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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Christensen, Kent [SMTP:lkchris -at- sandia -dot- gov]
>
> re: paperless office is a myth
>
> It's an exaggeration, as are many cliches, catch phrases, etc.
>
It's not about the cliche. It's about the idea.
> It's of
> course in reality *less* paper, not no paper. Think if everyone mailed in
> a
> paper form to order a book from Amazon. What's a better two-word phrase
> to
> describe this? "E-commerce" (yes, one word) doesn't quite immediately say
> the same thing.
>
Consider the Amazon example. Consider if there were not the likes of Amazon,
then you'd be going to the bookstore or book-of-the-month club and making
your purchase. In return, you still get a receipt, which is paper, and maybe
packaging material, which is largely paper, too. In what way does Amazon
cause less paper to be used . . .? My point being, people really believed
the paperless office myth, that being "less paper" as you note, when the
reality was "more paper." Think about the reality of the proliferation of
laser printers and computers . . . as was mentioned, previously, you got a
bound, double-sided copy of your documentation. Now people print off
sections from a PDF or help file, and then print them off again, as needed.
Look at e-mail, if there were no e-mail we would write more letters, yes,
and make more phone calls. But, with thousands printing off e-mails daily,
can you say there has been a reduction in paper use? Look around your
offices and check your friends and neighbors to see who printed off the
latest e-mailed joke of the day . . ..
No, I think you have it wrong. The reality is *more* paper, not *less*
paper.
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