Tech to the Rescue!

Just When I Thought I Was Out…

I know, I know…I made a big show about retiring IT as a topic of discussion in this space just last week, but when tech comes to the rescue in any situation it is difficult for this lifelong geek to look away.

It´s encouraging enough to know that drugs like Remdesivir and the variety of vaccines in development are starting to show signs of success, but a real sign that we might be on the road to living in the future we were promised in so many works of sci-fi is the joint effort between Apple and Google to plague-proof our world with location-based tools.

For example, let´s say you were at the supermarket last Saturday picking up a few things and ended up within Bluetooth connection range (anyone who has ever used a speaker has an approximate idea of the radius involved here) of someone who reports testing positive sometime that next week…this exposure notification tool would generate an alert telling you that you may have been exposed and should get tested.

Of course, there are some privacy concerns. Anytime a bold new technology is rolled out as a response to a crisis, there is the chance that these desperate measures will be misused in less desperate times, and having your phone´s Bluetooth keep a record of other phones it has come into contact with could certainly have problematic aspects in the future. 

Still, the present is made up of some truly strange days, and so pretty much anything that gets us the outside world back in a recognizable form might be worth considering.

Turning Down the Temperature

In other news, it´s warming up fast here in Southern California, and I don´t know about you but there´s something very ¨Falling Down¨ about starting a sweltering Los Angeles day with a hot cup of coffee. 

That´s why I´m definitely looking forward to iced coffee season–gotta keep this sweet new coffeemaker gainfully employed through the summer–and this guide from CNET sheds some light on how to navigate the surprisingly unintuitive process of making it at home…don´t make the mistake everyone does the first time, just dumping ice cubes in hot coffee is no bueno.

Omnipresent Outreach

Outreach is essential to any company…well, almost any, I could really do without airlines I don´t even fly any more sending me emails about how much they miss me these days, blech. 

That typed, we´re in an industry where keeping in touch with our clientele is key to maintaining it, but spending all day sending out and responding to individual messages from hundreds of clients seems like the insurance business version of one of those drill sergeant punishments…you know, clean the mess hall with a toothbrush, sweep all the sunshine off the sidewalk, all that.

That´s why I rely on a product called Sakari to take a lot of the heavy lifting off my hands in that department…it has some pretty cool automation features for bulk messaging, so it makes life in this business a lot easier.
 

The Last Word 

All right, that´s about all for this week, assuming you got your Archway ¨Social Distancing¨ shirt, designed by my daughter and worn proudly by me here. If not…what are you waiting for?

Not only do all proceeds from the purchase of this shirt go directly to local crisis relief efforts, but it´s a real crowd-pleaser too. Let me tell you, I´m getting all kinds of amused mask crinkles and muffled chuckles during my essential errands these days…brightens up the day a bit.

In any event, regardless of what you´re wearing this workday…or not…here´s to a productive and fulfilling one for my much-appreciated readership.

Until next time!

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