The Story of Sally: A Techno-Fable 

Sally, after 3 days of suffering from a sore throat, logs onto her student health web site, checks out information on strep and other causes of sore throats and proceeds to schedule an appointment with an RN (as suggested by the info page) for a throat culture.

When, a few minutes later, Sally receives an e-mail confirming her appointment, she imports the time and date (tomorrow) in her online calendar and while she is in her calendar, also records her study group meeting and intramural Ultimate games. A quick e-mail check brings up photos from her sister of their summer trip to Spain…. those are saved for later review.

With some time to kill before dinner, Sally brings up a new file sharing program and finds and downloads a Dave Mathews song she has been hearing around her residence hall. When the download is complete, she transfers the song, and several others, to the MP3 module in her Visor personal digital assistant and then synchs her Visor to update her calendar and contact lists.

Just as the synch is completed, her Visor sounds reminding her to leave for dinner and pick up David, on the next hall, on the way. Before leaving, though, Sally brings up the dining web site, checks the menu (to see what she’ll want to eat) and then swipes her I.D. card through a reader attached to her own computer. In moments a screen pops up with information on her meal plan utilization to date and her remaining balance. Additionally, a screen appears with alternate dining venues, current number of diners and approximate number of empty seats in each of these locations. Satisfied with tonight’s meal options and with her meal count availability, Sally heads out to dinner with David. As she leaves, her proximity card signals the door locking sensors and adjusts the climate control thermostat into the "out of room" position.

After dinner, David and Sally swing by the student union, where David, using his ID smart card (which has been linked to his bank account) withdraws some cash from an ATM. Sally, meanwhile, drifts into the bookstore and buys a new notebook and a few personal supplies. At checkout, she offers her ID card, and charges the purchase to her University billing account.

Sally reconnects with David at a nearby e-mail kiosk. While David checks his e-mail, Sally pulls out her cell phone module for the Visor and calls other members of her Ultimate team to notify them of the upcoming practices. Using a group calling feature offered by her wireless carrier, all of Sally’s messages end up on voicemail recordings.

Sally heads back to her residence hall and passes through her two-step entry portal to get in. In the first step, invisible sensors pick up a signal from the proximity components of her ID card and before she taken another step, loads her hand biometric data into a reader at the next doorway. Sally slips her hand into the reader and immediately gets a green light overhead allowing her to proceed into her hall. A few minutes later at her room door, Sally swipes her card in the electronic door lock and enters her room. Instantly, the climate control sensor readjusts the room temperature to Sally’s preset preference.

Sally now makes herself comfortable at her computer. First, she loads-up a bunch of her favorite songs from her vast online collection into her Real Jukebox, activates her netcam so she can be seen by friends…and mom, and begins to IM several of her friends (and mom) who happen to be online at the moment. Within a few minutes, Sally’s simultaneously communicating with a half dozen friends around the country, her sister, Lisa, who’s on a semester abroad program in Prague…and mom. Eventually, realizing that no schoolwork will get done, Sally posts her away message on the instant messaging program and brings up her course on Blackboard.

This semester, one of her faculty members is experimenting with on-line curriculum support using the Blackboard system. On this day, Sally finds an updated message from the professor on plans for the upcoming class as well as several new links containing all the reading materials for this class. To her surprise (and dismay) Sally also finds that this professor has assigned her to a project group with three of her least favorite classmates and that this foursome now has an independent listserv and chatroom for group consultation and dialogue. It’s too early in the evening to think about this project. 

Some online reading completed, Sally drifts to a few of her favorite web sites: Pricemate for a check on reverse-auction option; Biztravel to check on current prices for airline tickets to Cozumel (Spring Break’s coming…..) and 98six for more info on her still nagging sore throat.

Finally, having finished her online business (including responding to about 20 e-mails), having read several chapters from a real book, and having drafted an outline for a paper (with genuine pen and paper) Sally ----

Adds a new memory stick to her digital camera

Flips on her T.V. to the campus movie channel

Throws popcorn into her microwave

Sets an alarm on her Visor for her morning health center appointment

Updates her Visor, once again

Plugs her phone into its recharger

And brushes her teeth…with an electric toothbrush, or course.