Today was an unusually peaceful day at work. Usually when I'm deep into a critical project, I get to a point where my intense focus is about to be rewarded with a solution. Yet, somewhere, somehow, an alarm must go off in the plant. Next thing I know, I'm getting interrupted by the PA system calling me to the production floor to solve a problem or there is an urgent telephone call to deal with the latest managerial crisis. Sometimes I think there is a conspiracy to keep me from completing my appointed tasks.
Today was different -- no pages, no phone calls. The only thing that I noticed was a lot more face-to-face interaction. It almost made work feel quite... human. And then I picked up the phone and learned why everyone seemed more friendly today. Our 15 year old phone system had died. This antiquated marvel of technology (a marvel when it worked correctly), this vital contraption of small business phone systems, this amazing feat of engineering that is only a couple of steps above strings and tin cans has tolled its last bell.
I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. The last I heard was that they no longer made the integrated circuit that ran our phone system. As we speak, the countryside is being scoured, calls are being made (but not from our system) trying to locate an obsoleted replacement part. Will management loosen their tight purse strings for new equipment? Or will our next communications will be done through smoke signals? With all the smoke and mirrors that go on in this place, that shouldn't be a difficult scheme for them to implement.
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