Send you a what?

So, tomorrow noon (July 2nd @ 12:00) marks the exact middle of the entire year. In case you are unaware of, this is the first decade of the new millennium.
And yet, just a few minutes ago I received a telephonic request for me to send a “FAX” …
Gosh! Don’t they have an email system, or at least one free Y! or HoTMaiL address?

I replied indicating that the last time I had the need to use a FAX machine was May of 1999. I would have a very hard time finding such machine around here. And, obviously, I suggested I would scan whatever physical document they were requesting and would send it via email if they provided an address. After three silent seconds that sounded as if the person on the other side of the line had discovered Radium, she said in a loud and –I’m sure- smiley voice: “That’s an EXCELLENT idea. Yes, please!”

As I see it, the only companies that push and promote FAX lines -and machines- are the telephone suppliers’ corporations. Aside from those, I honestly believe we should declare FAX machines defunct. If possible, before the end of the year.

If, by any chance you still own one of those relics, please know that:
+ You are wasting not only space, but also electricity, ink and paper; and damaging the environment.
+ If you have a scanner (67% chance), and your recipient has an email address (90%+ chance), you can kiss your F@# machine goodbye.
+ If you count on a MFP printer (most big copiers are or can be), you can kiss your F@# machine goodbye.
+ Some of these MFPs come with software that allows you to see the documents before deleting, storing, or printing them. You can kiss your F@# machine goodbye.
+ If you have a server with a modem, the server can act as a FAX recipient and also send, and the electronic documents can be managed easily: delete SPAM, keep the good ones in organized folders, etc. In brief, you can kiss your F@# machine goodbye.
+ There are many Internet-based companies that provide a FAX-to-Email service (and vice versa, if definitely unavoidable). Some are very affordable for low volumes of such documents. There are many options and plans and you can pay on-demand or a subscription fee; such prices will save you money by substituting that aged machine and the power and telephone line associated to it. So, you can kiss your F@# machine goodbye.

Think about this the next time the word FAX appears in your horizon. It would be lovely to see the Wikipedia definition of FAX as “A fax (short for facsimile) was a document sent over a telephone line. Fax machines existed, in various forms, since the 19th century and until the end of 2010, though modern fax machines became feasible only in the mid-1970s as the sophistication increased and cost of the three underlying technologies dropped…”

Believe me, you can kiss your F@# machine goodbye.