🚀 go-pugleaf

Distribution:
Followup-To: sci.misc
Organization: Cognitive Science(Epistemics)Edinburgh U.,Scotland

>And those of us who use the computer for public
>communication like USENET often don't realize just how unique it is
>as a social phenomenon.
>
>Assuming a computer-literate society and completely reasonable
>extensions of resources and technology, this sort of communication has a
>potential for social impact far exceeding that of the telephone. 

I tell my friends about what I've read on the newsnet etc and they're always
very interested and surprised - but not half as surprised as I was when my
fiance came home from work and announced that the computer terminal teller
system now had email for communucation between all the branches in Britain.
(She works for the Halifax - the "world's number 1" building society.)

The staff are being encouraged to use the email as it's cheaper than the
phone. Noone has got around to using it yet - there'll be a fair amount of
consertvitism I expect - except her and the manager, who has to really.
She found out how to use it mainly from being accustomed to my talking about
using usenet, so the whole idea isn't new. It certainly took me by surprise
though since I assume business to be way behind; the equipment that
they do have is usually nice but a bit obsolete. I cope with new stuff in
nasty packages :-).

The one thing that her firm, and most that I hear of, is really behind on is
document preparation - typing, word processing etc. 

-- 
Jim Scobbie:    Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh University,
                2 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9LW, SCOTLAND

UUCP:	 ...!ukc!cstvax!epistemi!jim
JANET:	 jim@uk.ac.ed.epistemi