The 3-Week Tech Trial
Posted by Michael | Filed under Site
There comes a time in life when one has to establish some structure and boundaries for adopting new technologies. In particular, those technologies that can be classified in the yet-another-social-network / Web 2.0 service. Same applies to hardware too. Now is the time for me.
I am instituting what I call the “3-Week Tech Trial” to which I will scrutinize all new technologies I choose (or am asked) to bring into my life, whether for work or for personal use. The general idea is that each new technology gets a 3-week probationary period, during which I will put forth an honest effort toward learning the technology and, in a process of “natural” selection, see if the new tech fits into my life habits and/or workflow. Most importantly, this includes the extent to which the technology compliments my life, adds something to improve my life, or simply makes my life a bit more fun. I’m at a point where I am fairly confident in understanding how I live and work, which makes embarking on this project a reasonable endeavor.
Before I begin though, I plan to compile a complete (or as complete as possible) listing of every technology (hardware and software) in my life that is above the level of being required for daily existence (i.e., a stove or refrigerator fits nicely into this category). On the surface this sounds daunting and somewhat overkill, but success of the 3-week trial necessitates having a firm understanding of where I currently stand, and then judicially applying the 80/20 rule to the list.
Certainly this rule is subject to revision as appropriate, but for now I’ll see how it goes and report regularly on my progress. Wish me luck… - Michael
