One of the most interesting things we’ve ever come across are claims that, not so long ago, certainly no more than a hundred years ago, 50% of the people in the US were employed in producing food for human consumption, and now, with the mechanisation of the food producing industry, it’s 5% – people sitting in air-conditioned cabins on huge tractors pulling 50 furrow ploughs, and so on, replacing people walking behind horses pulling single furrow ploughs, with the horses needing to eat almost as much food as they helped produce, which has obviously released 45% of the people in the US to other things, perhaps better things.
But what we find almost more interesting, and, while it’s hard to compare the two, to us, emails have as much potential, if not more potential, to change the world as the huge tractors and so on have done – it could be called “the mechanisation of knowledge and information.”
They have so much potential to change the world for the better, above all to make our lives better, everywhere we look, about which we feel we could almost write a book – yet, we are constantly mystified, flabbergasted, by how slowly their use is catching on. Although, to be fair, we also feel we could almost write a book on perhaps why this is.
Firstly, though, two good news stories.
For at least 15 years, we’ve been using Tiger Technology, based in the US, (who cares where?) to host our various blogs and websites, and these days, whenever we need help with technology, the first thing we do is send an email to them. We recently got a response from them which was of more help in 2 minutes than we got in 25 minutes from one of the so called geniuses, (ha ha ha! ha ha ha! ha ha ha!) at an Apple Genius Bar. Admittedly, they can’t always help us, but helping people with technology questions isn’t even a business they’re in – their business is hosting. And it never costs us a cent – although, admittedly, we’re good clients for them to have in other respects.
We’ve found that in dealing with Officeworks and Bunnings stores, that they are both subsidiaries of Wesfarmers subsidiaries, and that, although Wesfarmers is based in Western Austalia, (who cares where?) it’s management is highly interested in how people get on in dealing with it’s subsidiaries wherever they are Australia – it has an ordinary email address readily available on it’s website, info@wesfarmers.com.au, and they have people standing by to provide help to those dealing with Officeworks and Bunnings, at least
Obviously, neither Tiger Technology nor Wesfarmers are involved in what we’re mainly interested in, but to be honest we’ve hardly ever come across any people and organisations like them in the health care industries, even though we’re always looking.