Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!dali.cs.montana.edu!milton!ogicse!verdix!bit!toma
From: toma@bit.UUCP (Tom Arneberg)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Too much computing is detrimental
Message-ID: <57@bit.UUCP>
Date: 27 Jun 90 20:51:19 GMT
References: <29256@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> <25l4zrr@unify.uucp> <29318@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> <7723@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM>
Reply-To: toma@bit.UUCP (Tom Arneberg)
Distribution: na
Organization: BIT  Portland, OR
Lines: 35

In article <7723@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM> toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy) writes:
>
>Things computers are not useful for:
>2. Personal databases (recipes, record collections, Christmas card mailing
>   lists) because you spend far too much time setting them up than using
>   them.
>
>Address book: Mine is written down. I always have it -- even can use it
>to look up a telephone number in a phone booth. My finger is capable of
>dialing or tapping out a phone number, no telco jack required! I can also
>print a mailing address on an envelope faster than I can switch my printer
>from continuous feed paper to single feed envelopes. (Note, for frequently
>used mailing lists, the computer is just fine!)

I agree with most of your posting (i.e. computers aren't that useful for
most "home" uses), but I can't imagine going back to the days of a paper
address book. Maybe it's a function of age of your friends, but people in
their 20's (most of my friends) seem to change address an average of 
once every year or two. 

I finally gave up my heavy-with-whiteout address book in 1984 and have
been keeping all addresses in a database on my Mac since then. The key, of
course, is to PRINT THE THING OUT every few months, and carry THAT around
with you just as you do your paper address book. (I also couldn't go back
to hand-addressing Christmas envelopes!!)

One more useful thing you forgot: home fincances, at least for tracking
and categorizing of expenditures.

==============================================================================
/\_______\      /\___\	        Thomas R. Arneberg, Senior CAD Engineer
\/__   __/     / /    \	        Bipolar Integrated Technology, Beaverton, Ore.
 / /  /       / /  /\  \        (World's fastest floating point/RISC chips!)
/ /  / /\_\  / /  /==\  \ /\_\  UUCP: ...!{harvard!ogicse,sun,decwrl}!bit!toma
\/__/  \/_/  \/__/    \__\\/_/  Internet: bit!toma@cse.ogi.edu