Antipodes

From the Wikipedia:

In geography, the antipodes (from Greek ἀντίποδες,[1] from anti- "opposed" and pous "foot"; pronounced /ænˈtɪpədiːz/) of any place on Earth is the point on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite to it. Two points that are antipodal (/ænˈtɪpədəl/) to one another are connected by a straight line running through the centre of the Earth.

WolframAlpha calculates that the antipode for Columbia, SC, lies at coordinates 34° 1' 2"S, 98° 59' 21"E:

This is a few hundred miles west of Perth, Australia, which I left early this morning (yesterday, local time) and I'm now on my final flight home.  Thus, I have just returned today from being as far away as I can get and remain on this planet.  What a concept.  Of course, my bag is still in Sydney.

In the world of PACS, I think there are some antipodes as well, practices and ideas that are as far removed from each other as it gets.

There are companies that listen to their users, companies that don't, and companies that are beginning to learn that this might be something important to do.

There are companies that buy new technology with at least the intention of implementing it, and those that buy things and suppress them to prop up the market for sales and service of the existing dinosaur.

There are organizations that buy products their end-users want and need, and those that buy to keep IT or Administration happy, or to appease someone who would be embarrassed to shift to another line after a long stint with a favorite vendor.

There are companies that do whatever it takes to keep their customers online at all costs, and those that don't.

There are systems that are a joy to use and don't get in the reader's way, and those for which the best part of the experience is logging off.

And so forth.

We're landing now, so my WiFi is about to be cut off.  Let me just say that my talk in Perth was very warmly received and I hope I've made some new friends (and no new enemies!)  More to come.