Computers Come Of Age

If you are over 40, you’ll recall the saying: “To err is human, but to really ‘screw’(sic) things up requires a computer”.

My guess is that this phrase originated in the 70’s or 80’s…when computers were just beginning their assault on American culture. Those monstrous IBM machines, with ubiquitous green screen and flashing cursor were the bane of our existence. If something was messed up, it was invariably blamed on a “computer glitch”.

Fast forward to 2008-and the integration of computers into our society is nearly complete (no?) Virtually every home has one or more, we wear them on our hips in the form of “smartphones”—and business literally could not proceed without them. Our movies, radio/TV and even our music has been digitized.

While computer errors are probably at an all-time high (by virtue of sheer volume), it’s interesting that our perception of them has done a 180! We are now far more likely to “trust” a computer over a human being when it comes to data or accuracy. Or if we do blame a computer, we still usually blame the person who programmed/operated it rather than the machine itself.

It’s hard to imagine where technology can go-since it seems that everything has already been invented…but I’m waiting for the next gadget to be introduced-if only to discover a new target for blaming what would otherwise be my fault!