In computer news this week, 01/06/2003

What's your mentality - paper or digital?

Do you have a paper memory, or do you have a digital computer memory? If you have a paper memory, this is a busy time of the year for you. If you have a digital computer memory, with the personal computer being around now for 27 years, things are a lot easier.

I'm not being judgemental; I'm just pointing out that if you have a personal computer, which most people do, you can really save yourself a lot of time - at this time of the year particulary - by using computer programs that can save you a lot of time.

One of the most common computer programs used is Microsoft Outlook, which most computers come bundled with - meaning you get it free. Outlook is a good selection of tools to do everyday tasks for business and personal items, and I'll use it in our paper/computer memory comparison.

If you're of the paper mentality, you've been busy putting up paper calendars, marking key days like birthdays and special events, and transferring information from your old calendars to your new 2003 ones. Weekly meetings require a lot of marking and writing - don't they?

If you use Outlook, probably most of those birthdays and special events are already in there and will just repeat themselves for 2003. For example, once you enter someones' birthday it will keep showing up each year. For events you just set up the recurrence of the event and they will appear automatically.

With your paper calendar, you have to look at it and flip the pages to see what's coming up. With Outlook, it shows you your calendar all the time in a variety of views which you can choose. You can even print out a paper calendar for any period in a variety of formats, if you want a paper copy.

If you're of the paper mentality, you've probably spent considerable time copying names and addresses over to your new 2003 address book. If you use Outlook, there's no work to do - it's all there - same as last year. In fact, you can even print out your address book on paper - in several small address book formats - if you so desire.

If you use a paper address book - does it have a line for email addresses and website addresses? Some still don't.

If you're of the paper mentality, how do you handle your "Things to do or tasks list". Still using that string around your finger, or do you have those more modern yellow sticky notepads?

With Outlook you can have a Todo list, assign priorities to tasks, have due dates, and have it remind you about tasks; even show you the percentage you've completed.

With paper, you probably write upcoming appointments down on your paper calendar and maybe on slips of paper. If you need to change it - you scribble out the old date and write in the new one somewhere.

With Outlook all your appointments are in your calendar. Your computer will remind you when an appointment is coming up. If you have to reschedule it - you can just drag and drop it to the new day and time, without scribbling or rewriting.

And if you have the Timex Datalink watch, you can just hold your watch up to your computer screen and it will transfer your appointments and contacts to your watch.

The data you have in outlook can merge with other Microsoft programs, like Word for sending letters or invitations. And of course you can put people in your address book into different categories, and even create your own special ones.

So maybe next year when you face all that paper pushing again, maybe you might consider switching mentalities.

For Raw Bytes, This is Frank Delaney

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