Sunday, March 27, 2022

We're gonna need a bigger shovel

Near-permanent detour
January 2022
This screen grab originally shared on Instagram


Reason # 5,792 why we shouldn't always trust technology.

This is a screen grab off of Google Maps following an epic winter-storm-caused closure on I-95. I was trying to get a sense of how major mapping services like Google Maps and Apple Maps responded to the event, and what we might learn in the process.

To clarify, I'm a huge Google Maps fan, and use it all the time before and during any journey - ranging from the local grocery store to the longest family road trip. It is gamechanging, time-saving, life-saving technology that takes large chunks of worry out of any trip. Whether I’m walking, cycling, or driving, even if I technically know the route in my head, I'd never leave home without it.

But technology isn't always perfect, which should surprise no one because it is created by humans. And if WE are subject to imperfection, then so, too, is anything that we create in the process.

I'm fine with that - that's just life - but that doesn't mean I won't laugh at the prospect of a 7-year road closure following a winter storm.

Maybe we'll keep Apple Maps on standby. And for good measure, perhaps we should throw a few paper-based maps into the glove compartment, too. Remember those?

#screengrab #i95 #google #googlemaps #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

No comments: