| Computers, like ships, boats and yachts, must be | | | | boss said "Take your laptop with you always, we |
| female. They all need a lot of loving and | | | | expect regular reports faxed to us after your |
| occasionally need to be shouted at, they often | | | | meetings" I had become a road warrior! |
| have problems depending on the time of the | | | | Sounds exciting doesn't it? It was a lot of the |
| month, and all of them need a lot of money | | | | time; visiting places I had never been to before. |
| spent on them regularly. | | | | Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia all gave |
| Do you remember the time when only pretty | | | | me new experiences, cultural, business, visual, |
| secretaries with nice legs and short skirts had | | | | food. I became a more experienced and educated |
| computers on their desks? The bosses looked at | | | | person as a result and I am lucky to have been |
| them longingly, the computers not the secretaries, | | | | through that. Ineluctably, the term Road Warrior |
| but sometimes both. The computers were called | | | | brings other experiences too. Boarding aircraft |
| word processors because that was all they could | | | | with an extra bag containing laptop, portable |
| do. The secretaries could do more, but I will not | | | | printer then a portable scanner and that little bag |
| go down that path. At least the secretaries made | | | | containing vital accessories like adaptors, power |
| coffee, if you were nice to them. If the company | | | | and telephone cables, tiny screwdrivers. Being |
| had a main-frame computer it could spew out | | | | questioned in security channels, having to power |
| large quantities of information on huge pieces of | | | | up the computer to prove it was not stuffed with |
| folded, perforated paper. Confidence in computers | | | | Semtex, and then interrogated by customs |
| was so low then that these documents were | | | | officers about where I bought the hardware, was |
| never thrown away and offices had tall piles of | | | | all part of that exciting lifestyle. I was often |
| especially made folders containing them. | | | | travelling to various countries for 2-3 weeks and |
| In those days I had no computer skills. Didn't need | | | | usually spent at least one day of the weekend |
| them. I just pressed a button on my desktop | | | | working on the computer. |
| telephone and pretty secretary came running in | | | | Even 5 Star hotels did not have wireless internet |
| with notebook and pencil ready to take dictation. I | | | | connections then, so I spent a lot of time in hotel |
| enjoyed that because pretty secretary always | | | | rooms crawling around the floor trying to find a |
| crossed her nice legs in her short skirt in front of | | | | telephone socket I could unscrew and the |
| me before I started dictating. | | | | connect my cable to a line. Every country seems |
| Change always comes. I talked my way into a | | | | to have different connectors but thanks to my |
| good job at a senior level with a high tech | | | | little bag, I was never defeated and could send |
| telecommunications equipment company. No | | | | the required reports to the office. |
| secretary, pretty or not. | | | | I dreaded being asked for a presentation at short |
| On my first day a new laptop computer, heavy in | | | | notice. That meant hours with Microsoft |
| those days, was delivered to my office. Luckily, I | | | | PowerPoint then printing and hoping the client had |
| was scheduled very quickly for two days | | | | a good projector. She often let me down too, my |
| computer training. I learnt all the basics, like how | | | | unfaithful travelling companion the laptop |
| to start it up and adjust the settings, how to | | | | computer. Shouting at her never solved the |
| troubleshoot, how to defragment the disk drives. | | | | problem, but coaxing with the promise of a |
| I learnt how to use Windows, Microsoft Word, | | | | software upgrade or a disc defrag. as often as |
| Excel and PowerPoint. It had a fax and LAN card. | | | | not resulted in an afternoon of bliss. I miss |
| My new job involved a lot of travel to Asia. My | | | | dictating to those pretty secretaries though. |