It is often said that the computer is the greatest invention since the Industrial Revolution, enabling humanity to progress in a way that even the Spinning Jenny could not.

Computers fall into two broad fields - recreational consoles, and important professional business-type work terminals. They are, essentially, man made life forms, which are clever yet primitive. Like all life forms, computers need something to 'eat'¹, and this comes in the form of data.

Though computers do not use data in the way that a car might use petrol, it serves an excellent purpose in keeping them from getting bored. Data must be fed into the computer, and this process is called data inputting.

Usually a job for which a university degree is an inexplicable necessity, data inputting involves staring at a computer screen for many hours a day, typing alpha numeric strings of mainly incomprehensible, largely useless information, in order to feed the beast. Whereas for many the computer is a great enabler, a reason to demand foolish hourly rates and the biggest help in our lives since the invention of the abacus, the relationship a data inputter has with his console is not dissimilar to that between a slave and his master.

Data inputting jobs are rife the world over, second only to call centre work in terms of their ubiquity, which is fortunate, since to this date few have held down a position as a data inputter for more than a couple of weeks.