One thing I’ll probably never like about computers (even intending to study Computer Science) is that you look at things behind a screen, and you need to base your whole organization that way. And not only that, but that it is a plane screen, two-dimensional. I don’t want a 3D screen as there’s the same story: you can’t handle things directly, you need either a keyboard or a mouse, or a trackpad. Or even with touch screens, you need the screen, a plane screen in where you won’t feel you are touching anything but that: a screen.
Before LCD screen it was even worse: you not only had a screen but a glass, a thick glass that prevented you from seen it clearly… Now we have high-tech screens and other ways to see our data.
Even with new ways and new technology, I’ll always feel like even with CSI’s gadgets, holographic images and all that stuff is not enough to organize yourself in a comfortable way. I know people who use google calendars, on-screen post-it notes, the reminders app on their iphones and I just think “Why can’t they use paper?”.
Perhaps I’m not the greenish guy on the planet, but I think and will always think people need paper. That’s it. People invented paper thousands of years ago, and even now, with new technology, we need paper. Alright, mass data files have to be on a hard drive. But other things; things we need to organize; like calendar, post-its or whatever thing you need should be tangible: you should be able to touch it, to feel you have it, to feel you have control, organization.
Isn’t it different, for you, to have a whiteboard (see, 5 Reasons Why Whiteboards are a Must-Have) and draw some diagram or Venn’s diagram to understand some concept, or some matter, than to have to draw it on your computer with some graphic editing software, or to look for the exact diagram online?
Well, you could find it, alright, but it’s not yours. And it will not work to attach to that diagram instead of attaching yourself to your own diagram, in which it’s better to have it on a board, or even on paper. So what about paper? Have you used a paper calendar?
With the greatest calendar apps you can set different kind of events, have different calendars mixed on one, have direct connection to the email manger and you can post your calendar to facebook, twitter, and so on… And… What about part where you need to be organized? You’re not being organized in a computer because of the simple fact that you have access to other apps, other than the one you’re using. If it where a screen in which you just used a calendar, then great, at least you’re doing ONE thing. Now, it’s not. You use the same screen for the calendar, the mail, the notes, the post-its, the remindars, the alerts, and so many things, including your internet browser (which includes as it twitter, facebook, pinterest, youtube and other social websites in which everybody lose time).
I have written in other posts that to be organized you need a wide area to draw, diagram, write; and a computer just simply doesn’t provide it. Even a big computer, with a big screen can’t be as useful, in organization, as paper and pencil. And considering the fact that those are really expensive, then it’s not a viable option.
I am writing a story right now, planning to draw a manga for it (manga being japanese comics). To write a great story, you can’t write “as it comes”, write for writing. You’ll end up with thousand of aggregations, empty characters and a either too simple or too complicated story. You first need to organized facts, characters, the world, the events, and then put all that together. Because of that story, I downloaded a special program for that, but which I can’t work with, as I can’t see the whole picture.
And that’s actually the thing about organizing with intangible buttons and fake paper: you don’t see the whole picture. What I ended up doing was grabbing some paper, a pencil and tape, started writing about characters, special abilities (remember it’s a manga), the events on the story…; all detached so I could, with tape, put everything together on a wall. Why? Seeing the whole picture.
So, until companies start developing wall-wide screens for computers, apple find it interesting and start investing on a iMac that big and I have the cash, I’ll still prefer writing my notes on real sticky paper post-it notes.
