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A Publication Featuring The Information Services Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume IV, Issue 11 | November 2001 |
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By Janey Barton
"Technology is great," writes Bob White, in response to questions in last month’s issue of the Maine Information Services Technology (MIST) newsletter: what technology are you sporting, what would you like to have, and how do you feel about being "connected" via technology?
Those responding included: Patti Hayden of Risk Management, Arthur Branagan of Behavioral and Developmental Services (BDS) in Bangor, Rick Hayward of BDS in Augusta, Mike Howe of the Bureau of Information Services (BIS), Gary Palmer of ACE, Bob Dudley of the Department of Human Services (DHS) in Portland, and Bob White of the Maine Office of Geographical Information Services (OGIS).
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)? Brands vary, but a common thread among PDA users is that all like the ability to synchronize their PDA with Outlook for email, calendars, and notes. Patti has a Palm Pilot, Mike has an HP Jornada 548 Pocket PC, and Arthur has a Casio PV-200. Cutting and pasting into Outlook, Arthur writes, "is very efficient and a real time saver. I can share my appointments with the receptionist, so that she can always reach me." Rick wrote, "In our department there have been many requests for ultra-light email capable devices. Testing the Compaq iPaq, we found it to be light, and it can serve many purposes much cheaper than a standard laptop." Bob White also has used an iPaq: "While employed in the private sector, I used a pager, cell phone, and a PDA. The one I miss the most is my iPaq. It made life so much easier!" You can tell that these people love this bit of technology.
Cell Phones? Pagers? Several respondents wrote that they always have their cell phone and pager. Mike commented that a cell phone often costs less than regular phone service for long distance. Personally, my favorite use of a cell phone was to call AAA to change a flat tire on a cold, rainy night.
Other? Mike wrote, "I carry a FRS (Family Radio Service) 2-way radio that is very small and gives me a limited, 2-mile range for communication. I carry two additional FRS 2-way radios that I give to others while traveling. It can be a lifesaver. I also carry a small digital camera to record photographs for my personal and other web pages and for occasional BIS photos. Bob Dudley described his Timex Datalink watch, which links to his laptop and home PC. "It reads the data right off the monitor! Outlook presents the data in barcoding that the ‘eye’ of the watch reads. It will sync with Outlook for contacts, to-do lists, appointments and anniversaries/birthdays. All this and it tells time, too!"
What technology item would you like to be sporting? Wish lists? Patti: "I would like the digital camera that hooks up to a Palm Pilot. I bought one for my husband, whose work is similar to mine. As a safety director at a large trucking company, the camera is particularly useful for scene photos at accident investigations." Arthur: "I would like to have certain information available directly from the formal databases, which could be sychronized with a PDA." Rick: "I'd personally like to see web enabled secure access to email, file transfers, schedules, etc. With ability to connect wirelessly."
How do you feel about being always "connected" via technology? For Gary, being connected is important, possibly life-saving. "I am a Type I diabetic, insulin dependent. I wear a cell phone, an insulin pump, and a glucometer everywhere I go. This technology improves my health and allows me to live a more normal life. I can check my diabetic condition at anytime with my glucometer and correct problems with a push of a button. I don’t have to be on a special diet and can eat when I am hungry and not when my medicine is kicking in."
Patti observed: "As a frequent traveler, I can't imagine not being connected--for personal safety reasons and to give our risk management customers the prompt service they deserve. I found myself stranded at Chicago’s O'Hare airport on September 11th. Even though they turned off all televisions in the terminal, I was able to call to determine what was happening. Having all my necessary numbers in my Palm Pilot allowed me to use my cellular phone to call family and work and advise them I was all right, to locate a rental vehicle in a Chicago suburb, and to call my travel agent to make contingent travel arrangements to get home."
Arthur maintains that he has "a certain level of personal privacy. This is a balance and an exercise in the practice of respect for privacy and good boundaries." Bob White commented, "The cell phone and pager were useful but also annoying at times. Do you answer the page or call late on Friday night? They did come in handy, though, when traveling – especially when communicating with my family.
All of these technologies can be both a boon (even to our health and safety) and a nuisance. It all depends on how we use them.
