Note: This was originaly written in March of 2011. With the recent announcement of Apple's Continuity framework, it seemed especially relevant.
Last week, I have been conducted a test. I wanted to see how minimal I could go with my kit, and how much of my life I could do on a device that is not mine.
The first day I was at my office all day. I had picked up a loaner MacBook pro from my dad, in order to test the form factor. I am lookingto upgrade sometime soon, and wanted to know what a MacBook pro felt like. Since it is not my laptop, it seemed like a
perfect time to test my setup.
I was able to do my entire job, as well as the coursework I had to complete, all with only launching safari. This can be attributed to a few things. The first, I was using several different platforms for the longest time. This means that I needed to rely on things
that had a solid syncing systems in place. Thanks to relying on gmail, google apps, Evernote, simplenote, toodledo, and mobile devices, I was able to do everything I needed to do. I had access to all my
bookmarks through pinboard, my notes through simplenote, my tasks with toodledo, and the rest of my tools with google apps.
I then decided to take it a step further, and try to go a whole day without touching my laptops. This means that I would only have access to my iPhone and iPad to go through class, any needed work
tasks, and the rest of the things needed on a daily basis.
I have been striving for years to make my setup as ubiquitous as possible. This is because I am always on the go, and after a few system failures, I got crazy about backup and access. I want to, at a moments notice, and anywhere I may be, have access to all of my
data and be able to do whatever I need.
I also discovered that I can get by with very little. It has lead me to not lug my laptop as much. This, in conjunction with having a
work computer for the first time ever, means that both MacBooks usually stay in the apartment.
Here is what I carried today:
