Whatsapp guys?

Rapidly changing technology is making it difficult to stay in touch with friends, laments an old-timer.

AD: Hi, why the long face?

BC: Never thought keeping in touch with friends could be such a problem...

AD: Well, technology helps those who help themselves, but in your case…

BC: I can’t help it - things are changing so rapidly that...

AD: For years, man has been toying around with the need for speed. And now that it has happened, your problem is that it's all going too fast...

BC: Not too long back, I was happy to be introduced to email...

AD: Not too long back? That must have been around 15-16 years ago!

BC: Look, you must realise what a challenge it was for me to make the transition from writing letters to typing mails. And just when I was getting comfortable with email, my friends introduced me to this abomination called a ‘chat room’ where we could enter and chat as a group...

AD: I’ve read about Yahoo! Chat Rooms being pretty popular back then...

BC: I found them too annoying because we would continuously be interrupted by strangers - some of them would be downright abusive and we would have to leave the chat room...

AD: Yes, but...

BC: That was not the only problem - we were all on dial-ups. Just as everyone would assemble in a chat room, one or more of us would lose our connection - we would then have to dial up again, log in and find our friends online. I always needed help with that...

AD: I know, dial-ups were quite fickle, weren't they?

BC: Then came messenger and my friends insisted that I should download a messenger...

AD: Which one did you use?

BC: Mostly Yahoo! Messenger and occasionally MSN. But when Google Talk came along, my entire batch moved to it...

AD: It's funny trying to visualise a set of senior citizens chasing one messenger after another and trying to stay in touch...

BC: You make it sound like dogs chasing postmen. The real issue here was that unlike email, there’s no compatibility between various service providers. If your friends shift to something new, you are forced to follow suit.

AD: That problem still exists – it’s the same even with social networking sites…

BC: The messenger challenge improved with web cams and microphones coming into the scene - suddenly we didn't have to type. Everything was visual and aural. I really enjoyed that...

AD: And?

BC: Facebook happened… And all my friends moved to it. I tried telling them that it was for kids and that we were too old to be seen there, but none of them would listen...

AD: So that was how you became a Facebook user.

BC: I didn't have a choice - it was the only place where I could find my friends...

AD: So what's the problem now?

BC: Ever since mobiles became internet-enabled, they've all switched to WhatsApp and...

AD: I’m waiting…

BC: Now, my mobile keeps hanging ever since I activated a data pack…

AD: Look, if you have a problem with everything, you'll find it difficult to keep pace with technology...

BC: I know. I'm most tempted to turn around and go back to the good old days...

AD: Too late - they've even phased out telegrams, so you're stuck...

BC: It’s annoying - the harder I try to keep in touch with my friends, the more isolated technology is making me feel...

AD: So what’re you going to do about it?

BC: I’m trying to get the group together at Bessy…

AD: Is that a new social networking site? Funny how I haven’t heard of it and you have… Did you google it and…

BC: Good heavens, I was referring to the beach in my neighbourhood. And you’re right in a way - long before the internet came into our lives, Bessy used to be the quintessential ‘site’ for social networking amongst the younger generation. 

I’m quitting, here’s my video

When you have technology on your side, you can dance your way out of a job, claims a tech fan.

BC: Hi, why the pained look?

AD: I've had enough of my job...

BC: So why don't you quit?

AD: Like Marina Shifrin?

BC: What do you mean?

AD: She worked for an animation company, and made a resignation video that featured her dancing to a popular track...

BC: Quite innovative, but why go through all that trouble?  

AD: I know, but her video has garnered almost 16 million hits online, making her famous the world over. Now she has also been offered a job by Queen Latifah - a singer, actor and producer in Hollywood – during a talk show on prime time TV.

BC: Looks like technology can make anyone famous these days. So how did her ex-employer handle this?

AD: They made their own video in response to hers, showcasing their cool working conditions…

BC: Now, that really takes the cake…

AD: In fact, Marina's video seems to be inspiring other people to make their 'I quit' videos – there’s one from Brenna Jennings, a work-from-home mother that has become a hit.

BC: I don’t know what to say…

AD: Well, there's more - after Queen Latifah, Y&R Israel, an international advertising agency offered her a job too, through a video that they uploaded on YouTube...

BC: Is the whole world going mad?

AD: Nope, it's just going viral. The Y&R video has had over 50,000 views and a few people asking if they could take up the job in case Marina refused it...

BC: Where's all this going?

AD: I don't know about that, but right now, the video's going places, the battle is going on in Twitter, and…

BC: …people are going crazy trying to find out which of the offers Marina will take up.

AD: Absolutely! And talking of Twitter, Paula Abdul, a famous singer who was a judge in American Idol for eight seasons, used the social media site to quit the show in 2009.

BC: Well, looks like technology is the ultimate beneficiary.

AD: How do you say that?

BC: YouTube is having millions of hits from all these videos, Facebook and Twitter are being kept busy, and...

AD: We used technology in a different way in my earlier job - we had four templates for resignation letters stashed away in the company’s server and no one knew about it.

BC: Why four?

AD: Each had a different opening, a different closing line and a different reason for quitting. Employees could take their pick and then print it out, with suitable modifications. Tell me, would this be possible without technology?

BC: Such a furore over quitting a job - heaven help us...

AD: But there have been other instances as well - there was this designer who sent an error message as his resignation letter to his boss, with buttons for Ignore, Renegotiate and HR...

BC: I’m just happy that I don't have to work in this crazy world.

AD: It would have been a funny sight to see you quit like this in your times…

BC: What do you mean?

AD: Without digital cameras and digital storage media, you would have had to use archaic movie cameras to shoot yourself, add audio to the tapes, carry huge spools of film to the office and leave it on your boss's table, just to tell him that you are quitting. And your boss would have had to hire a projector and a screen, shut out the lights and watch the film to know that you've quit…

BC: Technology was backward back then...

AD: Perhaps, but now, all it takes to get your boss to see your resignation video is an upload onto a social networking site - and a forward. 

Password? It’s at my fingertip!

Technology has moved passwords from the tip of your tongue to the tip of your fingers, claims a tech fan.

AD: Hey, do you know that Apple is coming out with a new typewriter called iType?

BC: What???

AD: Now that I have your attention, here’s the real news – Apple has launched the iPhone 5s with Touch ID.

BC: What's that?

AD: Amazing how your question remains unchanged regardless of whether it’s a typewriter or an iPhone. Touch ID is a biometric system that uses your fingerprint as a security device to unlock your mobile. So your fingerprint becomes your digital signature or your password...

BC: But what if I hurt my fingers? What if they're bandaged or have a plaster on them? What if I nick them while...

AD: Hold on, you can record up to five fingerprints, so any of them can be used.

BC: But think of all those people who use their hands and their fingers at work - musicians, homemakers who cook and wash, writers who type non-stop... So what'll they use if their fingers get worn out - their pet's paw print?

AD: Well, a cat's paw print has already been used to unlock the 5s, but that’s because it was registered as one of the five possible impressions that can unlock the phone.

BC: So how long does it take to unlock a phone using Touch ID?

AD: Possibly a second - the amazing part is that you don't have to place the finger in the same way that you did when you registered the fingerprint. The sensor is smart enough to detect the impression from any angle...

BC: Computers, phones, digital music players, tablets - and now fingerprint recognition. I can't see where Apple is going with this...

AD: In fact, Apple planned for this over a year ago and bought over a company called AuthenTec, which specialises in fingerprint readers and ID management software.

BC: But is it safe? There are so many instances of hacking that we read about...

AD: Ok, a hacking team that calls itself the Chaos Computer Club seems to have confirmed your worst fears - it claims to have cracked the security system and has even posted videos of how it went about it. This happened less than three days after the launch... And wipe that smug expression off your face.

BC: So how has the response been to Touch ID and to the 5s?

AD: According to reports, over six million customers have ordered the 5s in the first weekend of its launch...

BC: Great, so that's six million fingerprints, and with five options each, it's 30 million in all. Where are all these fingerprints stored?

AD: I see where you're going with this. Your fingerprints are digitally encrypted and stored in your mobile's processor, so in case you think Apple has access to them or that they are all stored in a central server, waiting to be hacked...

BC: But I still don't understand all this fuss over unlocking a phone.

AD: Isn't using your finger to unlock the device a lot simpler than entering a 4-digit passcode each time?

BC: There have been other instances where fingerprint authentication has been tried out, but has not proved to be very successful...

AD: The latest technology is fine-tuning the whole process. It's not just Apple - other mobile manufacturers are also throwing in their lot with fingerprint identity sensors. Computers and tablets are also following suit...

BC: So what happens if I've left my mobile home and my wife wants to use it?

AD: There's always a backup - you can opt to use the regular passcode, as with all iPhones. In fact, there's also an option by which you can choose to disable Touch ID.

BC: With half the world choosing to use 1234 as the passcode, I'm not sure which is scarier of the two – a finger that's broken or a security feature that can easily be broken into.