Can I move to the cloud?

In using the iPad for the past few weeks, one of my missions has been to discover the answer to the frequently asked question: Can that thing replace my laptop? I still travel with both the iPad and my 17in Macbook Pro but I’m seeking to fly “iPad solo” soon. There are still things I need that I haven’t figured out how to do with the iPad alone. I Use iWeb to build and maintain my websites and I cannot interface without the design and publishing ends of things the way I’d like to with the iPad. An iPad lite version of iWeb would be useful but I fear that the small (16 gig) HD on the device wouldn't begin to hold my sites folder.

I also shoot and use a lot of videos and pictures and the small HD fills up quickly, forcing me to choose which media I can and should take along each time I travel. I live my life with a "junk drawer" HD mentality. That is to say,, I'm used to having a huge HD with a LOT of stuff on it in case I need it. I like knowing that whatever the circumstance, I'll have that one movie, picture or keynote at my fingertips. Consider ing living entirely on the iPad means changing this strategy and this might be a healthier, more Zen way of life. of course I store much in the cloud and in multiple locations since my "digital stroke” of a year ago. Learning to organize data for easy retrieval and counting on connectivity to access these bits and bytes is another matter.

I liken these challenges to living or vacationing in an Airstream camper. You can do a lot and have a lot of fun living in one of these campers but you cannot take everything in your house with you on the road. You are forced to choose what will be most practical and useful when you pack the Airstream and this may be a good thing for me.

We Americans, with our storage solutions and leases on storage units are accustomed to having and keeping a LOT of things. It's not until the estate sale that follows our death that some of us will finally give up the accumulated minutiae of a lifetime. Perhaps the migration to cloud computing will be a positive change for many of us. I feel the fatigue that accompanies this shift and feel pulled back toward the "keep everything" approach all the time, especially when I’m under stress. That nagging fear that I'll be without the ONE file that mattered is a palpable one.

For now my focus is on the fun and easy going nature of the Airstream. If I can move into this Airstream cloud perhaps I can streamline what is getting to be a life of digital clutter. As I write this post on the Notes app on my iPad I’m thinking I'll keep you informed as I attempt to make the transition.