Slaves to the Machines

Being a pramatist with a more than pronounced lazy streak, I hate having to scrounge under desks or along walls for plugs. Happily, I've discovered the joys of "Power Over [fill in blank]" products that typically charge through my laptop. At the moment, I've got my PowerBook charging my cell phone using a ZipLinq retractable cable, and my iPod charging (as well as playing) via my PB using a FireWire cable. Less conveniently charged items such as my camera typically don't get as much use as these two, just for the fact of having to remember to bring their adapters and charge them when a plug is handy. ZipLinq will definitely be getting more of my money if/when they introduce cables suitable for my other devices.

Having said all that, I love moments of realisation like the one from the end of this NYTimes article, which is written in a rather highly-strung style.

Power Users, Ready for a Refill:

'It was vital that I charge my technology in the hotel at night,' she said. 'I would stay plugged in as much as I could while handling business.'

But back in Brooklyn, alone with her laptop as she writes a new novel, Ms. Davis said she had come to a reassuring realization. The faltering battery life of her aging computer now dictates the length of her daily writing sessions: two hours.

'It shapes my writing intervals,' said Ms. Davis, an English professor at Baruch College in Manhattan. When her computer's display goes dark, she doesn't search frantically for a free outlet. Instead, Ms. Davis said matter-of-factly, 'I know it's time to stop.'"

In an era of almost unlimited accessibility and connectivity, sometimes you need a reminder that that isn't always a good thing.