Re: A PDA in every pocket?

[Al Geist <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>]

My wife has the PDA and we both have cell phones.  I use Outlook on the 
desktop system to keep track of my schedule (deadlines, meetings, etc.) 
and either the laptop or an old Day-Timer when I travel, but I never 
could get the hang of using a PDA.  Since I would take neither of them 
into an interview, or meeting, it doesn't matter if I carry around a 
larger paper-based system.  As for my wife, her PDA can usually be found 
sitting on the cradle on her desk.  We take it when we go to visit the 
grand kids or on vacation so we have access to any telephone numbers we 
might need.   We also use it sometimes to track travel expenses, but our 
travel journal is usually used for that among other things.   With the 
trend to incorporate virtually everything a PDA does into today's cell 
phones, there doesn't seem to be a pressing need to jump on the PDA 
bandwagon.

As for cell phones, they are good in emergencies, but even then there 
are extenuating circumstances.  For some reason, I seem to end up living 
in areas where cell phone service is marginalized due to lack of 
population, mountains, etc.  Alaska had great service in the population 
areas, but those were separated by hundreds of miles of trees, mountains 
and wondering moose.  If you had an accident out there, you had better 
be self reliant.  Oregon was the same with the mountains, and New 
Mexico....well, between the vast tracks of desert and the mountains, you 
could have cell phone service in the middle of nowhere and nothing in 
downtown Albuquerque.  In Vermont, were we now live, those darn Green 
Mountains can cause cell phone hell.  Sometimes, instead of calling 
someone, we're forced to look at the natural beauty of the fall colors.  
It sucks, but we'll live through it somehow.  We might change our cell 
phones into one's that have built in cameras, so we can send pictures of 
Vermont back to our friends in New Mexico.  They need to be reminded of 
what clear running water and trees look like occasionally.

--

Al Geist, Geist Associates
Technical Writing, Online Help, Marketing Collateral, Web Design, Award 
Winning Videos, Professional Photography
Office: 802-658-3140

Cell: 505-400-4128
E-mail: al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com <mailto:al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>
URL: www.geistassociates.com <http://www.geistassociates.com> (online 
portfolio/resume)

See also:
URL: www.geistimages.com <http://www.geistimages.com> (fine art prints 
for home or office and note cards for all occassions)

"When the situation is absolutely hopeless, you have nothing to worry 
about."
                        Compliments of The Monkey Wrench Gang



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