iPhones, Kindle, Flickr and a Smaller World
By David Fisher. Filed in technology |Tags: Uncategorized
I should admit that I sometimes sit on an odd level with technology. I am by no means a luddite, but sometimes the point of new technology just doesn’t make sense to me at first. The true usefulness, as well as coming to terms with the balance of positives and negatives of the technology, sometimes takes a little time for me.
When I first heard of the iPhone, I was totally on board. I had already been sold on cellphones (which I should admit I did not own one in the 90’s, and rather disliked them and barely knew how to use one), as well as the merits of PDAs and iPods.
However, I heard about the Kindle I honestly didn’t get it at first. From what I’ve heard I’m not about to rush out and get one but I’ve realized how it could ‘in theory’ simplify my life.
So far, I’m sure this doesn’t make a bit of sense. Let’s back up. I live in a very small apartment. Yes, that room is the room… well in addition to a tiny bathroom. As you can see I have a huge bookshelf taking up an entire wall. That’s by no means all of the books that I own. There’s a few hundred vinyl albums on there, and I don’t know how many books. I honestly wish I had more books. However in a small apartment, there simply isn’t the room and the more paper in my life just makes my apartment look like trash.
I also do a decent bit of photography. Most of it’s digital, although I own several film cameras. This stuff takes up space!
In theory, and this isn’t the way it would work out, but I could see a world that I don’t have to have a bookshelf. I don’t have to have my massive record collection. I don’t have to have boxes of photos. I’d simply use digital replacements like an iPod/iPhone, Kindle, and Flickr/Aperture to keep all of my media.
No magazines. No physical albums. No printed photos except for a few on the walls. Keeping it really minimal. I’m just thinking of ways to make a 180sq/ft apartment not so small.
Of course, this doesn’t apply or matter to people living in 4000sq/ft houses with 20 rooms and 3 floors, but for those of us urban dwellers who sacrifice size for location it’s an interesting world to imagine.