A question of faith

Today I was on a day’s leave, recovering from a fairly hectic weekend. By lunchtime though, I found myself on a few calls and starting to answer emails. This is nothing new but I really wanted to stay out of work mode today and was getting quite frustrated.

Screwit… I’m off on the bike.

So taking advantage of the first good weather of the year, I took my cbf600 up the north eastern coast of Northern Ireland.  On a good day, this is a fantastic ride, and today was a good day. This was my trip.

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After passing Larne my petrol light came on.  So figuring I have X miles left I plodded along waiting for the next station.  To the next town.. no station, then the next town.. no station, then the butt clenching worry that I have just screwed up, and don’t know my way around this area as well as I should.

I was getting close to the point of no return, where it was 10 miles since the last station.  I knew I would hopefully make it back if I turned around now.  So I pulled in and took out my iPhone and launched the Maps application.  I don’t use it much.  Bringing up the directional search option I asked for directions from here to “petrol station”.  This is what I got.

Would your iPhone lie to you?

The iPhone said there was one 5 miles away.  I took a chance and trusted it.  It was right.  But boy was I sweating.  This got me thinking a lot on the way home (with a full tank of petrol).  Do I love technology?  Yes… I am pretty much as geeky as the next mid-thirties freak-show geek.  Do I trust technology?  No.  Not.at.all.  Years of having software and hardware that was supposed to “just work” and didn’t has turned me into a cynic.  Years of believing the hype that the next version would not have bugs and the next version would never let you down, only to be shat on again and again has left deep scars. I am constantly waiting to be let down by software/hardware at this stage, even if I want it so badly to “just work”.

As an administrator I’m happy to have the scars.  They show experience and promote caution.  But as a geek I need to re-learn to sometimes trust technology, even if it will occasionally bitch slap you upside your head.