Monday, August 21, 2006

Computer Obsession

100 years ago, the saying goes: Don't leave home without your gun.

20 years ago, it was re-written: Don't leave home without it - Amex Debit Card.

In the last 5 years, the saying has further evolved: Can't live without it - computer; can't travel without it - LapTops and Tablet PCs.

Today, most people not only have desktop PCs at home, they had laptops to go with them, everywhere they go.

People nowadays can't live without it. I was observing my friends, particularly those who are not so much educated, those who are hawkers, chefs, salesmen of shampoo products, pasar malam retailers, etc. It truely amazed me as many of these people are coming of age - they own desktop PCs and some carry laptops and PDAs.

I had known of one Ah Loong, one taiko from the darkworld, and one pasar malam retailer... they all had bought PC and are using it, whatever it is the reason. Some of them uses PDAs and e-mails to communicate, plus 3-G video conferencing and chating. Amazing, amazing, how the internet world of information and communication technology had evolved and the paradigm shift, not just those educated fellas, but include those who can't speak a word of english and those that shun technology.

My mother, she's 78, and she uses a handphone. My friend's mother, he ask the son to terminate the phone line and asked for a handphone.

My Ah Loong friend; he had only 3 years of schooling, and he tells me that without the PDA, he has difficulty to keep records and the organisor and spreadsheet is crucial to his record and documentation system.

My chef friend, he can't speak a word of english, but he's in the nettizen world everyday after work, sourcing for "information" and playing games. He told me he can use microsoft words to write simple letters in English. He had broadband device (streamyx).

My brother in law, he's a hawker, he bought a PC too. He surf the web everyday and he tells me that he spent less money nowadays because his free time is occupied by PC surfing... for whatever. He doesn't have streamyx; he used DIGI gprs???

The world had truely eveolved and the information and communication technologial age had changed our lifestyle and include those illiterates and less educated lots. I am please to see those hawkers, salesmen and workers, they have procured PCs and laptop, their children are also enjoying the new gadgets. They will come of age, the age of globalisation and the world of knowledge and information.

However, I want to make a comment, a silly comment - I came to know one guy, so happen, he's from Petronas, and he's a general manager there (I won't name him and which dept). I asked for his e-mail as I wanted to sent him a mail that night and told him to pick it up. He gave me his emial but told me that he doesn't know how to open the mail...his secretary will do it for him the following morning, and will reply me. Petronas GM? Can't operate PC and use email except with the help from their secretaries? Bemusing!!!

I pity those secretary, sometimes, they had to skip lunch hour to help their bosses type letters and sent emails.


Worse off, each time the secretary are told that it's urgent and they had to get those letters type and sent within minutes... oh my god, they can't get time to go toilet too.... see below







However, some are more innovative ...because they are Malaysians ...


see below.....






1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's a matter of self-discipline, whether you would let the computer control you or you would control it. But, admittedly, many of us can't live without it! :)