Maximum wattage
When I was watching the America’s Cup in Bermuda, I remember thinking the crews were being turned into machines, but maybe it was an aberration because of the rule about hydraulic power. So I was really surprised to read your feature in the August issue about how they are racing INEOS Team UK. These guys are even more pumped!
Freddie Carr is one of the world’s best sailors, but being a top sailor isn’t enough. He describes hours every day in the gym training for ‘wattage output’ and when they’re sailing, he doesn’t even get to look out at what’s happening.
But then I thought, this is what is happening in the world at large. In an age of big data and fast processing we are all measuring performance, and being measured by it. I wonder how long it will be before me, in my largely desk-based work, will be measured by my wattage output.
Or maybe it’s already here, and I didn’t notice yet?
A scary thought.
Paul Felton