Six Words: Reduce, Computing, Undermine, Threaten, Amber, Plaintiff
It is hard to comprehend how computing power has grown over the last 60 years and how costs have come down. The most popular early commercial computer, the IBM 1401, was announced in 1959. In today’s dollars, a typical system cost $45,000 – a month! Or you could buy one for $3.4 million dollars (in today’s dollars). Let’s compare your phone to that $3.4M computer. You own your phone and it costs less than $1,000! That IBM 1401 could hold 16,000 characters. Your phone can hold at least 128 billion characters and is a million times faster! Oh, and that original IBM computer came in any color you wanted, as long as it was gray. You can get a cover for your phone in almost any color you want, from amber to zucchini.
In the early 60’s, probably nobody thought about using computers in the legal system. Today the legal system couldn’t function without them. Computers have greatly reduced the time that plaintiffs, whether prosecutors or individuals, spend to research and to document their arguments, to maintain their calendars, and to communicate.
As long as computers have existed, some people have felt threatened, fearing that computers would undermine their jobs. And it is true. Early in my career, I felt conflicted as I told businesses about the efficiency and speed that computers and programs would bring to their businesses, knowing that it would impact jobs – but they also allowed businesses to do more business with the same number of people! And, as we’ve all seen, many jobs became less tedious and many, many new jobs were created. That progression is continuing. The internet and texting have impacted the post office and newspapers and magazines and all kinds of printed material. The demand for paper is shrinking dramatically. It seems like less demand for paper should increase the number of trees allowed to keep growing, but it isn’t that simple. If land owners can’t make money by selling wood, then instead they need to sell the land.
I’m optimistic that we’ll continue to address each new threat that progress brings and to benefit, as long as we elect wise and caring leaders – or maybe despite who we elect.