The Three Feeders: One Size Does Not Fit All

The Story

"who's who" of the bird community

My personal workspace faces the front of our home, overlooking the driveway and the woods beyond.  This morning I spent some time observing birds coming and going from the various bird feeders we have installed below.  The scene was "convention like" - a veritable "who's who" of the bird community in attendance.

At the long and narrow nyjer seed feeder we had visitors such as the house finch, gold finches, and a bold chickadee who was unafraid to hang upside down by his feet to feast on the tiny seeds.  The larger mixed-seed feeder hosted a tufted titmouse, some nuthatches, and a cardinal or two.  Finally, the suet cake boasted the arrival of two distinct species of woodpecker - the red-headed and hairy varieties.

Even the ground was a gathering spot for consuming scattered seeds.  Many of the aerial visitors, while waiting their turn at the feeders, dropped down below to forage for dropped morsels.  A few even dropped down to crack open the seeds they had collected above.  A chipmunk and a mourning dove, too large to sit on the perches of any of the feeders, took advantage of the busy activity above as well, munching on the leftovers.

The Technology

A common question appears to be coming up in my consulting work lately.  Many clients ask me to advise them about the potential benefits and drawbacks of purchasing and utlizing smartphones, tablets, and laptops.  It seems that many already possess these three categories of technology, without a grounded sense of when they are best utilized - for what purposes.

Dell's interactive infographic

One way I begin to advise clients is by describing the features or liabilities of the particular technology  that can facilitate thinking, allowing them to begin to recognize potential of teach tool. With clients, I also stress the importance of knowing your purpose in any particular endeavor.  That is, what do you hope to accomplish while using a device? By identifying goals, then reviewing each device's potential uses and recognizing its' limitations, you too can begin to identify for yourself the best tool for each situation. Dell has created an interesting interactive info-graphic which may help understanding of the potential of each device.

In general, I believe that relative size does have a lot to do with the tool's capacity and use.  For instance I have found that:

Laptops are: the most full featured, the most powerful, while also being the heaviest of our portable tools.
Tablets are: not as full featured as a laptop, slightly less powerful, while being better when it comes to speed of use, weight, and portablility.
Smartphones are: a bit less robust than the tablet, substantially less powerful the others, but much smaller and the most portable of all devices.

Connections

Just as various birds prefer different kinds of seeds, and the feeders that distribute the seeds come in sizes appropriate to the particular bird's size and habits of feeding - our technologies have parallel sizes and benefits.  Knowing which kind of "bird" you are and which "bird feeder" your situation dictates, will help you to select the appropriate tool to meet your goals.

Big Birds = Suet Feeder = Use a Laptop: 
"Big Bird" uses are the times when you need to create content.  Be it drafting a document, editing a webpage, or responding to a lengthy email, your laptop is the suet feeder in your tool set.  Like suet, it will provide you with a wide range of "mixed seeds" and "fat" to bind your work together.  It will offer you the fullest range of features to support your needs.  The "Big Bird" option will let you do just about everything all of the other tools will - with the exception of making a traditional phone call.

Medium Birds = Medium Feeder = Use a Tablet:  
"Medium Bird" uses are the times when you need speed, lightness, and touchscreen ability.  Like the medium bird feeder, it provides many of the same options that your laptop will, however its not quite as useful in creating content.  Your tablet won't have traditional "Office" tools for creating documents, spreadsheets, or PowerPointss - but it can allow you to create those items up in the cloud.  Your "Medium Feature" option will allow you to quickly display web-based content with others, play games, and access email and calendars in a nearly immediate and portable manner.

Small Birds = Small Feeder = Use a Smartphone: 
"Small Bird" uses are the times when you need to locate quick answers and make responses in an immediate, mobile manner.  Like the small feeder, your Smartphone is very specific in its tasks - and it does tend to attract a particular kind of "bird." Its small screen size requires excellent vision (or the patience to pinch the screen to enlarge text).  Your "Small Bird" option is truly best for those tasks which are brief, on the fly, and don't require in-depth review or response of text based materials.

my laptop, tablet, and smartphone in action

Ground Scavengers = All Feeders May be Needed = Bring All Your Tools:  
There are some days when you just won't know which technology is best.  On those days, you may want to behave like the larger ground-scavenging creatures, bringing along all of your devices.  In these cases, much like the ground scavengers, you'll have the ability to meet any situation with the appropriate response and support.  Your "All Feeders" option will work best when you don't mind carrying all of your tools in order to be able to choose from your arsenal.  "All Feeders" options also allow you to use multiple tools in interesting, overlapping ways - or to share a device with someone who hasn't brought one along.

As you continue to explore the potential and use of your particular devices, I recommend you ask yourself some of the following questions:

• What do I hope to achieve today with my work?
• What types of access to the internet, documents, or programs am I likely to have or need?
• What tool feels like the best solution for my perceived needs?
• Will I be most successful as a "Big Bird," "Medium Bird," "Small Bird," or "Ground Scavenger"?

I'd love to hear about your experiences with these bird metaphors.  I'd also love hear your thoughts about which tools you prefer to take with you in your particular situations.  Please share your ideas and questions in the comments section below.

Thanks to Sean Seningen of 6 Hours Inc. for the photo of my 3 devices!

Glenda and Buster: Learn to Read the Signs

The Story

There were some obvious signs that "Glenda the Good Fish" needed a larger home. First we noticed a few missing scales on her side. Glenda had apparently been scraping up against the plants and her rock sculpture as she swam back and forth. Then came some mysterious disease of her tail and fin.  Those proved a bit challenging to diagnose and cure, but finally she was on the mend. And then there was just the plain and obvious fact that Glenda was at least twice the size she'd been when we purchased her as our first family pet. I hesitated in purchasing a new tank for Glenda  "Did she really need a bigger tank?"I asked myself.

"Glenda the Good Fish" in her new home

Being mainly responsible for maintaining Glenda's watery environment, I had instituted a regular monthly schedule of tank cleaning. Because her tank was smaller, just 5 gallons, I often shunned the traditional wisdom of vacuuming and water change, moving the entire setup to the sink for deep cleaning.

One evening, in a bit of a hurry to prepare for an out of town trip, Glenda's tank slipped in my wet hands. The side tapped the edge of the kitchen sink, cracking slightly on the corner. I sighed, somewhat disappointed and frustrated by this new challenge to my already tight schedule.  I relaxed my shoulders and took a few deep breaths. Then I fetched Glenda's original bowl - way too small anything other than a temporary home. Early the next morning I headed out to the local aquarium shop for a new tank. Soon Glenda was ensconced in her new home, a much larger and better illuminated 10 gallon tank!

The Technology

This summer I noticed that my iMac "Buster" was running a bit slowly. At nearly 6 years old, he would sometimes freeze on the spinning pinwheel, forcing me to restart the computer manually. Having worked with computers for so many years I knew the tell-tale signs that Buster was aging and would soon need to be upgraded.

Working to ease the strains on Buster, I eliminated many of the no longer utilized programs, freeing up memory.  I carefully backed up important documents on an external hard drive, again creating more room for Buster to do his processing.  When the day came that Buster finally stopped working, I was disappointed but not surprised.  I was as prepared as I could be to handle the possible end of his life cycle.

"a newer refurbished laptop"

A trip to the Mac store did not clearly diagnose the issues with Buster's hard drive so I took him to MacOutfitters, a repair service and certified reseller in my area, for a second opinion. I left Buster for several days. It was determined that it was not the hard drive, but rather that the graphics card that had failed. The cost for replacement parts and the labor to fix Buster would be more than purchasing a refurbished unit. After taking another day to think through options, I chose to remove Buster's hard drive (for security purposes), have him recycled, and to bring home a newer refurbished laptop. With a solid backup of the work I'd done stored on an external hard drive, I have now moved on to a simpler laptop workspace. However, I haven't brought all of that old work backed-up over to the new computer's hard drive - I've chosen to start fresh, only fetching the old work files when they are needed.

Connections

It seems to me that these two stories run parallel, pointing to the importance of recognizing the signs that it is time to move on, time to upgrade, time to change the way things are done.  In so many places in our lives, technological and otherwise, we can often sense that something has changed or should change.  Sometimes we can fix the item or situation, and other times it just makes sense to move on. Knowing when to make the move and being prepared is key.

In the case of Glenda, the signs were clear that she needed a larger tank - yet I waited until I was forced to purchase her a new one.  In the case of Buster, while I was prepared to make an upgrade, I also held off until it was absolutely necessary.  In both cases the choice to bring in the new was mindful: including a careful purchase and had a plan for recycling of the old equipment.

"clearly recognize the warning signs"

I think the lessons to be learned in waiting to upgrade technology are many.  First, the discipline teaches us to recognize warning signs and be prepared.  With our technologies, we can no longer assume that they will last.  With the notion of "planned obsolescence"  a key element in the creation of consumer goods, its important to work cleanly, carefully, keeping backups of critical items.  Planning ahead also helps to avoid the potential drama that can accompany a computer failure during a key times - such as during writing a dissertation, taking an online exam, or during cycles when taxes or invoicing  are due.  In our current throw away economy, recognizing the warning signs, having a plan, and waiting, also benefits the planet in keeping yet one more piece of equipment from the landfill. So does purchasing a refurbished computer.  I recycled Buster, so what will I do with Glenda's cracked tank? I've heard that old tanks make a great terrariums!  Have another great recycling or "reading the signs" story to tell - please share your ideas in the comments section below.

Warning sign image courtesy of Pixabay: http://pixabay.com