Thoughts on Email







>> Most people would assume that you became IT literate very early on. When did it first to the come to mind that the Internet, email, and all the other advanced tools of modern computer communications would inevitably become important every day facts of life?

Well, for years I used to bang on to people about email, but for a long time there were lots of different proprietary systems, and it was ridiculously hard to get email from one system to another. But it seemed to me that this was a fantastically good way of communicating. I'm glad it's finally becoming so widespread.

 

>> Can you remember how long you have been using email?

Since about 1983. In those days of course I could only send emails to myself. I was always excited to receive them, though. I used to subscribe to service called The Source.

 

>> Peoples' personas can be distorted quite dramatically by the simplistic nature of text in electronic messages - have you had any weird experiences with people because certain nuances were missing from the basic text of the message?

Well, being a writer I guess I tend to be very aware of the way that words work and habitually reread and rewrite even the simplest note. However, I have fallen foul of the tendency to write something cross in the heat of the moment, hit the send button and then repent at leisure.

 

>>We have heard that some companies are so concerned about the effects of email on their workers that they have decided to ration its use during the day. Do you think this is sensible?

No.

 

>> Tools, like email, the Web and the Internet in general are obviously very useful, however - I guess that most of us find it all somewhat limiting.

What would you like to see improve?

Speed, speed, speed. Also electronic commerce, digital cash, nanotransactions. All that stuff that we have been promised for a few years now, will make enormous changes.

 

>> On average how much time do you spend surfing on the Web each day?

Hard to say. Because I have ISDN I'm never particularly aware of being on or off.

 

>> How would you feel if some superior being came along tomorrow and took away your access to email?

I don't think a superior being would do such a thing. Not if it wanted to continue to be thought of as being superior.







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