“There’s a Packet in My Jacket”: A Ubicomp Story
“Hello Inspector Hilton! How are you?”
McGuire shook Samuel Connors’ hand. “Pleasure to meet you. Shall we get started?”
The facility lobby appeared to be freshly cleaned, no doubt in preparation for McGuire’s arrival. With most lights turned off and a rainstorm outside, the lobby was in shadows with the exception of the lights coming from the various chairs and tables. While waiting for the director to show up, McGuire had fiddled with the Projecta device embedded within one of the lounge chairs. Each piece of furniture had built-in projectors built by Projecta that displayed one-way holographic monitors. Normally, these displayed weather updates (*100% rain), the date and time (09/23/2025 1000 hours). and company announcements. However, a small port in the projector seemed to allow for employees to insert a small device. McGuire had heard about companies adopting “mobile offices” that allowed employees to place all of their PC data on a single object no bigger than a thumbtack.
Connors led McGuire past the security gate. They had to stop for a few moments to allow a security guard to check McGuire’s pockets. No hard drives, no cameras, and definitely no smart glasses were allowed. McGuire didn’t have any of these, so he and the director were free to move on.
They walked past several office spaces on the way to the server rooms and data cores. Connors took some time to explain the day-to-day operations. The offices were spacious, with more Projecta devices embedded within nearly every surface. Projected monitors in place of personal computers. A motion sensor on the wall that allowed for temperature adjustments with a wave of a finger. In the center of most offices, a scanning table allowed employees to scan files and data directly into the central servers, using their mobile offices to important data with a simple touch of the mobile office onto the scanner’s surface.
“I’m impressed by how open everything is here, director,” said McGuire. “I’ve always enjoyed working in these kinds of spaces.”
Connors smiled. “Yes well, Enigma’s employees have to work long hours handling the data of those with which we’re under contract. That includes your department in the government. The best we can do is make the work environment enjoyable and convenient. Oh, let’s go in here. The Silva siblings have got a bit of a demonstration for you.”
Connors used the facial and finger scan to open the automatic door, and McGuire followed past a few cubicles and one of the server scanners, the cuff of his suit jacket sweeping across the glowing surface. Just beyond the scanner, two employees sat around a floating monitor. “These are the Silva siblings: Ellen and Marco. Our top programmers for the Government Data department. They’ll show you how we implement our protocols and policies.”
McGuire stared blankly at the floating screen while the siblings went down the regulatory checklist, occasionally nodding when they explained something specific or used their Projecta pens to manipulate the display with a couple of swipes. Though he was mostly in his own world for most of the presentation, he could tell that they put a lot of work into making sure all the new federal laws regarding data handling. The popularity of products made by the likes of Projecta necessitated these headaches.
Eventually, the presentation concluded, and McGuire gave his approval for the department’s setup. After casual goodbyes, McGuire followed Connors back into the hallway, his jacket cuff sweeping over the scanner just like before.
After more general tour guide comments from the director, they finally arrived at the main server room. McGuire would not be permitted to enter the room or inspect the servers themselves (a different government inspector would do that this Friday). He would, however, be introduced to the digital control room. As they entered the room, Connors inserted his own personal mobile office into a small box connected to the server room window. All across the barren gray room, monitors appeared from several projectors. Data activities, files, directories, and other important pieces of information were displayed.
“Here we are. Let me show you how the data stream interface works.” Connors and McGuire approached one of the screens hovering in front of the server room’s only window. Using his personal Projecta pen, Connors manipulated the projection to show the statistics of various data streams, though being careful not to open the contents of any stream. The UI allowed the director to access and manage the activity of any stream without much thought. “Simply scroll through the listed streams, poke it with a pen, and any data you need is just a few swipes and slashes away. Interacting and changing things is just as easy.” Connors boasted these features excitedly while McGuire pretended to mentally check off the list of technology standards in his head.
“Would you like to see how our individual files are stored? It’s over here on this display.” Connors was so eager to show the company’s implementation of the direct-to-server file store, he turned his back on McGuire and began walking towards the north wall before McGuire could respond. “Sure, can’t hurt to look a little more”, he said after a few quick waves of his finger in front of the data stream monitor.
The review of the file display was about the same as the data stream presentation. The display was manipulated with the director’s pen, just like every other display. Once that presentation was concluded, Connors removed his mobile office from the box, and they left the room. Before formally concluding the inspection, the two needed to sign some forms to confirm Enigma’s successful performance in upholding standards. Walking into the office, Connors plugged his pen into a charging unit on his desk and searched one of his smart cabinets for the right forms. After a loud beep from the fingerprint scanner, a built-in touchscreen displayed a list of physical folders. Connors selected the right folder, the cabinet opened, and the forms were on the desk in just ten seconds.
“Everything seems to be in order,” McGuire said while signing. “How long has it been since Enigma implemented these new technologies?”
“Just eight months ago! Thankfully, our employees were so eager to use the Projecta devices that they put in tons of overtime to work out the initial issues. I don’t know what they use at your office, but the government could certainly benefit from such convenience and speed.”
McGuire signed the final form and placed them in his jacket pocket. “You’ve certainly inspired me, Director Connors. I’ll see what I can do to make use of what you’ve shown me.”
Sitting in the lights of the skyline, McGuire fidgeted with the director’s pen. It was not a part of his original plan, but he took the risk after an Enigma employee left one of his/her pens out on a desk. The director would no doubt notice the switch tomorrow, as the pen is meant to allow the user to trace the pen’s prior activity on a given display. No matter, since the pen will be in more anonymous hands tomorrow morning.
In the hotel wardrobe to his right, the same jacket McGuire wore during his visit. Just an hour ago, he had held his jacket sleeve up to a smart pad, letting all the activity logs (complete with intact file copies) be copied onto the pad from his sleeve. He did the same with his right-hand glove, the data stream monitor’s files also transferred in the same manner. He would need to figure out what to do with the jacket and gloves, as it’s embedded processors and sensors would blow his cover if authorities were to take a closer look. For now, he would just take it to whatever city he was sent to next.
