Did you know technology can give you dementia?
One thing that’s regularly highlighted in dementia prevention is to keep your brain active. With all the technology we have assisting us it’s rare to actually need to think.
Need to do some addition – use a calculator.
Need to remember to do something – use Asana (or some other time and activity management tool).
Need to get somewhere – use a GPS.
This week there must have been something in the stars because I was channeling Capt Wrongway Peachfuzz.
(If you don’t remember the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show in the 1960s click on the image for an introduction to the life and times of Capt Peter Peachfuzz. While there you can also check out favourites like Boris and Natasha, Dudley Doright and many more classic characters.)
Here’s a couple of examples from the past week.
A Detour Through The City
On Wednesday the Y-Network Xmas party was held at the Gunners’ Barracks in Mosman – a gorgeous location. The event was scheduled to start at 12 and so I left home with plenty of time to be punctual. As it turned out I arrived 15 minutes late – here’s why.
I use the car’s built-in GPS to get around. I’ve never been great with directions and so I figure it’s the best way to make sure I get where I’m meant to be going.
I programmed in the destination and headed off. Coming along the highway onto the Harbour Bridge there are a number of diversions of places to turn off. Unlike most freeways a couple of these are in the middle of the road.
Following the GPS I kept to the right lane (as directed). Sadly, it meant the right lane of the left set of lanes. If you’re finding that confusing, good, because I did and ended up missing the last exit and had to drive into the city to turn around and come back across the bridge to get to Mosman.
I know – it’s a stupid mistake and if I’d been paying attention I wouldn’t have missed the turnoff. So, please don’t write saying “that’s so dumb”.
However, I did feel slightly better when the next person to arrive at the party after I finally made it, announced that she was late because she’d missed the turnoff and had to go into the city to turn around – phew!!! SO, it wasn’t just me and so I decided there must be something in the stars going on.
The Wrong Bus Gets Me There On Time
My next diversion occurred on Friday. I was meeting a friend in Paddington.
Following the instructions from the 131500.com.au site for Sydney’s public transport I got to Bondi Junction on time. According to the timetable there was a bus due a few minutes later which would travel along Oxford St which was exactly what I needed.
However, timetable on the wall at the bus interchange indicated the next one would be in half an hour, which would make my on-time arrival somewhat challenging.
While being an efficient place to catch a bus, the Bondi Junction Interchange is a very poor place to get information about bus routes – strange but true. There’s no information booth and the route and timetables only apply to specific routes. So, finding other options for bus routes was providing challenging.
After wandering around looking for some helpful information I did find an official looking person (he had a yellow vest and was carrying a clipboard) and so asked if he could give me directions.
He replied that he wasn’t there in any official capacity but was a commuter and so may be able to help. (I noticed he marked his clipboard when I asked him for advice and so perhaps he was carrying out some sort of survey regarding how official people think you are by having a reflective vest and clipboard. It’s probably one of those University funded research programs we seem to come across in books about human behaviour and marketing.)
Thankfully, he was able to give me helpful directions and so I found the correct bus stop.
Sadly my misdirection didn’t end there.
It’s one of those stops where different routes pick up passengers. I noted the bus number I needed to get and waited.
The next bus to come along wasn’t one that I’d noted as going down the right road. However, it did go to St Vincent’s Hospital which was a bit further down Oxford St than I wanted and so I figured it had to go past where I needed to go – not so.
After leaving Bondi Junction the bus headed into Paddington and then off into a completely different direction from what I’d expected.
Realising I was now on the wrong one I got off at the next stop and started walking, being very grateful that summer in Sydney has been cold and wet of late – just the way I like it.
To top things off I didn’t have a specific location for where I was to meet my friend, George. Just an intersection.
I found the intersection and was looking around for a coffee shop thinking “where would George go?”
I noticed a likely candidate on the other side of the road and as I was crossing George walked up.
Thus, by getting diverted I arrived at EXACTLY the right time. Once again, the Universe has presented what seemed to be an obstacle and nuisance only for me to find that it was lining me up for complete success.
In my final defense I’d like to relate a story told about Albert Einstein.
If Einstein Could Do It So Can I
After concluding an interview the reporter asked for Einstein’s phone number in case there were more questions or clarifications required. Einsteing went to his filing cabinet and looked up his number. The journalist was amazed and commented “how is it that the finest mind of the 20th century doesn’t even know his own phone number?”
Einstein responded with “young man you don’t understand how I use my mind. Things I can look up I keep filed in a place where I know I can locate them. That way I can keep my mind free of clutter and only hold the deeper thoughts I need to work with”.
I don’t claim to be in Einstein’s league but perhaps those tasks, like driving directions can be left to something (or someone) else. Then again, maybe that’s the rocky road to dementia – now what was I saying?????