1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology with 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: tech Stuff from how stuff works dot com. Hello again, everyone, 4 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: and welcome to tech stuff. My name is Chris Poulette 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: and I am the tech editor here at how stuff 6 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:24,280 Speaker 1: works dot com, sitting across from me as usual as 7 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: senior writer Jonathan Strickland. And we're coming to you live 8 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: from the bowels of Hades. Well, no, but it just 9 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: feels like it because we're in our temporary studio until 10 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:39,279 Speaker 1: our regular studio is completely done being renovated. And it's 11 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: a very very small office with a lot of computer 12 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: and equipment, and it's quite warm. Yeah, we have all 13 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: the lights off. Um, we're stripped down to just our 14 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: our underwear. UM. I am, of course wearing the Batman 15 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: under ru'se Um. Please help me. Yeah, last week it 16 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: was The Wonder Woman once and I was told that 17 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: was not appropriate. Uh So anyway, probably wouldn't have been 18 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: such a big deal if you hadn't been walking around 19 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: the office afterward. It was the lariat that was really 20 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: giving people the problem. It's like, tell me the truth. 21 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: I really hope we're going to edit this out. No, 22 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:17,119 Speaker 1: this is gonna state Liz, this all states and alight 23 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: once we're done. And Mr Fredericks in the background snickering. 24 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 1: Uh no, here's the problem, folks. It's hot and I'm 25 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:28,559 Speaker 1: I'm punchy. So just just warning you before we really 26 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:31,320 Speaker 1: get into this this episode. But this episode does come 27 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:38,279 Speaker 1: to us courtesy of a little listener mail. This listener 28 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: mail comes from our our friend the scene. We've had 29 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: him right in before. All right, So anyway, he says, Hi, 30 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: j n C. I just wanted to give our first 31 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: initial basis that's how good a friend he is, and 32 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: any signs off tasks. So I just wanted to give 33 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: a podcast suggestion because I don't remember hearing anything about 34 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: it lately. I used to work as a docu management consultant, 35 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: helping companies convert large filing systems of paper documents into 36 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: electronic files with a database for search and retrieval. So 37 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: my question, slash suggestion, how far are we from the 38 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 1: paperless office? Is this even a goal of organizations anymore? Thanks? 39 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: Love the show, So we're going to talk about what 40 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 1: the heck happened to the paperless office? Uh, this is 41 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: something that we've been hearing about for decades, quite a 42 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: long time. And you all right, let me ask you this, Chris, 43 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: from just your personal opinion, just technologically speaking and technologically only, 44 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: do you think technologically we are at a point where 45 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: a paperless office is possible? Not only yes, but I 46 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: think we have been technologically at a point where it 47 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: is possible to do it. I completely agree with you, Chris. Absolutely, 48 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: we are at a point right now where we could 49 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: go paperless if we really wanted to from the technological 50 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: standpoint point. But here's the here's the issue. It turns 51 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: out that offices are full of these things we call 52 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: um was it people and people work differently than technology. Uh. 53 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: There are a couple of reasons for this. One is 54 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: a good a good point that was made in the 55 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 1: Myth of the Paperless Office. That's a book by Abigail 56 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 1: Selling in Richard Harper, Yeah, which you can buy in print. Yeah, 57 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: and not yes, you can. You can actually buy a 58 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: print copy of the pattern. It is kind of funny. Um. 59 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: So the points actually a pretty interesting book. I'd like 60 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:33,080 Speaker 1: to go back and read it cover to cover because 61 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: it's it's actually kind of interesting. Yeah. Well, the one 62 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: of the points they make is that business evolved along 63 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: with the use of paper, So with you know, paper 64 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: wasn't an integral part of the way business started and 65 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: and uh, and the way we think of business today, 66 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 1: paper is a very important part of that and just 67 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: taking it out of the equation just because you happen 68 00:03:55,480 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: to have a computer doesn't really work. Yeah, it's funny 69 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: because they're they're trying to take back the idea of 70 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: the paperless office to its roots. Um. And it was 71 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 1: a Business Week article in nineties seventies and they were 72 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: talking to uh, Xerox Park had George Pick who was 73 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,559 Speaker 1: talking about the Office of the Future. How many times 74 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: have we talked about the Office of the Future on 75 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: the podcast? Um? But the funny thing is, uh, he 76 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: didn't actually say that people have attributed it to him, 77 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 1: But he didn't actually say that the Office of the 78 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: Future would have no paper in it. In fact, that probably, 79 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 1: as uh Selling and Harper point out, that probably would 80 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 1: have been a very bad idea for him to say, 81 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 1: since Xerox makes copiers. Um. But uh, you know it. 82 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:44,920 Speaker 1: But he said that, you know, there are technologies that 83 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: are changing. The typewriter is going to go away, was 84 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:49,160 Speaker 1: one of them, and I think people sort of extrapolated 85 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:51,599 Speaker 1: from there. But I mean even um, in Dan Norman's 86 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: book The Invisible Computer h. Thomas Edison, you know, they 87 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: were talking about some of the recording technology that he 88 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: came up with, you know, the cylinders, the black cylinders, 89 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: and people would be able to make a recording of 90 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: something and give it to someone else, so they wouldn't 91 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: necessarily have to write out a memo to give to 92 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 1: somebody else in the office. They could actually give you 93 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: the recording, um and pass that around or you know, 94 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 1: Veneva bushes memex from uh you know, as we may 95 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: think back in the Atlantic article and that's another really 96 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:23,160 Speaker 1: good article to read if you're interested in if you 97 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: had this idea, how um this sort of foreshadowed and 98 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,479 Speaker 1: sort of became a self fulfilling prophecy of the internet, 99 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 1: that you would have a desk where you had all 100 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: your materials and you would store them all on microfilm 101 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: because again the internet he hadn't been invented yet. Um. 102 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:41,320 Speaker 1: But rather than you know, keeping a desk full of 103 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 1: files and file folders and stuff on paper, you would 104 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: basically take a snapshot of it and put it on microfilm, 105 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:51,160 Speaker 1: which is much smaller and more convenient to store. Um. 106 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: You know. So people had a number of different ideas 107 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: that had led up to it, and you know when 108 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: they actually started thinking about the concept of well, you know, 109 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 1: we could we could scannal this stuff in and store it. 110 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,679 Speaker 1: It would be so easy to go without paper. But yes, 111 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: as it turns out, on a computer screen, you can't 112 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:09,359 Speaker 1: spread it all over your desk and see how everything 113 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,279 Speaker 1: fits together, or you know, tack it up to the wall. 114 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 1: Or let's say that you have a report and the 115 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: points you really want to hit in the report when 116 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: you're making your presentation are on pages one and seven. 117 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,599 Speaker 1: It's very easy to take page one and then take 118 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:27,840 Speaker 1: page seven and leave everything else behind in a physical format. 119 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 1: Now you can do that electronically too, don't get me wrong, 120 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: but there's an extra step there. I mean, you've got 121 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,679 Speaker 1: that interface that you have to work with with the computer. 122 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:38,599 Speaker 1: With paper, you literally pick up one sheet of paper, 123 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:41,920 Speaker 1: pick up a second sheet of paper, and you're done, right, 124 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: So I mean, there's no dealing with anything else. It 125 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 1: is a very fast system. Um there. So paper has 126 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: a real use in business and uh and and there's ah, 127 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:55,440 Speaker 1: so there's there's that part where paper and business are 128 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 1: so closely entwined that uh that a truly paperless office 129 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 1: is a difficult thing to manage. It's not impossible. There 130 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 1: are offices that have done it, or at least have 131 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: reduced paper to such an extent that you could more 132 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: or less call them paperless. But for the most part, 133 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: most businesses still rely, at least in some measure on 134 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: paper because it's useful. It's useful, and it's easy, and 135 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:25,240 Speaker 1: we we have it culturally ingrained in us to use paper. Yep. UM. 136 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: When you think about it, to paper is a form 137 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: of technology. It's just a form of technology that's been 138 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: ubiquitous for so long that we don't even think of 139 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: it's being that way. It's there, but it is high 140 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:39,120 Speaker 1: tech we think about it. UM. It stays around for 141 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: a very long time. I mean the quality of ink 142 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: and the quality of paper that we have now, UM 143 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: it's a lot more likely to last fifteen years than 144 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 1: a particular file format. UM. That doesn't mean that we 145 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:56,239 Speaker 1: can't fix that, but the way things have been involving 146 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: right now. UM libraries, for example, have have a very 147 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 1: difficult time with this because UM file formats have been changing, 148 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 1: the machines that play different kinds of file formats, changed 149 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: the programs that are used. They go out of date. 150 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: So the thing is, you have a you know, for example, 151 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: we'll take from some something from my background, something I 152 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 1: wrote in scribble for the Commodore Amiga, and I have 153 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: it stored on a three point five inch floppy disc 154 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: that I wrote out in college. Now I was, you 155 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: know about let's say twenty years ago, which it was 156 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: just about it's twenty years old. Something that I wrote 157 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 1: on a piece of paper from that time would be 158 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:38,959 Speaker 1: perfectly legible and well, it would be perfectly readable by 159 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 1: handwriting analysis person um. But the thing is, if I 160 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:48,080 Speaker 1: wanted to read the file on that floppy disc number one, 161 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: I would have to hope that the material, the magnetic medium, 162 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: hadn't corrupted. You know, I'd become so brittle by this 163 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: point that it is, uh, you know, unreadable. I would 164 00:08:57,720 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: have funding to Megat to run it on. I would 165 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: have funding to me with scribble on it, and it's 166 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 1: rendered almost inaccessible. So yeah, it's so difficult to get to. 167 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: Now the Internet has managed to take a lot of 168 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: those concerns and kind of put them to the side, 169 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:17,800 Speaker 1: just from the sense that you can store things in 170 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: the cloud now and even as as companies upgrade their 171 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 1: cloud systems, they of course have to port old information over. 172 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: I mean, if they can't, then they're going to go 173 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: out of business. But that's expensive because it takes people 174 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: to port that stuff over, and you also have to 175 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 1: file formats and storage capacity and all that stuff. You know, 176 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 1: It's it ain't cheap, right, But the point being that 177 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,000 Speaker 1: it is it is in fact possible for you to 178 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: now store things electronically where you don't have to worry 179 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: as much about the physical medium or the or the 180 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: even the software um going bad on you. I think, 181 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 1: especially when you have access to things like say Google 182 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:59,319 Speaker 1: Docs or the Microsoft Online Suite UM, those you know, 183 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,520 Speaker 1: usually build backwards compatibility into that, and even if the 184 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:08,319 Speaker 1: backwards compatibility starts to kind of slack off later on, 185 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:11,680 Speaker 1: they'll probably just go ahead and tweak it so that 186 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: you can you can convert your files over into the 187 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: proper format. But that that aside, I think just psychologically, 188 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:24,960 Speaker 1: there's an importance we put on things that are put 189 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 1: on paper that we don't think of an electronic format um. 190 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 1: And this is kind of armchair psychology. So I mean 191 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 1: this is this is not based on anything scientific or 192 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:38,559 Speaker 1: any studies. This is Jonathan talking out of his own 193 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:43,599 Speaker 1: armchair psychology. Lazy boy. So, uh I see what you 194 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: did there. Yeah, it's kind of hard to fit it 195 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 1: in the office, and boy is it getting warm in here. 196 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:53,200 Speaker 1: But uh so, the armchair psychology approach is that when 197 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: you have something written down on paper, it's it's got 198 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 1: a physical presence, right. You can see it, you can 199 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:00,719 Speaker 1: touch it, you can pick it, you can wat it 200 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 1: up if you want to. You can throw it away. Um, 201 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 1: you can file it. You can tell your assistant to 202 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:08,719 Speaker 1: go and unfile it. Find that piece of paper that 203 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:10,880 Speaker 1: you've filed for no reason other than to make that 204 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:13,319 Speaker 1: person go and get it back for you because you're 205 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 1: powerful man, Mr Executive. How you like me now, boss? 206 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:19,719 Speaker 1: Give me the Stevenson report. I think I think it 207 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 1: went off on the rails on that one. But at 208 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 1: any rate, the point being that it has that physicality 209 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: to it, and that's that's an important factor. When you 210 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,720 Speaker 1: have an electronic file, you know you've got it. It 211 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,440 Speaker 1: doesn't it doesn't it feels like it doesn't really exist. 212 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:37,720 Speaker 1: You know, it exists on a computer screen. But once 213 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 1: you turn your computer off, you don't have it in 214 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:41,559 Speaker 1: your hands anymore. You know, you have to have the 215 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,840 Speaker 1: computer onto or some other device, whether it's a Kindle 216 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:48,280 Speaker 1: or other e reader or a smartphone or whatever whatever 217 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: it is you're using to access that file. Um, you 218 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:52,960 Speaker 1: know you have to have this other device on in 219 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:54,880 Speaker 1: order to access it. And it just doesn't feel like 220 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:58,400 Speaker 1: it's real, not like not like a piece of paper does. Now, 221 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: if you can get over that, that's cool, But if 222 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:04,560 Speaker 1: you can't, then you're gonna be like a boss I 223 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: had several years ago at a different company, and I'm 224 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 1: not gonna name it, but I really did have a 225 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: boss who would get maybe fifty or sixty emails in 226 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:18,840 Speaker 1: a day, and he printed every single one of them 227 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: and then filed them away. Yeah. I know I know 228 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:25,440 Speaker 1: other people like that too, And uh, you know I 229 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 1: know a lot of people two in places that I've worked, actually, 230 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:32,600 Speaker 1: very various companies from where I've worked, and I'll print 231 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:34,559 Speaker 1: something that I need and I'll walk over to the 232 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: printer and it will be next to the Actually have 233 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:39,320 Speaker 1: mentioned this on the podcast before. For you long time 234 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:42,400 Speaker 1: listeners you will recognize this, But um, there there will 235 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:45,320 Speaker 1: be a stack of paper, you know, sometimes even you know, 236 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:47,760 Speaker 1: a whole pack worth of paper sitting next to the 237 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:52,079 Speaker 1: printer of jobs that people have printed but never claimed. Um. 238 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: You know, so they people get it in their head 239 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:56,480 Speaker 1: that they need a copy of it, and they print 240 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,480 Speaker 1: it out, and then they forget that they actually needed it, 241 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:01,640 Speaker 1: and it turns out they didn't need it as bad 242 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:04,959 Speaker 1: badly as they thought. Well, what's funny because another one 243 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:07,920 Speaker 1: of the things too that I've read was an article 244 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:13,520 Speaker 1: in The Economist, um and in the eighties and nine nineties, UM, 245 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 1: during the years when technology was really beginning to catch 246 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:18,960 Speaker 1: on and people started having a computer on their desk, 247 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:22,480 Speaker 1: uh sometimes at home too, especially in the early eighties. 248 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 1: You know, that was a real novelty, UM for the 249 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: early part of the decade. But consumption, you know, this 250 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,319 Speaker 1: is when theoretically the Office of the Future was going 251 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:35,560 Speaker 1: to start eliminating paper. But at that point, consumption of 252 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:39,080 Speaker 1: paper almost you know, more than doubled in those years 253 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 1: because you know, once the Internet caught on, there was 254 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:45,200 Speaker 1: all this other information and people wanted copies of it. So, 255 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:48,840 Speaker 1: you know, in printers became really really good. Desktop publishing 256 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:51,439 Speaker 1: became a phenomenon and all of a sudden, we were 257 00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: printing way more than usual. But since two thousand one, 258 00:13:56,280 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: apparently paper used to spend in decline um and seems 259 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:05,080 Speaker 1: like social factors may be partially responsible for that because 260 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:08,760 Speaker 1: people are growing up, they're they're used to the technology. 261 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: Now I don't necessarily need to print the emails and 262 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:15,559 Speaker 1: file them away. People who have, you know, gone through 263 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 1: school all the way through with you know, and they're 264 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:20,280 Speaker 1: used to do the computer and the internet, and they 265 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:22,280 Speaker 1: don't have to They just don't need to print stuff 266 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:25,120 Speaker 1: out like they used to. So it's it's starting to decline, 267 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: but it's still it's definitely it's definitely a cultural thing. 268 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 1: I think if I think as we go on, we 269 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: will arrive at more of are less a paperless office 270 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: kind of environment across most industries. Uh, mainly because by 271 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:41,880 Speaker 1: then it'll those industries will be staffed by people who 272 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 1: grew up in that environment that you were talking about. 273 00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:47,920 Speaker 1: For those of us who who came before, you know, 274 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 1: we were just from a different time where it's a 275 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 1: time from far past where we just are used to 276 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 1: using paper and it's hard to get that. It's hard 277 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: to to break free of that, which is why if 278 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 1: you if you are a company and you're looking at 279 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 1: um switching to a paperless environment, it really means changing 280 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: more than just telling people not to print stuff. It 281 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:15,360 Speaker 1: means creating new organizational workflows. It really means rethinking the 282 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: way you go about doing your daily job so that 283 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:21,680 Speaker 1: you don't have to rely on paper at all. UM. 284 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: And it's more than just providing the tools. You have 285 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:26,800 Speaker 1: to provide the training, and you have to expect that 286 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:30,240 Speaker 1: there's gonna be a period where people have to learn 287 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: these new these new behaviors. This is not what we're 288 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:36,720 Speaker 1: used to and UM, I think we will see that 289 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: happen over time, but it's gonna be much more gradual 290 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 1: than we expected because I think when people were making 291 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: the predictions, they were thinking of it from a technological standpoint, 292 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 1: like when will we be technologically able to abandon paper? Well, 293 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: as it turns out that we were ready for that 294 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: far before we were psychologically ready to do it. I 295 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: could think of a number of different programs available right now, 296 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:07,400 Speaker 1: um commercially and as shareware that allow you to uh, 297 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 1: you know, save different kinds of documents in them, so 298 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:15,840 Speaker 1: you can create a system inside the program for your 299 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: Microsoft word documents and your rich text files and your 300 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 1: audio files and PDFs and all kinds of things, and 301 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 1: you can basically create a I mean, you could do 302 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: the same thing essentially with a UM you know, with 303 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: a simple organizational file in your operating system. But this 304 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:33,400 Speaker 1: pro the programs actually sort of put them together so 305 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: that you have all the files in one place where 306 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: you can view them inside the system. And that's it 307 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 1: essentially achieves the same um the same idea of having 308 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:46,480 Speaker 1: them all in a file, a physical file folder. But 309 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: you know, it does help people keep things organized and 310 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: help you work without having to, you know, spread all 311 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,280 Speaker 1: that stuff out on your desk. However, spreading all that 312 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: stuff out on your desk can be really helpful sometimes 313 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:00,080 Speaker 1: sometimes that that is, it's all easier to visualize the 314 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:02,400 Speaker 1: project when you actually have those physical pieces in front 315 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,359 Speaker 1: of you. Maybe something like the Microsoft Surface, you know, 316 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:08,480 Speaker 1: where you can we could have a screen, a large 317 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 1: screen where you could you know, actually spread things out. 318 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 1: Think about interoperability between say a computer and a tablet device, 319 00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:19,040 Speaker 1: like if if you if Apple were to create uh 320 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:24,840 Speaker 1: an interoperable interface between the iPad and say their Macintosh line, 321 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: and they were able to make it where it was 322 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 1: really easy to do things like have one thing up 323 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:33,400 Speaker 1: on your IMAX screen while you're taking notes on your iPad, 324 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:35,560 Speaker 1: and it's all linked together so that if you ever 325 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 1: open it up again, you have access to all of that. 326 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:40,919 Speaker 1: That would be brilliant. And then I would say, you know, 327 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:45,320 Speaker 1: before I kind of poo pooed the iPad um and 328 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,000 Speaker 1: and I think in its initial phase it's still not 329 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:51,200 Speaker 1: really for me. But seeing that kind of stuff built 330 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:53,040 Speaker 1: in over time, and I assume that that's going to 331 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 1: eventually happen, if not with the iPad one point kind 332 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:58,760 Speaker 1: of yeah, some sort of tablet device, um, then I 333 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,160 Speaker 1: would say, yeah, you know, this totally makes sense because 334 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:03,040 Speaker 1: that's one of my problems is I like to take 335 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:06,280 Speaker 1: a lot of notes about the research I'm doing. Well, 336 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:08,600 Speaker 1: it's it's a lot easier if you are doing that 337 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 1: on paper than if you're doing it on a screen, 338 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:13,679 Speaker 1: where like, if the resource material is on the screen, 339 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 1: then you're either covering up part of the screen or 340 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 1: you need two screens. And most of us here at 341 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 1: how stuff works, we only have the one laptop. There 342 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:23,679 Speaker 1: are some of us who have multiple screens. I am 343 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,280 Speaker 1: not one of them. Uh, if I did on multiple screens, 344 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:27,720 Speaker 1: then I could have my notes up on one and 345 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 1: I could have the research up on the other, it 346 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:32,120 Speaker 1: wouldn't be an issue. But like a tablet device could 347 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 1: be helpful in that sense. Otherwise I'm using paper. Um, 348 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:38,800 Speaker 1: so yeah, there's that. And there's a lot of reasons 349 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:40,720 Speaker 1: why you would want to switch to a paperless office. 350 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:42,919 Speaker 1: I mean, first of all, it's the green thing to do. 351 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:46,440 Speaker 1: You're not consuming right, or at least you're not consuming paper, 352 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: you're still consuming electricity. So and there's still other issues 353 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,159 Speaker 1: to take into account. But some people say that that 354 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 1: paper is greener than electronics that but I've but I've 355 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 1: seen I've seen some new material to from environmental groups 356 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:06,520 Speaker 1: that say, well, you know, with certain responsibly forested trees, 357 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:10,480 Speaker 1: with a higher recycled paper content, it can be have 358 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:12,359 Speaker 1: less of an impact on the environment, which is just 359 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: hard for me to get my head around. But you 360 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,000 Speaker 1: would have to sort of understand what you have to 361 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: be purchasing your paper from a very particular vendor, and 362 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:20,400 Speaker 1: I guarantee you it's going to be more expensive than 363 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:24,919 Speaker 1: the average REMA paper, yes, and probably more than a 364 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: company wouldn't necessarily be willing to pay. But yeah, most 365 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,760 Speaker 1: companies are gonna look for the most cost effective way 366 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: of purchasing anything well could otherwise it's hard to stay 367 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:36,800 Speaker 1: in business. But the the reasons why you want to 368 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:40,400 Speaker 1: go to paperless besides the whole green slash clean technology, 369 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: It takes up less space, so that can save you 370 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:45,879 Speaker 1: money because now you're not you know, you might not 371 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 1: need an office space as large as you would if 372 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: you had a lot of paper files. I mean, I've 373 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 1: worked in offices that had an entire room dedicated to 374 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:57,040 Speaker 1: paper files that with like multiple UH sliding shelves, like 375 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 1: you'd have to turn a crank to move the shelf 376 00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:01,159 Speaker 1: down the rooms we could get to the next shelf, 377 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:03,679 Speaker 1: and if if the information you needed was on the 378 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:05,480 Speaker 1: last shelf, was going to take you a while before 379 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:09,199 Speaker 1: you got there. Um, you wouldn't need that. With electronic 380 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:13,439 Speaker 1: electronic filing systems, everything would be on a server or 381 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: two servers or a rack of servers whatever, you wouldn't. 382 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 1: That takes up a lot less space than an entire 383 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: room full of files and UH and like for very 384 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: big companies that could that could mean the difference between 385 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:31,520 Speaker 1: a huge office and just a rather large office. Well, 386 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:36,920 Speaker 1: and and it's gonna be especially important in situations like 387 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:39,680 Speaker 1: the ones we're starting to encounter now in which more 388 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:42,400 Speaker 1: of us are working from home more of the time. 389 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,119 Speaker 1: I mean, there are companies who are taking the plunge 390 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:49,480 Speaker 1: and going completely decentralized. And if you have a lot 391 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:51,879 Speaker 1: of paper, uh, you know you have to have all 392 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:55,359 Speaker 1: the files. Well, what if somebody across town needs that? 393 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:57,200 Speaker 1: Are you going to pay a career? Are you're gonna 394 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 1: run it over there yourself? Again, this is a higher 395 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:04,879 Speaker 1: environmental cost um and it's really really impractical, you know, 396 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 1: rather than sharing the files electronically in some fashion. So, um, 397 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: you know now that that more companies are becoming comfortable 398 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: allowing their employees to work remotely carrying around a lot 399 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:21,480 Speaker 1: of paper in a briefcase or backpacker a truck, it's 400 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:25,200 Speaker 1: kind of it's kind of uh, really difficult to imagine 401 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:27,200 Speaker 1: at this point. The nice thing about where we work 402 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:28,959 Speaker 1: is that there's not a lot of call for us 403 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:31,280 Speaker 1: to print paper. Most of the things that we do 404 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,439 Speaker 1: we can do electronically at this point. Um, it may 405 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 1: mean logging into three separate log in systems in order 406 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: to get to the electronic form, these things happen. Yeah, 407 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 1: but yeah, that that does happen, but it still means 408 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:47,680 Speaker 1: you don't need paper for it. So that's kind of nice. Um. 409 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:51,200 Speaker 1: But will we get to a paperless office environment? Probably, 410 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 1: but it'll be a generational thing, not a not a 411 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:56,879 Speaker 1: technology thing. Yeah. I think we'll probably get to a 412 00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,960 Speaker 1: very very minimal paper office. It just doesn't sound nearly 413 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:03,440 Speaker 1: as cool as paperless, right, And I mean, I remember 414 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:06,360 Speaker 1: when I was took my first computer class. I was like, yeah, totally, 415 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:09,360 Speaker 1: we're not gonna have any paper anymore. Yeah, And now 416 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:11,680 Speaker 1: I'm like, hey, where to put that piece of paper 417 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:15,200 Speaker 1: with that extremely funny and important note I wrote on it? Yeah? 418 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:17,920 Speaker 1: And where are you gonna put that password? Yea, stick 419 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:21,600 Speaker 1: it on your computer monitor. I always end up putting 420 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:24,639 Speaker 1: it on a little post it note, And then I 421 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:28,200 Speaker 1: just put it on Sarah Dowdy's back, and then I 422 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:31,080 Speaker 1: come by and say, hey, how are you doing? All right? 423 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:34,680 Speaker 1: That's how I log in. She hates that, by the way. 424 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:39,960 Speaker 1: Meanwhile she peels it off and goes one six Yeah, yeah, 425 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:42,480 Speaker 1: last word, why is the word password on my back? 426 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,440 Speaker 1: I never shut up. I never claimed to be smart, 427 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:48,440 Speaker 1: all right, So well, that's that's a good discussion on 428 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:50,800 Speaker 1: the paperless office in it. And now we will move 429 00:22:50,920 --> 00:23:00,640 Speaker 1: on to a little listener mail. This strom mail comes 430 00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 1: from Lisa, and Lisa says chris P. I thought it 431 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:07,760 Speaker 1: was crispy until Jonathan explained in the later podcast. And Jonathan, 432 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:09,800 Speaker 1: I just want you guys to know how much I 433 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:13,000 Speaker 1: love and enjoy your podcast. I travel all over Florida 434 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 1: for my job, so I plug in my eye touch 435 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:16,960 Speaker 1: and listen to you. I learned so much and you 436 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 1: always managed to a listen to smile from me as well. 437 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:21,639 Speaker 1: I also want to mention that I love it when 438 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:26,639 Speaker 1: Jonathan says, oh, listener mail, I love that. I have 439 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:28,560 Speaker 1: so many things I'd like to hear on your podcast, 440 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:31,240 Speaker 1: but one that often comes up because I'm always looking 441 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:34,000 Speaker 1: for directions is how does Google get the street views 442 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 1: on Google Maps? Thanks and keep up the great work, Lisa. Well, Lisa, 443 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 1: thank you so much. It was a very nice email 444 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,880 Speaker 1: to receive, especially after a very long and hectic week 445 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:47,560 Speaker 1: in a very hot studio room. Yes, I am getting 446 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:50,400 Speaker 1: to the point where I am in fact crispy. Yes, 447 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: yes I'm kind of getting soggy. But let's just move 448 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:57,119 Speaker 1: on and answer your your question there about street you, Well, 449 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:00,200 Speaker 1: we talked about street you in a previous podcast. Not well, 450 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:03,120 Speaker 1: it was actually quite a while ago. But street view 451 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 1: is it's a pretty simple and and brilliant idea. What 452 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:09,080 Speaker 1: do you do is you get a car or in 453 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,720 Speaker 1: some cases a trike or maybe even a bicycle, but 454 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:16,160 Speaker 1: mostly cars, and you put on top of it four 455 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:21,680 Speaker 1: cameras panoramic cameras, so yeah, wide angle cameras pointing one 456 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 1: essentially north, southeast, and west, but really in the four 457 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:29,520 Speaker 1: main directions radiating out from the roof of the vehicle. Yeah. 458 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 1: There their photos of this, ironically enough online and you 459 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 1: can see it essentially looks like a periscope on a submarine. 460 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: It's a mass with the four cameras mountain on it, 461 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:43,080 Speaker 1: and they're digital cameras. They're taking Hiro's photos and they 462 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 1: take them at a pretty short interval. Um. I'm not 463 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:50,119 Speaker 1: sure if it's timed or if it's actually distance now 464 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:52,439 Speaker 1: that I think about it, but they are GEO tagged. 465 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:56,800 Speaker 1: There's a GPS receiver in with the vehicle and it 466 00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 1: tags each photo with a compass as well, So there's 467 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,399 Speaker 1: a GPS tag and a compass heading for each photo 468 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:07,040 Speaker 1: so that it knows how to orient them when putting 469 00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:09,840 Speaker 1: them together in street view. So when it's all put 470 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,359 Speaker 1: together in street view, it kind of looks like a 471 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 1: seamless experience. Like you can you can scan down the 472 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:17,679 Speaker 1: street and travel down the street as if you were 473 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 1: actually in the town. Um that's all because of these 474 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: these photos. Now, however, if you do take a turn 475 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:25,680 Speaker 1: and you start moving around, you might notice that the 476 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: time of day looks a little different, or maybe the 477 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:29,880 Speaker 1: maybe it's not as sunny as it used to being 478 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:33,320 Speaker 1: because it takes a while to scan these streets, and 479 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:35,200 Speaker 1: depending on traffic and things like that, it can take 480 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:38,600 Speaker 1: a long time. So Google sends these vehicles through, takes 481 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,119 Speaker 1: all these photos and then assembles them and uh and 482 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,680 Speaker 1: and attaches them to Google Maps because of the using 483 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,760 Speaker 1: the geo tagging feature. Um there are This is not 484 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:52,440 Speaker 1: without controversy. There There have been a few towns that 485 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:56,399 Speaker 1: have protested the use of of street view saying that 486 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 1: it it's a violation of privacy and that it endangers 487 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:02,760 Speaker 1: people in the town because, uh, it could it could 488 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,800 Speaker 1: serve as a way for thieves to case a joint. 489 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:08,199 Speaker 1: That's what we call it. When we UH I mean 490 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 1: when thieves look at houses and try to find a 491 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:15,119 Speaker 1: vulnerable way in. Um. It also could capture people in 492 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:20,240 Speaker 1: unflattering situations such as coming out of of the Cheetah, 493 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,200 Speaker 1: which only a few people are going to actually know. 494 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:26,439 Speaker 1: But listen, don't look it up. Don't look it up. 495 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:31,160 Speaker 1: It's a look. It's an exotic dancing location within Atlanta, 496 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: And the only reason I know that it exists is 497 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:37,320 Speaker 1: because I used to work there block away from there, 498 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:41,200 Speaker 1: and um so if you know, you wouldn't want to 499 00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 1: the Google. You wouldn't want to be walking out of 500 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 1: there and see the Google car going by at that 501 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: moment and think, great, my picture is gonna be on 502 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:52,320 Speaker 1: Google street View forever. So that's why the Google street 503 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 1: View Now they have an automatic UH algorithm that will 504 00:26:56,080 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 1: blur out people's faces so that their identities remain somewhat secret. Um. 505 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:03,879 Speaker 1: But there are other issues as well. In fact, Google 506 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:06,840 Speaker 1: has has mentioned not that long ago that they were 507 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,440 Speaker 1: thinking about letting communities know when they were going to 508 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:11,440 Speaker 1: send a car through. And when you think about at first, 509 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:12,960 Speaker 1: you're like, oh, that's a great idea because I can 510 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,680 Speaker 1: make sure that my my lawn is his mode. So 511 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:17,879 Speaker 1: it doesn't look nasty, and that that you know, the 512 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 1: houses in good shapes. So that way, if the if 513 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:23,000 Speaker 1: I ever do decide to sell my house and someone 514 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:24,880 Speaker 1: looks at my house and street view, it's not gonna 515 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:27,880 Speaker 1: look like a you know, a ramshackle hut. But other 516 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:30,119 Speaker 1: people are thinking, hey, this is great because if I 517 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:32,199 Speaker 1: know they're going to be going through, I can arrange 518 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:36,199 Speaker 1: a really funny tableau and uh and mess with Google 519 00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:39,920 Speaker 1: and have like this goofy scene play out as the 520 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,840 Speaker 1: Google street view UH car goes by. Because this has 521 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,679 Speaker 1: happened before with some art project type stuff. I can 522 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,639 Speaker 1: just imagine the entire world turning into an enormous art project, 523 00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: which in my view is totally awesome. But other people say, 524 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,400 Speaker 1: well that kind of reduces the usefulness of the actual tool. 525 00:27:57,040 --> 00:28:01,240 Speaker 1: Um that more than answers that question. I think Chris 526 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:03,720 Speaker 1: has been quiet ever since I talked about the cheetah. Yeah, 527 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: I'm wondering in the paperless office if I should tender 528 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:09,639 Speaker 1: my resignation on paper. I think you can do it 529 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,719 Speaker 1: by email or even text message. You know what, I'm 530 00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:14,920 Speaker 1: going to tweet it when I'm out of here. I'm 531 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,280 Speaker 1: tweeting it. You heard it here first, so I accept 532 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:19,159 Speaker 1: that for the fact that I'm following in the footsteps 533 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:21,840 Speaker 1: of of people who are like C. E O S 534 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:27,440 Speaker 1: who have used Twitter to Yeah. Well, at any rate, 535 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:29,280 Speaker 1: thank you for the question. If any of you have 536 00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:32,840 Speaker 1: any similar questions or just you're curious about something or 537 00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:36,439 Speaker 1: you want to add to our discussion, please email us 538 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:40,160 Speaker 1: text stuff at how stuff works dot com. Remember you 539 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:41,959 Speaker 1: can check out our blogs. Those are at blogs dot 540 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com, and of course the website itself, 541 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:47,840 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot Com still an awesome resource. And 542 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:49,760 Speaker 1: you know what, you don't even need paper to look 543 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,400 Speaker 1: at it. Nope, and Chris and I will talk to 544 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: you again really soon for moral on this and thousands 545 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:00,960 Speaker 1: of other topics. Does it how stuff works dot com 546 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:03,160 Speaker 1: And be sure to check out the new tech stuff 547 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 1: blog now on the house stuff Works homepage, brought to 548 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:13,600 Speaker 1: you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, 549 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:14,080 Speaker 1: are you