Life without a computer?

Goodlife -- my cameras use CF cards and the files are massive.  it's not unusual for me to fill a 32gb CF card in a day because my camera is 21mp and i shoot in RAW format, which takes special software to view. 

i do all my editing at home on my PC but what i'd like when i'm on the road is to be able to view the files on the CF cards so i can see what i've got and maybe rogue out the obvious duds.  a netbook will do the trick but the displays on netbooks are so crappy that i can't even judge sharpness.  

i've got another device with a 4" screen that i use.  it has a display almost as good as an ipad plus it has 40 gb of storage in case i want to create another back-up.

i store my finished photographs on zenfolio.  my ipad had an app for this program and the pictures look almost 3d on the ipad3 .

for quick and dirty photographs for e-mails and web postings i can use my iphone or ipad.

ed

 

Because I travelled so much for work I took two weeks vacation every 2nd month and never took a computer or called into work. Everything worked just fine and people learned to solve their own problems. I still take a 10 to 16 day fishing trip yearly and never touch a phone or computer. Guess what? Nothing changes and I haven't missed anything.
I think computers have become a crutch for a lot of people. Thank god for that as I started in the PC industry in the early 80's, (when software came in polybags) and rode it through the crazy internet days of the early 2000s, (involved in the startups of 15-20 internet companies). What a crazy ride, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I think everyone needs a break from our electronic world every once a while. Try staying away while on vacation and you will enjoy life a lot more; I garantee you won't miss anything important.
I refuse to get a smartphone for that reason, but I love my NOOK.

JohnT

Well, looks like my thread really struck a chord here.

I also had my own software company in the 80's. We did very well. We specialized in Commodore products. We were mail order, internationally, and also went into labs throughout Michigan, aligning disk drives, etc. Good old days. My best years were when Commodore phased out. I worked the business from my basement and we were pretty much the only Commodore game around. School systems were not quick to change. I also sold a number of programs I wrote, through the company.

I let my business die out intentionally, as I had no time for family. I would come home from my regualar job at 4:30 PM and race down to the basement to put orders in to my distributors before they closed for the day. I also had stock that came in that needed to be packaged and shipped out, and then there were invoices. I would come up for air at 9:30 PM. When I started missing a lot of stuff related to the kids growing up, I made the decision that we could do without the business. It was great, but its time had come...and gone. But it was a great experience and a great business-learning experience. A lot of the lessons I learned in business/economics became a reality with my business. For example, supply/demand/pricing. I had to do a ot of guesswork because it took time to get the catalog printed and mailed out. If I guessed right (say a good price on diskettes) I would reap the benefits...and the reverse!

Anyway, it is essential for work for me to have a computer.

But I could go a few weeks without on that score. But, as David said, it is most definitely an addiction (I also need it for poker, but that's for a different newsgroup!).

I've also noticed a big change with my University students. It used to be when the class ended, the students would stream out and actually TALK to each other and socialize. Now, en masse, they look like zombies, taking out their cell phones (or whatever) and ignoring everything else.

Mel

 I go to an internet cafe if I need to check my accounts or e-mail.

do they even have internet cafes anymore?  i thought they went the way of the pay phone !

ed

But it sure is convenient to travel with a kindle, which could contain many books.

or you can download a book or magazine from anywhere.

ed

 

F8,

My Droid (was an iPhone person and regret changing) treats my "light" cajun accent as though it IS foreign.

I could get in some serious trouble if I actually sent what it recognizes via my voice! :)

John:

Do you mean Jack Tramiel?

Never met him or dealt with him

Mel

nh, glad you are having that maine vacation, jealous actually, as i miss the old turf. glad you are going without being tied down to "technology".

you know, when they are talking to people about having a serious drinking problem, one of the test points, is can you not drink, for even a single day. many with drinking problems will say, "of course i don't have to drink every day", but will never try not to drink for a day, simply because they are hooked.

i see the same thing with technology addiction, can a person go an entire day without having to go online or play on a computer? (and I am not talking about legitimate workplace usage, people have to make their living). i mean more in the context of taking a weekend off, or a vacation. just something interesting to think about, not being judgmental, as people will do what they want to do regardless, and that's cool.

prior to the mid-1980's, we lived our live fine, without any extra phones or computers, etc. we actually had to talk to one another and interact one to one with people.

david in sc

I'm sure in the 80's people said the 60's were just fine.

In the 60's people said the 50's were just fine.

I remember having to tune up my car every year and then keep adjusting that. I remember TV's that worked sporadically. I remember thinking that maps were just the greatest thing. Now we have GPS units that give us precise instructions based on our option of shortest time or distance or no toll roads. It will even tell us what lane to be in and advise us of the traffic situation ahead.

Things are largely better now. We have gained a lot, but we have lost a lot, the worst being that lack of personal contact.

Yes, most of us are addicted to this new and wonderful technology.

Mel

Mel,
Thanks, I think that's right. My old hard drive finally kicked in at at about 5 am and came up with Sam Tramiel, close. I've been trying to recall that name for weeks; putting together a mental list of the meanest CEOs I've delt with and he was #3, but your post was a coincidence. If you had ever met him you would know why Commmodore went bellyup.

Ataboy James -- well done. You know, that's probably one of the main benefits of having moderators. Most people assume the benefit is putting a stop to online fights. But I think those would tend to dissipate anyway. But I bet we would eventually get overrun with spammers.

So, thanks!!

John T -- can you just double check. I could swear his first name was Jack.

Mel

Mel,
It's Jack...He just passed away

articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/12/local/la-me-jack-tramiel-20120412

Tony

Jim,

For me too the iPad has now become like an additional limb. I actually feel uncomfortable if it is not an arm length away. It is my diary, my email, my Internet, my books, my music, my games, my Skype, my notes, recipes, my sketch pad, my alarm clock, my calculator, my gps device, my photo album. It is my work tool and my home entertainment device. In our holiday house we have no phone coverage or Internet but my iPad still rules.

We have an iMac, a Dell laptop, Paul has an iPhone and kindle and I have a Samsung Galaxy 2. And we each have a work laptop. It's not too hard to tune out from calls and the Internet, it's much harder to stay away from all the devices in our lives.

An