Technology discriminates against the individual who wants to deviate from the norm. Computers tell us how much change to return to customers at the register, correct our spelling and grammar “errors”, and choose our routes for us. Maybe I meant to spell that word like that, or perhaps I want to take the long way around. I am finding that following a lesser-used highway (i.e. not an interstate) is not as easy as it would seem. This morning I actually had to use a printed map and ask directions to find my way back to US 64 from Fort Oglethorpe, which is where I stayed last night. Once I finally found the section of westbound highway I was seeking, my TomTom kept directing me to the fastest route instead of letting me follow a specific highway. The only reason I even left it on was to confirm that I was still on the correct highway, since this particular state is saving money by putting up signs which are few and far between. I didn’t want to “turn left in 400 yards” or “take the exit right” or “turn around as soon as possible”…I wanted to stay on THAT highway, even if it was slower and farther than the computer wanted to go.
Are we becoming dependent on these machines to make our decisions for us? Am I the only one who is worried about this? Or am I just too much of a non-conformist? Technology is great (I could not write this blog without it) but, like a child that talks back to his or her parents, someone needs to put it in its place. It is here to help us – not make us do its bidding. So…shut up TomTom, or I’m going to put you in time out…I mean, silent mode.
In spite of ignoring the suggested detours, I did make it to Memphis today. Tomorrow I plan on having some ribs (as I’ve been told I must), finding out why the roads in Tennessee are red, and crossing the mighty Mississippi into Arkansas. Stay tuned and watch the Purple Tumbler, the Purple Torpedo, and I move from the Volunteer State to the Natural State…um…that’s Arkansas’s nickname…not my couture d’jour.