When technology fails it reveals how heavily reliant on it we are. From our jobs to our everyday lives, we are plugged in in many ways.

Monday’s server outage caused ramifications throughout the entire world. And right here at our offices, our design software InDesign was not functioning properly, leading to many staff member’s frustrations. 

But imagine, if you will, what it took to get the newspaper out the door before the internet and computers. 

The Democrat, publishing since 1891, would use the Linotype machine, a “line casting” machine used for printing newspapers and magazines and such. 

Type would be cast on metal slugs, and ink would roll over the bars to print the words on the newspaper, which was printed right here at the offices in Callicoon from 1891 until 1975.

As one can imagine, this was a lengthy process (let alone if you made a typo!), and it would take a week to design the newspaper.

Today it takes the Democrat only one day to put the newspaper together, when it is then sent to printers in New Jersey. 

But when there are issues with technology it puts a wrench in things. Monday’s outage was due to issues with Amazon’s cloud service, causing shutdowns at everything from websites to credit card payment systems to airline flights.

“It was the largest internet disruption since last year’s CrowdStrike malfunction hobbled technology systems in hospitals, banks and airports, highlighting the vulnerability of the world’s interconnected technologies,” writes Reuters. 

The AP adds a canny assessment: “The all-day disruption and the ensuing exasperation it caused served as the latest reminder that 21st century society is increasingly dependent on just a handful of companies for much of its internet technology, which seems to work reliably until it suddenly breaks down.”