The Future of the Office Place

On the way into work this morning, there was a tidbit in the elevator on the TV screen saying that in the office place, there are particular pieces of equipment that are either already obselete or on their way.  The specific examples it mentioned was the copier, fax machine and the rolodex.  The first two, I can understand, but the rolodex, it really made me wonder how many people have them at all anymore.  I can't remember the last time that I've seen a rolodex on someone's desk.

All that having been said, the little info-byte was absolutely correct.  The thing is though is that this isn't a new phenomena, it's something that's been going on forever and will continue to do so, it's just how we adapt to technology - and invent new technologies to (allegedly) make us more productive.

It does make me wonder though what the office place will look like in 20 or 30 years.

A Vacation from Technology

A pretty common theme in my blog is my concern about how many of us are so connected to and via technology that when we have to do without, sometimes we barely know what to do with ourselves.

Well, I had the fortunate opportunity to experience a total withdrawal from the electronic world two weeks ago when we went to Cuba for a week.  Even though our hotel had an Internet Cafe, I was warned that Cuba isn't exactly a technological hotbed and that the Internet access was so slow and unpredictable that it could literally take 30 minutes to send a 10 word email.  That having been said, I decided not even to bother. 

I knew going down that I wasn't going to have any Internet access, and I was okay with that, I was actually looking forward to it.  What I didn't count on though was not having any access to the Bell network so that I could text my daughter and see how her week was going, or so she could text me if the needed anything.  This was my only concern and frustration.

Looking back, I think that the only thing that I really missed was just not being able to read the news.  I generally like to at least keep up with what's going on in the world, but you know, not even having this, and being 'forced' to lie on a beach in Cayo Santa Maria and sipping back a Margarita or Pina Coloda between dips in the ocean - well, I'll take that hardship any day!

The Siren's Call

The ancient sea-faring mythology told of the Sirens, the mermaids who would sit on the rocks and whose voices were so beautiful and enchanting that the mariners were oblivious to the dangers around and would inevitably sink due to their lack of attention.

I’m sure that this particular opening is not one that is so subtle that one cannot figure out where I’m going with this article.

In our society today we do have our sirens, and these ones are unfortunately real, they are the gadgets that we use when we need to be paying attention to other things.

Of course, the one that most people might immediately think of is a cell phone in one hand while driving. Although illegal and it results in a hefty fine, I’m amazed by the number of people that just assume it’s okay to have one hand on the steering wheel. Not that I’m trying to self-righteous. I have to admit that there were a couple of times that I did as well, and I immediately regretted it as when I disconnected, the “all around vision” of driving became clearer to me and I could see how much I had been distracted.

What I can’t understand even beyond that is how people can text and drive. If talking on the cell isn’t bad enough, then there are those who are not only having one hand on the wheel , but also their eyes are not on the road. A recent article was of some guy that was texting and driving and he had just texted saying “I better stop before I kill myself” and then plummeted off the edge of the road. Although he did survive he has a tremendous recovery ahead of him.

I’m quite sure that there are readers of this article that never use their cell phone and drive, and I honestly give you full credit. The problem isn’t just in driving though. I don’t know how many times I see people walking down the street texting, for a good 20 or 30 yards without even looking up. Some days I’m tempted to just stand in front of them and let them run into me just so that they can see how oblivious they are to their surroundings. This is more than just a little problem, it can be as deadly as using the cell phone while driving. There are many instances of people getting injured. In the US recently there was a woman who fell onto the subway track as she wasn’t watching. Fortunately, she just had some bumps and bruises, not like the pedestrian here in Toronto that was killed when she stepped off the sidewalk to cross the street and unfortunately didn’t see the truck that didn’t see her – and apparently she didn’t see it either.

There is something about technology that just draws so many of us to an instant response. We get a text message and there’s this insatiable need that we MUST RESPOND and we must respond NOW.

The real fault doesn’t lie in the siren; it lies in us for not having the good common sense that the text message that needs to be returned – can wait. That the tweet of something funny I saw could wait 10-15 minutes and doesn’t have to be sent immediately.

Perhaps that’s one of the downfalls to technology, it’s gotten us accustomed to instant gratification so we just think that everyone else has to be responded to just as quickly.

It’s either we wise up and have a little more common sense before we fall fate to the Darwin principle and those that catch on to this will result in a premature end to their particular gene pool branch.

Pass on the virtual ear-plugs and enjoy your walk or drive!