Welcome to the discussion area for my GuestBlog. I promise to check in from time to time, and meanwhile, discuss amongst yourselves. <smile>

Welcome, Jim. Your "Digital Pocket" idea is an interesting way of looking at personal electronic devices. I wonder if eventually our electronics won't be in our pocket at all? Watches started out in pockets, after all. One of the reasons some people are willing to pay >$20K for a Rolex is that they don't have to worry about setting it down and walking away from it. Lots of folks already wear their electronics, but have to remove them for use. I wonder if you could design a "digital pocket" device (or maybe "digital wrist") that could do audio and visual I/O (voice, music, text, images, etc.) without having to be handled? "Hands-free" setups have too many tangling wires; even with Bluetooth, it's arguably too complicated to have to put the instrument in your pocket, stick the earpiece in your ear, and clip the HUD to your glasses when you get dressed.

Fined a euro for calling a Phone a phone? Seriously...
I'm sorry. I like having several devices that perform specific functions, and perform them well. An instrument to me is either something you perform music with or a very precise measuring device of some kind (think Hospital Labs)... A phone might qualify as a device, but I don't think that calling a phone a phone is all that bad.

Of course, I'm probably the weirdo on here in that I don't have a mobile phone (except when I'm on-call)... I don't want to be reachable 24/7. If it's important then you already know how to get hold of me in a hurry (The Batsignal?) if it's not then it can wait. I have to carry a pager for work, but that doesn't mean I respond the instant that you page. I can put down what I'm doing, take the cookies out of the oven, sit down, put my feet up, and then answer... With a phone you would be in voicemail by then.

And I'm not going to even mention what I think of the really LOUD cell phone users who practically shout into it... These days I see too many people who are not paying attention to what they are doing (shopping, driving,...) because they are too busy having a phone conversation to notice what is around them. If it was a relevant conversation I could understand it ("Do you like this brand of refried beans or that brand?") but it's usually just inane chatter ("Well, he said that she said...")

As for Wireless networking, I've used it, and so far it hasn't seemed to be a significant improvement over wired networking. Sure I could wander down to Pioneer Courthouse Square and browse the web, but if I'm down there I much prefer to people watch than play with a computer... When I'm at home I prefer the speed of a wired connection, and the same goes for when I'm at work.

Oh well, I'd better go before I get assassinated by the PHONE companies for saying what I truly think of them.

Z. (And no, I'm not a luddite... :-P)

Edited by author 02-26-2003 04:59 PM
Please, get with the spirit and don't take one Euro fine for calling it a phone *too* seriously. The point is clear: Companies that make cell phones are now and will increasingly be making devices that are much more than phones, with voice an add-on to an instrument focused on gaming, music, videos, and so on.

The Digital Pocket notion is important: There is only so much space in my clothing for bulky, heavy items, and I am inclined to carry only one, especially in the summer time. There is a definite limit to the devices I will carry, and the limit is near one.

Don't even get me started on the damn power supplies.

And remember than many of us have only one SIM chip (cell phone activating card underneath the battery) to insert in devices with our phone number.

But, do you really need all of these devices?

And, if you do need some of them, do you really need them to be small enough to carry in your pocket?

Do you need to be able to play computer games while sitting with your friends (you do have friends don't you?) in a coffee house? Do you need to be able to surround yourself 24/7 with a selection of music of your own choice? What musical sources that you might like are you missing through this policy? Do you need to be able to watch videos in the comfort of your favoured mass transit vehicle?

If you answer yes to any of these then perhaps you should put down your devices for five minutes and talk to the person next to you. The future you seem to be promoting here is the kind of future where "community" is reduced to your sense of communtiy with your fellow, like-minded media consumers.

I am not suggesting that there is no place for these devices, just that they are not(or perhaps, should not be) the all pervasive devices so beloved of science fiction writers. The palm pilot replaced the few dollar diary with a much more expensive, much less flexible object. It's heavier, larger and you can't tear pages out and give them to others. The walkman has increased the ease by which we can block out others while using mass transit, making it easier to not see or hear the other people with which we travel.

If I want to listen to music I do, but I rarely do it by using a walkman in public. I find it isolating, almost to an unnerving degree. (I wonder if Movies are responsible for the feeling that our own lives need a musical score?) I do read on mass transit, and even use an e-book device for that very purpose from time to time.

If I want to watch a movie, I usually want to watch it with friends or family, but certainly as uninterrupted as possible. Real life can be fascinating if you watch it going by, why watch a movie instead?

As for the "damn power supplies" who needs them? What are they for?

Laptop computer - Don't carry one unless you need it to give presentations for work, or do work from remote sites. Yes I'm suggesting that you give up some status symbols, but you might find the change refreshing.

Cell phone - Switch it off when you're not making calls. If you HAVE to receive calls on it then invest in a bigger battery and keep non-essential calls short. Consider a pager as a more useful "emergency contact" device, it's smaller and has better battery life.

PDA - Ever consider a diary or a notebook? You know, a paper one. If you want more than a standard diary, then try a slimline filofax. I used to have one that was comparable to a cheque book in size, slightly thicker, but it had everything I needed in it. It doesn't beep when you have an appointment, but you can give bits to others and it still works.

Walkman/cd/mp3/ogg/whatever player - Listen to what is around you. The rhythm of the rain falling, the people walking past, street performers,... Music definitely has its place, but every place has it's own kind of music too.

e-book device - try the paper kind, pick up a copy of the free newspaper being given away on that street corner, find out about what's going on where you are. If it's a free paper you won't worry about leaving it somewhere within minutes. If it's good you will have found something new that you like.

Digital camera - o.k. You've got me there. I would question whether you use it, but most people probably don't carry a camera (digital or otherwise around with them.

Portable TV/DVD player/Game machine - Do I need to spell this one out? Look, Listen, Talk, become involved in what's going on around you. What use is your ability to beat a computer game in your life, sure it's a way of passing time, but what might you have missed.

I don't carry most of the things that I used to, but here is a list of those devices that I feel are essential...


In addition to those I usually have some of the following...
a pager, a cellphone, a multi-tool, a pen, paper, a book and a torch (flashlight for americans).

The pager is the most constant, and that is for work. of the rest, the multi-tool and the torch both currently fit on my key-ring (one is the size of my car key and the torch is smaller). A pen is the most useful, I can always write on my wrist if I have to.

Zwack.