As an Independent Contractor, I have found myself planning to switch roles in the future, and over time, from 90% Truck Driving and 10% Computer services, to a gradual change of 20% Truck Driving, 60 % Computer Services, and 20% How To Videos. It will be gradual, since ownership of a truck must be able to sustain the expenses acquired. So, for now, I struggle to stock up and show most of the technical purchases for and towards running a truck. This type of expense cannot continue indefinitely.

      Over the course of twelve years, and with four net books, two camcorders, two Digital Cameras, two printers, and two Laptops, the cost of “up keep” is about to grow, when it comes to replacing batteries. Basically, after one year, all batteries no longer are capable of maintaining the strength or capacity of its charge for too long, and with the average cost of a Ni Cad Battery at around $100.00 each, showing cause or purpose cannot be done at this time. What I have is what has to last until the multi-use of the personal computers begin as a source of class or project resource. Besides, annual virus protection and the need to now update my outdated mapping and GPS programs already will be an expense. At least the mapping programs hold their means of purchase for truck driving.

      Four net books? Well, one already needs the processor fan replaced, a second has limited work ability, the third is on all the time to record the trips in progress, and the fourth holds all the daily business records. Although one laptop can do all this work, one laptop seems to be too big to run while the truck is rolling, since the bigger in size hard drive gets damaged from all the rough roads at times, and still is a very expensive machine equal to the cost of four net books.

    So, no new batteries this year. As the year goes on, the aging batteries will run less time, and it noticeably needs plugging in after an hour. The one specific net book is the one I toted inside the customers office with all the needed information to get loaded or unloaded, along with the ability to link online to send an email if needed for more information (such as a pick up number).

      My last purchase for the year of 2010 was a tablet, and with no initial reason for the purchase, was more of a gift for me, whether birthday, or to celebrate another completed year under a contract. For $100.00, I thought it would be a nice treat.Of course, if I could’ve found a reason for the truck, it would have been another expense for the business. A brainstorm came to mind.

       Online shared file sites

      There are some online servers attempting to attract business consumers to share their active work online. It is not a new proposal, but it still has very little advertisement other than it is there. Using Windows messenger, Microsoft (or MSN) offered space for small and medium businesses to use, and currently free, with a limit of 25 GB. To share a whole business workload would probably exceed the allotted limit. But why not only the essential work. Instead of me posting a workbook of information online, why not just a spreadsheet of information needed for that next stop? Much of this could just simply be carried over or shared on a palm pilot, but I would lose the ability to email for more missing information…unless I was prepared to carry a few devices inside. Hey, I just purchased a tablet.

      There are limits to the workable “live” online site, such as it not carrying over embedded comments when opened, but I could do without the comments, since much of that is for my “need to know”, and could stay on my computer. But the word workable means that what is online can still be added and edited to, form another desktop, laptop, net book, PDA, and that new tablet. I can wait on the cost of the batteries.

      Just so your following this concept, there is a workbook on my net book, that holds active and finished information for every aspect of running the truck as a business. This includes fuel purchases, scaling, oil, repairs, and the list of spreadsheets goes on. With uploading only the one spreadsheet with my pickup information, I no longer have to bee concerned about how long the net book can run, now since it can stay plugged in inside the truck. I carry my small tablet (along with my Verizon wireless card) inside and already linked to the live website, with all the information available. And, since it is through Windows MSN, the website had combined the “Sky” Site with my email account. Everything got that much more portable. And, the tablet is, in a sense, for work related records keeping and obtaining.

When Online sharing came about

      Microsoft has offered this site for a few years now, but only by online mention in a newsletter, its purpose for me was always in the experimental stage. I did try to share it with another person in a few work related activities, but they replied that they did not have an account. And, even though setting up an account is free, for their own personal reasons, they did not follow through. I do understand that they may already have two or more accounts on a different and more favored website. To each his/her own. So, the idea stalled, and except for saving some project for myself, the use of the Sky online was not a resource. Looking back, nothing stopped me from setting up an account, expressly to retrieve shared information, and giving them the account name and password, to retrieve and have access to the files. Something to remember in the future; I file saved, in my chosen location means my responsibility to set up access and simply send a link. After all, when they part ways, or for any reason, I now can change access to my file, and at my chosen location.

The advantages of shared files

      I have already expressed two advantages to online file sharing, the first is that it is now accessible by me through more than one means (computers, PDA devices, web link cell phones, etc.), the second was that this site also allowed you to add, edit, delete, and create from another device, through my account. I also mentioned that the control to access can be made at my disposal. Control also means limiting access, beside deleting the file off of the website. This site also allows you to give permissions to select individuals, or share with anyone. This also means I can have various shared files with their own permissions. And, when the work is modified, like with any window or site, it allows me to know when and by whom. Finally, the online Sky area allows Office tools to be shared no matter who is involved, and on whatever device or machine. Now, there is a place to share and work, and without the need to offer or suggest to a partnership to purchase the same product you are using. It seems that these service providers are now giving the next step to advancing the purpose of the internet as an interactive and virtual office, and unlike the SharePoint to keep it strictly within one’s own business, there is now a “bridge” that allows businesses a place to merge ideas and projects on shared projects in the reality (the real world). An electricians’ business can now implement ideas to the Architect, and a welder, can work with planners with other notes to be centered in one location, rather than email, and carbon copy the email to the rest. Its now up to the individual to find purpose to crossing this bridge, and keep discretion as the “walking stick” along the way.

 

The concepts of Online Files shared

      When I first started with a Desktop, the initial purchase was cheap, since I was just getting my feet wet, and only wanted it for the same reasons everyone else did, to reach out, communicate, and be entertained. I think by then, the purchase was around $600.00, which included the monitor. I was fascinated with the windows, games, and experimented with other purposes for the machine. Later, more accessories were purchased, so I can print and scan. Then came the luxuries, such as wireless keyboard and mouse. Because I also got into using it to keep up with what was happening at work, my experience with the machine, and finding potentials, accelerated. That was until work updated their machines and programs. To “keep up”, I invested in a Laptop, which back then, was double the cost of a desktop, and expanded its worth by purchasing Office programs that would work well with files for work as well as for home. Now all my personal records could be with me at all times. As my experience grew, so did the challenges. Because I wanted to use the Laptop for everything work and personally related, I learned about the care and treatment of Laptops the hard way, and had to purchase a second one. This one would be bigger and stronger than the last, since my need to use better programs grew as well.

      The Toshiba Satellite, with a spare battery, printer, and Professional Office Program came up to about $2,300.00. But that also included another printer, and disks for backing up my records. After all, learning the hard way with the first laptop, I went weeks before I could retrieve my records from the first hard drive. All in all, the time and money always stayed in the terms of an investment, since I was always learning, creating, and getting my value from it. The Toshiba is 11 years old, and although it has been beaten up over the years, through maintenance and repairs, it is still with me, and used today. It still is portable, and well used in the truck, but it was this computer that I learned could not keep running while the truck was rolling, because the shock of potholes and rough paths eventually caused the hard drive to skip and have damage. The HP DV 2200 was purchased, but only lasted a short time, since inside the supporting bars cracked, and were also a common ground for parts of the circuit board. I haven’t had time or money to repair it. Later came the $300.00 Net books, Small, light, but slow, with one Dell that has issues running any professional Office or Adobe programs, but still had purpose as the blogging and photo PC used often, and now a key machine for these blogs. All this id great, as the machines were purchased, the price went down, but sometimes so did the performance. Another issue was creating a shared environment. I mean, all my records are important, but if sharing a file with someone made from an Office Program, the goal fell short to a stop if they did not have the same programs, and could not work with it. I was still sharing “finished files and reports”, still looking for the ability to interact with others on tasks and projects.

      I saw a Morning News Show in November or December of 2011, and a segment was on the new tools and machines that were coming to the consumer. They talked about cheaper net books and laptops, and explained that the reason that they were getting cheaper was because they were being designed to work off online servers that offered a working environment for projects and file sharing. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea at first, because I was thinking “personal information online?” But it took awhile, that personal and private information was something to be kept on your own disk, and only the relating activities and projects to be collaborated on were where they were going with this. After all, there are businesses mandated by laws that protect clients rights to privacy and protection. It turns out, that like the social networks online, it is now the average person who needs to figure this out. Traditionally, many of us were raised hearing that you “don’t air out your dirty laundry in public”. Nothing has changed. The individual still needs to watch their P’s and Q’s”, and, “Respect the privacy of others”.  It is not a lesson learned to date, but some of that traditional words of advice will eventually resurface, especially in those Tweets.

      Online sharing is like a “virtual playground, work place, and social atmosphere”, where discretion is something the individual needs to have with them at all times. Like being in an actual playground, ballpark, bar or dinner club, and even at the office, we need to learn to only share what we need to and keep a certain protection and privacy for ourselves. But if compared to real locations and civil activities, anything can be created online, as in real life. Book Clubs, preparations for real life activities and events, and just like conferences, getting together online to create crafts and friendly gatherings, such as on those social networks. But the individual is evolving slower than the technical possibilities are offering, and even when the purpose is real to the creator, or initiator, it is not understood or the concept not easily grasped, since socializing still means “face-to-face interaction”. Skype offers pc to pc video communication, but people are like I was when wondering how many people have to same program, or are even interested. Granted, technology still has a long way to go with wireless broadcasting for this to be that much more attractive, but the individual still hasn’t grasp the concept of “virtually being there” with another, based on poor or fair quality of the products presentation, and lastly, we have truly sided with the entertainment value rather than just the time and purpose we make when interacting online. We will evolve. Like everything, it will just take time.

      Things will get cheaper, provided there is more dependency on online connections to a server and service. At the same time, there is an awareness to keep a small hard drive installed, for those personal and private files, never to be shared, and still available wherever we go. Sounds like the cell phone is the perfect tool. But net books and laptops will always be that advanced competition when it comes to creating, developing, and building projects, videos, and crafts. The desktop will still have its own purpose when it comes to the individual exploring advancing products that allow you to design and develop your own projects for the purposes of business, entertainment, and hobbies.