A statue of Ganesh, the elephant God, sits on Diya’s desk. It has a happy, relaxed demeanour. As we all would, I suppose, if we had six arms and a trunk. Diya says having Ganesh there reassures her. I look at it enviously. I could do with something like that, I think. Some sort of … Continue reading Office Idol

“Welcome to the future!” says Roy. There, on Adhesives&Sealants.com, is a robot. “Ask me anything!” it says. “Oooo,” says Diya. “Go on,” says Roy. Carla leans over. "Really, is there any fucking difference", she types in the chatbox, "between adhesives and sealants?" The robot’s eyes glow. Word by word, an answer appears. It's as if … Continue reading The Chatbot

“Suggestive comments, improper touching, unwelcome advances. None have their place in the modern office,” says the HR person leading our Dignity at Work training. The staff sit there, bored. “Any questions?” A hand shoots up. It’s Clem. “I’m struggling to get my head round this notion of an unwelcome advance,” he says. “Eh?” says the … Continue reading #metoo

“This way for disruptive innovation!” says Roy. Diya, Carla and I follow him to the sales floor where Sanj, Daz and Benny from Food Packaging Monthly are pitching to clients. Their desks have been radically altered. They still have a monitor and keyboard like everyone else. But unlike everyone else, they’re walking on treadmills. “The agile … Continue reading The Three Pioneers

“We’re here to pay homage to the power of the machine,” says Roy. We are squeezed, he and I, in the cupboard which hosts our IBM server. Its little lights blink in the dark. “This bad motherfucker,” he says, “can process multiple massive data sets and run advanced analytics and modelling at the same time.” … Continue reading The SuperComputer

We’re hiring an editor for Mining Technology Today. Carla, an Australian, has come for an interview. In her beret and trench coat she looks like a spy. A cool look, I think. I study my list of interview questions. "Can you tell me about a time you’ve learnt from a mistake?" I ask. “A woman of … Continue reading Goats in Mongolia