Bill Ralston: Living in a cafe society

Workers at evolution’s cutting edge are leaving the office for more salubrious surroundings.

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28th July, 2012

Sitting in the sun at a cafe at 11.00am one recent morning, I found myself wondering what all the other people were doing there languidly slurping coffee. Why weren’t they at work? Then it occurred to me that I wasn’t “at work”, either, because I’m self-employed and can output “work units” whenever and wherever I want, thanks to the miracles of technology. Looking around it seemed almost every table had a 3G phone, laptop or iPad on it. These highly caffeinated workers were diligently plying their trade, whatever that was, sipping their beverages and munching on bagels. The next ...

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