Every day I see people using their computers in backwards ways. People who are frustrated by their machines and digital life in general. So much email coming in, so hard to get Word to stop “helping” you write, so many upgrades that change the things you’ve already figured out.
This makes me sad.
As a huge nerd, I spend a lot of time on computers, and in general they have immeasurably improved the quality of my life. Not that there aren’t moments when I’m burning with the fury of a thousand suns as technology bites me in the nether regions. But I’ve been to this rodeo before, and over the years I’ve learned ways to make my computers work for me and help me get things done.
The impetus for creating Hug Your Machine is to share some of the things I’ve learned over the years, and get new ideas from other people. Believe me, I know how little I know.
Hug Your Machine will not be about “click here to make this happen,” but ways to approach the computer, ways to think more digitally. I promise to do my darnedest to stay away from productivity pr0n and gadget worship.
Usually, you don’t need new software—you need to learn to use what you have. Above all, you need to learn how to approach things in a digital way. Taking analog habits and transferring them on to computers is at best an awkward fit, and at worst a sure way slowly to drive yourself insane.
The idea behind Hug Your Machine is to hopefully give you a reason to want to hug your computer at the end of the day, to feel that it has helped you.
Engage!