Yes I know that I should stay faithful and focused to the subject and niche of my blog. But I reckon its time to pull an exception. If only to prove that the rule is correct. Good excuse. But the truth is: I write this cause I have to. I must. I was just witness to an act of human deterioration at the expense of technological advancement and I must digress slightly to bring the episode to blog. I'll keep it short.
Like the rest of us I have watched the inclusion of navigation systems in our vehicles with a side smile and not much thought. I don't own one. Was never really inimical to it but my subconscience must have kicked in and taken note of a friend o' mine screaming into his new voice response cell phone 5 years ago with a tingling my insides took to it. 'Home!' 'Home!', I recall the bellow. 'I do not recognize that entry' was the heartless response. The corny otherness of the tone may have stayed with me. The device I took exposure to the other day is a widely spreading wonder of the modern age - the GPS based navingation systems in our vehicles.
What happened may occurr only in the road networks of large metropolises or rather in this case the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles where traffic levels are jaw dropping and plotting routes a source of social conversation. My colleague and I set out to make a quick dash for a client call from a business meeting in the middle of the day. He was naturally eager to display his latest gadet acquisition and just as eager to use his investment in the interwoven matrix of roads and freeways out here. Much as I felt the urge to boast my in-the-know of an efficient route to our destonation I stayed put to observe this soon-to-be fixation of modern transportation. The trip had started innocently enough. But as we progressed, I watched in horror as the system's algorithm revealed its route jerking us around major roads and even taking us on the freeway for a next-exit interlude. I don't know if this plot was a factor of shortest distance but it was factored high on stupidity. A sense the system was obviosuly oblivious to along with time of day and traffic patterns. We must have gone 10 minutes over. This was a close-up view of how sometimes technological advances come at the expense of human intuition. It certainly delayed my use of GPS seduced driving directions for some time. I do like the fact of having a map display and being able to see where I am. But I won't be asking silicon for directions any time soon. Not after this. A kind but impish remark I passed to my defensive colleague was that there is a lesser chance of this happening in simpler upstate NY. Just, I suppose, be careful of what you get into and how you use it.
Like the rest of us I have watched the inclusion of navigation systems in our vehicles with a side smile and not much thought. I don't own one. Was never really inimical to it but my subconscience must have kicked in and taken note of a friend o' mine screaming into his new voice response cell phone 5 years ago with a tingling my insides took to it. 'Home!' 'Home!', I recall the bellow. 'I do not recognize that entry' was the heartless response. The corny otherness of the tone may have stayed with me. The device I took exposure to the other day is a widely spreading wonder of the modern age - the GPS based navingation systems in our vehicles.
What happened may occurr only in the road networks of large metropolises or rather in this case the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles where traffic levels are jaw dropping and plotting routes a source of social conversation. My colleague and I set out to make a quick dash for a client call from a business meeting in the middle of the day. He was naturally eager to display his latest gadet acquisition and just as eager to use his investment in the interwoven matrix of roads and freeways out here. Much as I felt the urge to boast my in-the-know of an efficient route to our destonation I stayed put to observe this soon-to-be fixation of modern transportation. The trip had started innocently enough. But as we progressed, I watched in horror as the system's algorithm revealed its route jerking us around major roads and even taking us on the freeway for a next-exit interlude. I don't know if this plot was a factor of shortest distance but it was factored high on stupidity. A sense the system was obviosuly oblivious to along with time of day and traffic patterns. We must have gone 10 minutes over. This was a close-up view of how sometimes technological advances come at the expense of human intuition. It certainly delayed my use of GPS seduced driving directions for some time. I do like the fact of having a map display and being able to see where I am. But I won't be asking silicon for directions any time soon. Not after this. A kind but impish remark I passed to my defensive colleague was that there is a lesser chance of this happening in simpler upstate NY. Just, I suppose, be careful of what you get into and how you use it.
I call such drollery, 'Techno Dump'. Avoid the crap, if you can.
No comments:
Post a Comment