Numbers

My Blackberry problems have still not been resolved. I phoned the IT guys today to see how they were getting on. This met with a lot of tutting, and words that sounded a bit like "Oh... incompatibility... problem... have to phone the boys in Delhi... very expensive". When I hung up I am sure I heard some laughter and the popping of a champagne cork.

My head seems to be full of bees and feathers just now. This morning I forgot the code to get into my office - we have one of those security dooors with the code. I've only been using it for about 6 years, so it's still not very clear in my head. My memory is so bad, I once forgot where I parked my car for 2 days.On once occasion I forgot where I lived. Although it was after a very very good office party.

As I stood there on the stairs, it struck me how many numbers we now have to remember. Used to be, the only number I had to remember was my phone number. Not a big long mobile number, but a landline. With 5 digits. That was it. The only number in the whole world I had to commit to memory.

But now, the world has become infinitely more complex. Off the top of my head, I now have to remember my home phone number, my mobile number, my home alarm code, the office alarm code, the security door code that stumped me this morning, debit card pin number, credit card pin number... The list goes and and that's not to mention the usernames and passwords I have to remember for every website in the whole world.

I am a digital man. My head is a string of numbers. They live where memories should.