It used to be, before smartphones, that when I made an appointment to be somewhere, I would write it down on a calendar. Before I would leave, I would get a map and look up where I’m suppose to go, taking careful notes on how to get there. I would also write the phone number down just in case.
Once I connected my palmIII to the web via a cell phone, I started to become a bit less careful, knowing that if I did forget, the odds that the address or phone number I needed would be in my email somewhere. This became worse as I connected my treo to a Bluetooth GPS and thus had access to maps and voice directions.

Now enter the iPhone.

I was already getting sloppy knowing I had online access with the treo, but the iPhone has taken it to a completely new level. I keep the iPhone connected to the charger on my night stand. So if I cannot sleep, or forgot to do something, I do not have to get up, I just grab the iPhone and I’m online. Have to meet someone somewhere?  I will wait till I’m out of the house before I bother to look up where I’m going. I assume I have the name of the place in an email or twitter somewhere, type the name of the place in google-maps and go from there. It’s gotten so bad, that when I wake up, the first thing I do is check email. Why? just because I can. And I end up lazing in bed an extra 15 min.  Ahh… I do not even bother booting up the computer till I have my coffee now.

There is a limit though; when I start checking twitter first thing in the morning, then I know I’m over connected.

What is even more funny is the XKCD’s cartoon for today (or tomorrow) …

I already wrote the first draft of this post waiting for a friend at a restaurant in SF before reading my online comics.  Timing is a funny thing.