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Apr 23, 2010
What laptop soldiering cannot do
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I TOO would have liked to have a personal laptop at my disposal during Basic Military Training ('SAF arms recruits with laptops'; last Saturday).
But I hasten to remind what a laptop cannot do. The confidence one gains as a soldier stems not from watching videos and going through slides on an immobile computer screen, but from hands-on practice with the actual weapon or equipment.
Laptops are also supposed to facilitate communication via their live messaging system, whereby recruits who are unsure can e-mail their commanders for clarification. When I did national service, we raised our hands and asked the commanders directly when in doubt.
It might not have been more effective, but it was certainly cheaper.
What puzzles me most is whether an expensive move like this is being made at the right time when the economy is only tentatively feeling its way out of a recession.
Hu Ching
What laptop soldiering cannot do
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<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
I TOO would have liked to have a personal laptop at my disposal during Basic Military Training ('SAF arms recruits with laptops'; last Saturday).
But I hasten to remind what a laptop cannot do. The confidence one gains as a soldier stems not from watching videos and going through slides on an immobile computer screen, but from hands-on practice with the actual weapon or equipment.
Laptops are also supposed to facilitate communication via their live messaging system, whereby recruits who are unsure can e-mail their commanders for clarification. When I did national service, we raised our hands and asked the commanders directly when in doubt.
It might not have been more effective, but it was certainly cheaper.
What puzzles me most is whether an expensive move like this is being made at the right time when the economy is only tentatively feeling its way out of a recession.
Hu Ching
