One thought that has been popping into my head over the years, is that the internet has turned everybody (well, maybe not everybody, but sometimes it sure seems like it) into a surrogate data-entry operator.

The rise of e-commerce, online shopping, and other internet 'conveniences', works only if the user is willing and able to spend time filling out forms, placing orders, entering credit card numbers, and generally doing exactly what every professional data entry operator does for a living. Hell, a web browser is nothing more than a very powerful smart terminal.

I say this as my wife sits online, filling out a complex, 10+ page application for health insurance, which has crapped out several times due to browser incompatibilities. Not to mention that this takes a long time if you aren't on on a broadband connection, it's as slow as molasses in January.

This is convenience? Whose convenience?