This continues a new category of posts: Guest columns where friends and readers share how technology is reshaping their hobby – fishing, basket weaving, rugby – whatever.
This time it is my dear friend Kimberly McDonald Baker, an Oracle veteran who relocated from the Bay area to Michigan to provide a better quality of life for the family. She now works for Project Partners. By definition, that means work plans and structure. No wonder her hobby is about unstructured side-trips. Read about her detours…
“My favorite form of travel has always been road trips, as they offer maximum
flexibility and freedom. There are virtually no luggage restrictions; I don’t
have to narrow down my shoe selections (always a problem!), I can take every
bathing suit I own, and my down pillow goes everywhere with me. Departure times
are always “between” as in “we’ll be leaving between eight and nine.” Arrival
times are even broader: “we’ll be in Grayling in time for dinner, unless we go
side-tripping.”
The US Interstate system may be what enabled Americans to see the USA in their Chevrolet, but unless you get off the interstates and freeways, you’re not going to find road trips to be energizing. Think of an interstate highway as core code in software. It will manage the flow in a rational and predictable manner, and it will definitely get you from Point A to Point Z in a reasonable amount of time. The trip will be smooth and uneventful, and there’s the problem. If you want to have fun, that interstate software code needs to support “user exits.”
In software, many vendors won’t even discuss user exits, saying they’re customizations that violate support contracts. The best software packages, however, do allow for user exits that enable code extensions. It’s the extensions that tailor enterprise applications to a perfect fit, and side trips that make auto travel a joyful experience.
Side-tripping used to be a risky undertaking, however, as the same aspect that makes it interesting is what makes it dangerous: you never know what you’ll encounter. You might get lost. The road you turn down might be unpaved and you could get a flat tire. How will you find lodging for the night? What if you encounter a wild animal? What if all the stores in the little town you’re heading toward are closed?
But in recent years, technology in the car has allowed me to become a fearless side-tripper. The tech that helps includes:
- GPS Navigation System. It even maps “roads” in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that you have to look at closely to notice that “the grass does seem a little thinner down that stretch.” Without the GPS system I would likely get lost going to my cousin’s house even though I’d been there two months earlier. With the GPS system my mantra is “let’s see what’s down that street.”
- SBS, ESC, ABS: All the 3 letter safety acronyms the auto industry borrows from Gartner. If an elk charges into my car or steps in front of it, I’m okay.
- Backup sensors that beep as I get too close to an object. It really makes a moose mad if your vehicle gets too close, especially at night with those bright lights. These technology features are an integrated system that ERP vendors would envy: avoiding scaring the moose enables you to avoid deploying the aforementioned airbags.
- Tire pressure monitoring and run-flat tires. Depending on how far off I’ve wandered down side roads, the tire pressure monitor may give me plenty of warning to avoid a flat tire. Otherwise, the run-flat tires give me a fighting chance against an over-zealous moose.
- USB connection – because singing in the car along with my MP3 player is one of the guilty pleasures of road trips. I have enough songs that I could sing from Ann Arbor to Copper Harbor and back, twice. I am told Google Maps has an undocumented feature which would allow you to calculate how many GB of storage that takes, if you are curious.
- Bluetooth cell phone connection – because if I don’t find a cute B&B or interesting shops on my side trip, there’s always someone on the phone who can tell me where to go! By the way, the picture is with my husband Brinton in the lakeside town of Munising, MI. No Four Seasons there :)
Since technology has enabled me to embrace the creative glee of side-tripping, I have had many wonderful experiences. I’ve seen bald eagles, bears and Northern Lights. I’ve splashed in waterfalls and canoed down rivers. I’ve eaten fresh Lake Superior whitefish in Paradise and creamy sorbet in Hell (both towns in Michigan, and I will let you guess which is closer to Detroit. The previously mentioned Google Maps has documented features which would confirm that). And I’ve also found that antique shops in villages have better prices and more unique items than those near larger towns. We’re talking real Art Deco, people! Now you know why a large collection of shoes joins me on my trips.
Side-tripping is refreshing, re-energizing and creative; the best of all “user exits.” Toss a cooler in your back seat and go.”
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