Has Your Computer Replaced Your "Stuff?"
Monday, August 16, 2010 by Shep McAllister 
How long could you function with a computer and nothing else? Image courtesy of Flickr user Johan Brook and licensed under CC by SA 2.0
It's been a pretty incredible few days over here at HackCollege. A bunch of us got together in New York for a weekend, we're working with Lifehacker for their back-to-school week, and now our founder Kelly is the talk of the internet after the BBC featured him in this article.
It's a great read, and Kelly's segment is all about one of his side projects, the Cult of Less. Kelly's used the site for the past year or so to get rid of everything he owns by cataloging all his possessions, and then (unless he wants to keep it) giving them away or selling them. Having seen his apartment this weekend, I can vouch for the site's effectiveness. His rationale is that the devices we carry around these days -- laptops, smartphones, tablets -- can do most of the things we used to rely on standalone items for.
So what do you think? What physical items have you replaced with apps and programs? What can you still not live without?
Reader Comments (4)
First time reader here :) headed to a university for the first time later next month. Love the site!
Anyway, Jotnot pro and geniusscan have replaced my scanner - they use the iphone's camera to turn pictures of documents into PDFs
I still have to have some decent sound and no app can replace good external speakers or headphones. I can't find an app that replaces the convenience of a real-life, tangible, full year calendar on my desk to better manage my time. So other than a calendar, some speakers and some ramen, alls I needs is a laptop.
First time reader here as well, going into my junior year of college (crunch time lol) and I'll be visiting the site of a regular basis....So my laptop and my phone (namely Evernote) has replaced the need for my idea notebook, but sadly I still have to take notes in class :(
I'm not in college anymore, but a lot of tips on this site apply to my lifestyle. I still find a good ole pen and pad of paper are great for taking notes (I work in support for a large IP/telephony software company). Any time I'm on the phone with customers, I find paper/pen great for taking notes, and connecting thoughts when I'm on the phone with a frazzled customer. I translate it all into a good summary on my workstation.