Saturday Night and Tablets

For more years than I can count I’ve spent my Saturday nights at a theatre. Whether I’m in rehearsal or just at the theatre in my office while the current show is going on I’m at the theatre. I’m at the theatre for most of my life and on many other nights as well, but there’s something different about Saturday nights. Most of other nights I spend working. There’s usually no one else in the office and the peace and quiet allows me to focus on whatever the task is at hand. But Saturday nights I reserve for a little relaxation.

While I’m on call in case there is an emergency or customer issue, I have the office all to myself, with the exception of the intermission where I go downstairs to mingle and talk with our audience members. Typically on those nights of relaxation I’m either reading or watching video. Sometimes both.

I used to do most of that on my desktop computer before Tablets came along. But it’s not just the hardware that has shifted how I enjoy a little R&R. It’s actually some of the software or Apps that have changed the experience. For example, Apps like Flipboard, Zite (the new version 2.0 is quite nice) Pocket, and Instapaper have become staples of my reading experience on a Saturday night alone in the office. Throughout the week I’ll see things in Flipboard or Zite that I want to “read later” and save them to either Pocket or Instapaper. That’s especially true with long form content. If I’m in a reading mood I’ll put on a little music and read away. Of course there are many a Saturday night that I’m reading a book via the Kindle App.

For watching video I have options to choose from including Netflix or Amazon Video. When I can get my Slingbox working I can also view things from my home setup as well. I also have devices to choose from as well. I’ve taken to using Netflix on the Surface RT and I’ll use the iPad, either the mini or the full size, for viewing Amazon video.

There’s nothing really new or innovative about any of this with one exception. Rather than sitting at my desk, I can thrpw my feet up on another chair and sit back a bit to enjoy this little time of R&R. When those moments happen it is almost as relaxing as being home on my porch in nicer weather. Now if I could only have a beer when I’m in the work R&R mode.