August 17, 2007

Rhinoceros Head vs. Technology

A quote attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright: "If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger."

I am now tracking Dean on Google Maps, and by extension, Google Earth. It is cool.

And, so, my refrigerator tracking map and goofy magnets go the way of my Commodore 64.

But, I must fight this. I must pass down the refrigerator tracking map to my son. I have fond childhood memories of tracking hurricanes on those free maps from Wendy’s or wherever.

Of course, no Katrina ever hit when I was young. If one had, then those memories may not have been so fond.

One way I have dealt with my son and hurricanes is to explain EVERYTHING to him. I hope that the more he understands, the more power he feels he has. Many decisions will be made in this and future hurricane seasons that will directly affect him, and I don’t want him to feel powerless. I want him to understand what we are talking about and why we are making whatever decisions are being made.

He likes Google Earth, too, though. So he might opt for the push-button rather than the goofy magnets.

Thinking about it, it would make more sense to see a point on a computer-generated map rather than a big rhinoceros head in the middle of the Atlantic headed for the Gulf.

Although, in reality, I would prefer the rhino head to be headed to the Gulf.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice one on the tracking maps... I'm going to apply the Google Earth angle as well when I get my mac back from the shop.

Leigh C. said...

Yeah, we'd get maps from Mickey D's or Burger King and mark down tracks of hurricanes when I was growing up in Houston. I even have a cross-stitch pattern of a hurricane tracking map, complete with a pattern for a plastic canvas hurricane to move around the map.

Must get to work on that...