I have a tendency to get so into stuff I am doing on the computer that I lose track of time.

This results in being chronically late during times of peak computing activity (like all day).

So I programmed my Mac to tell me the time. Every 30 minutes a nice voice of what must be a very nice person (all of my life experience tells me that mellow voices like these belong to nice people) tells me the time. Usually I am shocked that time has passed so rapidly.

Then I just keep sitting there clicking the keys.

Where the heck is Joan Rivers when you need her? Is she permanently locked into a New York City taxi cab?

Suggested message: “Get your fat, lazy ass out of that chair.” Or something of the same ilk.

Joan, I love you. Don’t desert me.

PS: Joan, if you won’t work for Apple then I am going ask them to hire Dr Ruth, PeeWee Herman, any New York sportscaster, or someone who channels Mr Rogers or George Bush (41 or 43) to do the voice for “get off your ass” messages. Alternately Apple might want Bill Clinton to record “I did not waste time on that program, Microsoft Office.”

PPS: Audible reminders from a human voice are nice. But to cause me to want to pay attention they have to be more compelling, annoying, funny, or stoopid.