Friday, February 17, 2006
Keeping it simple
In 2005, writer and editor Paul Ford decided to go back to the basics. At least, as it pertains to how he writes with his computer. Ford found that using a computer is distracting -- email, checking Wikipedia, surfing news sites and blogs, and all of the rest. So Ford re-installed WordPerfect for DOS ("It never crashes," he rightly states) and he has also started using an AlphaSmart Neo to do much of his writing.
Listen to Ford's commentary for National Public Radio to learn about the whys of his switch back to the simple. In that commentary, he made this interesting comment:
In fact, I recently bought an AlphaSmart Dana off eBay to do some writing with. I purchased it primarily to take on my upcoming trip to China, but I'm finding it to be very useful already. In fact, it should be paying for itself sometime soon. I'll post some more entries on my adventures with this device in the next few weeks.
Listen to Ford's commentary for National Public Radio to learn about the whys of his switch back to the simple. In that commentary, he made this interesting comment:
I'm smarter, probably, with my computer on. But not deeper.I have to agree with him. As drummer Bill Bruford noted there's "endless trivia, gossip and static just cluttering up" the Internet. And, like Paul Ford, I find that I'm most productive when I pull the wireless card from my laptop and just write.
In fact, I recently bought an AlphaSmart Dana off eBay to do some writing with. I purchased it primarily to take on my upcoming trip to China, but I'm finding it to be very useful already. In fact, it should be paying for itself sometime soon. I'll post some more entries on my adventures with this device in the next few weeks.
