Solid State Technology

File under : Looooooong weekend

Sorry about the lack of posts, but since my previous one, every time I swing by to make a new one, I think "No, 'Fucking Red Sox' pretty much sums it up for me right now" and then I move on.

I'm wondering if it would be possible to pinpoint the exact moment in time when our society became too dependent on computers. It wasn't so long ago that computers were weird scary things that made things more complicated. Those of us ahead of the curve longed for the point in time when everyone would be computer literate. It would make life easier. So we've done that. But now I think we've eclipsed that point and moved on to a time where backup systems are so obscure that they're useless. Ten years ago, computers were distrusted. Now people fail to acknowledge that hey, maybe the computer is wrong. All it takes is one data misentry, and everything falls apart.

My guess is that there is a general level of competence amongst the public, but they're only taught exactly enough to do their jobs. This ensures that mistakes can only be corrected by the next level of management. (Witness cash register operators who must ask someone to void transactions for them) From a business standpoint, this may make sense. From a consumer standpoint, it's a tad frustrating (waiting in line for a manager to show up).

Digital or analog, give the spare keys to the person driving the car. That's all I ask.