This week I finished up the work travel of 2013 by train. Two day trips: Geneva, Switzerland and Mannheim, Germany. I indeed think the European rail system is incredible. The double decker from Geneva was smooth as silk.
As I was in and out of several train stations watching the displays (of which many are now digital), something occurred to me. I recall the days (20 yrs ago) when the displays (if any) were far less sophisticated, even just posted paper schedules left to interpret, which some poor soul had to update, print, post, and manage (and dare I say clean the glass). Yes there are still many electronic schedule boards which sound like a thousand dominos falling when they change as one watches the turning of letters and numbers in stark amazement. All those destinations!
Now in many cases a track # is displayed on a TV screen in the terminal only 10-15 min prior to the train's departure time, and the displays on the platform will tell you exactly where the different sections of the train will be so you can stand there and wait accordingly (e.g. food car, 1st class cars, 2nd class car etc). I wonder whether the advancements in technology are offset by enough new skills we and our children must learn; will our children learn to read a paper map, a posted train schedule, or a variety of other things we grown ups had to figure out in our early youth the hard way? As a result of these improvements, often less thinking is required, less common sense, in order to navigate through situations. It reminds me simply that it is essential to find new ways to teach old lessons to today's tech marvel children. I embrace and appreciate these improvements and tuck my small paper schedule away into a dark corner of my purse, just in case.
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