Opinion
Tracy Kidder's groundbreaking 1981 "The Soul of the Machine" book described the speed at which Data General's Eclipse MV/8000 mini-computer was launched. The "soul" consisted of the engineers who brought the machine to life.
Today, however, we realize the machine, which now dominates us, has no soul. Robert Sterling expresses our frustration for us.
(Robert Sterling’s cry against the machine with no soul was first posted on Twitter at https://x.com/RobertMSterling/status/1889097312103747776.)
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I don’t want to connect my coffee machine to the wifi network
I don’t want to share the file with OneDrive
I don’t want to download an app to check my car’s fluid levels
I don’t want to scan a QR code to view the restaurant menu
I don’t want to let Google know my location before showing me the search results
I don’t want to include a Teams link on the calendar invite
I don’t want to pay 50 different monthly subscription fees for all my software
I don’t want to upgrade to TurboTax platinum plus audit protection
I don’t want to install the Webex plugin to join the meeting
I don’t want to share my car’s braking data with the actuaries at State Farm [insurance company]
I don’t want to text with your AI chatbot
I don’t want to download the Instagram app to look at your picture
I don’t want to type in my email address to view the content on your company’s website
I don’t want text messages with promo codes
I don’t want to leave your company a five-star Google review in exchange for the chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card
I don’t want to join your exclusive community in the metaverse
I don’t want AI to help me write my comments on LinkedIn
I don’t even want to be on LinkedIn in the first place
I just want to pay for a product one time (and only one time), know that it’s going to work flawlessly, press 0 to speak to an operator if I need help, and otherwise be left alone and treated with some small measure of human dignity, if that’s not too much to ask anymore.
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