Pic: Ted Percival

Here’s a lucrative new business opportunity: internet-free cafes.

I’m in the middle of writing some ads and a web site, and I need to concentrate.

But before I do that I’ll just check the email. Whoah, international swine flu plague! Better check the news to see if that’s going to stuff plans to travel to swine flu hotspots like America in a month or so. And, hey, a Facebook notification about new shots of the tiny nieces. Cute! While I’ve got the browser open may as well check the blog web stats. Ponder the irony of a Twitter-sceptic post lifting visitor numbers to record levels – because it was picked up via Twitter! Thanks Collis! And… oh. When did the sun go down?

The office, with bandwidth on tap, is now the enemy of productivity.

At least our office is, because we’re too small have a fun-blocking corporate firewall or an IT department to spy on us.

And so to a café. Damn, a powerful wireless signal! Must… not… look. Well, maybe a quick browse for ‘creative inspiration’. Hours lost, progress: nil.

This morning, took refuge in a secret coffee lair with no wireless. Just me and my unconnected ‘typewriter’.  Locked the Blackberry in the car. Nailed all deadlines and wrote this post in under an hour. I am Captain Productivity!

I think there’s going to be a market for nice places you can go to be connectivity-free and get some damn work done.

Think of the benefits: you’re totally free to think, plan, calculate, plot or whatever it is you get paid for. You could even talk to people analog-style, using voices and ears and other old-school tools.

And as a bonus, you won’t have Bluetooth earpiece’n’Skype man at the next table talkin’ deals, and that has to be worth something.

Tags: Bluetooth Earpiece Man, Collis Ta'eed, facebook, internet-free cafes, productivity, swine flu, twitter, wireless

Posted by Ian on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.