So long old friend
Coolmac
Date:
24/08/2005
Legend has it that Business week predicted the
paperless office in an article back in 1975. The idea of the personal
computer was just starting; and while the concept of a computer on
every desk, revolutionary at the time, was quite prescient, the
prediction of paper’s demise was less than prophetic. Since that time, numerous people have claimed that the end of paper, and of course books, was just around the corner and that only the binary would prevail. But, like many predictions to do with technology, humanity's affinity for the way things used to be was never taken into account. So books and paper continued to proliferate, and the PC remained little more than an intermediary between the keyboard and the paper.
Thirty years have passed, and the University of Texas believes the age of the binary might finally be here. This summer 90000 volumes are being moved from the undergraduate library to other collections in the university’s library system to make way for an online learning centre. Now when you enter the library, now referred to as the “Flawn Academic Center”, you will find colourful stuffed chairs and bar stools and an atmosphere more usually found in a coffee shop. The 250 desktop computers that fill the centre, with another 75 laptops available for checkout, can all connect wirelessly to the centre's network, giving students access to vast amounts of information.
Many times I’ve heard someone say that a screen cannot beat the feeling of a book in your hands. I cannot help but feel that statement has more to do with a person growing up with books than their actual feel. With schools and universities teaching the youth of today on computers, and new wireless technology allowing people to take their computers wherever they go, how long until the sentiment changes to “Why would I read one of those? A book cannot possibly beat the benefits of a screen!” |
