2012 Resolution Update

I posted my 2012 Resolutions (http://www.alexflint.ca/blog/2012/1/8/2012-resolutions.html) a few months ago (around New Years in fact!) and here's an update.

I haven't run a marathon, but I did run a half-marathon. I did the Goodlife Toronto Half-Marathon and finished in 1:52:36, well under my 2 hour target. I'm feeling confident that I'll be able to run the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon in October.

My second resolution, to increase my income through freelance work has not been successful thus far. I have worked on some cool projects, but mostly for free. Work at RiverdaleMac has been more demanding, as we're growing our business.

And finally, my resolution to live in the moment, I feel has made some progress. My "No Computer" experiment has certainly helped. I've also been walking to work, which gives me two hours a day to people watch and enjoy my own thoughts. I've also been trying to leave my iPhone at home more and more, even if it's just to take Cooper for a walk.

This post is more for me than for you. I need to post it publicly to keep myself honest.

iPad 2 > the new iPad

The new iPad gets too hot. It's not like it's burning me or anything but when I'm sitting in the summer heat and already sweating, I don't need to be holding something that is producing its own heat. I totally understand why it's hotter; twice as many LEDs, 70% larger battery, quad-core GPU and LTE all in a super slim package. I get it. But it isn't comfortable to use.

The battery is annoying. Technically it gets the same battery life as the iPad 2 (on paper anyway, I haven't tested it) but it feels like it is dying quickly. I hate the feeling that my battery may die. This is the same reason I haven't been able to switch to Android yet, the batteries just seem to be dying constantly. The iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S just don't feel like they're draining.

It is heavier. I went from an iPad 2 Wi-Fi model to a new iPad LTE model and an extra .3lbs makes a difference. When I'm holding it (in my sweaty hands because of the heat), it feels heavy and droppable. The iPad 2 doesn't feel this way.

The iPad 2 is just as fast, for what I do. Web, email, blogging and YouTube, the iPad 2 is just as fast. In fact, sometimes the new iPad even hesitates where I don't remember the iPad 2 doing the same.

The iPad is still the greatest device ever made and no tablet can even stand close to it, but all I'm saying is, if you don't need the specific features of the new iPad, get an iPad 2.

PS. This post is my opinion and my opinion only and not that of my employer, the fruit themed technology company that my employer represents.

One Week Computerless

I'm one week in to my computer free existence. Last week I sold my iMac and have limited myself to an iPad and iPhone for all of my productivity and entertainment (outside of work). I must admit, I did crack a bit by upgrading my iPad. I started this week with a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad 2. I've now switched to a new iPad with 32GB of storage and LTE connectivity. I decided this was a worthy upgrade for a few reasons. The screen makes the hours of reading more enjoyable, the storage means I can more realistically try to edit some video on the iPad, using Avid's app and finally LTE untethers me from Wi-Fi. I've cancelled my home broadband connection, I had Fibe 25 from Bell with an upgraded bandwidth cap. I was paying $65 a month because I was downloading torrents, HD movies and streaming Netflix regularly. I used over 140GB of data last month at home. Without a computer I don't think I need those kinds of limits, so I've purchased a 5GB LTE plan from Bell and together with my 6GB plan on my iPhone, this should be sufficient.

To combat some data useage I will have to use Starbucks or my work's Wi-Fi for large app downloads and to download a movie or two from iTunes once in a while.
Netflix's option to stream a lower resolution video also helps, now that I'm using a 10" screen and not a 1080p 21” screen.

The only barrier I've bumped into so far is when I tried to download a large image that was compressed in a zip file, I was SOL. It was a photo from justhundred.com, a friend's ongoing photography project. I told him about it and they're making high-res images available, without zipping them. Yippee!

My long weekend started on Monday (thanks to working in retail!) so I've been off for the last 3 days, back to work today. This gave me lots of time I needed to fill, lounging around my apartment. I typically would have spent these days sitting at my desk and scrolling through Facebook, tumblr, twitter and Google Reader. I still did quite a bit of this, but my balcony or at a local coffee shop. I also finished a book for the first time since Steve Jobs' biography. I read Quiet by Susan Cain, and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in introversion. Whether you are an introvert, work with one or live with one. Very enlightening book and I wish I had read it a year ago. It would have made my last relationship much easier, for me and my extroverted ex.

So one week in, I'm loving it! More to come.

UPDATE: winzip for iOS solves my zip file problem. Thanks @ftwphoto!

Single Tasking

Everyone thinks they're great at multitasking. You're not. Stop saying it and stop trying to do it.

I'm two measly days into my "no computer" experiment and the first thing I've noticed is that I am feeling more focused. I've still spent a significant amount of time online, connected and plugged in, but by limiting myself to iOS devices only, I'm also limiting myself to single tasking. I didn't really think about that aspect of this change, but I must say, it's a welcome one.

When I was sitting at my iMac, with my dual 21" displays, tabbed browser open, Tweetdeck's columns flowing and my multiple mailboxes being pushed to Mail I was constantly pulled from one half-assed task to another. I couldn't even read long form blogs most days, because I'd get a notification, alert or ping from another app and have to ALT + Tab away, for fear of missing something.

I've always had Notification Centre dialed down to nearly zero on my iPad, because it has been a low priority device for me, up until yesterday. Now it's my primary device and I haven't adjusted any of those settings. I don't think I will either. Facebook, Twitter, email and more are all silently updating and I won't know what I'm missing until I tap the icon and check. This is nice.

@mention me all you want! You won't get my attention until I give it to you, sucker. I just read an entire article without looking away once! Ha! I win, A.D.D.!

I do miss having music though, I may need to invest in a decent iPhone dock.

N.O. Computer

I’m an over connected, web addicted, gadget geek. I spend 10+ hours a day on a computer. My morning routine begins with a bowl of cereal and a cup of tea, sitting at my iMac. Google Reader, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, repeat. That’s my day for the first 2 hours. When I finally peel myself away from the social Internet I jump in the shower, enjoy my walk to work and station myself in front of another computer for the next 8 hours.

I’m the Community Manager at RiverdaleMac. We’re an Apple Specialist store, selling Macs, iPads, iPod and their accessories, service and training. When I’m not helping customers in the store, I’m writing blog posts, monitoring Twitter and Facebook and sharing Apple news with our community.

For some extra income I do a similar job, freelance. I build websites, edit videos, manage social media and teach small businesses how to use it all.

Basically, I’m about as connected as anyone could be.

I’ve given myself a challenge. It won’t be easy for me, so I have to take some pretty drastic measures to hold myself to it. I’m not going to have a computer at home. I will restrict myself to my iPad and iPhone for all of my out-of-work technology needs.

There are several challenges that this will present. What do I do with my Terabytes of stuff? How do I safely store my photos, documents and videos? And how will I stay connected with what is important to me?

Here’s what I’ve figured out so far:

Music will live in iTunes Match. For $28 a year, Apple has graciously put my 40GB+ of music online, accessible via my iPhone and iPad. Any future music will have to be purchased from iTunes or streamed via the various music Apps and services available. CBC Music will likely get a lot of love over the coming weeks or months (I still have no idea how long I plan to do this).

Photos and videos that I take on my iPhone (which is my only camera) will be uploaded to Facebook and YouTube or deleted, if I deem them disposable. I’ve already uploaded my important photos to Dropbox, for long term storage and deleted my entire iPhoto library, all 74GB of it.

Documents have been living in Dropbox for a while now. I’ve found that to be the most reliable and efficient place to keep them, as it makes them accessible from any device or web connected computer. They will continue to live there.

Movies and TV shows will be a challenge. I have a long list of TV shows that I download each week via torrents and a fantastic app called TV Shows for Mac, which lets you subscribe to torrent RSS feeds for automatic downloading of your favourite shows. I think the best solution for this is to just stop watching so much TV. I don’t own a television so going back to regular broadcast television isn’t an option. I will be limited to Netflix and TV network’s Apps. I’m not sure how well this will work, but it’s a minor hiccup in the grand plan. I can rent movies from iTunes if I need a relaxing night at home.

Podcasts are one of my favorite ways to absorb content. I subscribe to a ton of them, mostly comedy, some tech news, design related stuff and a few randoms. I think the Downcast App will do what I need. It lets you subscribe directly from your iOS devices and syncs them via iCloud. I’ve set it up and it is working thus far.

The biggest hurdle will be how I can continue to do my freelance work without my own computer. I haven’t found an answer for this. I will do as much as I can on my iPad and may have to borrow computers, visit the Apple Store or work at my clients offices for tasks that require a full computer.

Besides these fairly simple technology based questions, I’m also interested to see how it affects my life. I’m no Gandhi, I’m not even Paul Miller, but I am hoping that by untethering myself from a desk and a significant time suck, I will get to enjoy myself more. Hopefully I will get outside more often, take my dog for longer walks and possibly even have a social life for once.

I will continue to post as I find and hopefully solve challenges of being computerless (in the traditional sense, I know this is the post-PC era after all) in a highly digital life.

I’d love to hear your suggestions and comments, so please share.