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A series of opinion pieces on, mostly climate change and related subjects to do with New Zealand.

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Will Corona virus accelerate the digital world?

29/3/2020

1 Comment

 
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The main advice for avoiding the spread of corona virus is to limit personal contact with other people, especially at large gatherings, such as sports matches and concerts. The increasing use of the internet has actually been doing this for a few years and it may be that corona virus will accelerate this trend.  We sometimes forget that Google has only been in business for 22 years and the internet is still relatively new and not yet fully developed.
The USA has suspended passenger travel between the USA and Europe but there are many business people who need to conduct business between the two continents and if they can’t travel then they will set up Skype or other video service meetings and do business that way. This has been the case for some years and traveling to foreign countries has always been one of the perks of international business but it is expensive and time consuming so companies could insist on employees doing more without a physical visit.

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​A big point of personal contact is at work, especially in large offices, and many people have been working from home, either permanently or for several days a week, but if a company was faced with closure how many staff could do their work from home? Once a company finds that it can manage with half or most of its staff at home would they go back to a big office or would they relocate to smaller premises and make the savings?
Doctors are going consultations by Skype to limit infection but we could get used to it and the doctors might find it more efficient and use it more. If we had reliable instruments at home for temperature, blood pressure and a mini electrocardiogram, as we have on a phone app, a diagnosis of simple ailments can be done without a personal visit.
Universities are putting a lot of lectures on line and this Covid19 disruption to education will lead to a big expansion in online learning. Making use of a really good online presentation does not detract from education and can help many students of all ages continue education by not being present in a classroom. It might enable university students get a good degree without the huge expense and debt of attending a university in a faraway city. 

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​An increasing number of people are choosing to do their supermarket shopping on the internet and either have the food delivered or collect it from a secure locker at the store. To date most of these people are those that are short of time and do it for convenience but could a supermarket manage with 75% of its customers shopping this way, and if the customers like it would it continue for ever?
If a supermarket did not have to deal with customers would it move to an industrial estate and handle it’s orders like a spare part distributer or like Amazon? We would then have a fleet of small vans driving around the town delivering food. Expanding use of home delivery is why Amazon has ordered 100,000 electric vans from Rivian for last mile deliveries and with a warehouse roof full of solar panels supplying power and eventually autonomous self-driving vans, it would be a cheap delivery service.  It is all part of the growing trend for online shopping

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​Attendances at sporting events, exhibitions, cinema and concerts have been falling for years as people have been getting a better experience from online and TV performances, the atmosphere of a live performance is worth going for but watching online will surely continue to grow.
Youngsters are using their phones for social interaction and people date and eventually marry via the internet. This trend towards online interaction has been growing for some years and is just a different form of living which will continue to establish itself in society.
Life is not going to be the same again.

1 Comment
kodi.software link
22/4/2025 06:19:11 pm

I wanted to express my gratitude for your insightful and engaging article. Your writing is clear and easy to follow, and I appreciated the way you presented your ideas in a thoughtful and organized manner. Your analysis was both thought-provoking and well-researched, and I enjoyed the real-life examples you used to illustrate your points. Your article has provided me with a fresh perspective on the subject matter and has inspired me to think more deeply about this topic.

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    Bob Bingham 

    Occasional blog posts on topical news items concerning the climate.  Please click the RSS feed to receive updates.

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