Monthly Archives: April 2013

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When Technology Fails

I’ve written previously on the subject of technological dependence. But I am revisiting it today because something happened at work recently that brought it all back to me.
It happened very suddenly. I was writing a post-it note to a colleague at the time, so I wasn’t paying much attention. I heard a keyboard slam, and my supervisor (who happened to be more stressed than usual) began to swear and huff. He leaned back in his chair, red faced and clearly very angry. Eager to help diffuse the situation, I asked if he was having computer issues again, as the previous week he had been unable to access his emails for almost half a day (as he is the senior secretary, you can imagine how much this affected the entire office).
At that exact moment, I heard frustrated giggles from across the office. Next to my supervisor, the bookkeeper stood abruptly. “Yeh, mine’s down,” she said, clearly confused.
I turned to see a tsunami of accountants heading for the IT guy’s desk. He looked faintly amused though – as it turned out, his computer had frozen. I tapped a few buttons – yep, mine was gone too.
Then the shouting broke out – most people were laughing as they discovered that it wasn’t just their desktops that had frozen but also those of their neighbours. Mouse-clicking, keyboard-tapping, mouse-shuffling – nothing worked.
The entire office computer network was down.
A few moments later, our IT man wandered past the administration desk, where we sat, talking shit, sure that in a few moments, we would be able to get back on with the working day.
“I can’t do anything, I can’t access it either. Just give it time.”
And with that, the day was ruined.
The system came and went, for a few minutes at a time. People clicked madly when it looked like things were coming back online. But the clicking only made it worse. So people went to do filing instead – always the last resort.
2 and a half hours later, the system came back and work resumed – but the backlog was enormous.
And it made me realise how much we depend upon the computer system for the normal functions of the workplace. Without computers, there wasn’t much for anyone to do.
This is what concerned me – the fact that a modern office couldn’t work without computers. Even worse, the eventual plan for this particular company is to move to an online filing system. If that had been the case yesterday, there would have been nothing for anyone to do in the interim while the off-site IT consultancy righted things.
Obviously, the benefits of computerised worksystems for modern organisations are enormous. Efficiency, speed, reduction in human errors. But when things go wrong, they go horribly wrong, leaving those who depend upon the systems in the lurch. This results not only in lost time, but also wasted money and stressed workers who now have to catch up on work that should have been completed earlier.
So the question becomes: is it worth it?
As technology progresses, maybe we will have less of these sorts of issues. In the meantime, perhaps we should hold off on that online filing system.

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30 Day Challenges

30 Day Challenges

I can’t help but be attracted to this concept. Changing an area of your life in 30 days – such a small but significant action. I’m keen to try it, but I don’t know what I would change.
Any suggestions? Has anyone tried a 30 day challenge?

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The Club

Cold, and cigarette smoke. So much of it. Of both. With a laugh, the frighteningly large bouncer told us to have a few drinks so we wouldn’t feel the cold.

The female bouncers got defensive and threatening when we fumbled with our licences and couldn’t get them out of our purses; our fingers were too numb. A stamp on our hands certified us VIPs and got us in for cheap.

The first stop was the toilet; one of our party had started drinking early, and had broken her seal already. But the moment she was done, we headed for the bar.

They knew everyone, the other girls. In the darkness, it was surprising they could make out enough facial details to recognise anybody we passed. And yet they did, and I found myself standing awkwardly to one side, pretending to send a text and wondering if I should be attempting conversation with their friends. Perhaps friends wasn’t quite the right word though: acquaintances, drinking buddies, dancefloor grinders…. 

More drinks, more bodies, mostly youths of both genders squeezed into tiny clothes that did nothing to flatter their wobbling white flesh. It began to feel warmer in there. The volume got higher, and people screamed and stamped their feet with the beat, singing in time with the words they identified with. Hot sweaty bodies rubbed close against each other, drinks hit the floor and glasses got squashed beneath pin-point heels. Arms raised, the crowd pushed the ceiling, swigged alcohol from the bottle, screamed and shouted – a pulsing mess.

The lasers blinded, and the tables were sticky. It was dizzying, electrifying, terrifying. Crowd mentality had kicked in, and it was impossible to move. There was no room to dance anymore. The stench of cigarettes, alcohol, cheap perfume and puke was overwhelming. There was an almost otherworldly, mystical quality to the night now. The party-goers moved as one, trance-like, held in thrall by the movements of the DJ up on the stage. God-like, silhouetted against the black wall, he led the swaying, the thrusting… the dancing? Everything was insubstantial; nothing was certain, or solid, or real. 

It was Friday night in the suburbs; the week was over, we were young, loose and fancy free, and there was no reason not to let go for a while. Friday night was a lifetime, while work and study were a whole world away. There was only tonight, and a beat, and that was all we needed.

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Is Asperger’s the Syndrome of our Time?

Is Asperger’s the Syndrome of our Time?

 

 

I have a huge issue with this – the social diagnosis of someone who is a little bit “different” as having Asperger’s, when the reality of the syndrome is so far removed from the current “hipster trend”. Please read this, think about it and perhaps even share it.

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Legendary

A legend died this week.
Margaret Thatcher, the formidable female Prime Minister of England from 1979 to 1990, died on April 8 following a stroke, aged 87.
Immediately, as may be expected for someone of her status, tributes poured in from around the world.
But amidst the sentimentalities were also the cries of those glad to see her go – she was, after all, a deeply divisive figure due to the program of economic and political reforms which she embarked on upon taking office. Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein called her “shameful”.. Worse has been heard though, such as the decision by the Student Union of Melbourne University to celebrate the Iron Lady’s death (a decision which has prompted backlash on campus and amongst the student community).
But what struck me about all of this was not the depth of animosity towards Thatcher, even now, more than 20 years after she introduced her radical policies. Nor was it the fact that people felt strongly enough about the issue to announce it so soon after her death.
Rather, it was purely the fact that a single person, hailed as a hero by some, was considered the exact opposite by so many others.

Anecdotally at least, everybody has a hero – someone they admire and look up to. Obviously, this makes heroes subjective, in that we are all drawn to different people for different reasons.
Hitler is one such example. His popularity in Germany is something that many of us, with the benefit of hindsight, struggle to understand these days. In Germany during the 1930s, when people were struggling to find food to subsist on, Hitler represented hope and change, and indeed promised to restore the greatness of the German nation, which citizens perceived to have been undermined during the First World War. His policies towards Jews and other minority groups were largely overlooked by the nation, which was desperately in need of a hero.
Allison and Goethals in their book, “Heroes: What They Do and Why we Need Them”, explore the notion that people need heroes. They find that people identify with figures who are virtuos and noble, yet relatable. They may overcome almost impossible odds – as an example, they give Amelia Earhart, who broke flying records. Another English Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, is also used as an example of a hero, for inspiring his people to fight against Hitler and his army in their darkest hour. Psychologically, humans are social creatures, and drawn to people like us – hence our attraction to people who represent the ordinary made extraordinary, such as Earhart. Perhaps that explains our linked fascination with comedic superheroes; people like Clark Kent, who during the day are nothing particularly special, but who at night fight crime, catch the bad guys and get the girl. Heroes prove that anything is possible, if you put your mind to it; a nerdy looking reporter can score the hot girl of his dreams, by putting on a cape. Heroes give us something to aspire to and admire. They are proof that there is still virtue, nobility and goodness in the world.

It is this that seems to inspre such strong reactions when figures such as Margaret Thatcher pass. We realise just what sort of in impact they made, and are able to truly measure their legacy. By this legacy, we can calculate a person’s worth, and it is often based on this that we conclude whether they qualify as a hero. Does the Iron Lady qualify as a hero? Certainly, to some; but others, some in Ireland, some in the slums of England, some in university campuses in Melbourne, consider her to be more of a villain, having hurt many through events attributed to her policies and reforms.

Margaret Thatcher put her mind to the job, and stayed to true to her beliefs (another ‘heroic’ trait), pushing through policies that were disliked by some. Some Britons held her in high regard, while others did not. Other superheroes have also faced this – hence the never-ending cue of supervillains.
And yet, perhaps in the end it is not about who likes you and who wants to see you dead. After all, the sheer number of responses to Thatcher’s death, whether positive or negative, simply goes to show how much of an impact she has had on people around the world during her life and her stint in office. Undeniably, she made an impression.
And isn’t that what heroes do?

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Melbourne International Comedy Festival

http://yawpmag.com.au/index.php

The MICF has rolled into town once again, and once again we face the dilemma: what the hell do we go and see?
Have a look here for a series of reliable MICF reviews (including some by yours truly), and take your pick!
Happy chortling!

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The Mighty Boosh Review

With the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in full swing, and having now seen many shows, my appetite for awesome comedy just cannot be satiated. Craving laughs, I hit play on cult British comedy, The Mighty Boosh.

Those with a taste for British humour will love this show. Quirky, unique and utterly ridiculous, writers Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt draw us into a world where the imagined blends with reality until you can no longer tell which is which.

The first series is set in the zoo in which the main characters, Vince and Howard, work – although on camera at least, they don’t appear to do much, instead being transported on various whacky adventures. Vince, an electro-obsessed mod, often clashes with practical jazz-loving Howard, providing many hilarious moments as the characters battle their wits and words. Weird characters provide other diversions; a talking gorilla named Bollo, a mystic Shaman, a hitchhiker with a giant thumb and a merman with a mangina. Not your standard comedic fare – the writers have a knack for going where others haven’t, or don’t.

And then there is the music – an original score with electro, funk and metal influences. With its multitude of pop culture references, the series will test the minds of many a pop culture fan, while the basic animation and puppetry, rather than detracting from the show, adds to its simple charm.

The actors play multiple characters, making the most of their voice talents and the costume department’s budget. The outfits are deceptively simple, with each character having their own wardrobe.

Life in the world of the Mighty Boosh is bright and trippy –  a non stop ride of confusion, weirdness and hilarity.