In the previous installment on using your tablet to engineer buildings, we focused on design, touching upon apps used to sketch concepts, review drawings, and perform calculations. Before we move on to commissioning with our tablets, I wanted to pose a question as old as mobile devices themselves: How does one reign in the use of mobile devices to a reasonable level?
Seemingly constant use of the ubiquitous devices seems to be prevalent if not downright epidemic. Scan any public place, and it often seems that people are interacting with their devices more than with each other. I was standing in line one morning recently waiting for a local store to open, and just about everyone in line was looking at their phone, even those who were waiting with a friend or partner. This issue is especially relevant to raising children who are growing up with ever-increasing access to mobile devices, challenging parents to establish boundaries and set examples of appropriate use.