Forgot How to Write Seriously? Toss the Computer for a Dana
I used to write a lot better before I got a computer. Really. The lethal combination of pen and paper ensured that I could write anywhere, anytime. Then, in 1986, I bought an Amstrad word processor and it's been downhill ever since.
Nowadays, I can't focus on one program for more than five minutes, what with all the distractions: software notifying me of incoming e-mail, software notifying me that my incoming e-mail-to-spam ratio is 96.23%, software notifying me my last e-mail to Auntie Mildred has been read 12 hours and 46 minutes after it was sent, a chat message from an insomniac Australian friend, an alarm alerting me I need to pay rent, my firewall alerting me of yet another assault on my Internet defenses. No wonder I never write haiku any more.
Computers are designed to do lots of things, and with graphical interfaces like Microsoft Windows and the Mac, they're designed to do them at the same time, jostling for room on your screen. That's great if you've got tunnel vision, or are crashing up against deadline (like me right now). Otherwise, all this extra processing power isn't matched by any great multitasking ability in our brains. My message this week, therefore, is this: If you're planning to write seriously, don't use a computer. Use a Dana.
OK, for e-mails and memos to your vocabulary-challenged boss, you may not need monastic calm and a minimum of distractions. But computers, even notebooks, may not be your friend if you're trying to compose something masterful and meaningful. Instead, you may want to check out AlphaSmart Inc., a company in Los Gatos, Calif., which realized early on that there was a market for something to write on without all the extra hullabaloo to distract you. The decade-old AlphaSmart series, now into its third generation with the 3000, has been popular with students, teachers and anyone else needing a decent keyboard and a usable screen that don't break their back or the bank. They're robust too: One reader describes on the company Web site (
www.alphasmart.com) how her unit -- stuck to the floor, and slightly melted --was the only electronic gadget still working after her house burned down.
The 3000 is about the size of a notebook, but looks more like a keyboard with a small LCD display on the top. Powered by three AA batteries, it delivers you to whatever you were writing before you turned it off (or had to flee the licking flames). The four-line display is simple but shows just enough of what you're doing without feeling cramped. The keyboard is full sized and there's a USB socket for uploading files to your computer, and a socket to connect to a printer (or external keyboard, if you wish). Grey keys line the top of the keyboard, allowing you to store and recall up to eight separate files. It's the sort of thing a student would love, which is the market AlphaSmart has focused on, but it could just as easily work for you if you're sick of sitting at a computer all day, or tired of firing up a laptop on a flight and watching the power die just as the Muse kicks in.
Late last year AlphaSmart took the concept one stage further with the Dana. The Dana does everything the 3000 does, only better. The screen is bigger, at 10 lines to the 3000's four, the keyboard's nicer and the whole thing is a tad sleeker than its forbears. It also runs the Palm operating system, which brings with it plenty of advantages: For one thing, if you're familiar with Palm, you'll know your way around; for another, you can do everything a Palm device can do, such as swap Office documents with your computer, store contacts, calendars and whatnot. In fact, to some it could be just a bigger Palm device -- most of the software is redesigned to fit a screen far wider than your hand-held -- with a first-class keyboard attached. But that's missing the point: The Dana is a word processor that uses the best Palm has to offer -- compact, useful software, immediate access, configurable fonts, low power consumption -- without trying to be too much else.
If you're looking for something to write on during a trip to the country, the dentist or the restroom, and can't be bothered to bring a laptop (or can't afford one) then the Dana is an option. If you're a writer and sick of the distractions of modern computing, the Dana is worth a look.
Gripes? A few. The monochrome screen is nice but looks a bit dated, especially the backlight. With a list price of $400 it's substantially cheaper than a laptop or notebook, but not that much cheaper than a state of the art, full-color hand-held device. (Shell out another $75 and you have a foldable keyboard which fits in your pocket.) And without a cover or clamshell, some reviewers have rightly suggested the screen might easily get scratched.
But these are minor niggles. I'm seriously thinking about getting one for my inspirational visits to the hills where a laptop is too much, and the miserly screen of my Palm Tungsten not quite enough. Might even try some haiku.
让你找回诗人感觉的文字处理器
在我用上电脑前，我写的比现在好得多。真的，纸和笔的绝妙搭配使我能在任何时间、任何地方写作。然而，自我1986年买了一台Amstrad文字处理器后，就走上了下坡路。
现在，我无法对一个题目专注五分钟以上，因为会有各种各样让我分心的东西：软件通知我收到电子邮件，软件通知我收到的电子邮件与垃圾邮件的比例达到96.23%，软件又通知我给姑妈的最新邮件在发送12小时46分钟后被阅读，一个患失眠症的澳大利亚朋友给我发来了聊天信息，一个提示告诉我该付房租了，而我的防火墙又警告我再度受到互联网黑客攻击。难怪我再也没心思写诗了。
电脑被设计用来做很多事情，而有了微软Windows和苹果Mac等图形界面后，电脑具备了同时处理多项任务的能力，这些任务不断地争夺显示屏上的空间。如果你的眼睛天生视野狭窄，或正在拼命赶稿（就和我现在一样），那到没什么问题。否则，电脑高超的多任务处理能力恐怕不是任何人类大脑能跟得上的。因此，我本星期的建议是：如果你想认真写作，不要用电脑，用AlphaSmart的产品"Dana"。
当然，如果只是给水平不高的老板写电子邮件或备忘录，你可能不必静思冥想，摒弃所有杂念后再提笔。不过，如果你想试著写点有意义有水平的东西，就不能用电脑，包括笔记本电脑。反之，你应该去尝试一下AlphaSmart公司的产品。这家美国公司很早就意识到这样一个市场的存在，即人们需要一件能让人不受打扰进行写作的产品。
AlphaSmart系列产品问世已经10年了，现在进入了第三代的3000系列，在学生、教师等群体中一直大受欢迎，因为他们只需要一个像样的键盘和一个能用的显示器，而同时这东西的价格又不能太贵。这种产品还非常结实：据一个用户在AlphaSmart的网站(
www.alphasmart.com)上说，在她房子遭遇火灾后，她用的AlphaSmart产品是唯一剩下的还能工作的电子产品，火灾过后它只是稍微有点儿融化，粘在了地上。
3000的大小和笔记本电脑差不多，但看上去更象一个键盘上面搭配了一个小液晶屏幕。它使用三节AA电池，能在你关机之前（或者跑出去躲火灾的时候）让你随心所欲地写作。只能显示四行文字的屏幕虽然简单，但不会让你觉得局促。键盘是标准尺寸，有一个USB接口，用于向电脑上传文件，还有一个用于连接打印机（或外置键盘）的接口。键盘上方有一排灰色的按钮，能让你储存并调用八个不同的文件。这是学生喜欢的那种产品，而学生是AlphaSmart公司非常重视的市场，但如果你已经厌倦于整天坐在电脑旁，或厌倦于在飞机上打开笔记本电脑却发现快要没电，那么这个产品也一样适合你。 2002年底，AlphaSmart公司更进一步，推出了Dana。Dana具有3000的所有功能，显示行数为10行，大于3000的4行，键盘更舒适，整体外观也比3000更好看。Dana还能使用Palm掌上电脑的操作系统，这给它带来很多优势：一是如果你熟悉Palm，用起来就能轻车熟路；二是你能做任何Palm掌上电脑能做的事情，如与电脑交换Office文档、储存通讯簿、日历及日程等。事实上，它可以算是一个大型化的Palm掌上电脑──其所有软件都被重新设计以适应比掌上电脑更大的屏幕，而且还附有一流的键盘。然而，这还不是重点。Dana是一个结合Palm最佳优点的文字处理器──体积小巧、软件称心、随时使用、可调整文字、低能耗等──而避免了电脑过份复杂的功能。
如果你希望在出国途中、看牙医或上厕所时写点什么，又不想随身带著笔记本电脑（或无力承担），那Dana是不错的选择。如果你是位作家，不愿让电脑复杂的功能令你分心，那Dana也值得一试。
缺点呢？也有一些。其单色屏幕虽好但看上去有些过时，特别是在背光情况下。其400美元的售价虽比笔记本电脑便宜许多，但与采用先进技术的全彩掌上电脑相比优势不大。（只要加75美元，你的掌上电脑就能配上一个可折叠的键盘。）由于没有外壳保护，一些评论家正确地指出，其屏幕可能很容易被擦伤。 但这只是一些小毛病。我正在考虑买一个以便在登山思考时使用，那种场合带笔记本电脑太麻烦了，而我的Palm Tungsten掌上电脑的屏幕又太小。这样，我也许又能赋诗吟句了。
