Today such delays are intolerable, and the use of fax, telephone and E-mail have drastically reduced the amount of surface mail, as processes speed up. Typing pools and many secretaries have disappeared as more managers become IT literate. So it is worth asking: what is the ultimate response time?

I live in a 100% electronic environment induced by returning or destroying all internally generated snail mail that could have been sent electronically. But I also promise to respond to all electronic communications within 12 hours. This is a 24 hour a day 365 day of the year obligation on my part. To date my average response time to any E-mail message is 3 hours with 99% answered within 12 hours. So what about the 1%? It is inevitable that during some periods of travel on long international flights, or for reasons of family commitments, that the 12 hour rule is occasionally violated.

Until recently I faced a real challenge - the lack of sockets! No phone, hotel room, nor office was safe - I was always hunting for sockets. As soon as I entered a building, I would plug in, log-on, drop my processed mail, then pick up the next batch. Whilst on the face of it this might seem an easy operation, and one that would not cause a technologist too much difficulty, the number of different types of socket, system delays and other variables that introduce pain are almost infinite. For example; the same RG11 telephone connector is used in Europe and the USA, but unfortunately, the wires are inconveniently shifted over by one pin. So, very often you cant just plug in. Even now I go everywhere armed with screwdrivers, crocodile clips and a selection of connectors. This inconvenience is compounded by an incredible variety of dial tones, digital and analogue transmission systems, that introduce a variety of signal echoes and distortion. Even a hotel room with 3 telephones can cause significant difficulties, especially if you dont spot the telephone in the toilet that may have to be unplugged.

But now there is GSM - digital mobile telephony. What an advance - now I can live a near socket-free life - on line from car, train, hotel and restaurant. I can roam across Europe without worry (apart from France of course where the dial codes have to be different) and always be on line. If only they had GSM in North America. Unfortunately the system standards and coverage are totally different with TDMA in Europe and CDMA in North America. There is also a lack of 100% geographical coverage, so total mobility is not quite possible. Those long Atlantic flights also contribute to my 1% failure - although there is a shaver point in the toilet - there is no phone socket. But as I travel 150,000 miles a year, you may be able to do better than me. For my foreseeable future it looks as though the socket hunt will continue. So save a place for screwdrivers and crocodile clips.

Peter Cochrane holds the Collier Chair for the Public Understanding of Science & Technology at the University of Bristol. His home page is:
http://cochrane.org.uk