James Hooker

Monday. Not my favourite day of the week, it feels like the weekend hasn’t really ended. The computer boots up and puts some headlines from some favourite RSS feeds… I skip the train crashes, and go straight to the Dilbert cartoons (I’m not one for more depressing news on a Monday). The computer has woken me up a little later day, seems the train has been delayed by half an hour and it decided I needed the extra time in bed as my to-do lists are empty.

I jump on the train, and because the home system hasn’t detected the kettle being used this morning - it has ordered a cup of coffee to my allocated train seat. My diet manager program has also reminded the booking system to keep it half caf with low fat milk and brown sugar - damn, I was hoping to fit some full fat cream in there!
A message pops up on my PDA telling me that the Waterloo and City Line has been suspended, and gives me the option to order a cab. I think I’ll risk the District Line to be honest, everyone will be heading for the taxi ranks and the traffic will be crazy this morning. Sinking back into my chair, I drift off into listening to a recent LUGRadio episode.

Arriving in the offices, I see that during the night some exploits for the software we use were found by some developers in Palo Alto… and patched by some developers in Tokyo an hour later, patches have been applied, fantastic! A user knocks on the door… it’s THAT user that has problems that bore me to sleep.

“Erm… my printer ink needs changing” he says.

My reply is the same every time: “Again!? Pop onto the company wiki and there is a full list of illustrated instructions on how to change your printer ink cartridges.”

Alex has just IM’d me to say that Heroes tv show is being made available early on the IPTV system at home… so I get out the PDA and set it to download before anyone else does, just as I get a message from the fridge that the milk has gone off today and ordered some more from the Walmart/Asda on-line.

Another user pops round the corner to ask if I dealt with getting new office chairs for people? Of course I tell them that we have a company account with a non existent shop to run down there during their lunch break - entertaining!

Browsing around on the internet, I see a new restaurant has opened up on the South Bank and I’ve been meaning to take “her” out for a while now. So I book the table on-line, and it syncs the time and location into my address book.

Work is over, I was supposed to get rid of those old laptops with Vista on them, but a couple of beers with the IT department I think sounds better! A couple of brews, and I’ve got no cash to pay for my round in my pocket… this bar accepts PhonePay, so I just send a message to the bar payment system and it debits my phone credits.
The phone starts buzzing, telling me that my table time is fast approaching… so I say my goodbyes, and head out – problem, I’m lost!
I quickly open my calendar, and the GPS software kicks into action and gives me directions to the restaurant.
I get there… and looking very lovely me and my date tuck into some well reviewed food and nice wine, pay for the meal with PhonePay… and walk her home.
Just as we get to the door I go in for the kiss… she sneezes, head butting me while doing so and my nose starts to bleed on her new shoes. What a disaster!

Technology couldn’t fix everything today, but hey.. new episodes of Heroes when i get home!

This is what I would love to see, and a great example how computers and mobile devices could make small little changes in our everyday lives. It is my opinion that the level of integrability shown here can only really be achieved by using open platforms – with communities working together to bring these concepts to the masses.