Re: Perpetually Damaged Appliance.

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From: Luke A. Kanies
Subject: Re: Perpetually Damaged Appliance.
Date: 00:30 on 06 May 2005
On Thu, 5 May 2005, Ann Barcomb wrote:

> Reading all this stuff reminds me of why I chose my way of handling things.

I think that I've avoided sending any device hate, but I'm pretty sure 
that calendar hate has made it to the list (e.g., the fact that Evolution 
has an 'email alert' option, but it's grayed out with no explanation 
whatever).  In other words, I have a similar system to yours, but I don't 
think of myself as having 'chosen' that system.

> I never use my cellphone except to call and store phone numbers.  I only
> use my ipod for music.  I use my camera to take pictures.  I hate feature
> creep because it tends to result in horrible interfaces.  Maybe when they
> develop a component based system where I can pick the flavor I like for
> each task I'd see the point, but for me it is seperate devices all the way.

I follow this basic model, also, although I've got a couple more 
requirements from my phone (it basically has to support Bluetooth 
syncing, and it has to be GSM because I hate the phone companies being 
able to require things from my just to swap phones), which makes choice in 
the 'States very limited.  FWIW, T-Mobile will actually unlock your phone 
for you at some point in your contract; just that is enough to keep me 
with them a while longer.

> Anyhow, here's what I do:
> I have a text file called 'agenda' which I keep in a revision control system
> with checkouts on my laptop and workstation and the repository on my server.
> Other important information is stored in the same way.  It's pretty low-tech,
> but on the other hand, it just works.  Also, I like text files.  At one
> point I thought I might write an app to send me SMSes for my appointments,
> but it has proved completely unneccessary because I haven't missed an
> appointment yet.

I've got a system very similar to yours, and, um, I miss meetings all the 
time.  Of course, I'm using a phone that only supports Bluetooth syncing 
with Tiger (which I don't have yet), and I'm using Linux as a desktop 
anyway, so I couldn't sync regardless, and I don't ritually look at my 
'agenda' file nearly often enough...

In other words, it's not your system that keeps you from missing meetings, 
so much as your commitment to it.  I've taken to considering my agenda 
file a stack that I pop off of, and my phone to be the notification system 
-- I put all actual meetings in the phone, with a large warning time (I 
work at home, and it's quite possible I'll be in bed until the meeting is 
supposed to start, so I like enough warning that I can get food and 
caffienation).

It's pretty rediculous that we've come to this, though; I keep flailing 
because I keep expecting software to make my life easier, and in so many 
cases it complicates it without adding much.

> Probably this solution only appeals to people who are inclined to love
> writing lists, however.

I expect it appeals to all who don't use a Mac as a desktop and/or have 
some specific requirement that flips the hate switch.

-- 
Commit suicide. A hundred thousand lemmings can't be wrong.
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Luke Kanies | http://reductivelabs.com | http://config.sage.org

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