Computer experts must be innovative

By Pushpavanam Ramesh

JAKARTA (JP): When I first heard about the Hong Kong "cyber- salon" on CNN, it had no effect on me. But after reading Emily Thornton's article New Meaning for Static in the May 23rd issue of the Far Eastern Economic Review, my hair literally stood on end.

I have nothing against Emily. I don't even know her and I am quite sure she was only doing her job, reporting on an interesting phenomenon of modern life. Nor do I have anything against computers or the Internet for that matter. As an Information Technology professional, I have worked with everything from punched cards to Pentium chips, but isn't a cyber-salon taking technology too far? Do we really need computers and the Internet in salons? Maybe some hair-splitting will help.

The Review story begins with one Miss Yuen Ka Fung happily Net-surfing while getting her hair cut, unconcerned with the risks of badly cut hair due to her movements. I was wondering whether the attitude of girls toward their hair had changed until I noticed that she was a four-year-old girl. I am now curious to know how many teenagers visit the cyber-salon.

The cyber-barber (aptly named Samson Leung) seems worried about the quality of his work getting affected by restless Net- surfing customers. Surely, he should have predicted this before introducing the "modern marvel" in his shop.

The article goes on to say that the saving grace is the girl's mother becoming intrigued with the Internet. Now, really no offense meant, but how can anyone only have discovered the Internet at a once-a-month visit to the barber? Is this a reflection on Hong Kong news media?

Leung, however, sees benefits for the customer. He feels that Net-surfing during the haircut is preferable to reading dogeared, outdated magazines. But Leung, don't you think your customers would prefer to keep themselves usefully occupied with the Internet while waiting rather than willfully spoil the haircut with unnecessary distractions? It would be great if one could e- mail a request for a guaranteed appointment and eliminate the waiting time altogether.

The hairstylist, it appears, doubles as a Net-surfing guide. Now, are hairstylists really worried that their professional core competence is no longer adequate? Are they worried about being outsourced or outplaced? I always thought that hairstyling was one of those businesses (like funeral parlors) that can never run out of customers.

The story also mentions that the new concept is catching up with restaurants too. Which raises some rather interesting questions: Is the cyber-salon or the cyber-restaurant entitled to warranty maintenance for the computers on standard terms? Can the hardware vendors guarantee that the machines will work with hairy keys or sauce on their chips? How many free hair cuts or meals for fixing a defective disk drive? Will there be insurance implications if a diner swallows the mouse by mistake? Will the customers have to indemnify against bad hair cuts or keys in the soup? Where will we place the mouse when laying the table?

Older readers may recall that the friendly neighborhood barber of yore was an important institution in many communities. The world came to him, in a sense, and he didn't need "high-tech" to keep his customers posted on local news. He had the human touch. He was usually a good conversationalist (a critical skill to keep the customers occupied during the sessions) with really down-to- earth views on many issues. As for outdated, dogeared magazines, I could gladly unload mine on him, and I have always found that magazines like Reader's Digest or LIFE read better when they are at least six months old. Who is stopping Leung from stocking the latest issues anyway?

Someone wrote years ago that the computer is a solution in search of a problem. Unlike any other tool invented by man, the computer's general-purpose capability can address an enormous range of applications in business, and public and personal life. But, after reading the cyber-salon story, it seems to me that the world is running out of meaningful problems to solve with the computer.

One of the cyber-salon customers (a civil engineer, no less) would like to search for information on new cars on the Net. Not for me, thanks. I would rather work from home on the Net and save at least two hours of commuting time, not to speak of savings on fuel, less pollution and the cost of buying and running the car.

I must admit that I am impressed with the salesperson who sold US$90,000 worth of computers to the cyber-salon (I hope his/her boss will recommend him/her for an innovative sales award). But my earnest appeal to fellow computer professionals is to concentrate on more important things like timely and error-free reports or innovative applications like special word processors for spastic children who are mentally very gifted but can't express their feelings because they cannot control their body movements. Trivial applications of computers may make that old saying really come true: To err is human, but to really foul up you need a computer. We wouldn't want that to happen to our hairdo.