Last Mile: Outsource This!

Top 11 Worst Justifications For Outsourcing It

11) You look tired. How'd you like some time off?

10) If you're willing to work for 40 cents a day, you can stay

9) India is 12 hours ahead of us, so we'll get our software 12 hours sooner8) Look on the bright side: You can access your 401(k) now

7) Paper clips are cheaper in Taiwan

6) Think of it as a new corporate policy that gives you 52 weeks unpaid vacation

5) How else are we gonna pay for the CEO's bonus?

4) It's an HR initiative aimed at preventing carpal tunnel syndrome3) Now you can finish that novel you've always wanted to write

2) The board of directors decided to take this corporation global, starting with your job

1) If you move to India, feel free to send me your résumé

Special thanks to all those citizens of the global economy--Joe Best, Steve Birch, Ellen Fry, Ray Gauthier, Ken Graham, Clarence Kaplan, Damian Lewis, Gregory Mamayek, Wayne Maurer and Darrell Pitzer--being spanked by the invisible hand of capitalism. You can't say Lou Dobbs didn't warn you.

When Your Home Phones YouIf information is power, does it follow that the more information you have, the more powerful you are? Eaton Electrical seems to think so. It has developed wireless sensors designed to be deployed around the home to report events--an electrical appliance being turned on, for instance--to your cell phone or a specialized receiver.

Called Home Heartbeat, Eaton's system offers sensors with a variety of capabilities, including monitors that can detect floods, tell you if an appliance is using power or alert you if doors and windows open or close. Presumably, the goal is to ease customers' minds by letting them keep an electronic eye on their homes while they are away.

Of course, you can see where this will lead. Soon you'll need a sensor to make sure your sensor network is running--or a giant kill switch to turn the whole thing off once all the phone calls from your house drive you insane.

This Laptop Is A Gas

Fuel-cell development is usually targeted at automobiles. But Toshiba is applying the technology to a different type of mobility--fuel-cell powered laptops that generate electricity through an electrochemical process. You can see a working model here. Toshiba claims its prototype provides 10 hours of power. The downside? The only way to recharge is with cartridges of methane, the same highly flammable gas found in manure.

LOL

Have a IT-related Chuckle you want to share? Spotted some strange tech? Want to contribute to the latest Top 11 List? Drop on by the Last Mile Repository!