The Mobile Lifestyle25 August 2003 Three years ago I wrote a column about wireless data and voice access largely eliminating the need for a real sit-down office (he typed while sitting at a table in a local Barnes and Noble). Last week Alert Reader Mike Cane (in talkative exile) sent an URL to my mailing list from PalmInfocenter explaining that analyst group IDC largely agrees with me, to the point that they've declared the unconnected PDA mostly dead ("to blave..."). It's always nice to hear that I'm not completely crazy after all. Then again, maybe I am. Something's been bugging me recently. Actually, it bugs my cats more than it does me. See, the thing is, I'm never home. My apartment is a wreck, probably a health hazard, because I never make time for housecleaning. My apartment is basically a place to sleep, shower, pet my cats and store my stuff. I don't really do much there apart from daily pit stops. If it weren't for the cats, I might not go home for days at a time. (You do not want to see the inside of my fridge.) I started wondering about that recently. Well, part of the catalyst was realizing that I was spending my day off hanging out in the break room at CompUSA, and everyone kept asking me, "Aren't you off today?" I feel more at "home" at work than in my actual home. That's where I spend the vast majority of my time, I even helped set up the store (I've been there since before grand opening). When I'm not at the store, I'm generally working on my writing or artwork at Barnes and Noble (which shares a parking lot with my CompUSA and has really good Frappachinos) or my local Chipotle. I eat in the car or at fast food restaurants. My only phone is my T-Mobile cell phone (either the XDA or Smartphone depending on my mood/needs). My writing platform is my Palm, and I do all my artwork in a 6x9 inch sketchbook since I only have to draw one panel at a time. My art tools consist of a 0.7mm pencil and three Sharpie markers (extra fine point, fine point and chisel point), along with a small white-out pen. My entire "office/studio/entertainment center" weighs under two pounds and is with me anywhere I go. I've managed to build a lifestyle that doesn't require my presence. At least, it doesn't require my presence at any particular location. And so I started thinking about the mobile lifestyle. Usually I think lifestyle has become a silly, overused word, kinda like the late 90's fixation on the prefix "e-" (as in e-books, e-commerce, e-money, e-mail, e-relationships, e-nough already!). To quote George Carlin, "If you want to realize what a ridiculous word 'lifestyle' is, consider the fact that technically speaking, Attila the Hun had an active, outdoor lifestyle." But cliché or not, that's really what I have. Not only do I not need an office, I only barely need a home. Is anyone else moving in this direction? Jeff Kirvin
Jeff Kirvin is available for consulting on mobile technology. Email me today! |