UNconventional Wisdom is a periodic guest blog, where authors hold up the so-called common wisdom to a fresh perspective. To propose a guest blog, email either William Streeter, editor in chief, or Steve Cocheo, executive editor

By Steve Cocheo, executive editor Go to any community banker meeting nowadays and you will see for yourself: The iPad has become the executive tool of choice. Sure, there are still men and women in the room scrolling through their Blackberries or iPhones, but the ones on the leading edge are doing iPad apps. Even “old timers.” (Full disclosure: I’m 53.)

Over the last year or so the darn things have become ubiquitous.  The curve of adoption has been amazing.

A year ago I met a community banker at an ABA meeting in San Antonio and wound up writing a story about how he was equipping his officers with iPads.

This was followed by other stories, such as a roundup of bankers using iPads.

Then we put together a “Pass the Aspirin” column about bankers’ favorite iPad apps.

It got so I really regretted not having one (though I have a great Apple MacBook Pro, with a real keyboard). This is in spite of the fact that whenever I borrow an iPad, I can’t get the motion down right. It must be all in the wrist. When I try to read a publication on an iPad, even our own handy iPad edition, I fling the text dozens of pages in the wrong direction. We won’t even discuss me and websites on iPads.

Someday I’ll have one, though I must admit I am a print bigot when it comes to books, who still won’t buy his kids a Kindle. But in the meantime, after much thought, I have concluded that though they are taking over banker meetings, and there are more apps than there are books in my local library, iPads can’t do everything, that a print magazine or newspaper can.

Here’s a list I put together—10 from my original list of 25. I’d love to have you add something to these 10 in the comment section below.  (If you do, also mention whether you own an iPad or not, and if you do, what you most use it for.)

1. Try rolling one up and swatting a fly. Expensive and ineffective.

 

 

2. You can’t wrap fresh fish, fish and chips, or a “Sicilian message” in it. (Read The Godfather, or watch the first movie—traditionally or on an iPad—if you don’t know what the last one means.)

 

 

3. You can’t leave an iPad on your lawn overnight and expect it to be there in the morning.

 

 

4. You can’t fold an iPad into a pirate’s hat for a kid.

 

 

5. Stuck in the rain without an umbrella? Try sheltering under an iPad between the subway or your car and your office. More likely you may need a paper to shelter your iPad.

 

 

6. You can’t housetrain a puppy with it and you can’t line a bird cage.

 

 

7. You’re on a deserted island with two matches, an iPad, and no dry tinder. Good luck getting a fire started. (Got an app for that?)

 

 

8. Paper mache requires …  paper.

 

 

9. Someone you don’t want to meet up with—a former boss or the class bully--just boarded your plane or train. Try hiding behind The Wall Street Journal’s iPad edition.

 

 

10. Try leaving an anonymous ransom note with an iPad. They’ll track you down from a satellite. Cut out letters from five newspapers and they’ll never figure out where you sent it from.

 

 

11. A number of good old riddles will be rendered obsolete, i.e., “What’s black and white and red (read) all over?”

Am I the only one who still remembers this one?

Now let’s hear from you.