I didn't need a doctor to diagnose my insomnia; it was irrevocably confirmed when pre-recorded Parliament sessions failed to put me to sleep.
Anyone who has ever had to sit through official, government or political proceedings will understand what a feat it is to stay awake through the longwinded, rambling oratories that are so often forced upon us.
Where Martin Luther King inspired Americans to have a dream; our leaders seem to want to inspire us to enter dreamland.
Which brings me - in my own longwinded, rambling manner - to news that the Johannesburg City Council has passed a resolution which limits the speaking time of most political parties to four seconds.
Ashamedly, I must admit my initial response to this news was: "Yes, yes, yes" - most things that encourage brevity in politicians turn out to be good.
Smart inputs
Where Martin Luther King inspired Americans to have a dream; our leaders seem to want to inspire us to enter dreamland.
Kimberly Guest, senior journalist, ITWeb
Nevertheless, the question of fair and democratic representation does bother me. But surely there is a way we could employ technology to find a solution which is both democratically equitable and massaging the political ego?
Take, for instance, a simple technology like e-mail. The council (and similar committees) could submit their views on e-mail; limited, perhaps, to a maximum of 150 to 250 words per member. The chairperson would then assign an aide to compile the points into a briefing document which would be forwarded to members to review before voting at the next session.
We could even take a look at instant messaging. If we were to equip each council member with a PC, they could register their concerns and questions as they come up. The chairperson - or aide - could then wade through the rhetoric to find the point and just pose this to the forum.
There is a veritable plethora of technologies which we could use to improve the process, efficiency and effectiveness of our governmental meetings.
Artificial intelligence
In the future we might even see speeches translated by a super-intelligent computer.
Perhaps this wonderful piece of tech would allow those driven by ego to speak for however long they felt necessary. For those required to listen, the message would have all protocols, rhetoric and inappropriate comments removed. While you waited for the point to come through, you could listen to your favourite download, learn a new language or keep up with the news from the rest of the world.
However, there is a good reason why such a super-intelligent computer would never be adopted - or at least I hope not. While no doubt efficient, computers are unable to understand, analyse and reproduce human emotion. This is the one thing that sets us apart - we feel.
In fact, it is this inherent emotion which is likely to make future Johannesburg City Council meetings worth attending and not nap-inducing.
Who will master speed-talking first? Who will fit the most into four seconds? Who will be the first to lose his/her cool? And how long until the first punch is thrown out of sheer frustration?
Hopefully these meetings will be televised. Just add a bowl of popcorn and I will have entertainment through the night. Who needs sleep anyway?
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