Sat 04 Apr 2007Modern momentJohn Butlerworries about our increasing reliance
on machinesI read a news story recently about a man in Germany who crashed
his car because his satellite navigation system had told him to. As
far as I know, he wasn't suffering from a delusional medical
condition. Apparently, he had been driving on a road parallel to a
railway line, as per instructions. The satnav system began to show
a right turn on the little digital map on the dashboard - a turn it
wanted him to take. It told him the turn was in 200 metres. As the
man continued driving, however, he could see no such turn.