[NTLK] Thanks for all the responses so far!

[Lord Groundhog]

~~~ On 2012/11/02 05:18, Aron Hsiao at leapdragon at gmail.com wrote ~~~

> ...
 
> The thing gets me about the Newton 2x00 series is that, despite the
> truth of what you say about its age, the user interface remains in most
> ways ahead of its time even today as a personal companion device. As you
> can see by my original post, I often have the pangs of lost
> functionality these days, particularly when I come across a task that
> I'd have used my Newton for a decade ago. A couple of times I've pulled
> it out and tried to do some work on it, but awareness of the fact that
> I'll have some difficulty just getting the work off of the device (and
> that it's largely disconnected from the main information flow of my work
> and life) keeps me from investing too much energy in Newton-based tasks
> anymore.
> 
> Then I go back to my iPad, grumbling a bit.
> 

FWIW I get around this because of the way my workflow is structured.  At the
risk of *greatly* oversimplifying it, the flow is:

Create content on the Newton => NCX to MacBook => format content for
distribution on the MacBook.

In my case, this means inserting it as plain text into an e-mail, processing
into Keynote for use in presentations -- or else reformatting for lesser
mortals who need documents in Word or Pages.  :-P

Also, all e-communications are kept OFF my Newton since in my case most
e-comms content is only of secondary importance to content creation and
needs to be processed through my head first anyway.  That has the added
advantage that I also have a dedicated device, my Newton, on which to take
notes while conversing via Skype or phone.

An advantage of this system is that because my Newt lets me work so
efficiently by being my dedicated "factory" space completely uncluttered by
the allure of e-mails, people's blogs, news feeds, YouTube and all the rest.
As a result of being this dedicated space, I find my mind goes into a
different "gear" when I start working on it, and I focus on things more
sharply.   All this time saved in creating content means that the work
needed to reformat it in Pages or whatever is no serious time loss.  And if
I'm not intending to distribute something, as when I'm giving a lecture or
less formal talk that isn't meant for distribution afterwards, it never has
to leave my Newt at all.

When you add to this the way data can be linked with other data, it means my
Newton acts as my own private encyclopaedia.


On top of all that, I also use it to write for pleasure.  Once more, the
lack of distractions and the Newton's ability to help me shut out
distractions make this much more satisfying.

One last thing:  the satisfaction of being able to use Newt *anywhere*,
unlimited by things like size or battery life, plus the indescribable
pleasure I take in writing rather than typing, aided by Newton's ability to
read my writing, mean that Newt comes with me when the computers are left
far behind.  

 
> Christian:
> 
> You've got it exactly right--I simply work better with my Newton. As
> someone that (like so very many others these days) does a lot of
> cognitive or conceptual work for a living, I've come to the conclusion
> that Newton helps me think better. People have tried to sell me on
> various mind-mappers and note taking apps, and various personal
> databases, but in all of these, I feel like it takes twice the work to
> come up with half the useful thought-work than it did on the Newton.
> Everything on today's devices feels slow and cumbersome in
> comparison--not in terms of responsiveness, but in terms of the ability
> to work with information.
> 
> Going back over my massive inventory of notes in HyperNewt, for example,
> makes this only too obvious. :-(
> 

...and there's just nothing I can add to that.


> ...  my video library (rips of the complete Northern Exposure, for
> example) 
You've got the whole series?  Envy lives here... Envy, and Mrs Envy, and all
the little Envys.  And their pet mynah bird.  :-(


 
Shalom, 

Christian 

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

*The Destruction Of Life As We Know It*
    might not be as relevant to Newtons
        as poutine.
               -- Lord Groundhog

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1ZzpdPJ7Zr4
(With thanks to Chod Lang)
http://tinyurl.com/29y2dl
http://www.diyplanner.com/node/3942


~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Get MUGged and love it: http://www.oxmug.org/
Where Newtonians meet: http://www.newtontalk.net/