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There is no automation in this paragraph: “For example, the way business mail used to work was that the bureaucrat in question would record their message onto

There is no automation in this paragraph: “For example, the way business mail used to work was that the bureaucrat in question would record their message onto a tape, and then send that tape off to a special department full of typists to actually turn that voice recording into a letter. That whole concept is not only gone, but it's such a foreign idea that it sounds like something you'd write for a dieselpunk novel. The moment we started putting computers on people's desks, we expected everyone to know how to type.” It’s true that executives now do their own typing, but that is not automation. It’s actually a rare case of modern work becoming less specialized, with a whole category of highly specialized workers (typists) ceasing to exist. If the executive uses voice-to-text technology, then that would be a case of automation.

galdosdi 5y ago
If you try using a vintage typewriter you will reconsider. It was a ton more work than now. (1) Typewriter keyboards were actually physically strenuous... find an old manual typewriter and type a couple pages on it and see how whether you feel like typing a dozen more. This was rectified beginning in the 60s I think, but manual models were still around for a while due to cost. (2) Even once electric typewriters were invented, dealing with minor typos, let alone more major textual surgery, remained a huge hassle until the personal computer / full word processor came about allowing on screen editing... Just imagine typing most of a page only to realize you forgot a sentence near the middle, or even made just a small typo. which is around when typists stopped being a thing, because then, and only then, typing had become so automated that a reasonably skilled bureaucrat wasn't really saving much time (and losing latency) by using the typing pool, especially for brief, urgent memoranda. It is a case of automation working so well, you don't even notice it at all and thus think nothing was automated, until you think about it in more detail.
- stretchwithme 5y ago
  Yes, the process of retyping a page was automated to the backspace key! heck, it wasn't just retyping the page you wanted to change. It was all the pages after that too! When I first used a word processor, it was so liberating.
  - thwarted 5y ago
    The automation with a word processor is not the input (the typing), it's the page layout and reflow, and being able to edit and get WYSIWYG before committing to the printed page.
- JJMcJ 5y ago
  My best typing experience, typewriters manual or electric, or computer keyboards, was the IBM Selectric. Second best was on an AT&T 3270 (!?!) with a mechanical clicking keyboard, similar to original IBM PC, but even better. I mean using a 3270 isn't great fun but the typing was great.
stretchwithme 5y ago
Is it rare? Whenever a tool becomes easier to use, more people can use it unassisted. Electric starters and automatic transmission probably eliminated the need or desire for some to have a driver. That's happened with lots of things.

galdosdi 5y ago

If you try using a vintage typewriter you will reconsider. It was a ton more work than now. (1) Typewriter keyboards were actually physically strenuous... find an old manual typewriter and type a couple pages on it and see how whether you feel like typing a dozen more. This was rectified beginning in the 60s I think, but manual models were still around for a while due to cost. (2) Even once electric typewriters were invented, dealing with minor typos, let alone more major textual surgery, remained a huge hassle until the personal computer / full word processor came about allowing on screen editing... Just imagine typing most of a page only to realize you forgot a sentence near the middle, or even made just a small typo. which is around when typists stopped being a thing, because then, and only then, typing had become so automated that a reasonably skilled bureaucrat wasn't really saving much time (and losing latency) by using the typing pool, especially for brief, urgent memoranda. It is a case of automation working so well, you don't even notice it at all and thus think nothing was automated, until you think about it in more detail.

stretchwithme 5y ago
Yes, the process of retyping a page was automated to the backspace key! heck, it wasn't just retyping the page you wanted to change. It was all the pages after that too! When I first used a word processor, it was so liberating.
- thwarted 5y ago
  The automation with a word processor is not the input (the typing), it's the page layout and reflow, and being able to edit and get WYSIWYG before committing to the printed page.
JJMcJ 5y ago
My best typing experience, typewriters manual or electric, or computer keyboards, was the IBM Selectric. Second best was on an AT&T 3270 (!?!) with a mechanical clicking keyboard, similar to original IBM PC, but even better. I mean using a 3270 isn't great fun but the typing was great.

stretchwithme 5y ago

Is it rare? Whenever a tool becomes easier to use, more people can use it unassisted. Electric starters and automatic transmission probably eliminated the need or desire for some to have a driver. That's happened with lots of things.