An editor of a publication asked if it would be ok to reprint this essay. Since it is 15 years old, I thought it would look pretty silly if it were reprinted now. There are a few lines in the essay that I still like.

All of these features are feasible with existing technology. The problem is that if you tried to combine them into a single device, you’d probably need to carry around a power pack the size of a cantaloupe.

Today, a teacher in a classroom or a speaker in a meeting has a presumptive ownership over the attention of the audience. My guess is that within five years or so this will have broken down completely. You simply will take it for granted that while you address an audience, people will be engaged in electronic communication with external parties, only intermittently tuning in to what you have to say.

But mostly, there are clunkers like this:

I do not see signs of mobile Internet devices crossing the chasm. Palm Pilots have been around for a few years now, and I am still waiting for a compelling reason to buy one. I’m sorry, but the way see it, if I need something to keep myself occupied when I’m traveling, I can pack a book.