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INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
AND YOU
Edward G. Cale Jr.
Amazing though it may seem, the personal computer has only been around for
about 20 years. Before 1980 the world of computing belonged to highly trained
technical people who worked their wizardry wearing white coats in hermeti-
cally sealed rooms. Today kindergarten students use personal computers to
learn the alphabet, grade school students use the Internet to research term
papers, and on-the-go executives are always in touch with their beepers, Web-
enabled cell phones, cellular personal digital assistants (PDAs), and laptop
computers. However, many people are not yet comfortable with these tech-
nologies. The range of people’s acceptance and knowledge of information tech-
nology is wide, with the technical novice at one end of the continuum and the
“techie” at the other end. Where you fall in this range will dictate what you
gain from this chapter. If you are fortunate to fall near the techie side, skim
this chapter for ideas which you might find interesting.
Technology has changed the way people conduct business. Computers
have replaced pencil and paper in contemporary business life. In the past,
when a new employee was hired, he or she was shown to a desk and given pen,
pencil, paper, and a telephone. Today, the new hire is given a computer, usually
attached to a network; a cellular phone; a beeper; and possibly a laptop com-
puter for portable use. People’s lives have been turned upside down as they
learn to manage the latest technology. E-mail is replacing U.S. Mail. Secre-
taries are being replaced by personal productivity technology such as voice