Tools for life examination
The Wall Street Journal recently published an interesting story on web based tools that are making it easier and easier for people to chronicle the activities of their lives. Tools referenced in the article range from the more mainstream (Facebook, Twitter) to others that are more focused, including Dopplr (a travel itinerary sharing site and Myrcocosm, a site that helps users compile and share the minutiae of daily life), among others.
Though I see the immediate and practical utility in many of these sites, I wonder about the amount of time required to keep these records current and I am dubious of the lasting/long-term utility for people for this type of chronicling. Tracking for tracking sake doesn’t have much appeal to me, and I suspect that is true for the great majority of others.
Thirty years from now (when I am 73), will I really care about the lunch that I had on December 8, 2008? I doubt it. I think I’d rather remember what I was doing with my family and friends.
You can read the article here.