We are still a long way from the…camera that would be, oh, like the telephone: something that you use all day long…a camera which you would use not on the occasion of parties only, or when your grandchildren came to see you, but a camera that you would use as often as your pencil or your eyeglasses, something that was always with you.
Edwin Land, 1970 in C. Bonanos, Instant: the Story of Polaroid, 2012.
While my camera use has not yet surpassed the use of my glasses, I think it has topped my use of a pencil. Here are ten ways I used my camera recently:
- Took a photo of the broken hinge on my laptop to support a warranty claim.
- Captured a white board discussion outlining new printer designs.
- Photographed a book I wanted to read.
- Documented the books I was returning to the library to ensure that my account was correct.
- Took a picture of my son’s Boy Scout handbook to show the requirements he had completed at summer camp.
- Recorded an error message on the dashboard in my car.
- Photographed our vacuum cleaner so that I could get the correct replacement bags.
- Took a picture of a light fixture that needed replacing,
- Captured my parking place at the airport.
- Photographed an invitation to National Night Out.
None of these photographs are of significant life events; yet they were all important to me. And more significantly, I was able to record a photo that contained far more information than notes in the past.
Clearly, with the digital camera we have achieved Edwin Land’s vision from 1970, perhaps not in the way that he envisioned but clearly in the spirit.
All About Images Blog 
My cell phone camera is my note pad! I even take pictures of business cards and put them in my contacts on my phone… far less clutter and I’m far more organized. Today I was searching for a particular brand of tee shirt my husband likes. I showed the clerk at the store the picture I took of the tag, and she could immediately tell me I would have to look at another store or go online to find those shirts…. cut my shopping time dramatically! Only downfall is when I’m talking with someone on the phone and they are trying to give me information… then I have to say, “Can you please send me an email with all that information in it?” Ok, so my “note pad” has its limitations!