Is an Angry Bird in the Hand Really Worth Two in the Bush?

Last updated on: June 21, 2011 at 6:07 am by Greg Richardson

Is an Angry Bird in the Hand Really Worth Two in the Bush? 2011-06-21T06:07:51-08:00 Greg Richardson

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A few days ago, I was talking with a friend about my enthusiasm for my iPad, which I have described in an earlier post. This friend is also a convert to the Apple way of life, and was eager to show me even more apps that I might have missed so far.

It was the kind of conversation that begins with “You really need to this; this is so great; here, I will even help you find it.” The explanation of how these amazing apps were going to change my life sparked a major addition to my app collection. As I tried to understand how some of them actually helped me, the conversation became, “I am not sure; they must have changed it since I started using it; it used to be a lot cooler.”

Now, I do love my iPad, and my newly added iPhone. I really appreciate the approach that Apple takes to technology and their products, and I am slowly, but surely unlearning my previous, counter-intuitive habits.

More than anything else, I am grateful for Apple’s insight into the relationship between software and functions, and their ability to give me choices about the things I am able to do without needing to acquire large, expensive packages of programs. Apple has changed a great deal by giving me the ability to find what I need to perform specific tasks, one task at a time.

I have written an earlier post describing my initial skepticism about social networking; I was concerned that social networking would diminish my capacity for contemplation and reflection. A large part of my reassurance has been my own capacity to choose; how and when to connect, how and when to pay attention, how and when to find silence.

It usually takes me some time to understand the benefits of most apps. I tend to delete as many of them as I keep, at least the free ones; even if they are “one of only 50 apps in the Apple App Store Hall of Fame!”

I am seeking ways to be more open to the possibilities of each moment, more aware and mindful, more understanding at a deeper level. I do not really need new, electronic ways to distract myself, and have not grasped the appeal of those birds, or what is making them so angry.

So tell me, how is your electronic life helping you connect at a deeper level?

[Image by osde8info]

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