Musings in a Time of Crisis II

Technology is seductive when what it offers meets our human
 vulnerabilities. And as it turns out, we are very vulnerable
 indeed. We are lonely but fearful of intimacy. Digital
 connections and the sociable robot may offer the illusion
 of companionship without the demands of friendship.

~ Sherry Turkle

Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology

and Less from Each Other

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For some time now, researchers have been addressing the subject of how technology is leaving entire populations of users more lonely than ever; more forgetful of social graces, such as putting away the iPhone at dinner time; more subject to safety hazards, because of always looking down at a screen; less healthy, because not getting outside and into the sunshine might leave our bodies with an insufficient store of vitamin D. How ironic, then, that computers and phones and the miracle of electricity are rescuing us, even if only temporarily, from at least one thing on that list: loneliness. It seems, at least for now, that the very thing we still can rely on, if we're lucky enough to have it, is our 5G Internet that is allowing us to check in with each other, Skype or Zoom or FaceTime, lead book groups, write, visit museums, or even see the cherry blossoms in bloom at the Tidal Basin—all virtually.

~

My hometown newspaper The Washington Post is seeking ideas from the public on how the world might mitigate the effects of the novel Corona virus.* Here are several I've been thinking about:

• Install a smart package delivery locker, especially in a condo or rental apartment building. I used one when I was a renter three years ago. Every building should have one, I think. When a package comes in, it is logged and placed in a drawer in the locker. The recipient receives an email message with a code to enter on the computer that is part of the onsite locker. The recipient goes to the locker's location, keys in the code, and, voila, the drawer opens and the package can be retrieved. Having a locker keeps common areas clean and clear, reduces possibility of theft, and avoids the contact problem we're all experiencing now. Obviously, sanitizing the equipment is necessary but I am sure some tech whiz probably could figure out how to make the equipment self-sanitizing. After all,  the problem's been mastered for those self-cleaning public bathrooms in San Francisco, New York City, and Paris, France.

• I'd like to have a badge to use to enter and exist my building, enter and exist our garage area, lock and relock the door to my condo, and lock and relock doors to enter any common area available to residents, including trash rooms, without having to carry and use multiple keys. If we had such a badge to use, we would lessen the need to touch contaminated surfaces. If anyone knows of such a badge that could be worn, please note it in the comment section for this post. I'd like to propose it to our condo board. (I do know that various badges can be placed in a car or used at an entrance post to a garage. What I'd like is one that goes inside my car whenever I need to enter or exit the garage.)

• Create for use specifically in condo and apartment buildings a robot capable of sanitizing fronts of entry and exit doors, mail box fronts, hand rails, light switches, and any common area surfaces that require touch. If you haven't already, note the number of surfaces you touch in a day, what they are, where they are. It's a significant number. In this pandemic, we've been told to wash our hands every time we touch a surface. Yes, this would mean humans would not do this work during a pandemic such as we're experiencing now. At least it would protect them in a way they are not protected in our common areas at this time. 

Share your ideas here or with The Washington Post (link below).

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* Go to this link: 

https://hosted-washpost.submissionplatform.com/sub/hosted/5e74e00a0709e80034cffa48