Clearly, at that time the joke was at the expense of customers who had requested the immediate delivery of some type of goods or services in a world of backed up orders. I've noticed both within myself and in others an impatience when it comes to the delivery of goods, services, and especially of information. We can't seem to get anything fast enough, whether it's a cup of cafe latte, a decision, or a good return on our stock portfolio. Our search for speed is evident everywhere. Portable telephones are popular because they provide instant communication.
Word processors are faster than typewriters to prepare documents.
The Internet has fueled a frenzied flow of text, graphics, visuals, and audio. Our computers have increased processing speed more than 10-fold, and we are regularly replacing our servers with faster models. In my own professional world of student enrollment, it has been obvious that applicants, students, faculty, and other staff want a faster flow of all types of information, presumably to increase the speed and reliability of decision-making. I propose to you that it is first because we are by nature impatient, and second it is because the truth of information has become exceedingly relative. If an information exchange cannot be instant, then we probably don't want it at all.