Trying to catch up with technology (08/22/07)

Economists insist that new technology results in productivity gains.

And that's probably true in the long run.

But as anyone who has ever opened the box for a new computer can tell you, sometimes the short run can be pretty frustrating.

And sometimes, it seems, the folks developing new technology are more interested in the bells and whistles than in a little thing called productivity.

As you've probably guessed by now, we installed new computers at the newspaper last week.

It was long overdue and was the first step in what we hope will be a wise long-term strategy, but it wasn't without its struggles.

For starters, there's the fact that we've been using variations of a couple of the same software for about 16 years now. That's an eon in computer terms, roughly equivalent to saying that we've been using stone tools and are finally ready to upgrade to iron.

The reason we didn't change is that the system was working, and when it comes to computers you don't want to mess with things when they're working smoothly.

But, at the same time, while we were content with our version of word processing software and pagination software and the way the two interacted, that old devil innovation was marching along, changing things so quickly that the parade was running away from us.

So, it was time to catch up.

And right now I feel a little like a cave man staring at his first iron axe. There are so many functions on the computer in my office now that I don't know where to begin.

At this point, I don't even know which ones I'll need and which ones to idle.

With a press of a little button in the middle of the mouse, I can access a bunch of things called "Widgets." They pop up instantly and give me a calendar, clock, calculator, six-day local weather forecast, and live reports on the stock market.

Click another icon and I can start to work on creating my own Web page, though I've never really fathomed the level of self-absorption that would involve.

Undoubtedly the coolest - and silliest - function comes with the computer's built-in Web-cam. It's a little square at the top of the monitor, and if I fire it up, it will start streaming video of me, sitting at the computer, on the computer screen. I can then contact Mike Snyder or Ray Cooney and their images and mine will simultaneously appear on both my computer and theirs while we chat.

It's a pretty amazing function.

But I've figured something out: I can accomplish the same thing by walking downstairs from my office to the newsroom. It's not very high-tech, but I can use the exercise.[[In-content Ad]]