.

I tried putting my computer in my pocket and it made my pants fall down.



Well, that's what I told the police, anyways. . .

We lost something when people stopped using floppies.

Evidently, Sean still has one.

I retained my old beater cell phone for weekends and nights because your right, the temptation to read and respond to emails with a Blackberry is just too strong. I sometimes (just occasionally) have to respond to emergencies at work on nights or weekends but my philosophy is that if it's an emergency, they will call me anyways. Anything they feel they have time to put into print, can wait till Monday.

Technology wise, I'm a strange hybrid between an outdoor loving rubber booter when it comes to recreation and a total geek when it comes to living inside my home. I do all of the above and then some.

I pretty much use my cell only when I'm out of the house, and I probably put 10 minutes on it a week. I'm not a trauma surgeon.. my clients really don't need to get in touch with me right now though some think they do.

I have a PDA that makes it convenient to check my schedule if I'm not in the office or check my list of "things to do" if I'm out running errands and want to know if there's another stop I should make. I down own a blackberry-type device.

I love my MP3 player in the summer when mowing the lawn, or in the winter when snowblowing. I value it for those times, but that's the only time I use it. Well, sometimes I plug it in while in the van.

Computers are another thing. I'm surrounded by them and though some have a specific single-purpose, many are multi-tasking and all on at the same time. I consider the internet both a time waster and yet truly something I can't live without. I do a fair amount of research and purchasing on the web, but it's also a big source of social satisfaction. (yeah... you guys!).

In my house, I read forums, play games on the PC, Consoles, etc. but I don't do facebook or the like, biggest waste of time, much worse than here .

Outside of my house, my cell phone pretty much never leaves my car, if any one needs me that bad and if it's really important they will call back a number of times and I will be able to talk to them undistracted before heading off to the next destination.

After giving it more thougt, my world is even more centered around my PC than I thought.

Home music (main floor) - Squeezebox via PC
Home Music (basement HT room) - PS3 via PC
Work Music - music streamed from home PC via Winamp Remote.
Portable Music - Zune, synced to library and podcasts via my PC

Movies - If not a new rental, streamed to PS3 via PC

Internet - Used to VPN into work, weather forecast (sent to my Squeezebox for viewing upstairs), bridge closures (life on an Island), research, purchasing, online gaming (Everquest II) and whatever other useful information the Interweb can provide.

House lights, coffemaker, occasionally the crock pot -
are all scheduled or tied to my TV remote control or other remotes, via X-10 style stuff. It requires the PC for initial scheduling.

(when I get up in the morning, I hit a wireless wall switch by my bed that turns on the bedroom light, the bathroom light, the downstairs kitchen light and the coffeemaker.)


Perhaps in a weird kind of irony, all this geekiness I'm addicted to is why I enjoy getting out of my house so much.