Everyone needs a Plan B – especially in the Apps Age

by Alec Hogg

Joining the Boy Scouts as a teenager put my life onto a much better trajectory. Much of what was learnt during those formative years has been retained. Unfortunately, not everything. As I discovered yesterday when driving around a strange area.

From a young age – and especially in the Scouts – I've worked hard on developing keen observation. But the discipline started slipping after discovering Google Maps. And was abandoned completely when Waze arrived on my smartphone.

It came back to bite me yesterday when the mobile network's data service went on the blink, staying that way for hours. Only after a long distance call to a friend with connectivity were we able to find our way home.

This was a reminder that no matter how much technology improves lives, it can never be taken for granted. Becoming totally dependent on any tool is dangerous. Everyone needs a Plan B.

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