By Maureen Post Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Oct 29, 2009 at 11:06 PM

Before I got the iPhone, I had a faint fear it would put too much information at my finger tips any hour of the day.

I hypothesized I might become addicted to checking my email 60 times a day, using a calculator to perform even the simplest of math equations and quickly jump to quell disputes on actors or movies with a jaunt to Wikipedia.

Simultaneously, I reveled in the thought of checking my email from anywhere, mapping my route in any city and letting go of my separate phone, iPod, and camera. It was an internal argument between good and evil with uncertainty on which side of the slope my iPhone or user's behavior would ultimately fall.

But of course, I got the iPhone.

And so, now six months into ownership, I admit I'm a fan of most of the iPhone's abilities. It's easy and convenient, fun and constantly evolving.

It was only once I took it on a few short trips that I started to see it; I have a feeling my former iPhone fear might just be on the verge of realization. I'm starting to think it might be making my travelling life just a little too easy.

With the iPhone in hand, there was no need to analyze maps, invoke directional assistance or employ my stellar sense of direction. Google Maps showed me the way. When I was lost on a country highway or popped out of the subway, the iPhone gave me my precise location.

This being said, while I admit it stirs a fear of complacency and general inability, it often quells overwhelming uncertainties of meandering completely unfamiliar neighborhoods.

And so, a trade-off emerges in the age of technology. On one hand, lose the iPhone and you regain a sense of pioneering self-reliance. But, on the other hand, the iPhone dramatically helps me do more, see more, and be in more places for more experiences every day.

Maureen Post Special to OnMilwaukee.com

OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Maureen Post grew up in Wauwatosa. A lover of international and urban culture, Maureen received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

After living on the east side of Madison for several years, Maureen returned to Milwaukee in 2006.

After a brief stint of travel, Maureen joined OnMilwaukee.com as the city’s oldest intern and has been hooked ever since. Combining her three key infatuations, Milwaukee’s great music, incredible food and inspiring art (and yes, in that order), Maureen’s job just about fits her perfectly.

Residing in Bay View, Maureen vehemently believes the city can become fresh and new with a simple move across town.