Nerdly Advice: Lightning Round

Nerdly Advice: Lightning Round

Apr 13

Most of the time, nerds force advice onto anybody they make eye contact with. You can tell it’s coming if you hear words like “Actually.” But sometimes nerds need advice and have nowhere to turn without damaging what they believe to be their credibility as wise sages.

Nerdly Advice is a safe and anonymous haven where you can ask your nerd questions and get nerd answers full of Jeff’s delightful misanthropy. This week, we tackle several different Important Questions. Have a question of your own? Email us at nerdlyadvice (at) gmail (dot) com.

Jeff, should I buy an iPad?!

I like the idea of the iPad a lot. I’m a believer in lightweight, intuitive-interface tablet devices making a lot of changes in the way we do a lot of things (I worked in the health care industry for awhile, where I think the iPad can do huge things in terms of revolutionizing the way patient data is charted and analyzed). Some pundits can complain about the iPad murdering innovation, but what it’s really going to do is get a bunch of people in the industry off their asses and working to make a better, more user-friendly tablet while Apple will keep refining its hardware until it gets it right. I don’t believe it’s had the perfect iPod until the recent iteration of the Nano, and it cribs a lot of features from the Zune, whose newest version is basically a matter of preference over the iPod Touch – long strides from a competitor whose first offering was a joke.

The iPad has flaws. It will get better. Or a competitor will fill those gaps with a superior product. Get that. Unless you have a giant pile of money. Then you should buy two and send one to me.

What am I going to do after LOST is over?

You might want to consider falling in love or adopting a pet. Maybe starting a book club or designing a board game.