I’ve always been the sort of person that was perpetually in my own head. I am often too lost in thought about whatever has me preoccupied for the day to be too awful aware of the world around me. I’ve always been extremely observant in regards to anything inside a screen (probably due to using computers at a very young age), but anything outside of that little panel is basically non-existent. I walk into walls. I lose things that are right in front of my face. I walk right past people I know without noticing them. All in all, when I am in a new place, I am a pretty helpless person. I can’t rely on noticing street signs or landmarks to navigate myself around. I often can’t remember to check for details of an event before I start driving there. And last weekend, I was in Boston for the first time ever.
Sure, I wasn’t alone there, but it’s hard for other people to direct me to places that I don’t know that I’m going. That, unfortunately, is one of the perils of possessing a scattered mind. Fortunately, I had my Droid X with me, and it basically comes equipped with everything I need to live. It’s funny, I don’t realize how dependent I’ve become on my phone until I leave it somewhere, or forget to charge it.
While in Boston, I used it for everything. Where were my friends at? Let me check FourSquare, or text them. What events did I want to see at the Con? Let’s check Conventionalist. The food at the Con sucks? Alright, let’s check Google, Where, and Yelp. I remember as a child on vacations just relying on maps, street signs, visitor guides, and the pamphlets at the hotel to figure things out, and this is just so much better. Absolutely everything I needed in one package – that is why I don’t mind that the Droid X is so large that a tiny person like me could use it as a Great Shield.
But moreso than that was the community that was made possible by the Android (ok, fine, and the iPhone as well). Checking the Twitter feeds for #PAX revealed tons of interesting things that were going on, gossip about the Con, and individuals that were planning their own get togethers while at PAX. Sure, the cell internet was terribly slow as a result. It was fascinating to see things happening at the show, and then to see them get tweeted mere moments later.
I’m really, truly glad to see Smart Phones helping the helpless geeks become better at social pursuits.
