Developing Usable Experiences

A bridge is needed to nowhere, everybody is going

October 26th, 2008 10:18 pm —  86 views

A scene from the Island...

This guy and his wife are sitting behind W. and I on the ferry to Mackinac City from Sheplers on Mackinac Island. I hear him talking with her about the Mackinac bridge and how amazing it is that such a thing could be built.

I recall books and television specials on building the Mackinac Bridge. An amazing thing, five miles long. I think about the men who hauled load after load of cement to build the pillars that support the bridge. What would it have taken? Weeks? Maybe months of repeated trips to the cement mixer.

Experiencing even a little of life on an island, you’re reminded you’re on an island. Maybe it’s the smell of fresh road apples and the clomping of horses at all hours of the day. Maybe it’s the absence of cars. Look close you might see a different time. No cars or motorcycles. A time gone past being forced to blend in with today. I saw three electric carts, the Amigo kind, gliding down the street piloted by the old or disabled.

Network hungry people are showing up to spend money on the island. There are some cool bars, some interesting shops. Then there is the guy who brings his laptop, looking forward to playing some Halo with his buddies at night. But alas, the connection only works outside the office. So he sets up camp there, on a bench, out in the cold.

He is wearing a nice set of headphones and bright light fills his lap. I ease closer to see what he’s playing and notice he’s in the middle of a serious battle. He doesn’t notice me. A woman sitting next to him looking bored glances my way. I turn and get into the elevator. My friend asks about the weirdo. I explain how he’s somewhere else at the moment. All he knows is “Boom! Boom! Booom! Zap zap! Chicacaca Kpow..Rat-dat-dat-dat…whooOOoosh KaBLAM!!!”

The next day, distracting myself from the torrential downpour of slush and tiny bits of ice which threaten the minivan my friend is piloting toward Gaylord, we start talking about Facebook. They  noticed us taking pictures with my phone and heard us talking about uploading them. So I get all worked up talking about how “everything is miscellaneous” and how near perpetual connectivity and social networking were leading to these interesting emerging dimensions of social involvement…! They were polite, letting me go on for awhile.

Our friends work in an environment where computers are means to an end. Storing patient information, crunching numbers, coordinating business. Using a computer for anything other than task completion seems a waste of time. Then there are people that think a computer is more like a conduit to something, someone, somewhere.

I think about technology as a bridge that can connect people. I think about this as I silently marvel at the Mackinac bridge with the guy behind me.

Some pictures from our trip this weekend. Thanks for reading.

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2 Comments 

Comments

2 Responses to “A bridge is needed to nowhere, everybody is going”

  1. Dawn on October 27th, 2008 9:20 am

    my favorite pictures: #3, 7, 12 and 14 ! Looks wonderful, reminds me that I do like it on the island in October. Maybe will go back up there some year.

  2. Cathie T. on October 27th, 2008 2:58 pm

    I grew up in the midwest and the Mackinac Bridge was just about the only bridge worth knowing or enjoying. Now that I’m out in Seattle and there are bridges EVERYWHERE, it can get sort of surreal for my midwest blood. Especially over near the docks where the bridges have to open to let boats come through and all the industrial looking bridges for the trains. It’s kind of crazy but pretty cool too.

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