More, Less, and a Prototype
December 17, 2010
I have a problem. I like gadgets, and I like them a lot. The problem with this is not only the money that it costs to buy the latest and greatest gadgets, but also the clutter that you accumulate over time.
I have been trying to dissolve the list of the things that I really NEED over the past couple months. This has been a hard process, because every gadget that I have has a specific purpose. I tried to get rid of things, but I would just dscover that I needed them again for one reason or another. Because each device does something that the other ones do not do, I end up keping everything.
There is one device that has helped me with that. It is my CR-48. This prototype Google laptop has only a web broswer on it, so it takes some adaptations to make it usable. You really have to THINK about each thing that you are going to do, figure out how you are going to do that, and then figure out what tool you need. This has helped me to realize that all these gadgets are tools. While there is an element of clutter, there is also freedom in knowing that my iPad is no different from a hammer, my big laptop is a chisel. They have their one specific purpose, and that is a good thing.
I still don’t like the clutter, but have you ever seen a handyman’s workshop? There are usually a lot of tools in there. My gadgets are tools, and they help me each in their own little way.
