Techno-fuddyduddy getting anxious

[Nancy Allison <maker -at- verizon -dot- net>]

I'm getting concerned about my out-of-touchness with tools and technologies.

When I was freelancing, for a while I tried to land contracts with startups because I figured they were likely to be the most open-minded places, with no prior expectations as to what user documentation should be like.

I was totally wrong! Every startup I worked at wanted to use the cheapest possible tools, which meant MS Office because everybody had it, and the simplest possible output: PDF and online help spun out from the .doc files with no alteration.

I've also mostly worked in small places without opportunity for collaboration; I don't travel and don't need mobile apps . . . in many ways, technologically I'm on the cutting edge of 1995. This has become especially clear as I've learnd how other people are using OneNote abnd EverNote. They casually toss in remarks about tools and hardware I've never seen much less used. (Android? That's a phone, right? Or is it software that runs on various phones? I've never needed to find out . . . )

On a scale of 1 to 10, Total Techno-Fuddyduddy to Totally Techno-Advanced, where you would place yourself ?

I'd put myself somewhere around a 3 or 4. Since my job doesn't require me to use a lot of the newer technologies, how the heck do I get exposure to them without spending a bundle of my own money? (Fancy phone, android or otherwise, is out because I am a skinflint, unless someone can convince me that it is absolutely crucial ...)


Fuddyduddily yours,

Nancy
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