Anyone who has tried to schedule an appointment with me in recent months has seen me struggling with my smart phone. As I run my finger across the touch screen to find my calendar, they have surely heard me mumble that my smart phone makes me feel stupid.
I’m getting the hang of it, but it is taking awhile.
Smart phones really are smart—they serve a multitude of functions. So far I have figured out how to make my phone work as a phone, camera, video recorder, audio recorder, tip calculator, alarm clock, Internet book reader, calculator, video game, Facebook viewer and calendar.
The last feature—the calendar—is becoming quite useful, although I wish it were user-friendlier to enter appointments. I struggle with that. I have to first look at the month view, then the agenda view to see what time slots are available. Then I have to enter the date, time, event name, etc., using the texting keypad. I don’t think I ever get the event name typed in correctly on the first try—especially when I’m trying to synchronize the event with someone standing there waiting for me.
I end up looking at my phone calendar but writing down the date and time on an actual sheet of paper and entering the event into my phone later when I have more time.
If I hurry, I end up with a misspelled title for my appointment and it frequently ends up on the wrong date or time.
However, if I get my events entered correctly, the little reminders that the phone offers are fabulous. They have saved me from missing an appointment many a time.
Which is exactly why I am writing about my smart phone in Unorganized Territory this week There has been a lot going on this week so I didn’t have time to really think about my column until just before deadline. I was sitting at my desk, going through possible topics such as the election, Veterans Day, being a Girl Scouts assistant leader, deer season, the weather…
I didn’t really have time to go into any of the topics in detail, but as I was mulling them over, the alarm on my smart phone chirped. It was time to go take a photo for a news story.
I had to take a break from Unorganized Territory and as I drove to my appointment— thankfully on time! —I thought about how helpful my smart phone actually is. I curse it daily as I try to enter information, but it truly is a lifesaver when it works.
I joke that my little phone has become my brain. I just have to remember to keep the battery charged. I wonder if there is an app for that?
Any sufficiently advanced
technology is indistinguishable
from magic.
Arthur C. Clarke
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