When I was a kid, I was told “Walk in a straight line: keeping one arm distance from the person in front of you; face down”. This was the discipline I was taught.
Today I still keep my face down for most of my activities:
Walking: Reading my emails over my phone
Sitting: Using my laptop
Is technology making sure I stay disciplined?
Today I read, “China signs deal to sell iPhones“. China has more than 600 million mobile phone accounts. Most of the users while using a smart phone are “face down”. That is what I call a discipline.
Smartphones have taken over the way we connect with the world and with our selves. I use a Palm Treo 800w. The phone allows me to download apps which connect me to social networking sites. It has built in browser with JavaScript support which allows me to browse any site and perform work operations while I am remote from my work.
Smart phones are still evolving and some of the areas where I feel they lack are:
1. Processing Speed
2. Internet Browsing bandwidth
3. Browser capability
4. Screen Resolution (real estate limitations)
As a Knowledge Manager I believe technology is evolving to make our lives better and I have had the opportunity to realize at a very early age that technology can help maintain discipline in our lives.
Nainil Chheda,MS is the Knowledge Research Specialist at eClinicalWorks LLC, Member of ASTM, AMIA, AIIM, PDF/H, EHRVA, HITSP, AIS and ACM, and a practicing researcher on Healthcare Informatics.
Hi Nainil,
I appreciated your comments about Smartphones and the way they are changing the way we live and work.
I would raise the caution, though, that for anyone with incipient neck problems, a constant face-down posture can aggravate these problems and cause injury gradually, and can suddenly become disabling.
To avoid these problems, keep the laptop at eye level, using a detachable keyboard whenever possible. Even if you use the Smartphone while walking, take a break every so often and enjoy the scenery, if only to look up and around when you are crossing a street!
- E