Losing my laptop nearly made me lose my mind!
Posted by Matt Hayden on Sunday, April 3, 2016
There's a lot of talk in the media about internet addiction -- particularly to social media. And I think it's time for me to accept that I'm one of those sad souls afflicted.
That said, I don't think this particular kind of addiction is entirely negative. Means that you get a lot done, apart form anything else. And it's clearly less destructive than being hooked on drugs, alcohol or other toxic stuff...
Still, a recent experience has given me pause for thought. Left my laptop on the bus, see. The extent to which this little event affected me was alarming.
I was on the bus back from doing some flyers in Vaucluse and left it in a bag with other stuff under the seat. I realized I'd left it on there about thirty seconds after alighting. The immediate realization was panic-inducing. I saw the bus head up towards Bondi Junction and ran after it. But I just missed getting back on at the next stop.
It really freaked me out. It wasn't just the fact that I had data, passwords etc on there. It was also the emotional attachment I'd had to that laptop (which I'm using now, BTW). It's just a little Lenovo that I bought refurbished about three years ago. But it's still going strong.
Now I wasn't at the passing out stage. Nor did I burst into tears and curl up into a foetal position! But I was certainly pretty stressed out. I called the transport info line and left a message with their lost property service, then I caught the next bus back to Bondi Junction hoping to intercept that bus as it came back around. But it turned out that the routes chopped and changed heaps. So, after about half an hour I gave up.
As I headed home I realized that my wall socket for mobile phone recharging was also in that bag. So I had to buy a new one at Officeworks. Another sign of my dependence on technology ...
That night I calmed down somewhat. But it was only after actually going into the Waverley Bus Depot and being told in person that yes it had been returned (to another depot) and that I could pick it up the following day that I regained my peace of mind.
This really made me realize how dependant I was on this little device. And the attachment was in major part emotional. To me, my little ol' laptop was like an old friend (sad I know). I think part of the reason for this was that as well as using it for blogging, browsing and e-mailing, I also routinely use it for tweeting and Facebooking etc. So while it's replaceable, it's still part of my personal emotional life.
This little event told me a lot about the way I relate to others and the world generally these days. I'm clearly way too dependent on devices. I really should get back to using some of the old fashioned methods more often.
That said, I don't think this particular kind of addiction is entirely negative. Means that you get a lot done, apart form anything else. And it's clearly less destructive than being hooked on drugs, alcohol or other toxic stuff...
Still, a recent experience has given me pause for thought. Left my laptop on the bus, see. The extent to which this little event affected me was alarming.
I was on the bus back from doing some flyers in Vaucluse and left it in a bag with other stuff under the seat. I realized I'd left it on there about thirty seconds after alighting. The immediate realization was panic-inducing. I saw the bus head up towards Bondi Junction and ran after it. But I just missed getting back on at the next stop.
It really freaked me out. It wasn't just the fact that I had data, passwords etc on there. It was also the emotional attachment I'd had to that laptop (which I'm using now, BTW). It's just a little Lenovo that I bought refurbished about three years ago. But it's still going strong.
Now I wasn't at the passing out stage. Nor did I burst into tears and curl up into a foetal position! But I was certainly pretty stressed out. I called the transport info line and left a message with their lost property service, then I caught the next bus back to Bondi Junction hoping to intercept that bus as it came back around. But it turned out that the routes chopped and changed heaps. So, after about half an hour I gave up.
As I headed home I realized that my wall socket for mobile phone recharging was also in that bag. So I had to buy a new one at Officeworks. Another sign of my dependence on technology ...
That night I calmed down somewhat. But it was only after actually going into the Waverley Bus Depot and being told in person that yes it had been returned (to another depot) and that I could pick it up the following day that I regained my peace of mind.
This really made me realize how dependant I was on this little device. And the attachment was in major part emotional. To me, my little ol' laptop was like an old friend (sad I know). I think part of the reason for this was that as well as using it for blogging, browsing and e-mailing, I also routinely use it for tweeting and Facebooking etc. So while it's replaceable, it's still part of my personal emotional life.
This little event told me a lot about the way I relate to others and the world generally these days. I'm clearly way too dependent on devices. I really should get back to using some of the old fashioned methods more often.
