We are not talking about the robot from Lost In Space, or Rosey, the Jetson’s blue metal housekeeper. These are less romantic human life-sucking pieces of technology that are ruining our lives.
Answering machines, automatically generated electronic mail, bar code reading hunks of beige plastic with titanium highlights–they are battling years of cultured humanity–and winning! Damn them!
This past weekend, I was in my Massachusetts laboratory preparing event signage for a client who was presenting at a trade show in Denver. As it often happens, we were down to the wire and in need of a quick turnaround printer that could successfully generate printed handouts, mounted signs and other forms of distribution-ready corporate propaganda (a.k.a. sales & marketing materials).
Enter FedEx, overnight delivery gurus and masters of technology. Through door #2 into FedEx Office, the now compressed FedEx/Kinko’s with full-service copying and printing capabilities.
Humans controlling the machines or machines dominating the humans?
Following my latest FedEx Office experience, the machines are winning and the voiceless humans are barely hanging on.
Come on people, I sent in five jobs and received no confirmation. Thankfully, you made your deadline but I was on the edge of my very human seat during the whole nervous ride.
Machines are wonderful, but so is a human touch–every so often.
– Doug.
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