DON’T BET YOUR LIFE ON TECHNOLOGY
India is expected to launch its own GPS (Global Positioning System) this year. It will be called the Navigation with Indian Constellation (Nav- IC) and will rely on seven satellites that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched into space.
This is good news for drivers and others in India because it means that they won’t have to rely on the American GPS system, which covers the entire world but has a position accuracy in India of only 20 to 30 meters. Thirty meters may not seem like much, but it can mean the difference between visiting a weight loss center or gaining 5,000 calories at the ice cream parlor next door.
NavIC is far more accurate, directing you within five meters of your target. This will be a great benefit to many drivers, especially those who rely completely on technology and often find themselves LOST (lacking observation skills totally).
People who rely completely on technology end up in big trouble when the technology fails them. That happened to a driver in Burlington, Vermont. Driving a Jeep, he followed the directions from a GPS app called Waze. When the app told him to keep driving straight, that’s what he did—he drove straight into a lake.
According to the Burlington Free Press, the driver and two passengers went down a boat ramp into the icy lake. The ice on the surface of the lake cracked and the jeep sank to the bottom, prompting the app to announce: “You have arrived at your destination!”
Actually, the app didn’t say anything, not even “sorry.” Thankfully, the driver and his passengers were able to escape unharmed. A police officer who wrote a report said the driver "was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the incident." He was only under the influence of technology.
[The article above contains additional material not in the print and digital issues.]
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? We would love to hear from you about Chai Time. If you have contributions, please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]
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