i have these moments periodically, when i’m flipping between iTunes, Firefox, mail.app, NewsFire, Adium, etc, when i honestly can’t remember what working was like before exceptionally fast laptops and Internet connections. i literally can’t imagine doing the work that i do today, or living the life that i lead, without this stuff.

how’d we do research before?

how’d we schedule lunches?

how’d we figure out how to get anywhere in a foreign city?

how’d we keep up with what’s happening in a 2 year old friend in Philadelphia’s life? or his parents'?

i honestly can’t remember. i think that in the years since i got to Stanford (1989, 2 weeks before Loma Prieta) that something incredibly fundamental has taken place. a shift that’s impossible to get your head around. and it’s touching absolutely everything.

now & then i just have to pause and be amazed at it all.