Outlook icon

Ahh, the outlook "new mail" icon - that friendly little indication that somebody loves you and somebody cares. Or it could just be indicating you have yet more spam to contend with. Either way, though, it makes you a little excited to see it pop up doesn't it?

If you are anything like me, outlook sits open on your desktop all day long, so at any time that icon could put in an appearance, giving you an instant and marginally justifiable excuse to forget whatever important task you were involved with in order to check up on whatever gem the email fairy has just dropped in your lap.

I am trying to think of a worthwhile metaphor, but I am just not sure we had this kind of instant gratification before the technology era...