I’ve avoided writing about my workplace because I’ve had so much fodder from my kids. But as I’ve started a massive project at work installing a new computer system and have been pulled away from my blogging for months, a couple of things have become perfectly clear to me:
1. Most people are technologically challenged despite wanting all the nice, new toys money can buy.
2. I’m becoming a technology snob.
On the second point, because of my fascination with what computers can do to make my life easier (and more complicated at the same time), I find that my patience with folks who complain, “When am I going to get a new computer,” and the proceed to not learn anything about using it (except to change their desktop pictures and send e-mail to friends) is sorely lacking.
On my first point, I’ll illustrate with an example:
A gentleman in my office complained for many months about not having a PC (we’ve been on a legacy system — mainframe with dummy terminals — for many, many years) while others around him got theirs. He complained about having to get up to go to one of the “community” PCs to check his e-mail.
But, even after reminders to take a PC class, he did nothing to learn about the machine. When the new sleek Dell PC landed on his desk, though, he bugged the s*** out of his quad mates so much, one of the poor buggerees emplored me to get his supervisor to send him to a PC class.
The joy of being a technology snob in an office of Luddites is that I can always say, “Move!” and do it myself. Even when I don’t want to.