Stream of Consciousness

I was at a conference last week, one that I go to for work each year, and what a difference a year makes.

Last year, there were long lines at the computer center that was set up where we could check our email and print out seminar handouts.  This year - no waiting at the computer center.  

 Two reasons come to mind.  First, the hotel has internet in each room and a wireless signal in the lobby!

I was kicking myself for not bringing a laptop from work, because in-room internet was less than $6 per day.  Then I really kicked myself on the last day when I found a wireless keyboard in the TV stand!  I could have been using internet over the TV in the room even though I had not brought a laptop - wow!  I had no idea they were doing that.

Second reason is that so many people have phone/PDA things with internet in their pocket (and yes, I still want an iPhone and I still need to save up for it).

I didn’t get it.  When I first created an account on Facebook it was so totally boring.  There was nothing going on, and it was not easy for me to figure out how to find stuff.

Now, a group of my peers has discovered Facebook, and suddenly it’s the neatest place to be.  I feel like I’m in school again, doodling on my papers and passing notes to friends.

I’m sure this initial fascination wears off, as evidenced by our less-frequent logins from a few months ago.  And, of course, now that I’ve been actually using it I’ve got too many cutesy little applications plugged into my profile.  I’m sure they’re all gleefully sucking cookies off my computer too.  But how to choose which ones to let go of?

I find that when a friend sends you an application, it’s tough to say no.  One of my problems is that I may have to use my own site to demo stuff for work, so I don’t want to put anything too offensive up there, and yet I still want to have fun at the same time.  For example, there are ‘fight’ pokes you can send to your friends (all in fun) but I would hate to have any of those taken out of context.

One of these applications that has me hopelessly hooked is called ‘fluff pets’.  Yep, now not only do I go home to clean the litterbox of my own 3 dimensional cat, I have to be sure to feed, pet, and walk my virtual pet daily in order to avoid tremendous guilt as his mood changes from happy to miserable with increases in my neglectfulness.  I need a virtual pet-sitter!

iWant an iPhone, and I will whine about it to anyone who knows me.  I want visual voicemail.  I want the internet in my pocket.  I want a camera attached so I can post those pictures instantly instead of having them hidden on little sd cards at home that still need to be unloaded.  Not to mention that it’s the coolest iPod ever.  And ALL of my friends/relatives/etc. have told me to wait for the price to drop and the next release - grrrrrrrr.

I’m torn now when I use IM. 

I’ve been using Windows Live Media (love all the animated winks and emoticons) but it sucks with contacts from yahoo.  So for them I go to Meebo.  I love Meebo.  Nothing to download - log in and go.  But it is limited in the cutesy stuff.

And I know that I really should be able to figure out how to use Twitter, but my GenX roots are showing when I’ve got no contacts to use it with!