No secrets here
The mobile phone of a delegate rang while the audience was lost on how to make business click the e-commerce way, a lecture, that was being delivered by Ganesh Ayyar, president of Hewlett-Packard (India operations). The delegate, rushing out of the conference hall, answered the phone promptly in a hushed tone, ``I have been waiting for Pooja to call me". The only difference here was what he thought was a whisper was actually heard loud and clear through the auditorium's highly-sensitive FM mikes that amplified the conversation. He spoke in soft tones but everyone heard through the public address system. The cell talk continued to amuse the audience even after the delegate left the auditorium and loitered around the washroom with his mobile. Meanwhile Ayyar, who found that his audience were no longer interested in e-business but in `e-chats' now made a last attempt to win back his lost listeners with: Let's all hope Pooja calls him.Hardly intelligent
Intelligent Enterprise '99 made one wonder whether it was an international IT event at all. Rubbing shoulders with walkie-talkie sporting officials manning the show, there were IT journalists, wielding hi-fi gadgets, which enthused the common man. For example, there was this reporter from a leading computer weekly, who was chasing delegates with a funny looking digital camera. A delegate was surprised when the flash struck him, who asked much to the embarrassment of the reporter, "does this take photos too". Apart from this, journalists were hanging around with the latest set of dictaphones available in the country, many of them with the ability to convert voice into data. A journalist boasted, "this one is password protected, even if another reporter gets hold of this, he won't get my story".
Inconvenience regretted
When everybody else remained attentive at the post-lunch session of the seminar, a reporter prepared himself for an afternoon siesta with his new found `private' corner and box-like metal plate that would go as a foot-rest. Fighting hard from falling asleep, the reporter kept shifting his legs but ultimately gave into the temptation to catch forty winks. Soon he was disturbed with a pat on the back by a volunteer who made him realise that the foot rest was actually a handicapped woman's walker. With guilt on his face and an apology on its way, the reporter stood up in shame only to be told by the handicapped lady "inconvenience regretted", and the reporter remained awake till the very last minute.
A new meaning
Douglas Shinsato of Interactive Intelligent has a found a new meaning for computer telephony interface (CTI). Presenting his speech `Welcome to the Brave New World of Computer Telephony,' he said, C stands for complex, T for time and money blackhole and I for interface insanity. At a later stage of the presentation, he quoted Murphy's Law, which seems to have been the most quoted theory of the exhibition. The law, "if things can go wrong they definitely will," was quoted on the first day of the seminar by Sunil Kunte of ICIL.
Govt off the Net
Alan S Bowser from the US Department of Commerce reckons that the government, at best, should stay away from the internet. At best, he argues, it should provide the infrastructure. He echoes the US government's stand that all transactions on the internet should be tax free. At last count, he says, 41 countries are willing to accept this new regime.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.