Time to Let Go of Old Technology Everyone
I’m having an email conversation with my accountant today. And, he says to me:
I would rather have the information mailed, since it is much easier to read.
I use a fax machine for two things, ever. Taxes (W2 forms and the like) and contracts.
Fax is dead. Why are we still using it?
Instead, I got out my digital camera that I happened to have with me this trip, and took pictures of the documents. Put them on the web in a secure folder, and shot him the links. Easy as that.
April 14th, 2006 at 3:27 pm
Yeah Dave, I agree, but how much does a 10 megapixel digital SLR cost, and how much does a fax machine cost?
April 17th, 2006 at 6:26 am
… You’d hardly need a 10 megapixel SLR to take a legible picture of an 8×11 document. Three megapixels would be enough, and anything above that is gravy. We’re not far from 3mp in our phones.
April 17th, 2006 at 7:41 am
I still think there is something to be said about having a tangible piece of paper to hold and read. I hate reading documents on my monitor, even though it is a beautiful 20″ iMac. You may rebutt with, “but, he can print it out,” but that clearly adds an add’l step to the process, not to mention the added steps you have to take to dump the image onto your computer, check to see if the details are clear and are in focus, crop it to a manageable size, and then attach it. No thanks man. Fax may be an antiquated technology, but its simplicity, its reliability, and the instant gratification it provides is unrivaled.
Mi dos pesos.
VNL.
April 18th, 2006 at 11:53 pm
I whole heartedly agree - every few months I’m asked to fax something, which results in a $10+ trip to staples that I could have avoided by simply scanning, photographing or filling in an online form.