Opinion: Faxes were the start of instant gratification and office stress

Every generation believes they are living at the edge of chaos. It’s human nature. We all recall the days when things seemed simpler and life moved at a slower pace. My parents did it and now I do it.

Of course, it’s all relative and I can’t imagine what things will be like when my kids are my age. How can technology advance any further than it has? Well, it will.

Other generations might blame their fast-paced lives on the development of electricity or the creation of the combustion engine or the invention of television or the discovery of fire. I blame one thing on our desire for immediate fulfilment that defines our every waking moment today — the fax, or, as it is more formally known, the facsimile. At least, that’s where it began for me.

I worked briefly in computer sales early in my career in the 1980s. While having lunch with a potential client one day, I extolled the virtues of the word-processing package I was trying to sell. He questioned some features of the software.

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