Getting to Know Your Inner Luddite

March 20, 2006 by Anne Zelenka in Tech

Julie Meloni of No Fancy Name is one of my favorite authors, and not only because I scored a copy of her intuitive Blogging in a Snap book in a BlogHer contest. She's also a techie-type person who's willing to admit to a less-than-full commitment to the electronic lifestyle:

Despite my laptop being on and connected to the Internet nearly 24/7, I really own no other gadgetry (save for a fairly normal cellphone and an iPod Nano).

My sticky notes are really and truly sticky notes, stuck on my laptop and scribbled on by hand.

Check out the whole post for a photo of her book plan written on stickie note, complete with "Sharpie rage." Like Julie, I prefer writing to do lists on paper rather than electronically-it's just more satisfying to physically cross off completed items than to erase them with a drag and click of the mouse.

What about you? Do you have an inner luddite? What gadgets or software or other technology do you resist using?

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Inner and outer Luddite

debra roby March 20, 2006 - 4:48pm

While I write notes in my laptop, and program my calendar to remind me of what to do every day... I am maybe the second last person in the US to not own a cellphone. (my spouse will be the last.) Atleast I can leave the kitchen and not have people demanding to talk with me. (oh, yeah.. that cordless phone thing... that's not happening either...)

I'm just about to cross over the digital divide and pick up a Tivo. The excitement may land me in the cardiac ward!

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Simple Still Life

 

I have an outer luddite too

Anne Zelenka March 20, 2006 - 5:02pm

Debra - I still don't have a Tivo! And I often forget to turn on my cell phone when I leave the house. Sometimes I turn it on to find I have voice mails from weeks ago.

My latest luddite move was missing out on a BlogHer CE conference call (the blogging & social media CEs had kindly invited me to participate) because I wasn't prepared with the right hardware to join in on their Skype-based conference call. I bought a PC headset over the weekend, then accidentally cut the wires when I was trying to extricate it with scissors from its plastic clamshell package. Ah well, the VoIP world will have to wait even longer for me to join...

Anne Zelenka
BlogHer Contributing Editor, Technology & Web
 

Thanks for the laugh!!

debra roby March 20, 2006 - 7:40pm

Anne,

Cutting the headset wire is so exactly the kind of thing I would do!! I guess I'm not really a Luddite.. I'm simply anti-phone. Keep on saying if I got internet connection any other way, the phone line would be outta here.

I'll let you know if Tivo is as easy to set up as they claim... with the wireless connection, etc. (Yep, in many ways I'm the tech-head in this household).

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Simple Still Life

 

I guess I'm the unluddite

Elana Centor March 20, 2006 - 6:59pm

While I definitely don't consider myself a tech head( I have tried to upload image to my posts and so far --no luck.) And, I spend an inordinate amount of time talking to the customer service folk at HP, Microsoft and verizonwirless-Becaue I really don't undertand virtual memory, or disc space or how to fix stuff on my computer Still,I absolutely love trying new gadgets and new software.
In fact my dream office would be one that was completely wireless..I want to get rid of all thing wired and replace them with wireless product. Wireles light, wireless powered computer, computer screen... I just wanted to get rid of all my wires

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

 

Uploading Photos

Jules March 21, 2006 - 12:58am

Elana - uploading photos on to the BlogHer site had me stumped as well, until I found a way around it (don't know if this will work for you, but you can try).

I upload a photo on to Blogger (where my personal blog is), go to the Edit HTML tab of the post and grab the code from there (Blogger loads the photo up on the internet for you, which is where the image has to be before it can be put into a post). I then paste the code into a BlogHer post and hit Preview to check that it is picking up the photo.

I'm sure there is an easier way of doing it, but I haven't figured that out yet.

[and if you haven't worked it out yet, I am really not a luddite!]

Jules

BlogHer Contributing Editor, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania
Dragongirl blog

 

luddite or just disorganized?

mir March 21, 2006 - 8:08am

I have been trying to ween myself off using paper lists forever.

According to 43 folders getting a pack of multi-coloured file cards is the hipster PDA. My luddite only comes out when it's question of organization or personal finance.

Or wait, maybe I am mistaking luddititude with incompetence. It's a fine line over here.

ps; i also missed a blogher conference call. Mine was because I didn't add it to my calender - paper or otherwise. I think any personal digital assistant I get should be as tall as yoda, ambulatory, and mostly follow me around asking me "what did you forget?"

Miriam
The Flink
"like harnessing a unicorn to harvest potatoes"

 

hmmm multi-colored file cards

Anne Zelenka March 21, 2006 - 10:20am

I use file cards for my contacts but not for any other pda functions. Maybe I'd like to though. The benefit of the file cards is that I can scribble all over them, staple biz cards to them, attach sticky notes, etc.

I like your personal digital assistant idea. I'm not very good at keeping my calendar updated--be great to have someone following me around and reminding me to get stuff done. The small creatures that follow me around right now (my three children) don't offer much help in the organizational department.

I probably don't qualify as a luddite, but sometimes in this highly-networked and electronic world, I feel like one.

Anne Zelenka
BlogHer Contributing Editor, Technology & Web
 

hmmm interesting

mir March 21, 2006 - 10:35am

That would be a great chore to add for your kids; "Skeemer your job is to follow mommy around all day asking her what she's forgotten, the rest of you - do the dishes.."

Miriam
The Flink
"like harnessing a unicorn to harvest potatoes"

 

luddites unite!

jcmeloni March 21, 2006 - 11:38am

Ha! This is great. Actually, that sticky note is book chapters plus work tasks plus school tasks plus life tasks. Maximize your sticky!

But yeah, of course I don't think any of us qualify as luddites. More like "yes, I know how to use all of your new-fangled gadgetry, and I do oooh and ahhh at it, but I know I won't use it or change my life with it, so why spend the money." Maybe there's a name for that. Like "Aware but Tightly-Budgeted Quasi-Luddite" :)

- Julie
No Fancy Name
Blogger in a Snap

 

that must be a gigantic sticky note

Anne Zelenka March 21, 2006 - 12:55pm

wow, book chapters plus work, school, and life to-dos all on one sticky? I'm impressed.

Anne Zelenka
BlogHer Contributing Editor, Technology & Web
 

well...

jcmeloni March 21, 2006 - 12:59pm

...could look at it like "wow, what a loser. you can fit YOUR ENTIRE LIFE on a sticky" :)

- Julie
No Fancy Name
Blogger in a Snap

 

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