Life continues when the internet is not available – really. I’m writing this post whilst away in Lincolnshire in the House of Correction. Unfortunately because the walls are so thick and the place is a little bit isolated, so the mobile phone signal is inadequate and the facilities of the house do not stretch to broadband-ed WIFI. Rather than panic about not having easy fast internet access that I’ve become accustomed I’m having to think laterally and work slightly differently.
No Google Drive
One thing that is apparent when you have no internet is that all of the cloud based tools you use are no longer available to you. I hadn’t take any steps to make Google Drive available offline (I think there are Chrome extensions which allow this but I cannot look it up).
Instead of using Google Docs, I’m writing this post in Pages. I’m a big fan of pages as my main word processor as its simplified interface and no nonsense approach to word processing means that you can get words on screen with minimum of fuss.
Limited Email
This is a blessing and a curse but not having email access has meant that my mind isn’t cluttered with lots of information or tasks that I need to do. When I walked down the pub I did get some signal and got some inbound mail but decided to leave them until I return.
Instead of reading email and flipboard we have been entertained by the guest book. The amount of self important visitors who feel it necessary to tell you all about their stay (often in excruciating detail) is hilarious. When you next stay anywhere with a guestbook I heartily recommend that you take time to read the previous entries as they can be quite delightful. I guess in someway this blog is a bit like the guestbook of my technical shenanigans – although I hope it is a little more useful than ridiculous!
Thank heavens for Spotify
I love that my Premium subscription to Spotify allows me to play files offline. This has to be one of the best features of the service as I can have whatever music I want wherever I happy to be – even when the internet isn’t available.
Fresh Air and Great Views
For a short period of time I’m happy to trade the connivence of fast internet access for fresh air and great views. Spending a little time away from the city provides a much needed chance to relax and reflect upon what to do and how best to do it.
Upload
I’ll have to wait until I return to upload this post and in the meantime I’ll just have to enjoy the mild weather, good beer and excellent company – what a hardship.
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