Fools Errand is a live feed of my email inbox. Emails represented by a collection of animated GIF files taken from the now-defunct GeoCities archive rains down from the top of the screen as they appear in my inbox in real time. The once ubiquitous “Under Construction” GIFs used as placeholders for website updates represent emails I have opened. The other selected GIFs represent unopened emails varying in size depending on whether they are marked as important. My inbox is always full. The expectations of my presence and attention at work are building. I am never not at work. I am always at work, and the work is never done. I spend more time answering emails than accomplishing anything. I am judged efficient or inefficient based on my responsiveness.
