about   |   mailing list   |   writing   |   archives

Conflicts of Interest

Washington DC: a pedestrian crossing runs through it
 

The 27 mile ride in from Dulles takes a soul-destroying 150 minutes the result I suspect of a sat-nav that decided that every possible road-works was a Point of Interest. Which might sound a bit far fetched today, until you consider that someone somewhere is drawing on ever more reams of data to serve up your route – and someone else somewhere else is using every tool in their disposable to cajole individuals of interest to past places of interest.

When the company pitching you advertising *also* calculates the most ‘efficient’ route to take from A to B you need to ask the criteria by why efficiency is measured. And keep asking – the answer will likely change with the ebb and flow of financial results.

I’m just sayin’ is all.