In 1993, American advertising mogul Jay Chiat had the kind of brainwave that bosses tend to have when they`re getting steadily rat-faced after a hard day`s skiing: he would “free” his employees from paper. What`s more, he reasoned, he would make that freedom mandatory, by eliminating desks and filing cabinets. The bold new world of the paperless office was upon us, and he would be at its head.

His attempt backfired pitifully. Bewildered employees started storing paper in the boots of their cars. Some even bought toy wagons to stealthily haul their files around the office. Thankfully, the company was sold, and normality – or large piles of paper, at any rate – soon returned.