Technology: How it acts as a Firewall cutting off information from the Gut

[AFK]

On our recent trip to Vermont, we were driving my Mother-in-law's car.  She has one of those GPS deals to help find the way.  We also had Mapquested out our route to our hotel in VT.  The driving directions were pretty simple, mostly driving on Highways.  At one particular junction we were supposed to go from one Interstate to the other.  But, for whatever reason, the GPS machine was yelling at us to go a different way.  Common sense said to follow the route we mapped out on Mapquest, but the machine insisted we not take that ramp. 

and so entereth chaos and confusion.  The driver (who shall remain anonymous) followed the screams of the machine and we got a bit lost.  Thankfully, the machine does recalculate according to positioning and pointed out a route that did get us to our desination but it was a road less traveled and it resulted in a longer drive.

The point of this example is to talk about how technology can be advantageous, but it seems, it can also become something that challenges our ability to listen to ourselves.  That so much faith can be put into a computer, a machine, that it can, at least temporarily, lead us astray.  If we hadn't had that GPS on, we would've faithfully followed the paper map we created, and we would've arrived as planned. 

Do you think this is a trend or a blip?  Will we defer more decision making processes to machinery?  Will we cut off the gut altogether or make it irrelevant? 

[Golden Applesauce]

I think this is less a case of "ONOZ! TEH MACHINES ARE DOING OUR THINKING FOR US!" as it is a case of interpreting conflicting inputs.  Your 'common sense' Mapquest was itself generated by a computer algorithm.  One could say the same thing about following Mapquest vs. a plain ol' map, or using a map instead of verbal instructions, or using verbal instructions instead of your knowledge of the area's landmarks.

[AFK]

Yeah, I know how the map on Mapquest is generated.  Thanks for the lesson just the same.  But the map was generated, and then printed.  So it is now a map just as any other map is a map.  It is now a static map, while the GPS is making maps as we move.  There was a human interpretation of the printed Mapquest map that was forgone in favor of the on-the-fly routes being suggested by the machine.  That is the point. 

[Payne]

The Mappquest map didn't talk to you.

The GPS doomsday device did, and while you believe the map to be more accurate, it's hard to ignore a voice telling you something completely different.

[LMNO]

While driving to IKEA this weekend, Mrs LMNO forgot to switch it off the "Least use of highways" setting.

2 hours and a "lovely" tour of Canton later...

[AFK]

Yeah, I did get to see a lot of rural New Hampshire that I haven't seen before, nor, hopefully will I ever see again. 

Lebanon's not a bad little town though. 

[Triple Zero]

when the map you are using to navigate the territory is incorrect, you may be very surprised indeed.

(or whatever the quote was, i couldn't find it, anyway, the map/territory idea also holds for when you're dealing with an actual map and an actual territory )