2011/06/17 @ 6:30 PM
Kindergarten Education
When I was 5 years old, I had a friend who lived one street over, but our houses lined up so that we shared a backyard fence. This sounds like the ultimate in coolness and convenience, but my mother decreed that I was not allowed to climb the fence to go visit her. If I was invited over, I was to walk around in a civilized fashion and appear at their front door. I was also not allowed to walk over to her... read more
2011/06/13 @ 3:03 PM
Comic Timing
Why I love and hate having a smartphone – The Oatmeal. This seemed appropriate, especially considering I have switched to a Motorola Razr. read more
2011/06/12 @ 12:21 AM
Texting Without QWERTY
My first several cell phones did not have a QWERTY keyboard, and I did more texting on it than I did talking. It was fine. Then I got the Sidekick II, and entered the much easier world of QWERTY texting. In the meantime, in the non-QWERTY world, they became helpful. Now that I am back to having a non-QWERTY keypad, I am being much pained by this helpfulness. As usual, it doesn’t help me, because... read more
2011/06/10 @ 1:31 AM
Still Experimental
Sometimes I just leave my house without my phone, and I don’t really care. This is a new development. I used to find it very stressful if I accidentally (rarely) left my phone behind. A couple of times, it has been truly frustrating to not have my phone so that I could access my email. Mostly, it has just highlighted for me how useless the phone seems to me without that feature. However, rather than... read more
2011/06/08 @ 6:05 PM
The Experiment
I bought a Sidekick II in early 2005. It was my first smart phone, and it changed my life. I’d had other phones with web access in the past, but it just wasn’t good enough to be anything more than a curiosity. The Sidekick II was very usable. I could get out and about while managing my business and helping my clients. I was no longer so tied to the computer. I’m on my 4th Sidekick now,... read more
