Ubiquitous Computing...
Throughout the semester we have frequently discussed ubiquitous computing and what it really means. - I have been thinking about writing a blog about this for quite some time -Scenarios have been presented in which wherever a person goes, from the office to right outside the office building to the inside of a car, ubiquitous computing would allow that person to continue working on whatever he or she was working on inside of his or her own office and the information would be transmitted to whatever devices were available.
Although this seems pretty cool, what is the purpose? Can’t a person just enjoy a car ride without having to do work every time he was on the road? I understand that sometimes deadlines must be met in corporate America, but that does not require one to do work during every minute a he isn’t sleeping. So a businessman can communicate with his office, as his ride transports him to the airport, using the screen that is implanted in the car. Does that mean he will use the television in his bedroom at home to discuss business decisions? When does a person cut off from work and have a life… a life that has nothing to do with a person’s day job?
The reason I bring this up…
My best friend graduated from Case in May. She is a Computer Engineer. (meaning I LOVE having her around whenever my computer breaks or flashes the blue screen of death) She is currently employed at IBM. Her job seems decent for several reasons: it pays well, she enjoys the team she works on, she can come and go as she pleases as long as her work is completed in a timely fashion, and they have foosball tables all over the place!
I find many of these aspects of her job wonderful. As a nurse I will have definite hours, 7am-3pm, 3 pm- 11pm, and 11pm-7am. Hopefully, I will be able to work the shift that best suites my personal life and sleep pattern. My friend on the other hand, does not have to worry about this. She can come to work at a different hour every day. This is a smart move by IBM because people are creative at different points in the day. Those that are best in the morning can come in and do their work earlier in the day and so on. The foosball tables… I understand these tables are a good addition to the office for a couple of reasons. She can take a break from work whenever she needs to and simply have fun. After staring at the computer screen all day, one needs to do something active, to be social, etc. Also, the game fosters a relationship with the team with which you are working on your project… this obviously has many benefits that I don’t need to get into here…
What I don’t like about her job….
IBM provides each of their employees with laptops (pretty fancy ones I might add!) These laptops can be taken with the employees wherever they may go… home, airport, vacation, etc. One many occasions I have found my friend working on her projects when she really should not be.
Examples:
She flew home to see her family. At one point, she had some down time so she brought out her laptop and started coding. EEK! Mind you… she lives in a completely different time zone than her family and does not see them very often… Why bring out the laptop? She was on vacation… why not enjoy it to the fullest?
It’s Sunday. She usually enjoys watching a football game or two and then some of the Sunday night television line-up. Sometimes, when she has a lot of work to do, she opens up her document (or whatever it is) and starts working. On a Sunday. She is going to spend the next five days at work… and wants a head start… last time I thought… Sunday was the day of rest…
These are only a couple of the many times I noticed her doing work when she could have found other things to occupy her time. I understand that sometimes she might simply be inspired to do work when she is not physically in her office, but where do you draw the line? With my future career as a nurse, I have a set shift, yes there may be times that I will be required to work overtime, but that will not happen all of the time. This leads me to the questions I have been tossing in my head…
Do we really need ubiquitous computing? Must we have access to the information on our laptops, palm pilots, whatever the item may be, all of the time? How will this change our lifestyles? I find that our society as a whole has already lost some of the social aspects that are vital for survival… how much worse can it get? I read Fahrenheit 451 in grade school and although I do not remember much of the book, I do have dreary images in my head of robots completing all of the tasks that humans once did and people walking around like zombies and participating in zero conversations that were meaningful with other human beings… somehow I picture ubiquitous computing leading to the same end result… this is certainly not something I want to witness.
Comments
Posted by: John
Posted on: December 2, 2005 01:34 AM
Wow, IBM has more benefits than you listed. They have some really sweet benefits, as I have learned from my sister. I think though part of the problem if you want to call it a problem is maybe your friend wants to stand out a little bit. Fight for a promotion maybe, get paid a little more. I could be wrong and you know this person better than I. I think the other thing that you must remember is that she is doing what she loves and when most people do what they love they dont see it as work. So the coding that you see that terrifies you could be and probable is a bit more enjoyable for her. I have a feeling that she is able to keep a fairly balanced life between work and fun. I do agree with you thought that the ubiquitous computing never does really let us leave the office. We constantly check email, our bosses can reach us by cell phone in almost any part of the world, there will be nationwide wireless so we can constantly access information. It does have it's negatives as well as positives. In the end we will have to wait and see.
Posted by: Janice
Posted on: December 3, 2005 01:37 AM
i guess we need to find a happy medium. just as weiser and schneiderman stated, ubiquitous technology should enhance our lives, not create a burden...it should lessen work, not create it!!