[LINK] limits of technology in finding someone
Roger Clarke
Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
Sat Dec 9 14:13:57 AEDT 2006
At 12:13 +1100 9/12/06, Rick Welykochy wrote:
>AFAIK, a taxi driver *must* abide by any directions you give to
>arrive at your destination.
...
>But (big sigh) rules and obligations are one thing and reality is
>quie another.
Another rule is, or always was, that they have to pass a geography
test. In olden days, they generally had a pretty good idea what they
were doing. These days, I routinely have to explain to Sydney
cabbies where B is, and how to get from A to B. I haven't lived in
Sydney for 23 years, yet can still navigate better than most of them.
Back to the point: in classical Information Systems theory terms,
GPS is a decision support tool that's being used by naive people as a
decision tool.
The purposes to which GPS is being put are extremely challenging, and
it's no surprise that quality is highly variable, and horror stories
will keep happening. As ever, marketers and technology supremacists
are happy to lie in order to make it seem much better than it really
is.
--
Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/
Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW
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