tombiro.com

Yesterday, I made a note to myself to chime in on the subject of being “addicted” to the Internet, following Tim Bray’s post on the topic from a couple of days ago, so here it is. I don’t mean to poke fun at or anything, as I’ve definitely heard stories – and seen, from a little bit of distance – of people who are truly “addicted” to the Internet, but I’m 100% sure that the Internet as a whole are so core to my daily doings, that it probably has one “negative” for every three “positives” that come about for most of us. On one hand, it’s been very responsible for me getting my last two jobs, both because of my “skills” in the space and by being visible within it. [Thanks, LinkedIn!] On the other hand, it’s something that when you try and keep up with all the things you’re interested in, want to read / follow for your job, and still have an active social life, get things done at home, go to work every day, and so on, it gets to be crazy.

I won’t harp too far on this, but what I think I might start doing, sort of off the suggestion Tim made about his own habits, was maybe take myself “offline” a little bit during every day – and still use my computer for things, just “disconnect” from things like IM, Twitter, and so on for a little while as I’m trying to do other things. Heck, even having it all running while I’m trying to write a blog post keeps me from keeping to regular habits here and on my other Web projects. Unfortunately, the ubiquity of Web-based tools for coding and whatnot keep everyone “online” all the time, rather than designing locally and viewing things there, then publishing. Real-time isn’t always the best thing for us all, I’m guessing.

I’m also thinking that a firm plan on reading the RSS stuff I’d like to pay attention to needs to come back. I’ve gotten so used to catching stuff of interest via Facebook, IM, Twitter, and so on that I’ve been really bad at clearing through my RSS on a regular basis. Of course, this probably means I’ll have to start getting up earlier and do a better job of clearing my RSS of things that I don’t follow regularly, but what can you do.

Anyone else have any solid GTD or other tips about keeping connected but staying focused? I’m figuring I’ll take a step or two and see how that works for me.

I have a great time making fun of random things that happen in the world on Twitter and via texts with friends, but I’ve got a few things that seriously need some clearing up, and I’m taking a moment to post them here. And yes, I’m having a good time with this list, which is mostly focused on existing within a public space, and paying attention.

• It’s great for people to be able to commute with their spouse / significant other, and a lot of people who ride the ferry in the morning do so. That said, I’m thinking that after walking through the doors of the ferry terminal to the outside world, stopping RIGHT THERE to kiss goodbye as you go your separate ways is probably not in your best interest. You’re not THAT overwhelmed with affection that you can’t move three feet out of the way, are you?
• Something else I notice that’s pretty consistent in transportation locations is that if there’s four or six or more doors exiting / entering the building, people ONLY use the one or two that are currently open that have a line of people walking into them. Why not step out of line and use one of the many others, rather than stepping on the heels of the person in front of you who’s going too slow for you or whatever. And those of you in line, why are you surprised when someone uses a door next to you? Are we so brainwashed by driving on the right (or the left, if you’re into that) that we follow some inane rule like this?
• Walk in a straight line. That doesn’t mean you can’t avoid people on the busy streets of whatever city you’re in or whatever, but if there’s no logjam, and you’re conscious of the people around you, is it THAT difficult to not just randomly wander left and right when people don’t feel like walking the pace you’re going?
• I know the buildings are really tall, and there’s some cool stuff to see, but if you want to stop and take a photo / gawk / check it out / point at Superman, could you maybe step outside of the middle of the sidewalk before doing so? Also, this isn’t your local mall, walking in a wide line of six people is kind of ridiculous.
• I know you don’t want to exceed the speed limit, but the zero cars in the two lanes next to you and the eight hundred of them lined up behind you is probably a sign. You’re not intimidating anyone.
• If you drive a car service vehicle, do you have some rulebook that I don’t know about that says that all lanes are yours, and that signals don’t work?
• Pulling away from the gate and backing up six feet “on time” does not mean an “on-time departure.” It means you’re skating on a technicality, lying to all your paying customers, and deserve the complaints you get.
• If you’re a reputable business, it’s probably smart to use some sort of copywriter to help (or at least do a final edit) on your advertising / signage / whatever. There are a lot of people like myself who will a) make fun of you on the Internet b) not use your service because they can’t get past the errors or c) all of the above.

That’s all for now. I’m sure there’s more.