Today’s New York Times (December 27, 2015) has an article bemoaning the human cost of technology. I itemize a few benefits from my experiences.
My first book was written on an IBM Selectric typewriter that broke down on Thanksgiving day, causing my frantic search for an open store to buy another. Making changes to and typing the completed manuscript was back-breaking work. Today, using a laptop, I can work painlessly anywhere.
Most of my private practice income derives from patient insurance payments via forms (HCFA1500) which formerly were hand-written and mailed. Now I do this electronically and it takes only several hours a month. While some insurers have more user-friendly software than others, any complaint would be petty compared to the far greater work that was required in the past.
The article’s criticisms seem more about personal froth (Facebook light?), not the personal computer’s enormous contribution to an individual’s productive capacity.
My first book was written on an IBM Selectric typewriter that broke down on Thanksgiving day, causing my frantic search for an open store to buy another. Making changes to and typing the completed manuscript was back-breaking work. Today, using a laptop, I can work painlessly anywhere.
Most of my private practice income derives from patient insurance payments via forms (HCFA1500) which formerly were hand-written and mailed. Now I do this electronically and it takes only several hours a month. While some insurers have more user-friendly software than others, any complaint would be petty compared to the far greater work that was required in the past.
The article’s criticisms seem more about personal froth (Facebook light?), not the personal computer’s enormous contribution to an individual’s productive capacity.