To kick off this week our Techspeak blogger, Ian Morris, explains why the humble fax machine infuriates him.
Here's something that makes me laugh, just before it makes me cry. Sometimes, some of the most high-tech companies in the world lend me stuff, which is great. Often, such loans will require you accept some terms and conditions, which is fine. Sometimes though, that acceptance must be delivered, and signed, via fax.
Now, I don't know about you, but I've never owned a fax. Most normal people haven't. After all, the fax was always a business tool. Back in the days when normal people would have found them useful, they were too expensive, and by the time they got cheap enough for Joe Public, the Internet had rendered them totally worthless.
So why am I sometimes being asked to fax stuff, even now? I have no idea. But there are few things that annoy me more. Generally, I refuse. Sometimes this means I lose out on getting samples from these companies. Occasionally, those companies will accept printing out a loan form, signing it, scanning it, and sending it back via email. That's better than a fax, but not by much.
So what is it I hate about faxes? Well - like all modem-based technology - you're as likely as not to have the line drop while you're using it. It's slow too. We're talking about a single page of information taking minutes to send. I could shout it more effectively than a fax can send it. But most of all, I hate faxes because their time has come and gone, and they're still here, making me cross and turning a simple task into one that takes longer than it needs to.
I wonder, does the fax have any fans other there? Do you love yours? Have I got it wrong. I'd say fax me a letter, but, well, you know why that won't work. So why not send me a message on Twitter via @IanMorris78. Although, if you love faxes, there's a pretty good chance you don't love Twitter.
