Essentially, moving abroad takes a bit of time . I will probably get round to writing or finishing a post at some point but I don’t currently have my own fixed Internet connection. Right now I am typing this on my iPad in a library in Denmark.

Happy new year to those who are still subscribed!

It is not simply a desire not to do the same as everyone else. I can definitely understand the attraction of having such a versatile portable computer, camera, music player and phone in one’s pocket at all times.

My general philosophy (if it deserves such a grand title) is to carefully evaluate any non-essential purchase with a long term view. I’ve gradually come to the realisation that everything is a compromise, and that is true of mobile phones as much as any technology.

The advantages of owning a smartphone for me are fairly obvious to anyone who sees the collection of equipment that one could replace. I will write in terms of the iPhone here because that is the product which I have spent the most time considering. When I visited York last weekend, I had a MiFi supplying fast wireless Internet for my iPod Touch and iPad. I also carried my current mobile phone, which continually frustrates me with its slow reaction times, small memory and lack of Internet, apps and so forth. Whilst I am a keen photographer, I did not bring my camera as it is simply not practical for me to carry. Having an iPhone I would be able to do away with the iPod touch, terrible phone and would not miss a camera. I would not spend so much time looking up mobile numbers on the iPod and typing them in to the sync-less phone. I would be able to share Internet with the iPad and not need the MiFi. I would gain GPS navigation and never again miss the ability to tweet or take an opportunist photo.

Whilst these advantages are attractive, do they justify the cost? It is worth considering alternative devices when cost is of importance. Unfortunately the gap in pricing between Apple’s latest model and the rival Android devices is not that great. I don’t find the larger screens necessary, if they are accompanied by an inferior software experience (hopefully someone will eventually prove to me that there are high quality equivalents to my most used iOS apps). No smartphone camera is as good as my current camera except in portability. This is the matter on which I feel most likely to be swayed in the future. Inevitably I desire to take photos when I don’t have a camera available and this frustrates me, but I would get far more enjoyment and use from a camera costing significantly less than a smart phone.

What annoys me about the iPhone 4S is that I would fairly swiftly run out of space and regret not spending more on a larger capacity model. Here is one point I concede to the myriad of Android and other non-iPhones with their expandable memory. This helped justify not buying the iPhone when I was teetering a few weeks ago. I could buy a perfectly good iPod Touch with 32GB storage for less than half the cost of the 32GB iPhone, and while it doesn’t do as much it does enough to satisfy my needs.

Here is my real reason for not buying any smartphone yet: I don’t want to be permanently attached to the Internet. I don’t want to be always available, ready to respond to any email, constantly up to date with news. I find life more interesting when I have my head up, observing. I get more time to think when I am not absorbed by a little touch screen. I can actually have a conversation with someone next to me, and not waste time playing a silly little game. If I want to take photographs, I can plan ahead and bring the real deal. I still have my iPod touch to play music and apps when I feel the need.

This freedom from digital communication is becoming rarer, and it’s something I want to cherish. I am never more than a few hours from the web, so I don’t see the need to be 10 seconds from my inbox. When I eventually earn enough that an iPhone would cost me a relatively small amount, I will probably own one and enjoy it. But for now, a device that I cannot afford to replace and the costs of replenishing mobile Internet bandwidth every month, are not something I feel are worth the financial burden. I am about to begin a masters degree funded by my own savings, and for now I’d rather have great experiences and nice food than be able to check my email wherever I am.

This coming week I won’t be posting every day. I will try to write something but I don’t intend to subject myself to a daily posting schedule just yet. I’d like to write something about my quest for a new mobile phone and perhaps a discussion on creativity and procrastination, but we shall see if I can avoid the latter ;~p.

I am back at home for the weekend, and whoever planned the tree planting around here in the 1980s certainly designed a colourful autumn show for us.

It was tough to think of what to do today. Fridays are always tiring and involve a rush to get things finished before the weekend, then a 3 hour trip from Hinxton to home. This image is of the last thing I see before my Friday night slumber (no, my vision is not that bad, I just thought I’d deliberately not focus so you can’t really tell what it is).

I wanted to draw a “thing” today. I tried to draw my iPod using just 2 colours, but that was a little dull. So I skimmed through the photos on my iPad and was inspired to try a mushroom and continue with Monday’s theme of smallish natural objects. This was a chance to practice using the brushes and smudge tool in my favourite drawing app, Procreate. I don’t feel it’s quite finished, but it might be interesting to come back in the future and improve things.

Today it was 10pm before I got started, so I just did a quick sketch of some leaves. The burst and then fade of colour in the trees around us are my favourite autumnal subject. This 5 minute sketch will serve as a beginning; simple, quick and with a theme I can develop later.

At the moment I am living in Cambridge for 5 nights a week. I commute by bike, which takes about an hour each way including a shower and getting changed at the work end. When I get back after working I brew a mug of tea and spend a bit of time cooking and washing up. Once or twice a week my evening commute is diverted via a shop to stock up. By the time I sit down at the computer (my old laptop — not a fun machine to work on) it’s often 20.30 and I spend the a while surfing the web. Afterwards I am pretty much exhausted for the day and all I want to do is watch a TV episode or go to bed with a book. And so the cycle goes on…

It’s nice to be working again, but I forgot how much your free time becomes valuable. The weekends, previously a time to continue with all my hobbies and interests, have become a time to recover and basically avoid sitting behind a computer. My wrists and eyes are not fond of being parked at a desk for so many hours of the day, yet that is what I subject them to.

Moving forward I hope to catch up with some of my draft posts. I don’t know who reads this (especially when I write too much in one go) but I shall continue and strive to come up with new things to write about and perhaps manage shorter, weekly posts.