Panes of Glass

Today was difficult due to a bad bout of insomnia last night. For whatever reason, I just couldn't seem to sleep no matter how much I lay there in bed. My mind raced in spite of grogginess, revolving predominately around my soon-to-be-arriving toy.

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I'm excited about my new phone. Over the last three years having a proper smartphone has become essential to me. I use it as my music, device, my podcast system, often my IM client, and almost my GPS device. It's the modern Tricorder.

It's also an escape. Working for a tech company, I spend a huge amount of time in front of a monitor. For many years I couldn't imagine that coming home to spend more time in front of another monitor would have been a problem. "The trick," I told people, "was not to see the monitor, but to see through the monitor." The last year, however, that trick has become less and less effective. 

For whatever reason, that's less a problem with a smartphone. I can still maintain a social online presence without feeling the constant need to be productive. It's easier for me to lay on a bed, belly down, reading a book with a blackberry or an android device nearby without becoming tangled up in the notion that every, single, moment, must, be, productive.