Shared Knowledge

I bought an HP combination printer, scanner and photocopier back in August. When I installed the associated software, I found that there was no program for Optical Character Recognition (OCR), even though the box gave some indication that the scanner had such a facility. The OCR program allows one to scan a document and have the text pulled out for use in a word processor. It also allows for the creation of a scanned PDF that has searchable text. So I was feeling rather ripped off by HP, having bought a piece of hardware that didn't do what they said it did.

Fortunately, I decided to post my problem on an HP users' forum. It took two months, but I got a suggestion from another user. I tried out the suggestion, and was pleased to find out that it worked. The suggestion was to install some software that was for another printer series, as it might work anyway.

This is another instance of how having the internet around has changed how we get things done. In this case, I was able to post a question on a world-wide message board and find a person perhaps thousands of miles away who knew the answer. It is really quite remarkable.

I remember having a conversation 20 years ago or so with my dad about fax machines. What we thought remarkable was how quickly an invention that didn't exist such a short time before was now nearly indispensable when doing business. Now, even more quickly, that invention itself has been all but replaced by an even more effective and valuable technology.

What's next? Bring it on!

Ann says: Actually, the first fax machine dates to the mid 18-hundreds. It worked on a telegraph line and was extremely primitive. Almost like Monty Python's sketch of Wuthering Heights on an Aldis lamp.