To navigate via a map or GPS? That is the question even today

I compared notes with my father-in-law about the best route to take to make it to our destination. Our car had the latest fancy satellite navigation system that loaded its data from a DVD.

The latest DVD was typically purchased on a semi-regular basis with our current DVD less than two years old.

When comparing notes, I put my complete faith in the route that the sat nav told me to take.

My father-in-law, using experience and old-fashioned maps, said a different route was faster. Surely the technology would be better than paper maps and human knowledge? We travelled our separate paths and when we arrived at our destination, my father-in-law had already unpacked the car and was sipping on a cup of tea.

That was eighteen Christmases ago, so surely the same thing wouldn't happen now?

I know science and maths teachers often talk about students wanting to use calculators for everything, "they are fast and accurate," is the standard explanation by students.

While an electronic device does provide an answer swiftly, it still conforms to the Garbage In Garbage Out adage.

If you make a mistake entering the data, the answer will be wrong. Students must still discern whether a result is plausible.

This essential skill - evaluating the reasonableness of a technological outcome - is increasingly overlooked in our digital-dependent society.

In the rural expanses of Western Australia's Quairading Shire, the limitations of technology manifested differently.

GPS systems, blindly followed, led drivers down dangerous, unsealed roads.

The council's response was to erect signs urging drivers to ignore their digital guides.

This is not 2005, and drivers are not relying on potentially out of date DVDs. This is 2023, and soon to be 2024, when the expectation is that the data is near real time.

In capital cities you can choose your route by how congested a road is right now. Surely technology can deliver the correct route on a rural road?

This example underscores the oft-disconnect between digital data and real-world conditions.

Here, technology's shortfall doesn't just mean your father-in-law can smile knowingly at you - there is potential for real danger.

This dilemma isn't unique to remote Australian roads. It reflects a global challenge in how we interact with technology.

Mapping and navigation systems, despite their sophistication, often miss the subtleties of local knowledge and terrain.

Then the next issue is in dealing with the modern large tech companies.

It is not quite as simple as ringing the local office and explaining the issue to have it rectified.

This highlights the broader issue of accountability in the tech industry. Who bears the responsibility when technology leads us astray?

The broader implication is clear: as technology becomes more integrated into our lives, we must balance its convenience with critical thinking and scepticism.

Technology, as powerful as it is, cannot yet fully replace human judgement and experience.

Stories like those from the Hunter Valley and Quairading remind us that technology is a tool -a means to an end - not the end itself.

In a rapidly evolving digital world, where artificial intelligence and machine learning are making significant strides, the value of human insight and discretion cannot be overstated.

Technology should complement, not substitute, our understanding and intuition.

As we navigate through an increasingly technology-driven world, let's not forget the importance of the all-too-rare common sense.