Speed and Automation Are Overratted
I have a programmable thermostat in my house. It’s just outside my bedroom door. In the morning, when I get up I turn the temperature up (or down depending on the time of the year). I do the opposite when I go to bed or leave the house. It is more difficult to do that simple manual function on my automated thermostat than it is on an old analog style with a twisty knob. Programmable things are overrated. I know I’ve been in Information Technology for 32 years.
I had one of the first cell phones in the country. It was bolted to the floor of the trunk of my car. I used that more 25 years ago than I use the cell phone that fits in my pocket. I generally keep it turned off. Why? Because I found I really don’t want to be on call all the time. It’s a nuisance. The requirement to stay in constant touch with someone or a group of people shows a certain level of insecurity.
Why do cell phones have so many functions? Because they can put them on a chip. Not because they are useful.
GPS, where’s the fun in that. I used to travel 50% of the time for various companies. Half the fun of going to a new city was finding my way around. Sure I got lost, but I found some great people and had some wonderful times. A GPS would never have told me how to cut through parking lots at Marina Del Ray to avoid a yacht accident on the main road off the island. A GPS would never have sent me though the vacant lots in New York to get from the Ritz to La Guardia in half an hour at 5 PM on a Tuesday.
When it comes to speed, I love speed. Speed is relative. Nothing beats takeoffs and landings. I hate watching auto racing, because I want to drive. But, right now Milwaukee is digging out from 14 inches of new snow and nothing is moving terribly fast. I watching the sun come up on the frosted trees in my backyard while I drink coffee and type this. Right now this is a good speed.
1 Comment
Hey Jim,
I agree with you (almost) entirely. Those cell phone ear things people wear on their heads are absurd. People who get two calls a month now need to be in contact at every moment, just in case somebody wants to tell them how their trip to the mall is going.
Concerning GPS systems: On a recent golfing expedition I had a couple of days to scope out the routes to the various golf courses we were going to play (in Tampa.) When my buddies got there they insisted we hook up the f-ing GPS in the car. I did my best to miss the occasional turn.
On the other hand, the system was pretty good at finding an alternative route when I took the wrong turn. So that would allow for detours through parking lots and other side trips. In fact it might make it less stressful. You can sort of have your cake (make wrong turns) and eat it too (know exactly where you are.)
My other buddy had a new GPS-based range finder with all the courses carefully mapped out. So we knew exactly how far from each green we were at all times. I don’t think the three of us hit more than 10 greens in regulation over the nine rounds we each played.