. | . |
End of an era as typewriting tests phased out in India by Staff Writers Mumbai (AFP) Aug 10, 2017 The unmistakable chatter of typewriters outside courthouses and government offices will soon fall silent in India's financial capital Mumbai as stenography colleges on Friday hold their final manual exams. The roughly 3,500 institutes teaching the antiquated ways of the typewriter across Maharastra state will be phased out as India pushes ahead with a drive to digitize the economy. "It is absolutely the end of an era as typewriters bite the dust due to technological innovation," Ashok Abhyankar, who runs a shorthand and typewriting institute in Mumbai, told AFP. Long relegated to the history books in the West, typewriters are still a ubiquitous feature at legal chambers, police stations and official offices in India. Typists are found at courthouses punching out affidavits, family deeds and other legal documents for as little as 25 rupees (39 cents), the click-clack of the ancient machines echoing around the vaulted corridors. Abhyankar, whose institute has been teaching stenography skills for more than 80 years, estimates roughly 700,000 students across the state sit for official manual typing certification every year. These certificates are a ticket out of unemployment and village life for many poor youngsters, who pursue typing as a way to land coveted jobs as government clerks and stenographers. But these skills are becoming increasingly redundant amid "Digital India", a government-run initiative to modernise and harness technology to roll out e-services across the subcontinent of 1.3 billion. While the margin bells and ribbon spools will whirr and ping during Friday's final typing exams, it will not be long before the iconic machine will wind up in antique stores or on scrap heap. "With falling computer prices and governments phasing out its usage, typewriters have no future anymore," Abhyankar said. India was the last country in the world to run a major telegram operation before it shuttered in 2013 after 163 years of service.
Washington (AFP) Aug 9, 2017 Walt Disney Co. has the potential to shake up the television sector with its plan to offer direct-to-consumer streaming services and take on Netflix on its own turf. But analysts say the move is likely to have only limited impact on the Netflix juggernaut and represents an effort by Disney to keep pace with the industry shift to online television services. Disney announced Tuesday it wou ... read more Related Links Satellite-based Internet technologies
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |