Going "light" (mentally) with my t30.

[cparker]

Lately I began to notice that I've been feeling frazzled mentally. Part of this was, no doubt, related to looking at the "active topics" on the forum -- something I hadn't been doing before. it's addictive and got me reading/posting to sections of this forum that normally I never look at. But it also had something to do with what I've been doing on my desktop computer. It runs at lightening speed, has a nice 19 inch screen, and I can switch from browser window to browser window on each of several different browsers which are loaded at the same time, instantly. I began scanning different forums, different news feeds, different newspapers, etc., thinking how much time I'm saving having this wonderfully fast, capable machine. The t30 sat on a shelf unused, except for an occasional windows/antivirus update.

And then it hit me. I couldn't bear to turn on that computer that was destroying my mental state. I started reading print edition newspapers! Really. Believe it. And I loved it. It was like back to a better time. The same newspaper, except it was in print. I stopped constantly scanning the news headlines on google news. I slowed down. And I felt better.

Obviously, there's something going on. It's not just with me. There was a major article on the subject in this weekend's wall street journal about the same thing and how more and more people are suffering from the internet/email/texting overload. I see it all around me. On the street, in the elevator. In people's houses. When they are on vacation. But never paid much attention to it until it his me.

So I'm thinking about it all. I have a few computers here. Two desktops: a vista "fastie" that I generally use and a slightly slower xp one that my girlfriend uses. Then the t30 and a netbook, both of which seem to run at approximately the same speed once applications are loaded (the netbook boots/loads a bit faster than the t30). I've noticed that the t30 feels very good to use. I think it's because it's slower, and has those great ergonomics/keyboard/screen. (This with my recent "upgrade" to 2 gb and a new 5400 rpm hard drive.) The crazy thing about it, is that being slower makes it better for my typical usage pattern, which is mostly using the internet and doing office kinds of tasks, like writing or spreadsheet work.

It has another advantage. I can just turn it off and close the lid or just move it off the table so it's out of sight/out of mind. This makes it less likely that it will "grab" my attention and "sucker" me into repetetively scanning the forums/news all days long as the big 19" lcd tends to do.

As to the netbook, it's a great little machine, I have to say. It's perfect for just grabbing and carrying someplace even around the apartment. A little whipper snapper, I think. But doesn't have the solidity, the substance of the t30, that just feels so right using it for work.

Just a few thoughts. The t30 just grows on me.

[archer6]

Kudos' for a nice article that makes one think.

After all, it _is_ far too easy to get caught up in the bigger.better.faster.neater.smoother. mentality....ha..ha..ha..

Cheers...

[gery350]

they'll bury me with my t30. with the money ive spent on it i couldve bought a nice new machine. it just feels right. i grab it like hally berry grabbed billy bob thorton and say "make me feel good, make me feel good". ok maybe not that much but.....................you know what i mean.

[emeraldgirl08]

I wonder if anyone has named their kid Thinkpad yet???

Some ppl will sure come up w/some unusual names so you never know

I just got a dock for my T30 (came bundled w/an AC adapter for dirt cheap!) and I love it even more

[cparker]

Emerald Girl:

I also picked up a dock (dock II from a friend who had it lying around from the days when he owned a t30). We keep it "in reserve" in case we need to run the t30 in an office setting docked and locked. It hasn't been happening lately, but we did use it undocked in a client's office a while back, carrying the t30 back and forth on the subway.

As to giving it a name, I just call it "the t30". I did call it a few names a few years back (when it was acting up and "throwing tantrums"). But after putting it on the couch and figuring out its underlying conflicts -- caused mostly by a foster parent who had installed software that really had no place in a thinkpad of such "good heart", the conflicts were removed and its stalwart personality and pure heart were able to shine through.

[emeraldgirl08]

The reason I like the dock is my T30 has a slotted NIC door for the CPU fan. The dock will lift and give the T30 some more clearance for air

Lol. Yeah on my off days everything has a colorful name

[newyorkpaulie]

I had a dock included with one of my (ebaY-bought) T23s and the best part of it is having a second hard drive to store my backups on. Much faster than using an external (usb) kind. You need to get an ultrabay "holder" for the extra drive. These are available (on ebaY again) for little $, and well worth it.