We Stand On Guard For Thee! Well, from 8-4 5 Days A Week

New report out by the Auditor General of Canada which contains the umm...revelation...that the agency that was created here to monitor online threats 24x7 (The Canadian Cyber Incident Reporting Response Centre) is only staffed from 8a-4p, 5 days a week.  As polite Canadians, I guess we're expecting those ne'er do wells to please not bother us with cyber-attacks during off hours.  Well at least we have people on call, so there is that...

Not Understanding Web Traffic

Yeah I know, a lot of hits come from bots and spiders.  I notice this when I publish an entry and within seconds, I get a hit.  I'm not lame enough to think that each hit is a result of real flesh-and-blooder.

What I can't figure out though is why this blog entry continues to get so many hits on a consistent basis.  The whole topic is so generic, it's a meaningless post and it's from two years ago.  I'm very cuious as to why.  What I also notice is that the referral source seems to be from Google with the term "fail" (pretty consistently) but I've tried to mimic the search results to see why and so far it escapes me as to how and why it's hit on so much - my #2 post and moving up the charts!

Technology:- Trying to Make Things TOO Easy?

Kind of a minor rant, but on my way in, I saw a poster from TD Canada Trust proclaiming that their banking machines allow quicker and easier access to one's money as they are somewhat customizable for favourite transactions!!

Honestly guys, what is this saving?  Perhaps 4 or 5 button presses at most?  I don't know how often others goes to the banking machine, but for me it's probably only 2-3 times per week.  This sounds to me like one of those "benefits" that really aren't.  Probably as "satisfying" as biting into that easter bunny that ends up being hollow inside when you think that it's a solid bunny.

The Personal Computer sayeth, “The Rumours of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated”

The great American author Mark Twain famously uttered these words about his own demise. The same can thing said about the popular view that the personal computer is on its deathbed.

The proliferation of notebooks, smart phones and now tablets PCs has led many to hypothesize that the standard plugged in personal (desktop) computer is a dinosaur and will also become extinct.

I’m not of the same opinion. Maybe it’s because I’ve cut my technology teeth on personal computers since its invention. The more that I think about it, the more convinced I am that there will always be a need for personal computers – for the foreseeable future anyways.

There’s no question that for casual home use, a tablet PC is a great tool. I have one myself and many times I will pull that out to surf or do a quick email when my desktop computer is occupied. Having done so though, I can’t imagine doing significant amounts of writing on my Touchpad. I’m forever cursing when my fingers are typing on the virtual keyboard. Typing mistakes are instead transformed into an auto-correct that clearly isn’t. I’ll reiterate – I’m biased – but as a writer, I find that the tactile feedback and the ergonomic position of a keyboard is far superior to typing on a virtual keyboard.

Aha! The tablet-ites will argue…you can just as easily buy a wireless keyboard for a tablet! Yes, they’d be correct, but if you’re going to do that, you’re going to need to buy a wireless keyboard AND a stand to elevate your tablet screen to the correct angle. Once you’ve done those two things, you’ve instantly mitigated one of the biggest advantages of the tablet – the portability.

What also needs to be considered is that a tablet PC is a closed architecture; its innards are permanent and cannot easily be fixed or upgraded. With the personal computer, the power supply, the video card, the memory and many other components can be replaced. Not so with a tablet.

For all of the same reasons, when the hardware is originally purchased, the consumer typically has some flexibility with a personal computer as to what hardware components to upgrade depending on their needs. Tablet purchasing is for the most part, one stop shopping other than purchasing a 32gb or 64gb model. Well, that’s probably not quite accurate, but definitely the options are very limited.

It’s not to suggest that the portability isn’t a good thing – it’s a great advantage and it remains one of the bigger disadvantages of a desktop computer but in the workplace, there’s something to said for its bulkiness – that it lends itself to be not as easily stolen – or at least, it would be much more obvious.

I think that in today’s society that both technologies serve our needs. I can see the point in time where perhaps the fulcrum will tip even more to the portable computer/laptop being more prevalent and the desktop computer relinquished to the basements of the technological age, but I truly believe that for many years more than people imagine, that the personal computer will be a staple of our age.

To be somewhat open-minded, for my next article, I’ll present the arguments for the other side of the fence. It will be interesting to me to see if my views will have changed. I am engaged and immersed in this personal computer world, but at least I can make an attempt to be objective.

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!