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Brock LaMeres

Assignment 15





1. what did you find

1.1. interesting about the article?


This was a very interesting article for me because I am a telecommuter. I have been grated a 1-year pass from my company in Colorado Springs to telecommute so I can be closer to Boulder to finish up my coursework toward a Ph.D. Everything resonated with me in this article. The idea of being "freed" from the community is untrue. The reality is that if you are not an active member of your workplace, you will be fired, that is fact. The main challenge of being away from the office is to make the impression that you are contributing and not let your peers and managers forget that you work there.

Also, my current job is 95% tied to the internet. If my cable modem goes down or runs too slow, I am cripled. In addition, if my equipment has problems, I am cripled. Technology fails when you are in a real office, but you don't notice as much because there is so much human interaction that keeps you busy.

1.2. not interesting about the article?


More on Chiat/Day

2. what do you consider the main message of the article?


The main message was that digital media and computers will allow employees to work at home more than in the office. However, it explains that this isn't always the best course of action.

3. what does the following quote mean to you: "design needs to attend not simply to the frailty of technological systems and the robustness of social systems, but to ways in which social systems often play a key part in making even frail technology robust"


It means that the technology needs to solve it's own weaknesses, not get society to alter itself in order to make poor technology work.

3.1. why are social systems robust? 3.2. why are technological system frail?


Social systems are more robust because we have able to quickly deal with unknowns and resolve the matter. Technological systems, in addition to simply crashing all the times, cannot deal with new situations.

3.3. or do you disagree with the authors about his?


I completely agree, I hate computers.

4. think of a couple of persons (maybe family members or friends) who are in a position to use computer by being "home alone"! Characterize the major problems that these persons have!


I am a good example. The problems are that when the technology goes down, you are completely unable to complete your job or communicate. The other problem is that you loose touch with what the main objective of your work is supposed to be. Also, you get fat because you aren't moving around as much and you're eyes start to hurt because all you do is stare at a computer screen all day.

5. Describe briefly some new innovative technologies that you can think of which would address these problems!


I want technology that gets me away from sitting in a chair and staring at a monitor. Wireless technology starts to address this giving us the freedom to work while we roam around.

6. in case of problems with computer systems ?how often to you look for help/advice

6.1. from humans?


About once every two weeks.

6.2. from written documentation?


Never

6.3. from online resources?


Twice a week.

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