Of Mice and Media
As a young man, I always considered myself fairly portable. That is–my music coursed through an iPod, most meals reeked of the packaging they were served in, and my car became a second home. The last characteristic was convenient enough—only a car can function as beach house by day and street-level urban studio by dusk—but parking meters make for deadline-oriented landlords. I don’t think my on-the-go lifestyle would have been the same, however, without one or two trusty laptops at my service. The world may or may not have realized that a hot computer’s radiation on the quad muscle is undesirable, but the name has stuck to the device that consumers like me will never forget.
I can’t tell if it was my new job at DailyMe or the natural ebbing of youth that forced me to become more stationary (Side note: the word “stationary” also denotes the material used to write letters. Ironic, for the mailing process inherently does NOT take place in one location). Either way: I’ve been a ‘tweener for the first few weeks, alternating between my IBM ThinkPad and a desktop monitor that the company provided. It wouldn’t have taken long to assimilate exclusively to the suggested machine on the first day, but a broken mouse made for easy regression. I soon sought comfort in the ole’ laptop, and utilized the desktop only for printing and remote applications. The first phrase that comes to mind is love triangle, but the three of us were doing just fine.
Until my conscientious co-workers replaced the broken desktop mouse. A great gesture, but one that brought my double cyber-existence to an abrupt halt. I was not prepared to take this step because I had haphazardly saved files (in no particular arrangement) on both computers. Further, I knew a purely desktoppy experience would promote good posture…and I HATE good posture.
I don’t think DailyMe would have any issues with a transitional period for consolidating my files, but I feel guilty when not using the brand new desktop mouse. Reverting to my laptop click-pad too often would be like playing with old toys after your birthday party. And it begs a significant question: now that DailyMe has invested technology in me, am I in over my head? As for the problem at hand, though, the best compromise may be to marry the new and the old. With a simple pull, shuffle, and plug, I will simply attach the new mouse to my laptop. I’ll be happy, and company money will have been put to good use.
A laptop with a desktop mouse…I guess opposites attract, after all.
Peace, Love, and Personalized Media.
-John the Intern
