In the digital economy, traditional thinking is proving its futility. Assumptions from the old economy that most of us are comfortable with do not carry over to the now-mainstream digital economy. The proof is in the mirror. MrWakeup calls my phone at 7 a.m. to wake me to a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee brewed in a coffee maker bought at Gevalia. As I munch on a bagel that WebGrocer delivered last night, I read the NewYorkTimes delivered every 10 minutes to my wireless hand-held purchased from OfficeDepot. I am still waiting for a new suit that I ordered from LandsEnd, but I know that FedEx will send me an e-mail as soon as the package is delivered at my door. After a shower and quick shave with a DrugStore-delivered razor, I pick the navy blazer that I got from Overstock, get dressed, and drive to the subway station. I can't help but notice the blooming flowers that my neighbor bought at Garden, and so religiously waters with his Web-based X10 pump controller. A short drive filled with PhoneFree commercials brings me to the subway station.
I swipe the MARTA smartcard that WebVan delivers on the last day of every month as I notice the gloomy look on the newspaper vendor's face. A train finally arrives as I step away from the LastMinuteTravel banner only to end up sitting right under a big AtlantaYardSale sign. Do I care? Not when I listed my old notebook PC on eBay just the night before. The only "e-free" part of my day_my train ride_was ruined last year when Palm Computing took the Web wireless.