A Fax Story

 Back around 2008, I worked for a US military organization that was heavily into the IT world.  At some point, a discussion started up....about getting rid of the regular old $100 fax machines.  I would say at this point....around 98-percent of the organization was ready to move on and exist without the fax option.  I was the logistical guy, and I was the one who'd be left with the job of disposing of them.

Well....in this discussion....two folks stood up and noted that various reports that they generated and sent to someone....had to go by fax.  I questioned these two people and it was evident that somewhere in their chain of production....they could only communicate with some folks by telephone and fax.  I was fairly blunt....it was time to move on, but they persisted, and at least two fax machines remained in the organization.  Even today, I would imagine that the machines are still there, and convey three or four fax messages each week to 'someone' (probably some gal who lives in a cave-like office and no internet.

So this topic came up on German N-TV today.

Here in 2021, in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg (SW)....various clinics and hospitals transmit daily.....their 'count' of Covid people....to the state headquarters of Covid-knowledge (the state health ministry).

The transmission?  They write it in a report, via a computer....then print it out.  Then they transmit it by fax....to the state guys.

Why?  Well....the hospital database system is not a open-system where the Health Ministry could 'see' into.  Nor is the database designed for you to extract ONLY Covid-people and pump out a Covid-report.  So they glean the data, and someone writes down the numbers, and goes to a computer....to write this daily report, which is printed out and then faxed.

You can laugh a bit, but it's the only way that the system works.  It wouldn't surprise me all sixteen states function the same way.  Some might have an email address....to avoid the fax business.  

In my thinking even when 2030 comes around....I still expect the fax machine business to still exist.  Maybe even when 2050 comes around....faxes will still be some part of our lives.