Sound and Fury

The series of articles is fascinating, covering the professional and social mobile space.

I like the distinction between "nomad", "astronaut" and "hermit crab". It's useful. In brief, an astronaut brings everything, including the kitchen sink with him. He travels, but does not depend on his environment. The hermit crab is a middle-ground - he brings certain essentials (probably what he can fit in a backpack or messenger bag). The nomad, in his most extreme form, doesn't carry water in the desert, because he knows where to find it - Blackberry, no laptop.

Some of the sociological musings are interesting as well, particularly the concern over the erosion of weak ties. Others cover old ground predictably.

As someone who is about three years too old to have grown up with pervasive text messaging and the social culture that it engenders, it's a fascinating topic, because I have friends on both ends of the spectrum, and the difference in interaction styles makes life difficult at times.