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enlisted men there； I was free to walk around the base； and eventually I wandered
into the command center； where my eye was immediately caught by a large flat…screen
TV。 On the screen was a live TV feed that looked to be coming from some kind of overhead
camera。 It showed some people moving around behind a house。 Also on the screen； along
the right side； was an active instant…messaging chat room； which seemed to be
discussing the scene on the TV。
〃What is that？〃 I asked the soldier who was carefully monitoring all the images from
a laptop。 He explained that a U。S。 Predator drone…a small pilotless aircraft with
a high…power television camera…was flying over an Iraqi village； in the 24th MEU's
area of operation； and feeding real…time intelligence images back to his laptop and
this flat screen。 This drone was actually being 〃flown〃 and manipulated by an expert
who was sitting back at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas； Nevada。 That's right；
the drone over Iraq was actually being remotely directed from Las Vegas。 Meanwhile；
the video images it was beaming back were being watched simultaneously by the 24th
MEU； United States Central Command headquarters in Tampa； CentCom regional
headquarters in Qatar； in the Pentagon； and probably also at the CIA。 The different
analysts around the world were conducting an online chat about how to interpret what
was going on and what to do about it。 It was their conversation that was scrolling
down the right side of the screen。
Before I could even express my amazement； another officer traveling with us took me
aback by saying that this technology had 〃flattened〃 the military hierarchy…by giving
so much information to the low…level officer； or even enlisted man； who was operating
the computer； and empowering him to make decisions about the information he was
gathering。 While I'm sure that no first lieutenant is going to be allowed to start
a firefight without consulting superiors； the days when only senior officers had the
big picture are over。 The military playing field is being leveled。
I told this story to my friend Nick Burns； the U。S。 ambassador to NATO and a loyal
member of the Red Sox Nation。 Nick told me he was at CentCom headquarters in Qatar
in April 2004； being briefed by General John Abizaid and his staff。 Abizaid's team
was seated across the table from Nick with four flat…screen TVs behind them。 The first
three had overhead images being relayed in real time from different sectors of Iraq
by Predator drones。 The last one； which Nick was focused on； was showing a Yankees…Red
Sox game。
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On one screen it was Pedro Martinez versus Derek Jeter； and on the other three it
was Jihadists versus the First Cavalry。
Flatburgers and Fries
I kept moving…all the way back to my home in Bethesda； Maryland。 By the time I settled
back into my house from this journey to the edges of the earth； my head was spinning。
But no sooner was I home than more signs of the flattening came knocking at my door。
Some came in the form of headlines that would unnerve any parent concerned about where
his college…age children are going to fit in。 For instance； Forrester Research； Inc。；
was projecting that more than 3 million service and professional jobs would move out
of the country by 2015。 But my jaw really dropped when I read a July 19； 2004； article
from the International Herald Tribune headlined： 〃Want Fries With Outsourcing？〃
〃Pull off U。S。 Interstate Highway 55 near Cape Girardeau； Missouri； and into the
drive…through lane of a McDonald's next to the highway and you'll get fast； friendly
service； even though the person taking your order is not in the restaurant…or even
in Missouri；〃 the article said。 〃The order taker is in a call center in Colorado
Springs； more than 900 miles； or 1；450 kilometers； away； connected to the customer
and to the workers preparing the food by high…speed data lines。 Even some restaurant
jobs； it seems； are not immune to outsourcing。
〃The man who owns the Cape Girardeau restaurant； Shannon Davis； has linked it and
three other of his 12 McDonald's franchises to the Colorado call center； which is
run by another McDonald's franchisee； Steven Bigari。 And he did it for the same reasons
that other business owners have embraced call centers： lower costs； greater speed
and fewer mistakes。
〃Cheap； quick and reliable telecommunications lines let the order takers in Colorado
Springs converse with customers in Missouri； take an electronic snapshot of them；
display their order on a screen to make sure
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it is right； then forward the order and the photo to the restaurant kitchen。 The photo
is destroyed as soon as the order is completed； Bigari said。 People picking up their
burgers never know that their order traverses two states and bounces back before they
can even start driving to the pickup window。
〃Davis said that he had dreamed of doing something like this for more than a decade。
'We could not wait to go with it；' he added。 Bigari； who created the call center for
his own restaurants； was happy to oblige… for a small fee per transaction。〃
The article noted that McDonald's Corp。 said it found the call center idea interesting
enough to start a test with three stores near its headquarters in Oak Brook； Illinois；
with different software from that used by Bigari。 〃Jim Sappington； a McDonald's vice
president for information technology； said that it was 'way； way too early' to tell
if the call center idea would work across the thirteen thousand McDonald's restaurants
in the United States。 。 。 Still； franchisees of two other McDonald's restaurants；
beyond Davis's； have outsourced their drive…through ordering to Bigari in Colorado
Springs。 （The other restaurants are in Brainerd； Minnesota； and Norwood；
Massachusetts。） Central to the system's success； Bigari said； is the way it pairs
customers' photos with their orders； by increasing accuracy； the system cuts down
on the number of complaints and therefore makes the service faster。 In the fast…food
business； time is truly money： shaving even five seconds off the processing time of
an order is significant；〃 the article noted。 〃Bigari said he had cut order time in
his dual…lane drive…throughs by slightly more than 30 seconds； to about 1 minute；
5 seconds； on average。 That's less than half the average of 2 minutes； 36 seconds；
for all McDonald's； and among the fastest of any franchise in the country； according
to QSRweb。com； which tracks such things。 His drive…throughs now handle 260 cars an
hour； Bigari said； 30 more than they did before he started the call center 。 。 。 Though
his operators earn； on average； 40 cents an hour more than his line employees； he
has cut his overall labor costs by a percentage point； even as drive…through sales
have increased 。 。 。 Tests conducted by outside companies found that Bigari's
drive…throughs now make mistakes on fewer than 2 percent of all orders； down from
about 4 percent before he started using the call centers； Bigari said。〃
Bigari 〃is so enthusiastic about the call center idea；〃 the article noted； 〃that he
has expanded it beyond the drive…through window at his seven restaurants that use
the system。 While he still offers counter service at those restaurants； most customers
now order through the call center； using phones with credit card readers on tables
in the seating area。〃
Some of the signs of flattening I encountered back home； though； had nothing to do
with economics。 On October 3； 2004；1 appeared on the CBS News Sunday morning show
Face the Nation； hosted by veteran CBS correspondent Bob Schieffer。 CBS had been in
the news a lot in previous weeks because of Dan Rather's 60 Minutes report about
President George W。 Bush's Air National Guard service that turned out to be based
on bogus documents。 After the show that Sunday； Schieffer mentioned that the oddest
thing had happened to him the week before。 When he walked out of the CBS studio； a
young reporter was waiting for him on the sidewalk。 This isn't all that unusual；
because as with all the Sunday…morning shows； the major networks…CBS； NBC； ABC； CNN；
and Fox…always send crews to one another's studios to grab exit interviews with the
guests。 But this young man； Schieffer explained； was not from a major network。 He
politely introduced himself as a reporter for a Web site called InDC Journal and asked
whether he could ask Schieffer a few questions。 Schieffer； being a polite fellow；
said sure。 The young man interviewed him on a device Schieffer did not recognize and
then asked if he could take his picture。 A picture？ Schieffer noticed that the young
man had no camera。 He didn't need one。 He turned his cell phone around and snapped
Schieffer's picture。
〃So I came in the next morning and looked up this Web site and there was my picture
and the interview and there were already three hundred comments about it；〃 said
Schieffer； who； though keenly aware of online journalism； was nevertheless taken
aback at the incredibly fast； low…cost； and solo manner in which this young man had
put him up in lights。
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I was intrigued by this story；