[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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