Digital BW, The Print

Time is money.

Computers do not get slower as they age.  If you avoid upgrading the
software needlessly, the computer that was fast enough a few years ago
will remain fast enough today.  Hardware upgrades are driven by software
upgrades.  And often software upgrades really add nothing useful to the
system, but bloat it further and slow it by another 20%, such that you
have to buy a faster machine just to maintain the same level of
productivity.

> Those that do, probably need not another "upgrade" but more
> likely a course in management.

It's cheaper and more productive to upgrade the hardware than to try to
chop up the day's tasks into tiny bits that can be done as filler while
waiting for a too-slow computer to respond.

Indeed, if the computer task is on the critical path, then it must be
done in a certain time.  If it isn't, big money can be lost, no matter
how the waiting periods were filled with other make-busy tasks.


Which is why I maintain three computers . . . one is exclusively for image editing and DV work. All the gee-gaws that were with the original package have been stripped away and dumped. Just the basic OS, the graphic software, and all the memory I can fit. The other two machines have word processing, internet and all the other "necessary" functions.

While I am not advocating jumping up and running to the garage every couple of minutes to wash the car, you CAN do other things. Sitting in front of your screen looking like a bump on a log and swearing at IBM, MS, Apple, etc is one thing you can do . . . sadly, one thing most people do . . . or look in their latest 'puters 'r' us catalog and drool over new memory. On the other hand, you can work on that letter, or submission, or continue filing. Minute things that need to be done and can easily be done with no interference in your "waiting". It just takes a little commitment and effort, which seem to be a couple of four letter words that most people really like to avoid . . . especially the latter.

I have been a "creative" image maker for about thirty years. Someone who is far more efficient than I, showed me how to work smarter long before the world started downsizing and globalizing. I have never looked back.

Paul Aparycki

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]