I thought it might be interesting to share the way I use computers which is
informed by my life when I am wearing my artist hat.
I have been using
"the network is the computer" for almost 10 years. Perhaps if I could
have afforded a very powerful machine to start with I might not have taken
this path but
probably I would have gone this way anyway because I have
taught myself how to multitask to the extent that I need a great deal of real
estate and power.
My core system includes 3-6 desktops, 1 laptop, a
local server, three remote servers,
amazon storage, video storage, digital
music studio, 2 cell phones most in wired and
wireless configurations. I
don't like the wireless configuration yet as much because it
is still less
reliable and less secure.
Until recently I had a Linux machine in
the mix. I also wanted to use rsync for backup
but it was too slow when I
tried it.
Each system has its own monitor and keyboard or other
input device, I use a graphics
tablet for some applications and a musical
keyboard for others and dragon dictate for
others. I am an all windows
system although I wish I could integrate a mac because of
things like time
machine, but I have a good deal of adobe software I would have to
re-license.
I have learned to multitask in such a way that I can
setup one process or task and
while it is processing turn to another
machine to start another process or task. Using
multiple windows has never
been a good solution because to be productive the workflow has to be setup
pretty precisely to avoid resizing windows and palettes all the time. If I
could afford a very large single monitor I would still have to move things
around so that
I can see them well so even larger monitors is not a
complete solution. Moving my chair
and swiveling is a better solution.
Good posture and hand position is important when
working this intensely so
as not to injure myself.
I find that I can be very efficient this
way with almost no down time (wait time) so
that I can create and process
my work in real time. Without doing this I found that I was
always waiting
for something and would lose concentration. I think my experience of
playing a musical keyboard and other musical electronic devices has given me a
full body
approach or at least and ambidextrous approach. I can use one
mouse to control a machine with my right hand and another to control a machine
with my left. My setup tends to be probably pretty cramped for most people and I
use rolling anthrocarts and aron? chairs so I can move fluidly. I have
application redundancy because I still find rebuilding a
machine and
getting all my applications to work properly and with stability can set my
back a week. Redundancy allows me to plan a rebuild better.
There
are a couple of somewhat surprising challenges. One is that I have to be sure to
eat well before I start work and to stop as soon as I begin to tire
because loss of
concentration can send the whole system into chaos and it
becomes easy to screw something up and not remember how it was done. The
stopping is the hardest.
This whole approach may sound funny to
others but my goal has been to be able to think
and create in real time. I
believe that the measure should be for the person to be as
productive as
they want to be and can be.When I have employees I try to provide this same
capability for them. After all it is the person and their life that is the most
valuable
not the machine(s).
For the most part it works
quite well.
--
Ann Racuya-Robbins
Founder and CEO World
Knowledge Bank www.wkbank.com
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