Don’t get me wrong, I love technology but I haven’t yet descended into the dark depths of the complete gadget freak. However if something is electrically driven, has buttons, is made of polished metal, or preferably all three, then in my book it’s worth checking out. I am a techno-realist though and do realise that sometimes technology obscures the blindingly obvious because of the erroneous belief that computers can’t make mistakes.
OK, technically it’s the programmer that makes the mistake and having that particular skill in my portfolio, I would be the first to admit that programmers aren’t perfect. Particularly at around ten minutes to quitting time on a Friday when a fudge that will work 99% of the time would get you out of there in time for the weekend. Not something I’d do of course, I’m just giving it as an example. It used to be said that a particularly badly manufactured item was a ‘Friday Afternoon Special’. So it would seem that since our economy, such as it is, has moved resolutely into smoke and mirrors, otherwise known as the services sector, the Friday Afternoon Special is still alive and well. Albeit contained in electrons in circuits rather than something parked outside your house.
Today I came across two examples of computers adding to effort rather than easing our lives. First example was at Waitrose in Lymington. To be sure a fine shopping experience normally, but today we made the mistake of buying some reticent black seedless grapes. To be honest they hadn’t seemed particularly chatty when we weighed them and in truth had been a little sullen as we walked around the store. What we were not expecting