[Tfug] PDA non-usage

[Jude Nelson]

Hello Bexley,

On 2/3/08, Bexley Hall <bexley401 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi, Jude,
>
> --- Jude Nelson <judecn at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I don't use my PDA for PIM stuff--a pad of paper is
> > by far the best way to record that (or writing it
> > on your hand).
>
> How do you keep track of all of your relatives
> addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, anniversaries,
> names of their children, etc.?
>

Cell phone for phone numbers.
Everything else is memorized.


> Likewise, how do you do this for business contacts?
> How do you track when you last called someone (for
> business or pleasure) and the subject of your
> conversation?

I don't have enough business contacts to have a need to write
down--the people I work for and with I all know personally.

I know who I talked with last using the call log on my cell phone;
just knowing who I talked with last is enough to remind me of the
subject matter (if the subject matter is important, it gets written
down on my hand, and then on a virtual sticky note on my KDE desktop).

>
> How do you remember how to get to someone's house
> (or business)?  How do you recall which airlines
> service a particular place *well*?  Or, other
> tidbits that can make or break a trip (e.g., I
> have learned that layovers at Sky Harbor *must*
> be 60 minutes if you have to change terminals!  :<)

Okay, I have used my PDA for directions before.  Since I have a
terminal open at all times on my PDA (to run my custom suspend/resume
script), I just open up a vi session and record it there, and get
better directions with MapQuest or Google Maps later.

The tidbits are usually all memorized before I go on a trip, or
written down on a piece of paper for faster access.

>
> How do you keep track of which pizzeria's have the
> best pies?

Memory.  Good food is a strong mammalian motivator :)

>
> I guess it depends on just how big your knowledge
> base is -- as you get older, things like this tend
> to multiply... yet, the time between "refreshes"
> increases (since you have more items to refresh,
> you don't call *everyone* in your address book
> *every* month!  :< )
>

I'm sure I'll depend on the PIM functions as I get to know more people.

> > Instead, I use my
> > PDA like it's a pocket-sized UMPC--for web surfing
> > and e-mail checking
> > and on-the-fly coding and mindless entertainment and
> > occasionally
> > ssh-ing into one of the University's servers.  But
> > then again, my
> > Zaurus C1000 isn't exactly one's idea of a PDA
> > either :)
>
> I wouldn't consider a handheld for computer-related
> things -- except as a novelty.  It's just too damn
> small for my level of comfort.  I'll sometimes outline
> an algorithm while walking around the neighborhood,
> but that's not even pseudo code -- it's just too
> hard to write while walking (keeping the screen
> at a convenient focal length, etc.).

Hehe--I'm the only one I know who can read the screen on the Zaurus'
4.1 inch VGA screen :)

>
> And, 97.38402% of the population aren't interested
> in writing code, surfing the web, or checking email
> with such a device -- they already have a phone
> that does that *if* they want.

But I'm not in that 97.38402% of the population :)

> But, they *all*
> need to remember phone numbers, grocery lists,
> anniversaries, addresses, appointments, etc.  Yet,
> so few folks rely on technology for these things!

That's because the effective read/write access time of a piece of
paper is orders of magnitude faster than that of a PDA, plus you don't
need to recharge a piece of paper every few days :)

If you look at PDAs today, the "best" ones (according to 97.38402% of
the population) are designed to deliver multimedia, rich-client
Internet, and chatting (text or voice or video or some combination).
The iPhone delivers on all three, for example.

PDAs are still useful, but not for PIM these days.  Cell phones are for PIM.

Regards,
Jude Nelson