Re: Optimal location of world capital

Michael Ash schrieb:
> Matthias Warkus <Warkus@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> DJensen schrieb:
>>> But I really see no need for a fixed physical location, particularly
>>> not one meant to represent the will of billions. So why not a virtual
>>> or ad hoc capital?
>> I'd wager that a "virtual capital" would work about as well as the 
>> paperless office or massive telecommuting, i.e. not at all. What do you

>> mean by "ad hoc capital"?
> 
> What causes you to say that the paperless office and telecommuting don't

> work? As far as I can see, the only reason they're not used more is 
> inertia.

People were saying that back in 1992.

> Give it another couple of generations, wait for all of the people 
> who think that forms are made of paper and work is a location to die
off, 
> and I imagine that both will become the rule rather than the exception 
> for jobs which don't require physical work.
> 
> (Disclaimer: I'm a full time telecommuter and may be biased.)

AFAIK, the relative number of people telecommuting has consistently 
stayed below forecasts or outright stagnated for as long as the thing 
has a name. There is a reason why modern offices and research campuses 
are conceived in order to enable (and cause) as much deliberate and 
accidental face-to-face communication as possible - processes are just 
more effective if people talk to each other a lot. Of course there are 
jobs where telecommuting is really effective, but without cheap, fully 
immersive telepresence, it will remain a niche phenomenon. (And even 
then, I have my doubts.) It seems there's also some evidence that people 
hate phone meetings and teleconferences, preferring to discuss really 
im****tant matters over lunch even if it means getting up at five and 
spending four hours on the train.

The paperless office might actually be coming in through the back door 
with clean desk policies that urge office workers to keep their 
do***ents stored electronically so they can throw away their printouts 
in the evening. But as long as I see those same businesspeople on the 
train going over hard copies of their PowerPoint presentation scripts 
with a day-glo marker instead of revising them on the laptop they use to 
watch DVDs, I'll remain skeptical.

mawa
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