The Machine that Changed the World
Part 5 The World at your Fingertips

Networks change the way we socialize. Networks allow people with common interests to meet without regard to geography. There are literally thousands of special interest groups on the Internet. You may be the only person in Cincinnati who is interested in Morris Dancing. But, through computer networks you will be able to find other people from around the world who share your interests and who are willing to meet electronically.

Networks have changed our working habits. The example of the London Stock Exchange shows how quickly people are willing to abandon their physical workspaces (offices and meeting places) when they have adequate networked communications. Many workers today do not need to be present in a corporate office to accomplish their work. These workers primarily produce and process information and they need computers and other information processing facilities, not offices. With today's easy access to data communication facilities, information processing can be done from almost anywhere. Workers and employers have begun to ask if staffed, permanent offices are necessary for employees engaged in information processing work. Many have decided that offices are not necessary. These workers are Telecommuters. Rather than commute to an office, telecommuters work from wherever they can set up data communications equipment and computers. Most telecommuters work from their homes, but they can also work from hotel rooms, trains, suitably equipped automobiles, or the beach. Companies sometimes set up satellite offices In larger cities where commutes are long and difficult. Satellite offices are small offices equipped with information processing equipment that are located close to a company's employees. These offices cut down on employee commute time and the equipment and office space can be shared with other companies to help reduce their cost. By most counts, there are several million telecommuters working today. Beekman lists the following advantages of telecommuting:

• Telecommuting reduces the number of commuters thereby reducing traffic, pollution, and saving energy.
• Telecommuting saves worker time. Time spent commuting can be used for other tasks.
• Telecommuting allows workers to adjust their schedules and work habits. Parents can take care of children without having to be away from work, people can work preferred hours, and dress-codes are irrelevant.

These and other advantages suggest that, under appropriate circumstances, telecommuters can be more productive than regular office workers. There are, of course, some disadvantages as well:

• Telecommuters may miss the social aspects of work.
• Telecommuters worry that they are "out of sight, out of mind". Since their managers and coworkers don't see them, telecommuters fear they may be unfairly passed-up for promotions and awards.
• Managers of telecommuters fear loss of control of their employees.
• Telecommuters worry about the cost of telecommuting. Who pays, for example, for the electricity and other services a telecommuter uses while working at home? In an office setting these costs are borne by the employer. Telecommuters may have to bear these costs themselves.

Networks have their down side. Much of the data collected about you is stored in databases that can be sent over networks. Data about you travels to so many different places and at such great speeds that it is difficult, if not impossible, for you to correct or eradicate mistaken information. This mistaken information may result in only minor inconveniences, or, as in the case of Forman Brown on the tape, it may significantly disrupt your life.

Computers are binary digital devices. Digital means that information is stored as numbers and binary means that you only have two numbers, one and zero. Digital data is discreet. That means that the are no intermediate values, like 1.5, between the ones and zeros. Zeros and ones are all you get and everything must be encoded as some sequence of ones and zeros. Analog data is continuous. There are many possible intermediate values that might be meaningful between any two analog values. Data stored in digital formats have some advantages over analog data. Digital data is easily stored (450 books on one CD), easily indexed (you can search the 450 books in a few seconds), easily edited (you can change each individual dot (pixel) in a digital photograph), and easily sent over communication channels.

Workers who use information processing equipment can be easily monitored. The computers they are using run programs that not only process information but also report on the activity of the person using the machine. As illustrated by the TWA employee on the tape, this can lead to conditions where employees are literally monitored every second of their workday. Many employees find such conditions degrading as well as mentally and physically difficult.

We depend on software far more than most people realize. There are computers running software in everything from coffee makers to jet airliners. We pay a price for this reliance on software. Sometimes software bugs result in minor problems but bugs can also be expensive and dangerous (i.e. Therac 25). The Year 2000 Problem (Millenium Bug) is costing us billions of dollars and we still aren’t sure of the possible consequences. We do not yet have the tools to completely tackle the problems that result from complex software. We need to ask ourselves what price we are willing to pay for the conveniences provided by computer programs.