Over break I
started watching The West Wing and,
in one of the episodes, two of the characters got lost as they were struggling
to read their map. I was extremely
confused as to why they did not just look up on their phones where they were or
even type where they were going into their GPS.
I remembered then though that The
West Wing was produced in 1999 when they did not have such technologies. The only tool they had to use to help them
find their way was a paper map. Their
lack of a GPS prompted me to ask my cousin which technology was most important
to him in his job as I was pretty confident what the answer would be.
My cousin works
for the state of Utah and his job is to go out and map the dirt roads in the
rural parts of the state so they are recorded.
Often times he is not able to use a car to get to his destinations so he
has to use an ATV or ride a special mountain bike out to his destinations. It is very important that he knows his location
not only to be able to complete his job but for his own safety as well. Therefore, he believes the most important
information technology in his job is the GPS he uses when out in the
field. It was not a difficult technology
to learn to use as he had been using a GPS for years before that, whether it be
on his phone or an actual GPS device that he had in his car. The GPS is essential to his job because a
paper map would not be able to get the job done as where he is going is not yet
on the paper map. He would surely get
lost if he had to just use a paper map and would not be able to successfully do
his job. The use of the GPS makes the
job he extremely enjoys possible. Being able
to go out into the rural parts of Utah by himself is something he finds
extremely enjoyable and is only possible through the use of his GPS. Therefore, the GPS is the most useful and essential
tool to his job.
The inspiration I had
for this blog really made me realize not only how quickly information
technology has changed but has also how it has become a part of our lives. They are two things that almost seem to go
hand in hand in the modern world today.
Our lives would not be able to function to the standards we hold without
the use of the current information technology and really brings into
perspective how much we have progressed in a short period of time.
1 comment:
Your experience over break brings up a very good point! I think I definitely take for granted my GPS and how accessible it is. It sounds like your cousins job, there is an extremely important need for GPS and he's lucky to have such capability in the technology. Overall, I agree and think that the quickness of information becoming available and easy to use is incredible. Our lives really wouldn't be the same without it.
Post a Comment